Kazakhstan’s AI ambitions come with a 45,000-GPU Nvidia project

Kazakhstan is positioning itself as an AI hub, and a data-centre project involving 45,000 Nvidia Grace Blackwell GPUs gives that ambition a substantial computing footprint. The first phase is under construction, with a launch planned for the third quarter of 2027, Eurasianet reports.

NVIDIA Watch analysis

What happened

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang met Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, on 23 October. Huang described the country as having the potential to become a global hub for “Physical AI” and argued that it could turn energy into computing capacity and AI development, rather than simply exporting it.

The infrastructure plan is more concrete than the keynote language. Eurasianet says Armenian-American firm Firebird.ai has obtained an export licence for 45,000 Nvidia Grace Blackwell GPUs for a data centre being built with Kazakhtelecom. The first phase is under construction; a planned second phase could take capacity to 500 megawatts. Firebird also intends to establish a lab for AI skills and startups.

Why it matters

This is a sizeable proposed addition to AI-computing capacity in Central Asia, where energy resources and access to advanced chips are both part of the pitch. If completed, the project could give Kazakhstan infrastructure for developing and running AI, not just another title for its national strategy.

The distinction matters: the first phase is being built, but the larger 500-megawatt capacity depends on a planned second phase. A GPU licence is not the same thing as a finished data centre, and the launch date is still ahead.

Our read

The interesting story is the attempt to turn energy into computing infrastructure, backed by a specific project and a striking GPU figure. Huang’s endorsement adds a prominent voice, but the test will be whether the construction, power supply and local AI ecosystem match the ambition. “AI hub” is an easy label to print; running the kit is the harder bit.

What to watch

• Whether the first phase reaches its planned third-quarter 2027 launch.
• How much capacity the project delivers, and whether the second phase proceeds.
• Whether the promised lab and Kazakh-language model development produce concrete work.

Discussion spark: Should countries with abundant energy prioritise building AI data centres to export computing capacity, or invest first in local AI skills and applications?

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