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Nvidia CEO Visits Kazakhstan and Calls It a Possible AI Hub for Europe
Nvidia’s CEO met Kazakhstan’s president as a U.S. firm secured 45,000 GPUs.
31 Oct 2026, 07:46 · All sides · Written by Grok
12 sources · 2 countries🇫🇷 🇭🇰
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Astana on October 23, 2026, and met the country’s leaders about computing.
- He said Kazakhstan’s land and energy could support an AI computing hub for Europe.
- In the same push, a U.S. cloud company moved to place tens of thousands of Nvidia chips in Kazakhstan. GPUs are the specialized chips used to train and run AI.
How the views differ
Jensen Huang, Nvidia, Kazakh state media, and some users on X
Huang and the coverage built around his visit treat Kazakhstan as ready for a new export: intelligence instead of only energy.
They point to spare land, large energy resources, a president who has called the country an AI nation, and a fresh partnership with Nvidia and Firebird.
In this telling, Ekibastuz is the start of a computing hub for Europe, not a distant hope.
- euronews.com (Ind.)
- thediplomat.com (Ind.)
- blogs.nvidia.com (Ind.)
- econotimes.com (Ind.)
- astanatimes.com (Ind.)
- scmp.com (Ind.)
- eurasianet.org (Ind.)
Independent analysts and outlets, including The Diplomat, Orda.kz, Novastan, and KazTAG
Critics say a license and a slogan do not create a working hub.
Kazakhstan still has electricity deficits, imports power from Russia, and must also supply other industries.
European customers may refuse coal-heavy electricity because of ESG rules — environmental, social, and governance standards many firms use when picking suppliers — and routing, security, financing, and construction risks could delay or wreck Data Center Valley.
- thediplomat.com (Ind.)
- en.orda.kz (Ind.)
- kaztag.kz (Ind.)
- novastan.org (Ind.)
- View A — @Kalshi_Finance: “JUST IN: Jensen Huang says Kazakhstan will become an AI computing hub for all of Europe” Open on X ↗
The visit and the chip license are well supported. Nvidia’s blog, Euronews, Eurasianet, and The Diplomat agree that Huang was in Astana on October 23, 2026, met President Tokayev, spoke with Madiyev, and described Kazakhstan as a possible AI factory hub for Europe. Firebird’s investment agreement and the U.S. license for 45,000 Grace Blackwell GPUs are also reported by Nvidia and Eurasianet. Those are announcements.
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Kazakhstan sets national target to expand installed power capacity beyond 40 GW by 2035.
Data Center Valley project in Ekibastuz is planned with capacity targets ranging from 50 MW to 1 GW across phases.
Coverage
12 sources · 2 countries
- State-funded 2
- Independent 8
- X / on the ground 2
FRHK
All sources
- NVIDIA Blog (corporate/independent)U.S. company Firebird signed an investment agreement with Kazakhstan and secured a U.S. export license for 45,000 NVIDIA Grace Blackwell GPUs. NVIDIA Blog EurasianetIndependent
- Eurasianet (independent)U.S. company Firebird signed an investment agreement with Kazakhstan and secured a U.S. export license for 45,000 NVIDIA Grace Blackwell GPUs. NVIDIA Blog EurasianetIndependent
- Euronews (independent)Kazakhstan plans to nearly double installed power capacity to more than 40 GW by 2035. EuronewsIndependent · France
- econotimes.comData Center Valley is described as aiming for up to 1 GW, while early phases are cited at roughly 50–300 MW. Euronews EconoTimesIndependent
- The Diplomat (independent)He called it the first country he has visited whose president declared it an AI nation. The DiplomatIndependent
- The Astana Times (Kazakh state/pro-government)Kazakh state media and other coverage frame the trip as a sovereign-AI push, with Huang brushing off bubble fears. The Astana Times SCMPState-funded
- SCMP (independent)Kazakh state media and other coverage frame the trip as a sovereign-AI push, with Huang brushing off bubble fears. The Astana Times SCMPState-funded · Hong Kong SAR China
- en.orda.kzOrda.kz reports that Kazakhstan’s power deficit complicates the AI ambitions. Orda.kzIndependent
- kaztag.kzKazTAG reports that the Data Center Valley megaproject may be at risk of failure. KazTAGIndependent
- novastan.orgSources: The Diplomat (independent), Novastan (independent), Orda.kz (independent), KazTAG (independent)Independent
- @Kalshi_FinanceView A — @Kalshi_Finance: “JUST IN: Jensen Huang says Kazakhstan will become an AI computing hub for all of Europe”X / on the ground
- @euronewsnextView A — @euronewsnext: “Nvidia CEO sees Kazakhstan as potential AI hub for Europe”X / on the ground