GPT-6, the world record HackAlem, and iPhone 18 Pro: key events of September in the world, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus

Apple showed at the autumn presentation: iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, new Apple Watch and AirPods
On September 9, Apple unveiled new devices at its first autumn presentation under the leadership of new CEO John Turnus. The main highlight was the company's first foldable smartphone—the iPhone Duo.

OpenAI presented GPT-6 Astra — a new model for complex professional tasks
OpenAI calls the AI model GPT-6 Astra the smartest and most coherent model in its history. Astra shows the best results among OpenAI models in computer and browser interaction, code writing, and solving scientific and professional tasks.

What Kaspi 3.0 Will Be Like: Lomtadze Shared Kaspi.kz's PlansKaspi.kz
Kaspi.kz plans to transition from a super app with a set of separate services to a new model where artificial intelligence will help users solve everyday tasks. This was announced by co-founder and CEO of Kaspi.kz Mikhail Lomtadze at the Kazakhstan Growth Forum 2026.

HackAlem AI in Astana set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORD
HackAlem AI in Astana set a world record for the number of participants in an AI hackathon. The event involved 2,415 people, surpassing the previous record of 2,089 participants.

Armenia is building AI infrastructure with tens of thousands of NVIDIA GPUs
Armenia is developing artificial intelligence infrastructure, which is expected to create conditions for scaling AI projects and computations.

Xsolla opened a research and development center in Azerbaijan
Xsolla has opened a research and development center in Azerbaijan. The new center will focus on the company's technological solutions and the development of specialists.

Microsoft presented an updated Copilot with coding and an AI agent
Microsoft has updated Copilot, combining a chat, code creation tools, and an AI agent into a single application. The app now features Home, Code, and Autopilot tabs.

Meta presented the AI gadget Charm, camera-free glasses, and new VR glasses at Connect 2026
At Meta Connect 2026, the company unveiled new devices and products in the field of artificial intelligence, including the AI gadget Charm, camera-free glasses, and new VR glasses.

Kazakhstani Cerebra AI signed a contract with an American medical group with revenue exceeding $20 billion
The Kazakhstani startup Cerebra AI, which develops artificial intelligence-based solutions for early stroke diagnosis, announced the signing of a long-term contract with a major strategic partner in the US—a medical group with over 150 years of history and annual revenue exceeding $20 billion. The terms of the agreement are not disclosed due to an NDA.

Apple released iOS 27 with new Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features
The main change concerns Siri AI: the voice assistant has adopted a more conversational format, gained access to personal context, and acquired new capabilities for interacting with apps. The update also expands Apple Intelligence features, adds new AI tools for working with photos and text, and gives users more control over the Liquid Glass interface.

The innovative SABAH.city complex opened in Baku
The innovative SABAH.city complex has opened in Baku, located on the territory of the High Technology Park of the Ministry of Science and Education of Azerbaijan. The project covers 20 hectares. The first phase occupies more than 5 hectares and includes approximately 20,000 square meters of buildings. Construction began in October 2025. The complex consists of four interconnected buildings.

The US invests $5 million in the digital future of Central Asia
The C5+1 SI Conference, dedicated to the development of artificial intelligence and digital cooperation between Central Asian countries and the US, took place in Astana. During the conference, the US announced a commitment of $5 million to support the digital future of Central Asia.

ICT Week Uzbekistan 2026 took place in Tashkent
From September 22 to 25, ICT Week Uzbekistan 2026 was held in Tashkent. The week included the Startup & Venture Summit, Enterprise Uzbekistan Summit, the regional final of the Startup World Cup, the AI Forum, and other events focused on startups, venture investments, artificial intelligence, and international scaling.