NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said Kazakhstan could become an AI computing base for Europe, linking that prospect to a planned data center campus as the country pursues an expansion of its power system.
At an Oct. 23 event in Astana, Huang said Data Center Valley in Ekibastuz could grow to one gigawatt and make the country a computing and “AI factory” hub for Europe. He linked that vision to Kazakhstan’s energy resources and telecommunications network. His remarks described a potential role for Kazakhstan; the government and NVIDIA announcements name no European customer or committed agreement to buy capacity.
Kazakhstan government releases say Data Center Valley could expand to one gigawatt but give different figures for its initial capacity: about 300 megawatts in one release and 250 megawatts in another. QazExpoCongress, a state exhibition operator, says reservations cover the project’s entire 215-megawatt first stage. The announcements do not explain whether the figures refer to different phases or capacity measures.
NVIDIA said U.S.-based Firebird obtained a U.S. export license for 45,000 NVIDIA Grace Blackwell GPUs. Firebird and Kazakhtelecom are building the company’s first facility at the campus, with commercial service targeted for the third quarter of 2027. A later phase could raise Firebird’s potential AI infrastructure capacity in Kazakhstan to about 500 megawatts.
Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Zhaslan Madiyev, who also serves as minister of artificial intelligence and digital development, said the government's target is to nearly double installed energy capacity, topping 40 gigawatts by 2035. Separately, the Prime Minister’s Office reported 26.7 gigawatts of installed capacity at the end of 2025 and plans for more than 26 gigawatts of new generation through 2035. The government announcements do not explain how the figures align.
Kazakhstan’s government says its AI ambitions include developing local models, including Kazakh-language systems, and applying AI in mining and agriculture. The government has also framed AI infrastructure as a way to turn the country’s energy and telecommunications resources into technology and export revenue. NVIDIA’s stated next milestone is commercial service for Firebird’s first phase in the third quarter of 2027.
