Kazakhstan Accelerates AI Development: The Role of Freedom Holding

From e-government services to sovereign AI infrastructure, Kazakhstan is rapidly developing its artificial intelligence sector. The country is building modern data centers and cloud services, while teachers are gaining access to OpenAI resources. Many of these projects are being implemented with the support of Freedom Holding Corp., which is investing billions of dollars into new technologies.

Kazakhstan Among the Leaders

Kazakhstan is moving from the digitalization of public services toward the creation of its own AI-driven economy, according to a joint report by Mastercard, RISE Research, and Freedom Bank.

“Kazakhstan is gradually shaping a new digital reality in which artificial intelligence becomes a key factor in the development of human capital, international economic integration, and the country’s competitiveness.”

The country already holds strong positions in digital infrastructure: Kazakhstan ranks among the world’s top 10 countries in the UN Online Services Index and, among highly developed states, trails only Japan. In terms of government service digitalization, Kazakhstan significantly outperforms most CIS and Central Asian countries.

According to analysts, Kazakhstan will require a multiple increase in computing capacity in the coming years, as the development of generative AI directly depends on data centers, cloud platforms, and access to high-performance GPU clusters.

Government Initiatives for AI Development

In November 2025, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed Kazakhstan’s artificial intelligence law. The legislation regulates algorithm transparency, personal data protection, risk management, and the use of AI in sensitive sectors ranging from education and healthcare to social policy and public administration.

Tokayev has repeatedly emphasized that artificial intelligence is becoming a key factor of national competitiveness and economic growth. Under his leadership, the AI Development Council coordinates the country’s AI strategy, talent development, and infrastructure projects.

Freedom AI: A New Division Within the Holding

In May, the Astana International Financial Centre registered the subsidiary Freedom AI Ltd. with authorized capital of 365.4 million tenge. Through this move, Freedom is building a separate vertical focused on infrastructure, cloud and AI services, as well as applied AI products within its ecosystem.

Freedom AI specializes in data processing, application hosting, technical documentation development, and AI infrastructure creation. Within the holding, the launch of the new company is viewed as a logical continuation of its strategy to develop proprietary computing capacity and reduce dependence on foreign providers.

A $2 Billion Sovereign AI Hub

Freedom Holding’s flagship AI initiative is an agreement with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development to establish a sovereign AI center valued at $2 billion.

The project includes the construction of a facility with up to 100 MW of capacity based on NVIDIA infrastructure. The hub is expected to become the foundation of Kazakhstan’s national AI ecosystem by enabling:

• localization of data storage and processing;
• training and deployment of large AI models within the country;
• development of enterprise AI services;
• infrastructure creation for government agencies, universities, and businesses.

Large Data-Centers

The development of artificial intelligence is impossible without data centers, which is why Freedom is simultaneously investing heavily in infrastructure. In Almaty, the company is building Freedom Cloud, a cloud platform with investments estimated at up to 175 billion tenge. The project is focused on server leasing, developer platforms, cloud storage, and computing power for both corporate and government clients.

Another major initiative is the Akashi Data Center in Astana. It is positioned as the largest data center in Central Asia and the first Tier IV reliability-level facility in Kazakhstan. Investments in Akashi Data Center are expected to total around $210 million.

Partnerships With Global Companies

Freedom Holding’s AI strategy is being developed through international partnerships. In addition to NVIDIA, the corporation became the first company in Central Asia to cooperate with Amazon Web Services. The project gives local businesses access to cloud services, machine learning tools, and global cloud infrastructure.

At the same time, Freedom and Nokia are working together on laboratories and technological solutions for next-generation data centers, including AI infrastructure and high-performance computing.

Social Projects

In autumn 2025, Freedom Holding Corp. signed an agreement with OpenAI and the Government of Kazakhstan to launch ChatGPT Edu. The holding is financing the purchase of 165,000 licenses annually for three years.

The platform will be used in schools and universities, while teachers will gain access to generative AI tools for preparing educational materials, analyzing data, and creating personalized assistants.