NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang just made his first visit to Kazakhstan, and he met its AI builders. Here's what you need to know. This comes a day after GTC Berlin. Huang went to Astana for Kazakhstan's AI Month on October 23, 2026. NVIDIA posted that he spent time with students and startups at alem.ai. He also joined Deputy Prime Minister Zhaslan Madiyev to discuss Kazakhstan's AI future. The talk was a fireside chat at the alem.ai center, scheduled for 11:02 to 11:42 AM local time. It closed out AI Month. NVIDIA says the focus was how the country can build AI using its own knowledge and talent. Huang said Kazakhstan is already taking steps to build its AI economy. He also said it is the only country he has visited where the president declared it will be an AI nation. Reports say he told the room he believes in young Kazakh founders and engineers. He was given a shapan, a traditional robe for honoured guests. Financier.news reports he pitched Kazakhstan as a possible AI computing hub serving Europe, thanks to its energy resources and data center buildout. The visit comes as Firebird CloudAI and Kazakhtelecom expand NVIDIA-powered computing infrastructure. Firebird plans a Kazakhstan lab to help local startups and researchers build on it. No new deal was announced during the trip. The money was already on the table. In June, Kazakhstan signed agreements with Firebird, backed by NVIDIA, tied to the Data Center Valley in Ekibastuz. Key numbers: - Agreements worth up to $10 billion, about €8.6 billion - A computing cluster of about 100,000 next-generation GPUs - Kazakhstan targets 295MW of data center capacity by 2028 - Fireside chat date: October 23, 2026 One local voice noted that the country seems more focused on hosting AI startup events than on producing fundamental research.