Kazakhstan could welcome new international IT companies in 2026

The appearance of Akashi Data Center in Astana — Kazakhstan’s first industrial-scale commercial data center — may mark a turning point for the country’s digital market. Until now, Kazakhstan lacked sites that could offer businesses and international players the computing capacity, rack density, and vacant slots needed for serious cloud, enterprise, and AI workloads.

Why international IT companies are looking again

For years, the absence of commercial data centers at this scale effectively closed Kazakhstan off from global tech players: large platforms simply could not be hosted here.

Akashi has already announced strategic partnerships with China Mobile International, Virtuozzo, and Fortinet. These deals strengthen the project’s technology ecosystem and show that a large-scale commercial DC can become a magnet for international cloud and security platforms.

Analysts point out that a commercial data center with substantial spare capacity is the precondition for entry. AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Alibaba Cloud evaluate new markets on one criterion: is there infrastructure able to carry serious loads, provide redundancy, and give fast access to scalable capacity?

Infrastructure turning point in 2026

Akashi CEO Vladislav Minkevich emphasizes that the shortage of commercial data centers held the industry back for years. “The economy missed out on technology, investment, and qualified jobs. That’s changing: we’re building the first industrial-scale commercial DC and, in parallel, partnerships in cloud, AI, security, and international connectivity.”

According to Zhaslan Madiev, Minister of AI and Digital Development, investment agreements worth KZT 800 billion have already been signed for DC construction and operations alone. If the momentum holds, Kazakhstan will shift from consumer of digital services to a market where technology solutions are built and localized.

We reply within one business day. Отвечаем в течение одного рабочего дня. Бір жұмыс күні ішінде жауап береміз.

Questions about colocation, partnership, or the project? Reach out however suits you. Вопросы по колокации, партнёрству или проекту? Напишите удобным способом. Колокация, серіктестік немесе жоба туралы сұрақтарыңыз бар ма? Бізге ыңғайлы жолмен жазыңыз.

Quarterly reports from the build site —
direct from the engineering team. Ежеквартальные отчёты со стройплощадки —
напрямую от инженерной команды. Құрылыс алаңынан тоқсан сайынғы есептер —
инженерлік командадан тікелей.

Commissioning milestones, capacity releases, and Tier IV certification progress. Short, substantive, zero marketing — one email per quarter. Вехи пусконаладки, релизы мощности и статус сертификации Tier IV. Коротко, по делу, без маркетинга — одно письмо в квартал. Іске қосу кезеңдері, қуат релиздері және Tier IV сертификаттау мәртебесі. Қысқа, нақты, маркетингсіз — тоқсанға бір хат.

01 Construction and commissioning milestones, with dated evidence. Вехи строительства и пусконаладки с датированными подтверждениями. Құрылыс пен іске қосу кезеңдері, нақты күндермен.

02 Capacity releases — racks and MW opening for reservation. Релизы мощности — стойки и МВт, доступные для брони. Қуат релиздері — брондауға ашық сөрелер мен МВт.

03 Uptime Institute audit status and certification timelines. Статус аудита Uptime Institute и сроки сертификации. Uptime Institute аудитінің мәртебесі және сертификаттау мерзімдері.