NVIDIA Chief Jensen Huang Visits Astana and Names Kazakhstan the First AI-Priority Nation

NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang visited Astana at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan Zhaslan Madiyev. Huang met with Madiyev at the International Center for Artificial Intelligence alem.ai, where he was presented with the country's national AI development strategy, computing capabilities, educational programs, and developments by Kazakh technology companies.

"Kazakhstan is the first country I have visited where the president declared the development of artificial intelligence a national priority," Huang said. According to him, President Tokayev has set the goal of making Kazakhstan an AI nation.

The parties discussed the development of Physical AI—a field that enables machines to interact with the real world: robots, autonomous transport, and automated production systems. Kazakhstan views the mining, oil and gas, and logistics sectors as platforms for implementing such systems, and the country's geographical position on transport routes between Europe and Asia as an advantage for autonomous logistics.

According to Madiyev, Kazakhstan has set itself an ambitious goal to become one of the global centers of Physical AI. He noted that the country is expanding its computing infrastructure, investing in specialists, and creating conditions for technology companies.

Infrastructure is already being built: the country operates the national supercomputer Alem.Cloud based on NVIDIA H200 chips, which, according to organizers, ranks among the hundred most powerful supercomputers in the world. A computing complex AI-Farabium has been launched in Almaty. In Ekibastuz, the construction of Data Center Valley is planned with an initial capacity of 250 MW and a prospect of expansion to 1 GW.