Supercomputer in Kazakhstan and the new head of ChatGPT: what's new in May in the world and Central Asia

We have prepared an overview of the key IT events of May that are influencing technologies and digital services in the world and Central Asia.

The most powerful supercomputer in Central Asia has arrived in Kazakhstan
Its performance is about two exaflops. This is the first supercomputer cluster in the history of the Central Asian region. It is built on the latest NVIDIA H200 graphics chips, developed specifically for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing tasks.

The Government of Kyrgyzstan is implementing blockchain in public administration and finance
The first meeting of the National Council for the Development of Virtual Assets and Blockchain Technologies took place in Cholpon-Ata, where issues of regulation, digitalization, and cybersecurity were discussed. The Council was created to conduct a unified state policy in the field of blockchain technologies, as well as their integration into key sectors of the economy.

Sam Altman handed over management of ChatGPT to a new head — former head of Facebook App
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is attracting key specialists to develop applications. A new step was the appointment of Fiji Simo, head of Instacart and former head of Facebook, to the position of head of the applications department. The introduction of a new role will allow Altman to focus on research, computing, and security, handing over management of the product ecosystem to an experienced specialist.

Google released the mobile application NotebookLM
Google's mobile application NotebookLM is now available for Android on Google Play, as well as for iOS and iPadOS via the App Store. The mobile version was "one of the most frequent requests" from users.

Freedom Telecom acquired 100% of the shares of Astel Group Ltd.
For the new company in its portfolio, Freedom Telecom paid 11.46 billion tenge. The deal was completed on April 30, 2025. Astel Group Ltd. was registered in September 2023 in the MFSA as a holding company; it owns JSC Astel, a satellite communications operator that has been operating in Kazakhstan since 1993.

OpenAI will open an office in Seoul
OpenAI will open its first office in Seoul and register a legal entity in South Korea. The country ranks second in the world in the number of paid ChatGPT subscribers after the United States.

17 foreign companies plan to open offices in Uzbekistan
Currently, more than 2,800 companies are registered in IT Park Uzbekistan, of which 209 actively export services to CIS countries. More than 650 residents export services to foreign markets, including Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and North America.

Jusan Bank is now Alatau City Bank
The name change symbolizes the Bank's renewal, its commitment to further development and modernization. Alatau City Bank is one of the leading banks in Kazakhstan, ranking in the top 6 in the country by asset size and holding third place by the volume of its own capital.

The first blockchain zone in Central Asia based on Solana has been launched in Astana
Kazakhstan has taken another step towards digital transformation and the development of the blockchain economy. In Astana, the launch of the Solana Economic Zone Kazakhstan took place — the first economic zone in Central Asia based on the Solana blockchain platform.

Amazon and Google have updated their corporate logos
Amazon presented an updated corporate style, changing its logo for the first time in 20 years, while Google, in the latest update of its application for iOS and Pixel smartphones, presented a new design in which the red, yellow, green, and blue colors of the logo smoothly transition into each other, creating a gradient effect.