en.Wedoany.com Reported - On June 15, the Kazakh government signed a $10 billion cooperation agreement on artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure with U.S. AI infrastructure company Firebird and representatives from NVIDIA. The agreement plans to advance the "Data Center Valley" project in Ekibastuz and build a computing platform for AI, cloud computing, and next-generation digital services. This agreement includes a strategic cooperation agreement between Kazakhstan's Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry and Firebird, as well as a binding term sheet for project cooperation between KT-Telecom, a subsidiary of Kazakhtelecom, and Firebird.
The "Data Center Valley" is a flagship project for Kazakhstan to build a regional digital infrastructure hub, located in Ekibastuz. The region offers advantages in energy resources, land reserves, and electricity costs. The project plan will focus on data centers, AI computing power, and high-performance computing clusters, serving large model training, inference, cloud services, scientific research computing, and enterprise-level digital services. The Kazakh government previously designated 2026 as the "Year of Digitalization and AI" and adopted the "Digital Qazaqstan" national strategy for digital transformation and AI development. This agreement signing marks a significant step in the strategy's infrastructure construction phase.
According to information disclosed by the Kazakh government, the "Data Center Valley" project currently has 300 megawatts of electricity reserves available, with plans to expand to 1 gigawatt in phases. The project will leverage large-scale power supply, data center campuses, international technology partners, and local telecommunications infrastructure to form a computing platform serving global clients. Kazakhstan's Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry stated that the planned $10 billion investment will build a large computing cluster supported by 100,000 advanced GPU chips, including next-generation platforms such as NVIDIA GB300 and Vera Rubin, and is expected to generate at least $3 billion in annual export revenue. These targets will need to be verified gradually as the project progresses, equipment is delivered, and customer contracts are executed.
Firebird plays a role in AI infrastructure, data center development, and high-performance computing system design in this cooperation. The company will collaborate with Kazakhstan on AI ecosystem development, technical and organizational parameters of the Data Center Valley, and the establishment of the "Firebird Labs Kazakhstan" center. For Kazakhstan, integrating Firebird and NVIDIA's related technology ecosystem can shorten the cycle from planning to implementation of local computing infrastructure and help attract international cloud services, AI model companies, and high-performance computing clients to the region.
NVIDIA's role in this project is more focused on technology ecosystem and computing platform support. Rev Lebaredian, Vice President of NVIDIA, emphasized during the meeting that AI development must start with energy, followed by the establishment of computing, platforms, models, and industry applications. For Kazakhstan, the energy foundation is a key condition for hosting large-scale AI data center projects. As global demand for AI computing power rapidly grows, parts of the United States and Europe face constraints in power access, data center capacity, and construction timelines, drawing more attention to emerging markets with low-cost energy and large-scale campus conditions.
This agreement also indicates that Central Asian countries are exploring a transition from traditional energy and resource exports to digital infrastructure exports. Ekibastuz has long been associated with energy and industrial foundations, while the "Data Center Valley" seeks to convert local energy, grid, and land conditions into global AI computing services. If the project proceeds smoothly, Kazakhstan can not only attract data center construction investment but also cultivate local engineers, cloud service operations, AI application development, and digital service export capabilities. For local telecommunications operators, engineering construction, power supply and distribution, cooling, communication networks, and data center operation and maintenance companies, the project will also bring a range of supporting demands.
However, the $10 billion agreement is currently in the project promotion and cooperation framework stage. Whether it can be implemented as planned depends on power expansion, equipment procurement, data center construction progress, customer contracts, regulatory mechanisms, and cross-border data service arrangements. Large-scale AI data center projects typically have long construction cycles, involving high-voltage power supply, cooling systems, network interconnection, land approvals, equipment imports, capital arrangements, and long-term operation and maintenance capabilities. The agreement signing provides a foundation for the "Data Center Valley" to enter the next phase, but forming actual computing export capabilities will require continued construction and commercial validation.
The signing of the $10 billion AI infrastructure agreement between Kazakhstan and Firebird and NVIDIA-related parties marks a new phase in Central Asian digital infrastructure competition. This project brings together energy advantages, national AI strategy, international technology cooperation, and data center construction under one framework, aiming to position Kazakhstan as an AI and cloud computing infrastructure node in Central Eurasia. As global demand for AI model training and inference continues to grow, countries with energy, land, and policy conditions will more actively compete for computing industry investment, and the "Data Center Valley" will become an important project for observing Central Asia's participation in the global AI infrastructure division of labor.
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