Kazakhstan’s AI Strategy: Eurasia’s Emerging Digital Power
Astana hosted AI & Digital Bridge 2026 on October 1–3, and NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang is scheduled to visit the capital on October 23 for a fireside chat with Zhaslan Madiyev, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. Speaking to The Times of Central Asia earlier this month, Madiyev described a strategy that goes beyond building data centers. Kazakhstan’s digital development builds on capabilities it already has (a mature digital-government system, an established energy and industrial base, cross-border fiber and data-transit infrastructure, and a growing technology sector) to move beyond carrying data and exporting raw materials toward processing more data and producing more technology at home. The push aligns with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s call for Kazakhstan to become a fully digital nation, with artificial intelligence (AI) integrated across the economy. Digital Services and Startup Growth Madiyev began with what Kazakhstan already does, describing the country as known for advanced government technology, or GovTech. He cited Kazakhstan’s 24th-place ranking in the United Nations E-Government Development Index. More than 90% of public services are available online, around 90% of transactions are cashless, and approximately 40 personal documents have been digitized, he said. Digital documents have the same legal standing as physical ones, allowing people to use their phones when traveling, visiting banks, or accessing government services. An important part of that development was opening the government’s digital platform to banks rather than keeping public services within a single government application. Banks including Kaspi, Halyk, and Freedom can integrate those services into platforms customers already use, helping expand adoption and making services easier to access. Madiyev cited vehicle purchases and re-registration completed through an application in three to five minutes, mortgage approvals within a day, and a digital process that helps mothers register newborns and receive eligible benefits directly into their bank accounts. The aim is to organize services around people’s life events, with one completed process triggering the next rather than requiring separate applications to different institutions. He also pointed to Astana Hub, which has more than 2,500 registered startups and information technology (IT) companies exporting services to more than 100 countries. Its network extends across Kazakhstan and into Silicon Valley, Shanghai, and Dubai, with further expansion planned in Southeast Asia and Europe. Those overseas locations provide working space, access to investors, and acceleration programs to help companies enter international markets. A venture fund-of-funds, predominantly financed by the private sector and standing at approximately $115 million at the time of the interview, is intended to increase the financing available to regional startups. Madiyev said companies may need to raise capital six or seven times on the way to becoming unicorns, making access to successive funding rounds important. Connectivity That Serves the Region Kazakhstan already carries international traffic. Kazakhtelecom’s 2024 annual report records 200 gigabits per second (Gbps) of Europe–Uzbekistan transit capacity and 100 Gbps on the Europe–Kyrgyzstan route, while the Internet Society rates Kazakhstan’s upstream connection diversity as “Very Good.” Kazakhstan’s international internet capacity stood...
