Kazakhstan has achieved significant results in the development of digitalization and artificial intelligence. 2026 has been designated as the "Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence", and the government is comprehensively promoting 8 strategic directions and 100 initiatives. The core program, "Digital Kazakhstan 2029 Strategy," aims to promote economic diversification through AI and digital technology. It is expected to contribute about 1.5 percentage points to GDP annually by the end of 2029, attracting market investment of approximately 10.5 to 16.5 billion US dollars within three years.

Global leader in e-government, mobile services become the norm

At present, Kazakhstan's e-government level ranks 24th in the world, with 90.4% of public services being digitized, of which 95.9% can be handled through smartphones. EGov AI intelligent consultants have processed over 2 million requests from the public, effectively reducing the pressure on service centers. 39 types of digital documents have completely replaced paper versions. Since the beginning of 2025, over 51.5 million public services have been provided cumulatively. The upgraded eGov Mobile application is equipped with AI intelligent search function, while the eGov Business enterprise service platform has processed 4.6 million enterprise service requests.  

The legal foundation and governance structure are becoming increasingly perfect

Kazakhstan has taken the lead in passing the Artificial Intelligence Law in the region, regulating algorithm transparency, risk management, and protecting citizens' rights in sensitive areas of AI applications. In January 2026, the Digital Code officially came into effect, systematically establishing citizens' digital rights, including the right to delete personal data, anonymization processing, etc. The use of biometric technology can only be carried out under special circumstances strictly stipulated by law. The President will establish a directly affiliated Artificial Intelligence Development Council in 2025, consisting of top international experts such as Turing Award winner Hopcroft, to provide intellectual support for national AI strategies.

Comprehensive upgrade of AI infrastructure

The national supercomputer cluster "Alem. Cloud" ranks 104th in the global TOP500, with a computing power of approximately 2 exaflops. The government has initiated the construction of a world-class AI hub, the "Data Center Valley," with a planned capacity of no less than 1 gigawatt, and has signed a $10 billion AI and digital infrastructure cooperation agreement. The Alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Center, covering an area of 22000 square meters, was put into use on April 24th. It integrates an AI museum, education and training, entrepreneurship incubation, and research and development laboratories, and is expected to receive approximately 100000 visitors annually.  

Talent cultivation covers the entire population

Only in the first quarter of 2026, the AI-SANA program has conducted 16 training sessions for civil servants at all levels. About 100 senior management personnel have completed the AI Governance 500 course, and the AI Leaders program has covered over 800 civil servants and entrepreneurs, jointly implemented by Stanford University, OpenAI Academy, and others. The AI Governance Cup competition received a total of 184 projects. AI universities will officially open in September this year, and 200000 teachers across the country have been granted access to ChatGPT Edu. The national youth robot competition team has won the FIRST Global Challenge world championship four times.

Innovative applications penetrate the industry

A pilot project for autonomous taxis, in collaboration with Yandex Qazaqstan and inDrive, will be launched in the second half of this year. The cumulative investment in telecommunications infrastructure in three years has exceeded 1 trillion tenge, and the mobile Internet speed has increased by 75%. It is planned to connect more than 3000 villages to high-speed Internet by the end of 2027, with a national coverage rate of 99%. On April 30th, the Baikonur Cosmodrome successfully completed the launch mission of the Soyuz 5/Soyuz Soyuz carrier rocket.  

International cooperation and strategic vision deepen global layout

On July 17th, President Tokayev proposed the concept of "AI for good, AI for human" at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, emphasizing that AI should become a driving force for fair development under reasonable human control. Hafang has signed 14 strategic cooperation agreements with international technology giants such as OpenAI, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Cisco. The President also proposed the creation of a "Kazakhstan China Digital Bridge" and proposed to designate the next year as a joint initiative year in the field of AI between the two countries.

As a founding member of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, Kazakhstan proposes to hold the first meeting of the organization in Astana and establish a representative office for Central Asia in the capital. In addition, the Asia Pacific Center for Sustainable Development Digital Solutions of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific will be located in Almaty. Through the above measures, Kazakhstan is committed to building an independent and sustainable digital economy system, transforming AI into a core tool driving national development. According to the government's estimation, the comprehensive popularization of AI and digital technology will contribute about 1.5 percentage points to the annual GDP, and can attract market investment of about 10.5 to 16.5 billion US dollars within three years. Editor/Min Jing