Astana Hub is celebrating its eighth anniversary on November 6. Over the past eight years, the international innovation cluster has developed into a major centre for the IT and artificial intelligence industries in Kazakhstan and Central Eurasia, bringing together startups, investors and technology companies.
According to Astana Hub CEO Magzhan Madiyev, the ecosystem currently includes 2,700 companies, 560 of which have foreign participation. Since 2019, ecosystem participants have generated a total revenue of $6.7 billion and more than $2.4 billion in IT services exports. Startups have attracted over $2 billion in investment during this period.
Astana Hub continues to expand its technology ecosystem across Kazakhstan. The cluster currently includes 20 regional IT hubs focused on developing local communities, providing IT training and supporting technology entrepreneurship. Since their launch, these hubs have hosted more than 5,200 events, brought together 80,000 participants and showcased 700 startups. Programmes such as Startup Orda, G-Ton and Smart City Accelerator also support entrepreneurial initiatives and the adoption of innovative solutions in the regions.
Major events on Kazakhstan’s 2026 technology calendar included the Digital Qazaqstan national forum in Shymkent, the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 international forum in Astana, and GITEX AI Kazakhstan, held in the country for the first time. These events contributed to international cooperation, entrepreneurship and investment.
One of the year's major events was HackAlem AI, described as the world’s largest AI hackathon. It brought together 2,415 participants and set a Guinness World Record with the participation of technology companies NVIDIA and OpenAI.
Astana Hub is also investing in the next generation of IT professionals and digital skills. TUMO Astana, a centre for creative technologies, currently serves 2,430 teenagers aged 12 to 18. Participants study 11 disciplines, including programming, robotics, game development, generative artificial intelligence and filmmaking.
The Tech Orda programme, designed to develop professional talent for the IT sector, has trained 11,410 people across 133 IT schools. According to programme data, 90% of graduates are employed.
Tomorrow School, Kazakhstan’s first peer-to-peer artificial intelligence school, is also expanding. Operated by the Alem.ai Foundation within the Astana Hub and alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Centre ecosystem, the project currently has 481 students. Its Astana campus has received more than 24,000 applications over two years. In 2026, the school expanded its network to 14 cities across Kazakhstan. More than 80 students have already secured IT jobs before completing the programme.
ML School Kazakhstan was launched to train specialists in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The free, two-year programme draws on the academic expertise of the Yandex School of Data Analysis. It received 822 applications for its first intake, with 32 participants selected.
Astana Hub’s educational ecosystem also includes the edu.astanahub.com online platform, which offers programmes in areas such as Data Engineering, Prompt Engineering and No Code/Low Code School. These programmes have helped tens of thousands of people in Kazakhstan develop digital skills and learn to use modern technology tools. The ecosystem has also launched Alem AI Talent Lab to support emerging talent and future technology founders.
Acceleration programmes have played an important role in the ecosystem’s growth. Silkway Accelerator, developed in partnership with Google for Startups, has graduated 83 startups. The Startup Garage incubation programme has supported more than 1,400 early-stage projects, of which 428 have completed the programme successfully.
The AI’preneurs international programme has produced 125 graduates and 51 startup projects. These startups have generated more than $618,000 in combined sales and raised $400,000 in investment.
Astana Innovations Accelerator, launched jointly with the Astana city administration, received 354 applications this year. As a result, 17 projects have already been deployed in schools, healthcare facilities, municipal utilities, transport services and units of Astana’s Department of Emergency Situations.
In 2026, Astana Hub and the Almaty city administration also launched Central Eurasian Market Entry, an acceleration programme based at Almaty Hub to help startups enter Central Asian markets. The programme received 132 applications from 14 countries, with 13 startups selected to prepare for regional expansion.
Established at the direction of Kazakhstan’s president, the alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Centre has become a meeting point for professionals, researchers and the global AI community. In 2026, it hosted Northern Eurasia Camp, an international competitive programming training camp that brought together 20 of the region’s strongest university teams to prepare for the ICPC World Finals.
The first visit to Astana by NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang also brought international attention to the centre. During his visit, Huang toured the facility and learned about the development of Kazakhstan’s AI ecosystem.
Astana Hub also operates a technology challenges platform that connects companies, government agencies and IT teams to address practical industry needs. In 2026, 385 challenges were posted on the platform, attracting more than 3,000 proposed solutions. The platform helps businesses find technology partners to automate production, improve safety and enhance management.
Together with industry partners, Astana Hub is developing technology centres in MedTech, GameDev, AgriTech and Robotics/Physical AI. It has also launched startup support programmes, including Gamepreneurs for game development and Tech Incubator for hardware, robotics and cybersecurity.
Astana Hub Ventures provides investment support to technology startups. Its portfolio currently includes more than 90 startups, including companies that have received direct investment and projects funded through ecosystem programmes. Startups supported by the fund in 2026 include Higgsfield, Mirai Tech, Perceptis, PanDev Metrics, Luwo, Admyra, Resti and Scano.
A fund of funds managed by Alem Capital Management has also been established with Astana Hub’s support. It focuses on the venture capital markets of Kazakhstan, Central Asia and the Caucasus, aiming to support regional venture fund managers and improve local founders’ access to capital.
Startups seeking international expansion can also access acceleration programmes abroad. Hero Training, delivered in partnership with Draper University, and Alchemist Silkroad – Silicon Valley Residency, implemented jointly with Silkroad Innovation Hub, IT Park and IT Park Ventures, help entrepreneurs explore the US market and work with international experts.
In 2026, Astana Hub and Astana Hub Ventures launched Globalpreneurs, a programme providing financial support to startups accepted into leading international accelerators. Supported companies include Bult.ai, accepted into MassChallenge in the United States; Resti, selected for Antler MENAP Residency in Saudi Arabia; Cyberlabs, accepted into StartX in the United States; Admyra, associated with Inception, Antler and EF in the United States; and Scano – Media Monitoring, selected for the ITU SEED Acceleration Program in Türkiye.
Astana Hub is also developing an international network of innovation hubs, including Silkroad Innovation Hub in the United States, Tumar Innovation Hub in the United Arab Emirates, Khan Tengri Innovation Hub in China, Big Sky Sea Hub in Malaysia and Eurasia Growth Hub in the United Kingdom.
Under the Trusted Kazakhstan concept, the Digital Nomad Residency and Digital Nomad Visa programmes have been launched to attract international IT professionals and strengthen ties with the global technology community. Since their launch, they have received 2,200 applications from 82 countries.
Over eight years, Astana Hub has grown from an initiative into a broad technology ecosystem connecting thousands of companies, entrepreneurs, investors and technology professionals. It continues to support the development of new technologies and startups while helping Kazakhstan expand its presence in the global technology market.
