Nvidia CEO sees Kazakhstan as potential AI hub for Europe

First visit and big ambitions

Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, made his first visit to Kazakhstan and painted a bold picture of the country’s future in artificial intelligence. During a fireside chat in Astana, he suggested Kazakhstan could emerge as a major AI computing hub for Europe. The discussion took place at the Alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Centre with Zhaslan Madiyev, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development.

Huang pointed to Kazakhstan’s abundant energy and land as key assets. “Kazakhstan has a lot of real estate. It also has a lot of energy,” he said. He argued that the country could transform its natural resources into computing power and intelligence rather than simply exporting energy. “You’re going to have a lot of compute right here in Kazakhstan. It’s going to be a hub, a computing hub, an AI factory hub for all of Europe,” Huang added.

Data Center Valley and energy plans

Madiyev outlined plans to nearly double the country’s installed power capacity to more than 40 gigawatts by 2035. A flagship project is Data Center Valley, a large-scale AI computing campus in Ekibastuz, one of Kazakhstan’s main power-generating centres. The first 50-megawatt phase is expected to begin operations in 2027, and the energy infrastructure could eventually scale to one gigawatt.

Huang stressed that energy alone isn’t enough. Kazakhstan also needs control over its data. He compared AI infrastructure to essential national systems, saying that in the future every country will have its own electric grid, internet, telecommunications and “intelligence grid.” Madiyev said Kazakhstan is developing Kazakh-language large language models based on open-source foundation models, and Huang said building a domestic foundation model “makes complete sense” as a national security concern.

Physical AI and investment in people

The conversation turned to Physical AI—systems that interact with the physical world. Madiyev cited Kazakhstan’s industrial base in mining, agriculture, transport and logistics and asked whether the country could become a hub for developing and training Physical AI models and robots. Huang called the idea “fantastic” and said these industries could be among the first to benefit. He noted that Physical AI includes seismic understanding, mapping mines and wells, and material science, and that the technology is still at an early stage.

Huang also discussed Higgsfield AI, a Kazakh-founded generative video startup that Nvidia invested in. He said the decision came down to the founders. “The first thing and the last thing is you invest in people, not companies,” he said. Huang described the founders as visionary and capable of competing globally, and he said Higgsfield’s presence in both Kazakhstan and the United States could help bridge the two ecosystems. Later that day, Huang met President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who said AI and digitalisation are a national priority and that the visit would give a serious boost to cooperation with Nvidia.