Zhaslan Madiev, Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, demonstrated the concept of the International Artificial Intelligence Center alem.ai.

The goal of the International AI Center is to transform Kazakhstan into an AI-oriented state, ensuring innovation and development of AI technologies in all aspects of social and economic life of the country. The alem.ai center aims to develop technologies in key sectors such as science, industry, creative industries and public services. The Center will also contribute to the creation of an AI ecosystem to attract investment and support startups.

The creation of the Center will increase exports of Kazakhstani AI solutions to $5 billion by 2029, promote a new wave of technological and economic growth through the development of AI, and make Astana the leading center of AI technologies in Central Asia. Within the framework of the project it is planned to attract about 10,000 talents in various industries, train at least 1,000 AI specialists, launch about 100 AI startups and conduct about 10 scientific researches in the field of AI.

The first floor of the Center will host a public space for forums and public lectures on AI advancements for knowledge sharing among developers, students, scientists and experts from various fields, as well as an AI museum. It will also host AI job fairs where companies can present their job offers and regular hackathons and startup competitions to attract investors and partners for further development.

Floors 2-3 are designated for the TUMO School. The school is designed for students in grades 9-12, and already more than 42,000 students in Astana can become potential participants of the program in programming, robotics and other creative technologies to develop innovative thinking, and prepare for a successful career in the IT sphere. The second floor includes training and classrooms with seating for 206, and the third floor adds another 348 seats. The building also includes group study areas, conference rooms and labs for hands-on projects.

Students of Tomorrow School will study on the 4th and 5th floors. Tomorrow School is the first peer-to-peer artificial intelligence school in Kazakhstan, launched by Astana Hub Technopark in October 2024. It operates exclusively on the 01 Edu platform and offers a unique opportunity to receive free training in AI without requiring prior programming skills. Tomorrow School received more than 5,000 applications for the first and second streams. In the first stream, 120 students were successful in the “pool” and only 30% of them were able to qualify for the main training at the school. The second pool has 190 students currently enrolled. There are plans to train more students in AI skills within the center.

An AI campus, Startup Acceleration, is planned on the 6th floor. It plans to launch new AI startups per year through supporting innovation, developing cutting edge technologies and creating a sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem.

To date, more than 1,500 participants have registered in the Astana Hub ecosystem, including 150 startups working with artificial intelligence technologies. The technopark has launched a special AI'Preneurs accelerator program, which brings together the best specialists from various fields to form startup teams and develop innovative AI solutions. The program is an intensive four-month process, during which participants go through all stages - from team building and idea generation to startup creation and market launch. Following the first stream of the program, 250 applications were submitted, of which 50 talented professionals - developers, engineers, managers and entrepreneurs - were selected to participate. The participants created 21 AI startups, 9 of which successfully completed the accelerator program, and the top 7 teams received funding under the Seed Money program.

The 7th floor includes research labs where scientific research will be conducted, supporting the development and advancement of AI innovation through various research projects. The eighth floor is planned for GovTech solutions and a situation center for analysis and management of government processes.

Minister Zhaslan Madiev noted that the ministry is currently negotiating the placement of offices in the Center for companies such as Telegram, TON, Tether, Indrive, Google and others to conduct research projects and develop new AI products. To date, the Astana Hub infrastructure hosts offices of major international companies such as Playrix, TikTok, inDrive, EPAM, Glovo, DAMUMED, Presight.ai and others.

The head of state approved the concept of creating an AI center in the existing EXPO ecosystem. For 7 years, Noor Alem has been an exhibition center and delighted its visitors. It is time to give this project a new energy of the future - for AI development.

The center is scheduled to open in 2025 with 20,000 m² of space, which will be integrated into the existing EXPO ecosystem. This center will be a crucial element in the development of the AI industry in Kazakhstan, supporting research, development of AI products and attracting investment in the field of AI.

Press service of the MDDIAI RK