ASTANA ( WNAM MONITORING ): Presidents Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed the Central Asian Innovation Hubs, an alliance uniting Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan’s largest technology parks to advance startups and global innovation, at the AlmatyFair.ai exhibition on March 29 during Mirziyoyev’s working visit to Kazakhstan.
As reported by Akorda, 39 startups from both countries participated in major IT events last year, including INMerge Innovation Summit, Web Summit 2024, and TechCrunch Disrupt 2024.
At the exhibition, the presidents explored cutting-edge solutions in GovTech, FinTech, BigTech, and Smart City technologies alongside specialized zones showcasing IT company achievements, industrial innovations, and educational projects.
Tokayev presented Mirziyoyev with the concept for the Alem.ai International Center for Artificial Intelligence, an initiative to train thousands of AI specialists, support startups, and advance scientific research. The presidents also reviewed Kazakhstan’s National AI Platform for optimizing government operations and the AI-Sana educational program, which fosters AI-driven economic growth and entrepreneurship.
Landmark agreement
The Kazakh government signed an investment agreement with Singapore’s GK Hyperscale Ltd to build and operate two hyperscale data centers, attracting $1.5 billion in investments. These Tier 3-level centers will have a total IT capacity of 200 MW and create over 360 high-skilled jobs.
The share of Kazakh content will be nearly $1.2 billion, and at least 50% of the data centers’ revenue is expected to come from exports, helping Kazakhstan to attract international tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.
An additional $1.2 billion will be allocated to acquire a power plant, including a wind farm and an electricity storage system. Construction is set to begin in early 2026, with the first data center module expected in 2027.
One of the highlights of AlmatyFair.ai was the AI Startup Showdown, where teams pitched AI solutions for a $10,000 prize fund and a chance to join the Hero Training Program acceleration initiative in Silicon Valley.
