Grants for project development, residency in the best hubs, access to large investors and unique business resources – Digital Almaty 2025 became a connecting bridge between IT specialists, startups, investors, business representatives and government agencies.
The main topic of the forum was the impact of artificial intelligence on industry, economy and public administration. Its integration into the fields of finance, public administration, ESG, medicine, education and cybersecurity were discussed.
The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov announced the creation of the Alem.AI International Center for Artificial Intelligence in Astana, which will unite startups and IT companies. He also invited the EAEU countries to join the project. Also during the plenary session, the winners of the Digital Awards for the best IT solutions and innovative projects were awarded.
37 panel sessions were held as part of the forum's business program, which was attended by 200 speakers, 60 of whom were foreign. In one of the panel discussions, “AI-led: government, business, society,” participants emphasized the importance of government-business collaboration in AI, as well as the need to invest in infrastructure and training for a successful digital transformation.
Experts agreed that artificial intelligence should be a companion to everyone in all areas of life.
“The faster we embrace AI, the faster we can become better teachers, better doctors, better business owners,” says Kaan Tercioglu, CEO of Veon Group.
Richard Stirling, founder and CEO of Oxford Insights, noted that AI is increasingly taking over functions that were previously performed by humans. For example, AI can analyze medical data and recommend diagnoses. However, in his opinion, the most effective model today is cooperation between humans and AI.
“The labor market is changing. I’m not talking about unemployment, but everyone needs to adapt and learn to work with artificial intelligence, gaining valuable experience,” Stirling noted. I do not think that artificial intelligence will have a negative impact on the labor market. On the contrary, I think that it will contribute to the growth of the labor market, the growth of industries. “Maybe a few professions will disappear, but there will be overall growth,” - shared his opinion Sol Campbell.
Nick Davydov, founder of Gagarin Capital and Davidovs VK, which has been investing exclusively in AI startups for the past 12 years, assessed the investment fund for the IT sector of Kazakhstan. He noted that Kazakhstan has a work culture similar to that of Silicon Valley
“Excellent education, great talent, people are smart and resilient. The work culture is very good and corresponds to the culture of Silicon Valley. People are ready to work 100 hours a week and do what is necessary,” says Nick Davydov.
Freedom Holding Corp. CEO. Timur Turlov is confident that despite the high costs of AI, its implementation will bring much more benefits due to increased productivity and business efficiency.
“The implementation of artificial intelligence will bring much more benefits than creating AI. Even if tens and hundreds of millions of dollars are spent, its value will be for end users,” Turlov said.
The Minister of Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhaslan Madiev shared plans for the introduction of AI in Kazakhstan. The relevant department plans to develop educational platforms such as AI Movement and LMS, as well as launch a republican Olympiad on AI among schoolchildren. These measures will help form a professional community of AI specialists.
“We plan to provide computing power for the development of a national AI platform. This will serve as the basis for creating AI agents for state bodies and developing national language models, including KazLLM. The national AI platform will be available for work in a closed loop of state bodies, ensuring data security and confidentiality,” Madiev said.
A draft law regulating work in the field of AI is planned to be adopted in 2025. This year, the development of the National Strategy for the Development of AI will also begin - a comprehensive document that defines the priorities, goals and objectives of the development of AI technologies in Kazakhstan
An important object of AI infrastructure will be the Alem.AI International Center in Astana. As Madiev explained, the goal of its creation is to introduce artificial intelligence into both the country's economy and the everyday lives of Kazakhstanis.
By 2030, it is planned to train 1 million Kazakhstanis, including 500 thousand schoolchildren, 300 thousand students and 90 thousand civil servants, to work with artificial intelligence. The implementation of educational programs will allow forming a generation of specialists ready for digital transformation.
At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies met with Tigran Sargsyan, Deputy Chairman of the State Bank of Kazakhstan, and discussed cooperation on projects of the Digital Initiatives Fund, including the National Digital Investment Platform, the Astana Transport Model, and the risk management system in the field of television and radio broadcasting. The minister noted that the development of artificial intelligence is a priority for the government, including the creation of a state AI platform and AI agents. The EADB expressed its readiness to finance such projects, as well as support venture initiatives.
A total of about 200 companies, including young startups, IT giants, international technology parks, innovative projects, investors and business representatives, participated in the Digital Almaty 2025 exhibition. The winners of the main nominations, such as epsilon3ai, Finflow, arlan biotech and qala ai, were awarded prizes in the amount of $ 15 thousand. The finalists were awarded special prizes from partners, including cloud services, advertising campaigns, residence in international hubs and $ 10 thousand from Kazakhtelecom.
Also, the winners of the Digital Ministry Cup, a robotics tournament that was part of the FIRST Tech Challenge international championship, were awarded. 24 of the best teams from Kazakhstan participated in the competition. The tournament winner, the Almaty team "Sana BIL", received 1 million tenge. This tournament was an important step in popularizing STEM education in Kazakhstan and opened new opportunities for young people in the field of technology. In February, Almaty will host the final stage of the Almaty Tech Cup tournament, which will determine the best teams from Central Asia to participate in the FIRST Championship in Houston.
About 25 memorandums of understanding on cooperation between companies and government agencies were signed within the framework of the forum. Also, more than 150 business meetings and negotiations were held, the impact of which on the IT industry we will soon see.
Digital Almaty 2025 once again confirmed its status as the main event in the field of digital technologies for the EAEU region and Central Asia, becoming a platform for exchanging experiences, discussing the prospects of the Press Service of the Republic of Kazakhstan and

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mdai/press/news/details/931025