ASTANA – Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov reiterated the nation’s commitment to achieving a new technological breakthrough during the plenary session of the Digital Bridge: Generative Nation international forum, which took place on Oct. 2-4. The event brought together over 30,000 participants from more than 30 countries.
Photo credit: gov.kz
Bektenov emphasized that digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) remain among the country’s top priorities, as outlined by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, reported the Prime Minister’s press service on Oct. 4.
“President Tokayev is focused on transforming Kazakhstan into a fully-fledged digital country within three years. Our citizens have great potential to create breakthrough projects, and the government will ensure full support for these initiatives,” he said.
Kazakhstan currently ranks 24th globally in e-government development and 10th in online services. The government continues to expand digital infrastructure, establish educational centers, and create favorable conditions for the productive work of IT and AI specialists. Around half a million citizens are learning the fundamentals of AI through programs such as AI Qyzmet, AI Sana, Tomorrow School, and QazCoders.
Bektenov also highlighted the launch of Alem.ai, a flagship digital infrastructure platform designed for research, the implementation of advanced solutions, and startup acceleration. Together with the Astana Hub and the Venture Investment Fund, the platform supports Kazakhstan’s strategy to increase IT service exports to $1 billion by the end of this year. Global technology companies such as Playrix, Mytona, and NetCracker have already entered the Kazakhstan market, reflecting growing international confidence in the country’s digital ecosystem.
Bektenov concluded that the newly established Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development will be central to achieving Kazakhstan’s next technological leap. He noted that the President’s initiatives to create a national educational platform and an AI research university will help train highly qualified specialists for the future market.
Over 30 memoranda of cooperation were signed during Digital Bridge 2025, as the government’s Digital Headquarters continues to work promptly to resolve emerging business questions and remove unnecessary barriers for all market participants.
Digital Bridge Awards 2025
During the Digital Bridge Awards 2025 ceremony, Bektenov presented awards to the most outstanding projects in artificial intelligence, education, technology, and social innovation. Among the honorees was Grand Mobile, recognized for its multiplayer, open-world mobile game, which has achieved more than 60 million downloads worldwide. Higgsfield AI received the AI Solution of the Year award for developing a text-to-video platform named by Google Next as one of the Top 25 Startups in the world.
In the education category, CodiPlay was honored for creating an ecosystem that teaches programming and engineering thinking to over one million students across 13 countries. Documentolog Global Limited was recognized for innovations in automating public administration processes, while Kazakhstan’s largest technology media outlet received the Tech Media Excellence award for its influence and audience reach of more than 200,000 monthly readers. The Social Impact Project award was presented to 7Generation and KazDream IT Holding for their LifeSignal service, which helps locate callers during emergencies and enhances citizen safety.
Digital solutions exhibition
Bektenov also toured the digital solutions exhibition, where Kazakhstan’s IT companies and startups presented their latest technologies and products. Companies such as Shai PRO, Best Vision Technologies, Axellero, Qalan, Recado, and Jet demonstrated their innovative platforms ranging from artificial intelligence ecosystems and industrial risk management to online education and shared mobility solutions.
Several promising startups also took part, including Paidax, an investment platform for retail investors; PocketDot, the world’s first magnetic Braille interface for the visually impaired; and Protector AI, a video analytics system designed to detect violence and bullying in schools and social institutions. Other innovations included Defect AI for automated defect detection in manufacturing, Esep AI for energy consumption analysis, Trust Exam for monitoring online examinations, Biometric Vision for biometric identification, and Mirai Tech for intelligent monitoring based on sensor and biomechanical data.
