Central Asian Leaders Link Trade and Security at Baku Summit

Central Asian leaders called for better transport links and joint action on water shortages at the Baku summit in Azerbaijan on October 15, arguing that practical cooperation could prevent political disputes from turning into conflict. The seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) adopted the Baku Declaration, admitted Laos as a new member, and approved Azerbaijan’s continued chairmanship through 2028. Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev called for an “infrastructure of trust” based on transparent government actions and the fulfillment of commitments. His proposed concept would connect conflict prevention with joint transport and energy projects, trade, and digital links. He pointed to the damage that conflicts in Asia were causing to economies and security far from the fighting. Mirziyoyev warned, “When dialogue weakens, the risk of misguided decisions increases.” He urged governments to prevent political disagreements from becoming armed confrontations. Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed a preventive diplomacy mechanism within CICA, enabling members to contribute before a crisis develops. He told the summit, “Peace is best built before crises emerge.” According to the Azerbaijani state news agency AZERTAC’s account, the Baku Declaration includes provisions on economic ties, transport and digital connections, and energy security. It addresses the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence. Trade Routes Across the Caspian Sea The meeting came one week after the Avaza summit, where Central Asian presidents and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev discussed east-west and north-south trade routes. In Baku, those regional priorities entered a wider Asian forum, alongside calls to make commercial relationships more dependable. Tokayev proposed a CICA Transport Connectivity Strategy covering major routes, including the Middle Corridor across the Caspian Sea. He linked Azerbaijan’s rapprochement with Armenia to new opportunities for east-west transport. Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon called in his summit address for simpler customs and logistics procedures and better connections between different forms of transport. He presented economic cooperation as a foundation for lasting peace, alongside continued action against terrorism and its financing. On the summit’s sidelines, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan discussed transport and transit cooperation. Their talks covered improvements to logistics infrastructure and international routes connecting Central Asia with the Caucasus, according to Turkmenistan’s government account. During a separate bilateral meeting, Tokayev and Aliyev inaugurated the Trans-Caspian Fiber-Optic Cable Line remotely, opening an approximately 380-kilometer connection between Aktau in Kazakhstan and Sumgayit in Azerbaijan. The project forms part of the Digital Silk Way initiative, with onward connections intended to carry data between China, Central Asia, and Europe. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development gives the cable a design capacity exceeding 400 terabits per second. The ministry says the additional route will provide backup for existing international connections and allow operators to distribute traffic across more channels. It expects the connection to attract investment in data centers and cloud services as Kazakhstan seeks a larger role in carrying international data. Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov similarly called for fiber-optic routes linking Asia and Europe. He invited technology companies to build data centers...

Kazakhstan Data Centers: Will There Be Enough Electricity and Customers?

Kazakhstan aims to become a regional hub for data processing and artificial intelligence (AI). Data Center Valley is under construction in Ekibastuz, United States-based Firebird is involved in preparations for a major computing complex, and new fiber-optic lines are expected to connect the country to Europe across the Caspian Sea. Authorities hope to attract billions of dollars in investment and develop hundreds of megawatts (MW) of capacity. The main questions are whether the power grid can meet such demand and whether there will be enough international customers. Ekibastuz: The First 50 MW of a Promised Gigawatt At the center of these plans is Data Center Valley in Ekibastuz, an industrial city in northeastern Kazakhstan. The complex is eventually expected to expand to 1 gigawatt (GW) of capacity. According to the government, the first phase is designed for 50 MW. By August, earthworks were approximately 90% complete, and builders had begun laying foundations, with the first facility scheduled to launch in June 2027. Firebird AI: $10 Billion in Agreements On October 2, national telecommunications operator Kazakhtelecom, KT-Telecom, and Firebird AI KZ signed an initial agreement covering the construction and long-term leasing of computing infrastructure. Earlier, the government announced a package of agreements worth up to $10 billion with Firebird, involving U.S.-based NVIDIA as a technology partner. The project provides for the potential deployment of up to 100,000 graphics processing units (GPUs), specialized chips used to train and run AI systems. For now, the $10 billion represents the announced value of the agreements. How much money will go directly toward construction and equipment purchases has not been publicly disclosed. Singapore-based Energy Capital Global has also expressed interest in Kazakhstan’s market. The company is considering a data center campus at Data Center Valley with an initial phase of approximately 100 MW and the potential to expand to 1 GW. In August, it signed a memorandum of understanding with KT-Telecom. Trans-Caspian Cable: A New Data Transmission Route Data centers need fast communications links to serve international customers. Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are developing an undersea fiber-optic connection between Aktau and Sumgait. On October 6, Kazakhstan's Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, Zhaslan Madiyev, announced that the approximately 390-kilometer undersea section of the cable had been completed. The line is scheduled to launch in October 2026. The Trans-Caspian route is intended to connect China and Central Asia with the South Caucasus and Europe. For Kazakhstan, it offers an opportunity to reduce dependence on Russian transit routes. According to the Caspian Policy Center, approximately 95% of the country's outbound international internet traffic passes through Russia. Kazakhstan is also building an approximately 4,500-kilometer West–East fiber-optic backbone, connecting the Caspian coast with the Chinese border. More than 2,200 kilometers have been laid, with construction scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. The new routes would also provide alternative connections, reducing the risk of widespread disruptions if individual lines are damaged. The Existing Market: Tens of Megawatts Versus Hundreds Planned As of October 7, 2026, the industry directory...