ASTANA, November 03 (AJP) - Soviet-era government buildings in Kazakhstan’s capital now hum with modern servers and fiber-optic cables as the Central Asian nation pushes to reposition itself as the region’s leading digital economy.
The country of 20 million has already emerged as a GovTech leader, ranking 24th globally in the UN’s e-Government Development Index and 10th in online services. It is now doubling down with an expansive AI strategy built on supercomputing infrastructure, hyperscale datacenters and an unusual pitch to global investors: partnership without geopolitical complications.
“We’re not just building infrastructure. We’re building a national AI platform that gives every government agency access to the same tools, from large language models to 120 government databases,” Dmitriy Mun, Vice Minister of AI and Digital Development, told AJP in an exclusive interview.
Kazakhstan’s digital overhaul has been decades in the making. Mun noted that the country has more than 25 years of experience in GovTech, beginning with physical service centers, then digitization, then mobile platforms. By the time COVID hit, the foundation was in place for a major shift toward digital public services.
A key breakthrough came with the Smart Bridge platform, a marketplace for government APIs that allows private banks and companies to tap directly into state databases.
Its people can access government services through private banking apps, with cashless payments accounting for 85 percent of transactions. The eGov mobile app has 11 million users — 96 percent of the adult population — accessing more than 1,000 services without visiting an office.
Kazakhstan launched its National AI Platform in December 2024. The platform has signed 43 use cases across government, with 10 already implemented and a roadmap for 50 AI agents. An AI assistant called eGov AI has handled more than 800,000 user requests in four months. Another agent, e-Otinish AI, processes 160,000 of the country’s 4 million annual citizen appeals across 15 agencies. Qazaq Law answers legal questions with 86 percent accuracy, and a reengineering assistant helps civil servants identify regulatory changes needed to streamline procedures. The Smart Data Ukimet platform aggregates data from over 120 state databases, powering the Digital Family Card, which tracks 6 million families and delivers 4 million proactive public services automatically.
Kazakhstan’s AI ambitions depend heavily on access to compute. The country operates a supercomputer built on 63 NVIDIA H200 GPUs under the ALEM.AI initiative. Securing the hardware required extended conversations with the United States beginning in 2023, Mun said, given Kazakhstan’s proximity to China and Russia. The country initially considered working with Groq but pivoted when the startup moved to an API-only model. A second NVIDIA-based system with 62 GPUs now serves Samruk-Kazyna, the state holding company, and a third supercomputer is planned for universities. Kazakhstan treats high-grade compute as a strategic asset, offering tax exemptions and preferential customs treatment.
Mun said the resource-rich country's biggest constraint is not capital but talent. “We really need new talents who understand both AI and the processes in their field. I need experts in AI in oil, AI in logistics. I need to mix knowledge with AI.” Kazakhstan plans to train one million people in AI over the next three to four years. Nineteen universities are establishing AI faculties that combine technology with sector-specific majors, with students paired with industry partners. Primary schools are also introducing AI curricula.
Datacenter capacity is expanding rapidly. Kazakhstan plans to build 200 megawatts of capacity with $1.5 billion in investment between 2025 and 2030, with more than four projects already underway. Special Economic Zones offer zero VAT, corporate tax exemptions and customs-duty waivers to attract hyperscale operators. The cloud services market has grown to $110 million as of late 2024.
South Korea has emerged as a key partner in Kazakhstan’s digital push. Officials say the two countries already have five years of experience in data management cooperation, with ongoing projects ranging from speech detection tools to the Maui City smart-city initiative. Mun said he hopes to strengthen partnerships in datacenter construction, smart-city pilots in Astana and Almaty, and joint education programs. “What I would like to learn more about is smart cities in Korea — flying taxis, air taxis,” he said.
Asked which sectors stand to gain the fastest from AI adoption, Mun cited agriculture, oil, mining and logistics. Samruk-Kazyna has already developed an AI agent roadmap across these areas. “We are in the top ten in the OECD online services index. We have the most powerful supercomputer in Central Asia. We have strong AI talent — Hedixel AI, a Kazakh startup, recently became a unicorn. We have special economic zones with tax benefits,” he said. “Kazakhstan offers opportunity and stability. We are strategically located between Europe, China and South Asia. Major hyperscale projects are underway.”
The scale of activity reflects that ambition: hyperscale datacenters under construction, AI agents processing millions of citizen queries, universities rolling out AI programs and the government treating compute capacity as a national strategic priority. Whether Kazakhstan successfully establishes itself as Central Asia’s digital hub remains uncertain, but with $1.5 billion committed to datacenter infrastructure and NVIDIA-powered supercomputers already in operation, the country is placing a determined bet on AI-driven transformation.
reporter
Candice Kim
candicekim1121@ajupress.com
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