Kazakhstan’s AI University opens with 500 students, supercomputer access
Qazaq AI Research University (QAIRU) has officially begun its first academic year, enrolling 400 bachelor’s and 100 master’s degree students. who will have access to the computing infrastructure of the Alem Cloud supercomputer, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Established in line with the President’s directive, QAIRU specializes in training professionals and conducting research in artificial intelligence.
Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education Dinara Sheglova said at a press conference that QAIRU was set up as a new institution where processes - from education to administration - are built on AI.
She emphasized that a few universities worldwide operate entirely on AI systems, and highlighted ongoing talks with the rector of the UAE-based Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence to join QAIRU’s team.
Rector Sapar Toksanov confirmed that annual enrollment will remain at 400 bachelor’s and 100 master’s program students despite higher demand.
“Our objective is not to pursue quantity, but to ensure quality,” he said.
Bachelor’s programs will last three years instead of four, with intensified curricula.
First Vice Rector Serik Omirbayev explained that studies will focus on a single AI project: students will define a problem and create an MVP in year one, develop a working AI service in year two, and deliver a full AI product as their thesis in year three. Academic programs are integrated with Google and Samsung.
QAIRU is building an AI ecosystem spanning academic, research, and business directions, including the national AI platform. Each student will have a digital profile, while AI assistants will support students, faculty, and researchers.
QAIRU develops partnerships with international universities and tech organizations. In October 2026, QAIRU expects a delegation of scholars from the Shanghai Innovation Institute. Joint doctoral programs and exchanges are under discussion with Tsinghua SIGS, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Korea University, HY+, and the University of Helsinki.
The importance of computing infrastructure was also highlighted.
Vice Minister of AI and Digital Development Gizzat Baitursynov noted that QAIRU had been allocated an initial quota of 20 GPUs from Kazakhstan's national supercomputer infrastructure, Alem Cloud.
“Artificial intelligence cannot develop without computing infrastructure. Last year we launched the Alem Cloud supercomputer, ranked 86th in the global Top‑500, and within its framework QAIRU has already been allocated 20 GPUs, with quotas to be increased as demand grows. Two months ago, an agreement was signed with NVIDIA and Presight to build a 250‑megawatt data center,” Baitursynov said.
QAIRU currently employs 24 faculty members, averaging one per 12 students. Tuition fees are set at 2 million tenge per year for bachelor’s programs and about 3 million tenge for master’s programs. State grants are available for bachelor’s students, with plans to extend grants to master’s programs next year. The university also intends to apply for doctoral program licensing in October.
As it was reported, at the 1st meeting of the Council for AI Development in Astana, President Tokayev entrusted the Government with building a new AI research institution.
