Kazakhstan plans to train one million citizens in AI over the next five years. To achieve this goal, the country is opening Central Asia’s first International AI Centre, ALEM AI, launching new educational programmes, and expanding online public services.
Venture Capital funding for AI start-ups has hit a record $192.7 billion in 2025, PitchBook reports, with AI potentially set to account for more than half of all VC investments for the first time.
In Kazakhstan, IT exports reached $1 billion in 2025. The country hosts Central Asia’s largest technopark, Astana Hub, which provides an ecosystem for start-ups in IT, fintech, biotechnology and AI.
“We have reached $1 billion in IT exports, increasing this figure roughly 35-fold over the past five years, which is remarkable. Our next goal is $5 billion, and the key resource, of course, is human capital. We aim to train thousands of people,” says Magzhan Madiyev, Astana Hub CEO.
Breakthrough start-ups and the celebration of the first unicorn
One of Kazakhstan’s standout breakthroughs of the last year was Higgsfield AI, a platform for generating images and short videos. In September, it became the country’s first unicorn start-up, a company with a valuation exceeding $1 billion.
Another homegrown innovation is Aleem, an AI-powered language-learning app. Aleem hit the App Store’s overall top charts in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan just a day after launch, surpassing Duolingo. Within two weeks, the app attracted 250,000 users, with roughly 40,000-50,000 daily active users.
Central Asia welcomes its first International AI Centre
Astana has launched Central Asia’s first International AI Centre, ALEM AI, a key platform for research, start-ups and international collaboration in artificial intelligence.
“In the AI industry, the most important resource is talent. ALEM AI is a centre of competence designed to train people, develop specialists, support start-ups and bring them to the global market. We demonstrate our ambitions through projects like ALEM AI, which we see as our own innovation, providing a unique model of the AI ecosystem for talent," says Madiyev, Astana Hub CEO.
Astana’s ALEM AI spans eight floors, combining education, innovation in AI:
1st floor: Public spaces, including an AI museum, exhibitions, a children’s zone and an AI café
2nd–3rd floors: TUMO Centre for Creative Technologies, offering courses for students aged 12–18
4th–5th floors: Tomorrow School, a peer-to-peer AI programme for adults
6th floor: AI Start-up Campus for incubating and accelerating innovative projects
7th floor: R&D laboratories and centres of major technology companies for research and collaboration
8th floor: AI-driven government initiatives
The regional forge for AI talent
By 2030, Kazakhstan plans to train one million people in AI tools. The country is also investing in human capital through its AI SANA initiative.
Backed by the government, AI-Sana provides free online training in AI basics, data skills, and practical digital tools, helping people across Kazakhstan prepare for the AI-powered future.
“Our goal is to train one million people over the next five years. 500,000 school students, 300,000 university students, 90,000 government officials, 80,000 entrepreneurs and corporate professionals and 30,000 citizens from other sectors, including social services. For each category, we have developed tailored educational products and initiatives,” says Zhaslan Madiyev, Minister of Ministry of AI and Digital Development of Kazakhstan.
AI is also reshaping the job market, but Kazakhstan is turning the risk of job losses into opportunity. By offering AI training to anyone interested, the country is helping millions acquire the skills needed for a digital future.
Maqsut Narikbayev University launches new hybrid AI programme
The country is ramping up AI education, integrating it into core university programmes. Currently, artificial intelligence is taught at 79 institutions, educating more than 60,000 students. Among the universities actively advancing AI education is Maqsut Narikbayev University (MNU).
“We developed a hybrid programme, AI+X, where the first two years focus on deep data science and the fundamentals of machine learning. After that, students can choose any direction within the university, making it more than just a technical programme. Graduates will have the skills to implement AI literacy across disciplines,” says Sergey Pen, Deputy СЕО of Maqsut Narikbayev University for Research, Innovations and AI
“Artificial intelligence is not about replacing universities. It’s about reshaping them. That’s the core idea behind our model,” he added.
MNU is set to play a central role in creating AI models that will help draft legal documents, an initiative unveiled at the International Forum on AI in Law and Dispute Resolution in Astana.
The university also signed a cooperation agreement with the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law (SHUPL), establishing a foundation for joint initiatives in AI law, economics and management.
The country enters global AI race with a new supercomputing cluster
Kazakhstan has recently unveiled the first-ever supercomputing cluster in Central Asia. The cluster includes two high-performance supercomputers, built with the latest NVIDIA H200 graphics chips, specifically designed for AI and high-performance computing tasks.
The supercomputer, Alem.Cloud, has already secured 86th place in the International TOP500 ranking of the world’s most powerful computing systems, according to the Ministry of AI and Digital Development of Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan sets course for full state digitalisation
Kazakhstan is rapidly advancing its digital transformation, aiming to achieve full digitalisation within three years. The country already ranks among the world’s top 10 for online public services, according to the United Nations E-Government Development Index.
Today, 92% of public services in the country are available online.
“Our main goal is to design a strategic framework for deploying AI across different sectors of the economy. We have set clear priorities. First, human capital; second, the economy; third, public services. The next step depends on infrastructure. Our supercomputer, for example, needs to be implemented across all spheres,” says Bakhtiyar Mukhametkaliyev, CEO of the Digital Government Support Centre.
To strengthen human capital, DGSC (Digital Government Support Centre) recently launched the Academy of IT Architects, providing additional training to meet the fast-changing demands of the digital sphere.
Artificial intelligence offers vast opportunities, but also significant risks. Addressing these challenges head-on, Kazakhstan is developing a legal framework to regulate AI. The country was among the first in the world to pass AI law and has recently launched a dedicated Ministry of Artificial Intelligence to guide technology’s development.
With initiatives like the supercomputing cluster, the ALEM AI Centre, innovative start-ups such as Higgsfield AI and Aleem, and the training of a new generation of AI specialists, Kazakhstan is placing artificial intelligence at the core of its digital economy.
