ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to increase the capacity of its Data Center Valley in the Pavlodar Region to 1 gigawatt by 2029, as construction advances on the first three facilities and the government seeks investors for the project’s next phase.
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Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov chaired a meeting on Nov. 6 to review construction progress, investment attraction and plans to expand the project, which supports the country’s broader efforts to develop its digital economy.
According to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev, the project could generate up to $3.1 billion in annual export revenue. Total investment over the data centers’ expected 20-year operating lifespan is estimated at $115 billion.
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov chaired a meeting on Nov. 6 to review construction progress. Photo credit: PM’s press service.
The first phase provides the construction of three data centers with a combined capacity of 304 megawatts (MW). Kazakhtelecom Chairperson Bagdat Mussin reported that construction of the first facility, with a capacity of 68 MW, has moved beyond preparatory work. Construction teams are now laying foundations and building infrastructure facilities and an administrative building. The data center is scheduled to begin operations in the second quarter of 2027.
Work is also underway on the second facility, the 164-MW Firebird AI data center. Excavation has reached 70%, with further development planned to include expanded computing capacity and energy infrastructure. The facility is expected to be completed and launched in the third quarter of 2027.
The third data center, with a planned capacity of 72 MW, is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2027.
Plans for the second phase
The project’s second phase is expected to bring additional computing capacity to the site. Preliminary agreements have been signed with Gaw Capital, Boosteroid and Firebird to deploy a combined 480 MW of capacity, with the potential to expand to 620 MW.
Negotiations are also underway with Aleria, Energy Capital Global and China Energy on an additional 240 MW, with a possible increase to 420 MW.
The expansion will require additional energy capacity and engineering infrastructure. The meeting also covered progress on the development of a third supercomputer cluster.
Bektenov stressed the project’s importance for economic development amid growing demand for computing infrastructure. He instructed the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and Kazakhtelecom to ensure that the data centers are completed and launched on schedule.
