Kazakhstan AI Buildout Targets 45,000 NVIDIA Grace Blackwell GPUs
Kazakhstan scales sovereign AI with 45,000 Grace Blackwell GPUs, Kazakhtelecom deployments and plans for up to 500MW of Firebird capacity for a 2027 launch.
Summary
On October 23, 2026, Firebird said it had secured a U.S. export license for 45,000 NVIDIA Grace Blackwell GPUs, extending beyond its first AI factory in Armenia. Its first Kazakhstan phase is under construction with Kazakhtelecom at Data Center Valley and targets commercial launch in the third quarter of 2027. A planned second phase could raise Firebird’s total potential Kazakhstan capacity to approximately 500 megawatts. Firebird Labs Kazakhstan will support local startups, research and talent through funding, compute access and research partnerships.
Kazakhtelecom, Kazakhstan’s largest telecommunications company, already operates 400 NVIDIA H200 and 480 NVIDIA B300 GPUs in Astana and Almaty. In 2027, it plans more than 1,000 additional GPUs at Data Center Valley and more than 1,000 NVIDIA Vera Rubin GPUs in Ekibastuz for enterprises, developers and institutions. The expansion could give developers, universities, startups and industries greater capacity to train, fine-tune and serve models at scale. Local AI-native companies are also expanding compute and applications, although no companies, products or capacity figures were identified.
Positives
- Firebird secured a U.S. export license for 45,000 NVIDIA Grace Blackwell GPUs for its Kazakhstan expansion.
- Kazakhtelecom already operates 400 NVIDIA H200 and 480 NVIDIA B300 GPUs across Astana and Almaty.
- More than 2,000 additional GPUs are planned across Data Center Valley and Ekibastuz in 2027.
- Approximately 500 megawatts of potential Firebird capacity could emerge if the planned second phase proceeds.
- Firebird Labs Kazakhstan plans funding, compute access and research partnerships for local startups, researchers and talent.
Risks & concerns
- Firebird’s first Kazakhstan phase remains under construction, with commercial launch not targeted until the third quarter of 2027.
- Approximately 500 megawatts of capacity depends on a second phase that is only planned.
- More than 2,000 Kazakhtelecom GPU deployments remain future commitments rather than operating infrastructure.
- No local AI-native companies, applications, funding amounts or research partners were named, leaving product outcomes unclear.