Key facts
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Kazakhstan to discuss AI development.
- Kazakhstan is set to receive 45,000 Nvidia Grace Blackwell GPUs.
- The GPUs will power a new data center developed by Firebird.ai and Kazakhtelecom.
- The project is part of Kazakhstan's 'year of artificial intelligence' initiative.
- Kazakhstan's participation in US Pax Silica initiative was questioned after joining China's WAICO.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Kazakhstan, a country that has proclaimed 2024 as its 'year of artificial intelligence.' During his visit on October 23, Huang met with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and expressed confidence in Kazakhstan's potential to become a global hub for AI, citing its energy resources and scientifically inclined population.
Huang suggested that Kazakhstan could transform its energy sector to power data centers, shifting from exporting raw energy to exporting intelligence. He predicted AI would revolutionize various sectors of the Kazakh economy, from mining to agriculture.
Coinciding with Huang's visit, AI infrastructure firm Firebird.ai announced its expansion into Kazakhstan. According to an Nvidia blog post, Firebird has secured an export license for 45,000 Nvidia Grace Blackwell GPUs. These GPUs will be utilized in a data center being constructed in partnership with Kazakhtelecom. The initial phase of this project is currently underway, with a targeted launch in the third quarter of 2027. Upon completion of a planned second phase, Firebird's infrastructure capacity in Kazakhstan is expected to reach 500 megawatts.
Firebird CEO Razmig Hovaghimian highlighted the swift collaboration, attributing the confidence to proceed to President Tokayev's vision. He stated the project aims to build infrastructure enabling Kazakhstan's talent and ideas to reach a global audience.
The Firebird AI KZ Ltd. project could bolster Kazakhstan's role in Pax Silica, a US initiative focused on AI and supply-chain reliability. However, Kazakhstan's recent joining of a competing Chinese initiative, WAICO, has raised questions about its continued participation in Pax Silica. Earlier reports suggested that joining WAICO might render a nation ineligible for Pax Silica. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later clarified that Central Asian states are free to cooperate with any nation on AI infrastructure development.