Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Almaty, January 17 (Xinhua) – 2026 has been officially declared the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Kazakhstan, marking a new stage in the country's technological modernization with the large-scale implementation of innovations in public administration, the economy, and social spheres. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a corresponding decree at the beginning of the year, outlining the strategic goals of creating a digital state and increasing the country's potential in all areas through the implementation of advanced technologies.
The country's digital services continue to demonstrate growing demand—the volume of Kazakh IT service exports reached approximately $1 billion by the end of 2025. Overall, in 2025, the Kazakh government implemented a number of major projects in the digitalization and AI sector, established a legislative framework, secured the procurement of computing power, and launched the national AI center "alem.ai." This work continues in the new year, with new initiatives underway.
Work on the transition to a fully digital country is being conducted in six key areas: infrastructure development, cybersecurity, support for the IT industry, public administration technologies (GovTech), the digital economy, and the implementation of AI technologies.
The government emphasized that the development of digital technology and AI infrastructure plays a key role in the true transformation of the Kazakh economy. Overall, Kazakhstan strives not to advance digitalization in parallel with the economy and social sphere, but to make it an integral part of them.
It was also noted that AI should be actively implemented in the public sector, where its application should be focused not on formal automation, but on revising established processes, increasing efficiency, and further reducing bureaucracy.
According to the Ministry of AI and Digital Development, 2,600 villages in Kazakhstan will be connected to high-speed internet by the end of 2025, and an additional 1,900 are planned to be connected by 2026.
In addition, two new data centers with a capacity of 7.4 MW were commissioned in Almaty and Astana in 2025. Three more similar data centers with a combined capacity of 12.9 MW are planned for launch in 2026, strengthening the digital infrastructure.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of AI and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev announced that in 2026 and 2027, more than 3,000 villages in Kazakhstan will be provided with high-speed internet via fiber-optic communication lines (FOCL), covering 99% of the country's population. The "Last Mile" project plans to extend FOCL directly to 400,000 households, improving connectivity for 2.5 million people.
5G network access is already available in 20 cities, with the goal of expanding coverage to 75% of these cities. Furthermore, over the next two years, mobile communications will be extended to 40,000 km of national and regional roads in Kazakhstan. In addition to the three current operators, two foreign companies are expected to join the country. Internet access will be available on trains operated by Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, the national railway carrier, and on Air Astana flights.
Zh. Madiyev noted Kazakhstan's strategic role in internet transit between Europe and Asia. Construction of an optical fiber cable across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan is planned for completion by the end of 2026. This is the first submarine fiber-optic cable project in the Caspian Sea, which will create opportunities for the development of digital infrastructure, including data centers and attracting BigTech companies to the region.
The domestic complex in Kazakhstan is planned to produce five to six Earth remote sensing satellites. For the first time in the country's history, high-tech space services are expected to be exported, worth $75 million.
Last year, the AI Development Council was established—an advisory body uniting the efforts of the government, business, science, and the expert community to implement AI technologies in urban governance and the development of the digital economy. The National AI Platform, which provides access to data, computing resources, and language models, enables the creation of AI agents without programming skills, has also been launched.
Regarding the legislative framework, in January, K.-Zh. Tokayev signed the Digital Code of Kazakhstan, which enshrines the country's transition from ad hoc digital solutions to a systemic digital transformation based on the principles of security, accountability, and the protection of citizens' rights. It guarantees citizens the right to delete, anonymize, and limit the processing of personal data. The use of biometric identification is permitted only in cases stipulated by law.
Thus, 2026 has been designated as the year of practical transition to systemic digital transformation in Kazakhstan. All these initiatives are aimed at ensuring that new technologies become a sustainable part of the country's development and a solid foundation for further transformation.
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