Photo: Ufinet

BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 26. Kazakhstan plans to launch a 125-megawatt data center in Ekibastuz in the first half of 2027.

According to a press release published by the press service of the Kazakh government, this was announced by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov during a joint session of Parliament,

“Today, all data from all government agencies is stored at the data center in Astana, which has a capacity of 6 MW. We are now in Ekibastuz, where we will launch a 125 MW data center in the first half of next year,” the report says.

According to the press release, Bektenov stated that the new facility will significantly increase Kazakhstan's data-processing capacity compared to the current state data center in Astana.

"In 2028, we will launch another data center of the same capacity. We will continue this work further," he added.

According to the prime minister, data centers are becoming a key element of infrastructure for artificial intelligence, digital services, and the data-driven economy. He noted that Kazakhstan aims not only to use external computing resources but also to develop its own capacity.

Bektenov added that international technology companies have already expressed interest in the sector. In particular, agreements have been reached with Firebird, whose strategic partner is NVIDIA. The potential investment volume under consideration is estimated at around $10 billion, he noted.

The development of new data centers is expected to strengthen Kazakhstan's digital sovereignty, improve data storage and processing capabilities, and support the growth of AI computing, cloud services, and digital service exports, Bektenov concluded.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan has made digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence a central pillar of its economic diversification strategy. In 2026, the country declared the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, adopted the Digital Qazaqstan strategy, and launched the Data Center Valley project in Ekibastuz, which is designed to become Central Asia's largest AI computing hub. The initiative considers phased expansion to 1 GW of capacity and has already attracted agreements worth $10 billion with U.S.-based Firebird and NVIDIA to develop high-performance AI infrastructure. The project is expected to support cloud services, AI computing, and digital exports, positioning Kazakhstan as a regional digital hub linking Europe and Asia.