Nvidia to Supply AI Chips Worth $2 Billion to Kazakhstan

Nvidia signs $2 billion AI chip deal with Kazakhstan.

Nvidia has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kazakhstan valued at $2 billion, reports Kazinform.

The document was approved by Freedom Holding CEO Timur Turlov and Nvidia’s Vice President for Global AI Initiatives, Calista Redmond.

Under the agreement, the chipmaker will provide AI chips to Kazakhstan’s Freedom Holding and the Ministry of Digital Technologies.

Additionally, several documents have been signed to expand Kazakhstan’s international cooperation in education and science. Partners include Arizona State University, Colorado School of Mines, Coursera, OpenAI, and other organizations.

In total, 30 bilateral agreements worth approximately $17.2 billion were formalized at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the “Tenth Anniversary C5+1” business conference in Washington. Among them:

• A memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Groq;
• A memorandum between the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and Beeline Kazakhstan on implementing Starlink’s Direct to Cell technology, enabling subscribers to stay connected in remote areas without additional devices.

Chips in Demand

Kazakhstan is making significant strides in artificial intelligence development.

In July, a ceremony was held at the Alemcloud National Center to launch a supercomputer based on Nvidia H200 GPUs. The event was attended by the country’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The installation and launch of the system took place in a new data center of the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry, with international partners participating in the project.

The new high-performance GPU cluster boasts up to 2 exaflops of power using FP calculation methodology, making it the most powerful computing solution in the Central Asian region.

In October, Pavel Durov presented an AI laboratory in Kazakhstan as part of Telegram’s collaboration with the country’s supercomputer.

He noted that over the past few months, the company has been working on new technology at the intersection of blockchain and AI. According to Durov, it will allow more than a billion people to use AI functions confidentially, transparently, and efficiently.

2025: The Year of Cryptocurrency in Kazakhstan

Another area where Kazakhstan is actively advancing is cryptocurrencies.

In May, the National Bank developed amendments to legislation that establish the legal status of crypto exchange operators and introduce licensing for their activities.

The proposals aim to introduce “systemic regulation” of digital asset circulation in the country.

In June, the National Bank approved the issuance of payment cryptocurrency cards linked to wallets on exchanges licensed by the AIFC. During a payment transaction, the client’s digital assets will be sold on the crypto market with their value instantly credited to the card.

In the same month, the regulator initiated the creation of a state cryptocurrency reserve, and in September, Tokayev ordered the establishment of a digital asset fund to accumulate a strategic reserve.

In August, the Astana International Exchange launched trading of the first spot bitcoin ETF in Central Asia under the ticker BETF.

The product is fully backed by digital gold stored with American custodian BitGo. The company services the largest U.S. bitcoin-based exchange-traded funds, guaranteeing cold storage of assets and insurance coverage up to $250 million.

In September, the Astana Financial Services Authority launched an initiative allowing organizations registered at the AIFC to pay regulatory fees in stablecoins pegged to the U.S. dollar.

Bybit Limited became the first company to sign a Memorandum of Understanding during the Astana Finance Days 2025 conference. Other digital asset service providers can also join the project.

On October 2, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao visited Kazakhstan and discussed with the head of state the development of the crypto industry, exchange licensing, and the inclusion of BNB in state reserves.