Kazakhstan attracts up to $10 billion in AI infrastructure investments with Nvidia's participation

Kazakhstan has signed agreements with startup Firebird Inc. on computing projects involving NVIDIA Corp., which could attract up to $10 billion in investments. The country, a major energy player in Central Asia, aims to position itself as a regional artificial intelligence hub.

The agreements include strategic cooperation on the development of AI infrastructure and terms for the Data Center Valley project in the northeast of the country, the Ministry of Digital Development of Kazakhstan reported.

The first phase of the project is valued at $5 billion in investments, of which $1 billion will be provided by Kazakhtelecom. The launch of commercial operation of the data center with a capacity of 125 MW is scheduled for 2027. The parameters of the second phase and an additional $5 billion in investments will be determined later.

Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenev stated that the goal of the project is to create a platform for hosting global digital infrastructure.

According to authorities, the project should generate at least $3 billion in export revenue annually, create jobs, and strengthen Kazakhstan's position as one of the key digital hubs of Eurasia.

The cluster will include about 100,000 next-generation GPUs, including Nvidia GB300 and Vera Rubin. Kazakhstan is also developing an optical fiber connection across the Caspian Sea with Azerbaijan to expand regional connectivity and has already launched a supercomputer based on Nvidia H200.

Under the partnership, Firebird is responsible for financing and building the computing infrastructure, Kazakhtelecom for power supply, cooling, and communications, and Nvidia for designing and supplying technologies.

Source: bloomberg.com