Kazakhstan’s AI ecosystem is moving from infrastructure plans to deployment. The shift is visible across the full AI stack — from infrastructure to models to applications. The announcements below — coinciding with a visit to Astana by NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang — point to the nation’s increasing supply of accelerated computing, along with its growing demand for what comes next. On Friday, Oct. 23, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang visited Astana, meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Akorda Presidential Palace and joining Deputy Prime Minister Zhaslan Madiyev — Kazakhstan’s minister of AI and digital development — for a public fireside chat at the Alem. AI program. Read All NVIDIA in Europe Announcements

Jensen Huang and Kazakhstan’s AI Minister Speak at Alem. AI

In their fireside chat at Alem. AI, Kazakhstan’s international center for artificial intelligence, Madiyev and Huang discussed the country’s push to become an AI nation — building the energy and computing infrastructure to support homegrown AI and applying it across the economy. Madiyev said Kazakhstan wants AI that reflects its language and culture. “We want AI that understands and speaks Kazakh and captures cultural contexts and cultural specifics,” he said, describing the country’s work on Kazakh-language models. Huang said Kazakhstan could turn its energy resources into a foundation for AI production — and a new kind of export. “Instead of just exporting energy, in the future, you could transform energy into intelligence and export intelligence,” he said. He also argued that local data is central to that ambition: it embodies a country’s culture, history and values. “Your country’s data is your natural resource. It belongs to you.” The conversation also turned to physical AI. Madiyev pointed to Kazakhstan’s factories, mines, agriculture, transport and logistics as potential areas for development, asking how the country could become a hub for training models for robots and other physical systems. Huang called the idea “fantastic,” saying physical AI could transform industries from mining and mineral processing to agriculture. Huang said AI and robotics can help people do more, but ambition will shape how fully they seize that opportunity. He applied the idea to Kazakhstan, saying AI could help lift the country and its people. “If you have ambition, and I believe you do, AI will lift your nation,” Huang said. “AI will lift your people.” Huang also praised the founders of Higgsfield AI, the Kazakhstan-founded startup, and it was announced NVIDIA is making an investment into the startup during the event. “The first thing and the last thing is you invest in people, not companies,” he said, describing the founders as visionary and pointing to their effort to compete globally. Asked about AI security, Huang said the technology must be developed and deployed responsibly. He described NVIDIA’s OpenShell as a way to contain AI agents by limiting their access to files and tools and monitoring their activity. For young people entering a fast-changing field, Huang recommended learning how AI works — not just how to use it. He said aspiring AI programmers should understand the technology’s principles, strengths and weaknesses, combining technical knowledge with the ability to work effectively with AI. “I envy being 18 years old today… because the world is changing so rapidly, and there’s a complete reset because of technology.”…