The World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos became more than just a global discussion platform for Kazakhstan. For the Kazakh delegation, it turned into an opportunity to translate strategic ambitions in artificial intelligence and digital transformation into concrete partnerships and projects, DKNews.kz reports.
During the forum, Kazakhstan held an intensive series of meetings with leading technology companies, international organizations, financial institutions and government partners. The agenda focused on practical areas of digital transformation, including artificial intelligence and GovTech, sovereign computing infrastructure and data centers, telecommunications and satellite connectivity, fintech, cybersecurity, AI education and the integration of technologies into real sectors of the economy, such as healthcare and industry.
Who represented Kazakhstan in Davos
Kazakhstan was represented at the forum by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev, and Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Assel Zhanassova.
Alongside bilateral meetings, they took part in high-level discussions on digital governance, artificial intelligence development, infrastructure and data protection.
From digital services to a digital state
Speaking at the session Frontiers of Digital Governance: From DPI to Next-Gen GovTech, Zhaslan Madiyev outlined Kazakhstan’s transition from fragmented digital services to a systemic digital state model. In this approach, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) serves as the foundational layer for data integration, resilient processes and public trust.
Kazakhstan presented its unified digital stack built around Smart Data Ukimet, the “once-only” principle for citizens and businesses, and the use of reusable AI agents operating in a secure environment. Special emphasis was placed on developing sovereign computing capacity, including the national supercomputer Alem.Cloud, as a backbone for scaling AI across government, science and business.
Artificial intelligence as a national priority
Artificial intelligence was the central theme of Kazakhstan’s Davos agenda. Meetings focused on the core elements of the AI ecosystem, including computing and cloud infrastructure, AI model development, applied deployment of solutions and the formation of human capital in AI.
At the Google Roundtable on AI and Development, Kazakhstan discussed the systematic implementation of AI at the national level and potential international partnerships. The country presented its vision of AI integration through a unified digital architecture and secure data governance.
Cooperation with OpenAI and focus on education
A key meeting took place with Chris Lehane, Chief Global Affairs Officer at OpenAI. Kazakhstan presented its progress in AI and digital technologies and noted that it is among the first countries to join the OpenAI Education for Countries initiative, which aims to integrate AI into national education systems.
During the session OpenAI – AI Benefits at Scale, the sides discussed strategies for deploying AI technologies at the country level to maximize socio-economic impact. Kazakhstan and OpenAI agreed to move toward practical cooperation, including educational programs and infrastructure initiatives related to computing and data centers, particularly projects following the Data Centers Valley model.
NVIDIA, AI hubs and data centers
In a meeting with NVIDIA President and CEO Jensen Huang, Zhaslan Madiyev highlighted the successful partnership with the company and its contribution to launching Central Asia’s first supercomputer in Kazakhstan. Jensen Huang praised the pace of AI development in the country and confirmed NVIDIA’s interest in expanding cooperation.
Meetings with Mansour Al Mansouri, Chairman of G42 International, and Thomas Pramotedam, CEO of Presight, focused on smart cities, data centers and infrastructure projects. The creation of an AI hub in Kazakhstan was identified as a strategic priority. Kazakhstan emphasized its strong potential for hosting AI initiatives and data center capacity, including favorable conditions within special economic zones and infrastructure advantages such as reduced data latency to around 85 milliseconds following the construction of the Trans-Caspian fiber-optic cable.
Building an AI Nation and developing talent
Discussions with Andrew Ng, co-founder of DeepLearning.AI and professor at Stanford University, and Kirsty Tan, managing partner at AI Aspire, focused on advancing the AI Nation concept and scaling AI education. Kazakhstan’s successful experience in mass online learning through Coursera was highlighted.
As a result of the talks, two practical directions were identified: the development of a national AI training program for public officials, businesses and the general population, and the advancement of the AI University project.
At the session The Future of Generative AI with Scale AI, special attention was given to building data infrastructure for national AI models and applying RLHF methods to adapt AI systems to Kazakhstan’s economic needs.
Denis Balibouse/REUTERS
AI in healthcare and public governance
Sector-specific AI deployment was also discussed. In talks with Royal Philips, led by Vice President for Global Government Affairs Jan-Willem Scheijgrond, the sides explored AI solutions for healthcare, including diagnostics, treatment and patient pathway management.
At a meeting with Robin Scott, co-founder and CEO of Apolitical, Kazakhstan discussed developing managerial and expert competencies in AI governance. The sides expressed interest in launching joint programs focused on practical AI governance solutions. It was also noted that Zhaslan Madiyev was included in Apolitical’s Government AI 100 list, recognizing public leaders shaping AI policy worldwide.
Cybersecurity, telecom and international cooperation
Additional meetings covered telecommunications, regulation of digital assets, cybersecurity, cooperation with international organizations and the development of transport and logistics infrastructure.
By the end of WEF Davos 2026, Kazakhstan demonstrated active international engagement in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, GovTech, infrastructure and cybersecurity. The country strengthened cooperation with leading technology companies, international organizations and financial institutions, presented its national approach to building an AI ecosystem and a digital state, and confirmed its readiness to scale innovation across education, healthcare, industry and critical infrastructure.
