Firebird secured a U.S. export licence for 45,000 advanced chips for an artificial intelligence project in Kazakhstan, NVIDIA said on Oct. 23, expanding the country's planned computing capacity.
The first phase is under construction with Kazakhtelecom and targets commercial launch in the third quarter of 2027, the chip supplier said in its blog, “Kazakhstan Expands Compute for Its AI Future.”
In the Oct. 23 publication, NVIDIA said Kazakhstan's AI development is moving from infrastructure planning to deployment. Its account covered current installations and planned projects, without specifying a historical period for comparison.
NVIDIA said a planned second phase would bring Firebird's potential computing infrastructure capacity in Kazakhstan to about 500 megawatts. That total depends on the expansion, while the first phase remains under construction.
Firebird's agreement with Kazakhstan's government followed its first AI computing facility in Armenia, NVIDIA said. The signing ceremony took place at the presidential palace during NVIDIA founder and Chief Executive Jensen Huang's visit to Astana.
Kazakhtelecom, the country's largest telecommunications company, has already deployed 400 NVIDIA H200 chips and 480 NVIDIA B300 chips in Astana and Almaty, according to NVIDIA. These graphics processing units provide computing power for AI.
NVIDIA said Kazakhtelecom plans to deploy more than 1,000 additional chips at Data Center Valley in 2027. The telecommunications company also plans more than 1,000 NVIDIA Vera Rubin chips in the Ekibastuz region.
The chip supplier said Firebird plans to establish a local research operation to support startups, researchers and talent development. Firebird Labs Kazakhstan would provide funding, access to computing resources and research partnerships.
NVIDIA said greater local computing capacity gives developers more room to train and run AI models. The company said linking that infrastructure with universities, startups and industries can help turn computing resources into applications.
Deputy Prime Minister Zhaslan Madiyev, Kazakhstan's minister of AI and digital development, said the country wants models that reflect its language and culture. “We want AI that understands and speaks Kazakh and captures cultural contexts and cultural specifics,” he said.
Huang said Kazakhstan could use its energy resources to produce AI services for export. He also said local data embodies a country's culture, history and values.
NVIDIA said it is investing in Higgsfield AI, a Kazakhstan-founded startup that makes generative media applications. The company said Higgsfield is expanding computing capacity through cloud providers using NVIDIA Vera Rubin technology, without giving an investment amount.
