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The first phase targets commercial operations in Q3 2027. Larger capacity figures remain expansion plans, while Firebird promises local organizations at least 10% of its GPU capacity.
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Firebird’s first Kazakhstan facility is under construction, with commercial service targeted for Q3 2027; prior cooperation plans have become a project with a disclosed schedule, but not yet operating capacity. The company estimates $5 billion in first-phase investment for up to 109 MW and plans more than 45,000 GB300 GPUs, while its announced U.S. export license covers 45,000 Grace Blackwell GPUs. At least 10% of total GPU capacity is reserved for Kazakhstani companies and agencies; larger 500 MW and one-gigawatt figures remain expansion targets, dependent in part on power buildout.
Firebird expects the first phase to create more than 130 permanent jobs, plus additional installation and commissioning roles.
A planned second phase could take Firebird’s Kazakhstan capacity to about 500 MW; Data Center Valley’s broader expansion target is one gigawatt.
June 2026 agreements involving Kazakhstan, Firebird and Nvidia described plans for up to 100,000 GPUs and $10 billion, not the first facility’s cost or chip count.
Kazakhstan’s planned AI computing hub now has a first phase under construction and a commercial launch target of Q3 2027. Firebird says it has secured a U.S. export license for 45,000 Nvidia Grace Blackwell GPUs and is building the facility with Kazakhtelecom at Data Center Valley, moving the project beyond its earlier cooperation agreements.
The site is in Ekibastuz. Firebird’s announcement builds on strategic cooperation agreements signed with Kazakhstan’s government in June 2026. The newly disclosed license, construction status and launch target give the project specific milestones, separate from the much larger capacity ambitions surrounding the development.
Firebird puts its estimated investment in the first-phase project at $5 billion, with potential computing-infrastructure capacity of up to 109 megawatts. Its project description envisages deploying more than 45,000 Nvidia GB300 GPUs. Those are the company’s investment and deployment estimates; the export license it announced covers 45,000 Grace Blackwell GPUs.
The company expects the project to create more than 130 permanent jobs, with additional personnel involved in installation and commissioning. Commercial service remains a target for the third quarter of 2027, rather than capacity that customers can already use.
Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister and minister of artificial intelligence and digital development, Zhaslan Madiyev, described the partnership as a way to turn the country’s energy resources into computing services for international customers. He also tied its value to domestic business development, research and productivity, rather than infrastructure construction alone.
The real value of this investment will be measured in the companies it helps create, the productivity it brings to our industries and the opportunities it opens for our people
Zhaslan Madiyev, Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister, in Firebird’s announcement
A planned second phase would bring Firebird’s total potential AI infrastructure capacity in Kazakhstan to approximately 500 megawatts. The wider Data Center Valley development has a phased expansion target of one gigawatt. These describe different boundaries: Firebird’s own potential buildout and the larger computing hub in which its first facility sits.
Earlier government agreements valued at $10 billion with Firebird and Nvidia included plans for a cluster containing up to 100,000 GPUs, eeNews Europe reported. That larger package covers different stages and scopes of development. It should not be read as the cost or installed chip count of the first facility now under construction.
Electricity is central to the expansion case. Kazakhstan’s government identifies competitive power costs and access to existing electrical infrastructure as advantages for Ekibastuz. But the proposed growth will require substantial additional generating and distribution capacity, making the power buildout part of the project’s execution challenge.
Firebird has committed to allocating at least 10% of total GPU capacity to Kazakhstani companies and government agencies. That commitment gives domestic organizations a defined share of the planned computing resources, alongside the government’s ambition to develop an export industry serving customers abroad.
The company also plans to establish Firebird Labs Kazakhstan, working with institutions including alem.ai. Its proposed support extends beyond access to the machines:
Firebird is exploring Kazakh-language AI initiatives with Kazakhtelecom and the International Society of the Kazakh Language. It also says it is working with local partners to increase clean-energy use as its infrastructure scales. Both sit alongside the construction programme as development efforts, not completed services.
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