An International Center for Artificial Intelligence will be launched in Astana
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The Minister of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry, Zhaslan Madiyev ev, presented the concept of the International Artificial Intelligence Center alem.ai.
The center's goal is to transform Kazakhstan into an AI-oriented state, fostering innovations and the development of AI technologies across all aspects of public and economic life. Alem.ai aims to advance technologies in key sectors such as science, industry, creative industries, and public services. The center will also contribute to building an AI ecosystem to attract investments and support startups.
The establishment of the center is expected to increase the export of Kazakh AI solutions to $5 billion by 2029, drive a new wave of technological and economic growth through AI development, and make Astana a leading AI hub in Central Asia.
As part of the project, approximately 10,000 talents from various industries will be attracted annually, at least 1,000 AI specialists will be trained, around 100 AI startups will be launched, and approximately 10 scientific AI studies will be conducted each year.
The first floor of the center will house a public space for forums and lectures dedicated to AI achievements, enabling knowledge exchange among developers, students, scientists, and experts. It will also include an AI museum, job fairs showcasing AI-related opportunities, and regular hackathons and startup competitions to attract investors and partners for further development.
The second and third floors will host the TUMO School, designed for students in grades 9–12. Over 42,000 students in Astana could potentially participate in programs focusing on programming, robotics, and creative technologies to foster innovative thinking and prepare them for successful IT careers. The second floor features classrooms with 206 seats, while the third floor adds 348 more seats. The building also includes spaces for group activities, conference halls, and labs for practical projects.
The fourth and fifth floors will accommodate Tomorrow School students. Tomorrow School is Kazakhstan's first peer-to-peer artificial intelligence school, launched by Astana Hub in October 2024. Exclusively operating on the 01 Edu platform, it offers free AI training with no prior programming skills required. The first two cohorts received over 5,000 applications, with only 30% of the first cohort’s 120 participants successfully passing the pool stage. The second pool currently has 190 students. The center plans to expand the number of AI-skilled students trained annually.
The sixth floor will feature an AI campus for startup acceleration. This space will support the launch of new AI startups each year by fostering innovation, advancing cutting-edge technologies, and creating a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem.
To date, the Astana Hub ecosystem includes over 1,500 participants, including 150 AI startups. The hub has launched a specialized AI acceleration program, AI’Preneurs, which brings together top talent from various fields to form startup teams and develop innovative AI solutions.
The program is an intensive four-month process, guiding participants through all stages —from team formation and idea generation to startup creation and market entry. In the first cohort, 250 applications were received, with 50 talented developers, engineers, managers, and entrepreneurs selected for participation. The participants created 21 AI startups, 9 of which successfully completed the acceleration program, with the top 7 teams receiving seed funding.
The seventh floor will house research labs for scientific projects to advance and promote AI innovations. The eighth floor will be dedicated to GovTech solutions and a situational center for analyzing and managing government processes.
Minister Zhaslan Madiyev noted that negotiations are underway to establish offices for companies like Telegram, TON, Tether, InDrive, Google, and others at the center to conduct research and develop new AI products. Currently, the Astana Hub infrastructure hosts major international companies such as Playrix, TikTok, inDrive, EPAM, Glovo, DAMUMED, Presight.ai, and more.
The President approved the concept of the AI center as part of the existing EXPO ecosystem. For seven years, Nur Alem served as an exhibition center, delighting its visitors. Now it’s time to bring new energy to this project — for AI development.
The center is scheduled to open in 2025, covering an area of 20,000 m² and integrated into the EXPO ecosystem. This center will be a critical element in advancing the AI industry in Kazakhstan, supporting research, AI product development, and attracting investments in the AI field.