Kazakhstan partners with NVIDIA and Firebird AI for $10 billion 'Data Center Valley'
The ambitious project in Ekibastuz aims to build 1 GW of computing capacity to establish sovereign AI infrastructure in Central Asia.
Kazakhstan has entered into a $10 billion agreement with US-based Firebird AI and NVIDIA to develop "Data Center Valley," a massive AI and data center ecosystem. The project is designed to create sovereign computing capacity and drastically reduce the nation's reliance on overseas cloud providers.
Located in Ekibastuz within the Pavlodar region, the initiative will scale its computing power toward a long-term goal of 1 GW. The first facility is scheduled for completion in the first half of 2027, with initial capacity reports varying between a 50 MW launch phase and a larger 125 MW installation. This infrastructure will serve as the foundation for a regional hub, leveraging the partnership with NVIDIA to integrate high-performance AI hardware into the national grid.
Diversifying the Digital Economy
This move comes as Kazakhstan aggressively pursues economic diversification to move away from its historical dependence on mining and hydrocarbons. By utilizing its strategic geographic position between Europe and Asia, along with abundant land and energy resources, the government is attempting to pivot toward a high-tech service economy. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the urgency of this transition, stating that "data is the foundation of effective AI."
The Push for Sovereign AI
The project represents a strategic bet on "sovereign AI," a policy that treats computing power as critical national infrastructure on par with transport or electricity. By owning the hardware and the data centers, Kazakhstan aims to avoid the geopolitical and economic risks associated with renting cloud space from foreign entities. If successful, the valley would position the country as the primary AI and cloud computing hub for Central Asia, potentially attracting significant foreign direct investment and creating a new sector of high-value technical employment.
Future Outlook
While the long-term vision targets a gigawatt of capacity, the immediate focus remains on the 2027 delivery of the first phase. Observers will be watching to see how the project scales from its initial facilities to the full 1 GW target and how the integration of NVIDIA's technology accelerates local AI development. The project's success depends on the seamless execution of these early phases to prove the viability of the Ekibastuz site as a global tech destination.