On February 12, Bagdat Mussin, the Digital and Space Minister, and Samruk-Kazyna JSC finalized an agreement with Presight AI Ltd. outlining terms of a project to build a supercomputer in Kazakhstan and establish a corresponding Data Processing Center, QazMonitor reports citing the Ministry's press service.
Earlier, Kazakhstan and Presight AI Ltd. reached an agreement to develop the digital infrastructure of the country. The UAE-based company is recognized as a global leader in artificial intelligence.
The project will comprise two phases. First, computing units will be deployed at the existing data center of National Information Technology JSC — the ICT eGov operator. During the second phase, a new data center will be established with substantial computing power.
The Ministry emphasizes the necessity to foster the successful development of AI tools in Kazakhstan given the demand for high computing power from businesses, universities, research facilities, and state agencies.
Previously, Bagdat Mussin underscored the significance of creating a national LLM (large language model) to facilitate the integration of AI across various sectors of the economy and e-government
"The Ministry has collaborated with Nazarbayev University, the Til-Kazyna Foundation, and other institutions to lay the groundwork for the creation of the Kazakh LLM, aiming for widespread application of artificial intelligence in the economy and e-government. Additionally, we direct efforts to develop a mechanism to grant access to computing power for startups, institutes, and research centers in Kazakhstan,"
The introduction of the supercomputer is poised to position Kazakhstan to lease computing power to neighboring countries, according to the Ministry.