Kazakhstan’s AI ambitions draw global media attention
CNBC covered Kazakhstan’s ambitions to become an AI computing hub serving Europe, drawing attention to its energy resources and plans to expand data center infrastructure, including the Data Center Valley project in Ekibastuz.
The South China Morning Post focused on Huang’s promotion of sovereign AI and his call for Kazakhstan to turn its “energy into intelligence” by developing domestic computing capabilities.
International coverage also extended to startups with Kazakh roots. Bloomberg, in an article republished by Yahoo Finance, reported that NVIDIA and investment firm TCV had invested in Higgsfield, an AI video generation company headquartered in San Francisco with most of its engineering talent based in Kazakhstan. Variety also covered the investment.
In an exclusive interview with 24KZ correspondent Adil Baltabayev, Huang estimated that a five-gigawatt computing hub could attract $250 billion in investment and generate $1 trillion in economic activity.
According to Huang, 300 megawatts of power capacity have already been allocated, while the long-term vision envisages expansion to five gigawatts.
“Each gigawatt is $50 billion, and Deputy Prime Minister Madiyev has declared that the data center valley will eventually have five gigawatts. Five gigawatts is $250 billion of investment, and it will generate a trillion dollars of economy,” Huang said.
Miras Zhiyenbayev, a foreign policy expert and adviser to the chairman of the board for international affairs at Maqsut Narikbayev University, said realizing this potential would require cleaner energy, faster infrastructure development, integration of NVIDIA technologies and investment in local talent.
“We need a new generation of local engineers and strategists to run these systems,” he said.
Zhiyenbayev emphasized that developing education alongside computing infrastructure would help Kazakhstan secure lasting economic benefits and strengthen its geopolitical influence.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had praised the practical value of recommendations offered by NVIDIA co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang.
