Astana’s WIPO City of Innovation Bid Reaches Final 15

Astana  is the only Central Asian city among 15 finalists for the inaugural World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) City of Innovation Award. WIPO, a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN), announced the finalists on September 22. Shanghai, Moscow, and Liverpool are among the other cities competing for the award. The award focuses on what cities pledge to do over the following 12 months rather than what they have already achieved. Judges consider the ambition of those plans, how well they fit each city’s circumstances, and whether they can realistically be carried out. Astana’s submission is heavily focused on technology. The city proposes an artificial intelligence- and data-enabled Smart City platform and a single digital gateway for personalized public services, alongside projects intended to improve accessibility and sustainability. Those plans build on several years of investment in the capital’s digital infrastructure. Astana has been selected three times for the Intelligent Community Forum’s Smart21 Communities of the Year, in 2015, 2017, and 2023. The program recognizes cities and regions using connectivity, technology, and knowledge-based development to improve their economies and communities. A much larger smart-city project began in February 2025 when the city signed a six-year, $190 million agreement with Presight to introduce artificial intelligence across urban infrastructure, traffic management, and public services. The project includes a digital twin of the capital, bringing together information from city systems and sensors to support planning and day-to-day management. The project is being developed alongside a wider technology ecosystem. As The Times of Central Asia has reported, Astana Hub has more than 2,200 companies in its ecosystem, while the Alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Center brings together startups, researchers, technology companies, and government projects. Presight opened its first Central Asian research and development laboratory at Alem.ai in October 2025, with smart-city applications among its areas of work. The WIPO nomination comes as Astana rolls out a model of city management built around artificial intelligence, connected infrastructure, and data. An independent international jury will choose up to three winners. They will be announced on October 12 at WIPO headquarters in Geneva, on the margins of the sixth UN Forum of Mayors.

Pavel Durov’s Telegram Launches AI Laboratory at Alem.ai in Astana

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has announced the launch of a dedicated artificial intelligence laboratory in Astana, housed within the newly inaugurated International Artificial Intelligence Center, Alem.ai. The Alem.ai center was officially opened on Thursday during the Digital Bridge 2025 forum in Kazakhstan’s capital. At the opening ceremony, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev described the center as a future global hub for the effective and ethical application of artificial intelligence. The initiative will bring together both domestic and international developers, with Telegram among the first companies to establish operations at the site. “A year ago, we opened our first regional office in Kazakhstan, and today we are pleased to launch a specialized AI laboratory inside Alem.ai,” Durov said. “This is a joint project between Telegram and Kazakhstan’s national supercomputer cluster, established by the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence. The technology will allow more than one billion people to use AI functions privately, transparently, and efficiently. We hope that Kazakhstan’s supercomputer cluster will become the first major provider of computing power for this network.” As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan launched the region’s most powerful supercomputer earlier this year. At the Digital Bridge 2025 forum, President Tokayev announced plans for a second cluster. On the sidelines of the event, he also met with Pavel Durov to discuss cooperation in education, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, according to the presidential press service. “The President highly appreciated Telegram’s contribution to advancing Kazakhstan’s digital agenda: the company officially joined Astana Hub, opened an office in Kazakhstan, and launched AI laboratories at Alem.ai,” the statement said. “For his part, Pavel Durov briefed Tokayev on prospects for joint projects in artificial intelligence.” Tokayev also discussed venture investment opportunities and the development potential of Kazakhstani AI startups with Stanford University professor Ilya Strebulaev. In addition, Tokayev held meetings with Omar Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, and Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health and former COO of G42. The talks focused on expanding Kazakh-Emirati cooperation in AI, including the ongoing Smart City project, which Tokayev called a milestone in bilateral relations. Tokayev also announced plans to establish an Artificial Intelligence University in Kazakhstan, with a strong focus on research and development. According to the presidential press service, he noted the importance of drawing on the UAE’s experience, where the world’s first IT-focused university is already in operation.