Kazakhstan hosts inaugural GITEX AI Central Asia event in Almaty

One of the world's largest technology events, Gitex, concluded its Central Asia and Caucasus version for the first time in Almaty, Kazakhstan, bringing together hundreds of global tech companies and startups to boost AI development across the region.

The two-day Gitex AI Kazakhstan that kicked off on Monday gathered 336 tech enterprises and startups, over 100 investors, and more than 200 speakers from 50 countries, including officials, experts, and private sector representatives.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, speaking at a session as part of the event, stated that AI acts as a new engine of growth and requires a unified system of data, processes, and people.

Zhaslan Madiyev, Kazakhstan's deputy prime minister and minister of artificial intelligence and digital development, noted that the country became a leading economy for digital transformation in the region.

Madiyev added that Kazakhstan ranks in the top 10 for the quality of digital services and the top 24 for e-government development.

Trixie LohMirmand, CEO of Gitex Global, said Kazakhstan possesses the people, commitment, and vision to participate in shaping the global intelligence economy.

Global technology leaders, including Cisco, Intel, Lenovo, Acer, Dell, Huawei, and Hikvision, showcased solutions addressing the rapidly expanding digital infrastructure market of Central Asia.

- Agreements

Officials signed a series of Memorandums of Understanding on the opening day.

In a landmark pair of agreements, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development announced plans to develop a Tier III/Tier IV data center campus with an initial capacity of 150-200 megawatts, designed to attract global technology companies and hyperscale providers and to support Kazakhstan’s emergence as a regional digital infrastructure hub.

In parallel, the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and the Ministry of Energy formalized plans for a dedicated combined-cycle gas turbine power plant fueled by natural gas and a green energy project.

The plant will provide a reliable, large-scale power supply for the data center campus, with the broader project ultimately targeting a hyperscale capacity of 300 megawatts to one gigawatt.