Kazakhstan is stepping up efforts to establish itself as a regional centre for artificial intelligence, with the government investing in digital skills, local AI technologies and technology startups.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has declared 2026 the “Year of Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence,” as the country seeks to modernise public services, attract investment and reduce its dependence on raw-material exports.
The government established a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development in 2025 and recently approved an action plan extending to 2029. The plan includes expanding AI education in schools and universities and using artificial intelligence in healthcare, public services, tax collection and the energy sector.
Kazakhstan also passed an AI law in 2025, becoming the second jurisdiction after the European Union to introduce comprehensive legislation governing artificial intelligence.
At Astana Hub, Central Asia’s largest innovation cluster, young people and adults are being trained in programming, generative AI, 3D animation and other digital skills. Its Tomorrow School programme has received about 25,000 applications, with fewer than two percent selected for intensive training.
The programme has already trained around 500 people, while Astana Hub is also supporting startups and international technology partnerships. The hub has helped develop Kazakhstan’s first unicorn, Higgsfield, a video-generation startup valued at more than $1 billion.
Kazakhstan is also developing its own AI models. Researchers at Nazarbayev University created local systems capable of working with the Kazakh language, as well as Russian and English. The developers say keeping data on local servers will help protect information while ensuring that the technology reflects Kazakhstan’s culture, history and identity.
However, experts have raised concerns about the environmental and human-rights implications of the country’s AI expansion.
Large data centres require significant amounts of electricity and reliable cooling systems, while Kazakhstan already faces electricity-supply challenges and relies on imports during peak periods. Experts have also questioned the transparency of plans for cooling the facilities.
There are further concerns about data protection, biometric identification and facial-recognition technologies. Analysts say Kazakhstan’s new AI legislation contains safeguards, but its enforcement and the extent of public oversight remain unclear.
Despite these challenges, technology officials and industry experts say Kazakhstan is moving towards becoming an important AI centre in Central Asia, supported by its geographical proximity to both China and Western markets.
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