The key facts
- Jensen Huang visited Kazakhstan for the first time and called it a future computing hub for Europe
- Kazakhstan plans to raise installed power capacity to more than 40 GW by 2035
- The first phase of Data Center Valley in Ekibastuz, with a capacity of 50 MW, is expected to launch in 2027
Nvidia CEO's first visit to Astana
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang has visited Kazakhstan for the first time. At the Alem.ai international artificial intelligence center in Astana, he held a conversation with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan Zhaslan Madiyev, reports euronews. The visit took place at the close of the 'AI month' — a nationwide initiative launched in September as part of the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence declared in the country.
Energy as the foundation of AI infrastructure
Madiyev said Kazakhstan plans to nearly double its installed power capacity — to more than 40 gigawatts by 2035 — to meet the needs of the growing AI sector. The flagship project is Data Center Valley, a large computing campus in Ekibastuz, one of the country's main energy hubs: its first phase with a capacity of 50 megawatts is expected to launch in 2027, and the energy infrastructure could in the long term be scaled up to one gigawatt.
Sovereign AI and Physical AI
Huang called Kazakhstan's energy resources a fundamental advantage: in his words, instead of exporting energy, the country will be able to 'turn energy into intelligence and export intelligence.' Asked about creating the country's own foundational language model, he replied that it is 'fully justified,' and called control over data and AI infrastructure a matter of national security. A separate topic was Physical AI — systems operating in the physical world: Madiyev asked whether Kazakhstan, with its industrial base in mining, agriculture, transport and logistics, could become a hub for developing such models, and Huang called the idea 'fantastic.'
Meeting with the president and investment in a startup
The Kazakh generative video startup Higgsfield AI, in which Nvidia has invested, was also discussed: Huang explained the decision by the founders' qualities and the company's presence in both Kazakhstan and the United States. The same day, Huang met with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who called the development of AI and digitalization a national priority and said the visit 'will give serious impetus to cooperation with Nvidia.' Huang, for his part, endorsed Kazakhstan's ambition to become an 'AI nation.'
