Global tech giants interested in multi-billion dollar Kazakh project

Tengrinews.kz — Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has shared details regarding the large-scale "Data Center Valley" project, citing the government’s press service.

According to the Prime Minister, the data centers will be utilized to develop artificial intelligence, digital services, and the new data economy. Consequently, Kazakhstan intends to move beyond relying solely on external computing power and will focus on building its own infrastructure.

"Currently, all data from all government agencies is housed in a 6 MW data center in Astana. In the first half of next year, we will launch a 125 MW data center in Ekibastuz. By 2028, we will launch another identical 125 MW facility. We will continue this work moving forward," said Olzhas Bektenov.

International technology giants are already showing interest in the Kazakh project. Specifically, agreements have been reached with Firebird, a strategic partner of NVIDIA. The investment volume under consideration is approximately $10 billion.

Earlier, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that in the modern world, control over computing power, data, and communication channels determines the level of a state's independence.

"It is of fundamental importance for Kazakhstan to establish its own infrastructure base capable of supporting the development of artificial intelligence and cloud services. Therefore, the creation of the 'Data Center Valley' is a priority project for us. This massive cluster will become a new driving force for our economic growth, providing businesses and researchers with access to computing resources. A reliable digital infrastructure must become a strategic asset for our country," the President stated during the second meeting of the Council for the Development of Artificial Intelligence.

At that time, he instructed the government to comprehensively develop the key parameters of the "Data Center Valley" project in accordance with international standards and the requirements of major industry players.