Kazakhstan to develop all five AI economy layers, minister says

October 2, 2026 at 10:33 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Kazakhstan will develop all five layers of the artificial intelligence economy simultaneously, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of AI and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiev said at the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 forum in Astana. The global AI market is estimated at about $50 trillion, but the industry is still in its early stages, he said. The country will cooperate with other nations and big tech companies rather than develop everything independently.

Key Facts

The global AI market is estimated at about $50 trillion, according to Zhaslan Madiev.
Kazakhstan will develop all five layers of the AI economy simultaneously, including energy infrastructure, chips, cloud platforms, large language models, and applications.
Madiev spoke at the first panel session of the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 forum in Astana.
Kazakhstan will cooperate with other countries and big tech companies on chip development, as it is not a chip producer.
Language models, whether open or cloud-based, must account for the Kazakhstani context, Madiev said.

Five AI Economy Layers

Madiev said the AI industry is only at the beginning of forming a full economy, so the highest value concentration is not yet clear. Kazakhstan chose to work with all five layers and components simultaneously to be ready when AI becomes a common part of life. The five layers include energy infrastructure, chips and microchip sets, large and small language models, and local models. Kazinform reported the layers as energy infrastructure, chips, access to cloud platforms, development of large language models including local and sovereign LLMs, and the application layer.

Partnership Approach

Kazakhstan does not plan to develop everything independently and will cooperate with other countries and big tech companies, diversifying its efforts. Madiev cited chips as an example: Kazakhstan is not a chip producer and relies on technology partners for microchip development. He said it is difficult to determine which level will generate the greatest added value and highest margins in the future.

Language Model Requirements

Madiev said language models, whether open or cloud-based, must account for the Kazakhstani context. Before creating programs to develop technological potential, Kazakhstan needs to build a foundation of application, he said. This foundation would allow Kazakhstan to scale AI across the entire economy and people's lives.