Central Asia & Caucasus Set the Pace for a Digital-First Decade as the World’s Biggest Tech & Startup Event Arrives in Kazakhstan

The inaugural GITEX Central Asia & Caucasus x Ai Everything Kazakhstan, hosted by the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation & Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan in partnership with Astana Hub, to take place from 2-4 June 2026 in Astana

  Berlin, 21 May 2025: Central Asia and the Caucasus are now emerging as one of the world’s fastest-rising digital bloc and are on track to chalk up nearly 4.7 % expansion in GDP in 2025-26 according to the World Bank. Venture funding across the region skyrocketed last year to hit US $95 million1. IT services alone are on course to reach a market size of US $5.6 billion by 2029 (Statista). Overlay this with a fast-growing generation of prolific tech and coding talent, with governments driving new impetus to digitalise at scale, from public services to critical sectors like finance and energy, and the region looks set to move to the forefront of innovation globally.

The centre of gravity in this regional evolution is Kazakhstan, home to Central Asia’s largest hyperscale data centre, 90 per cent digitised public services, and new flagship global projects such as the alem.ai international AI centre. It is against this backdrop that the world’s largest tech and startup event, GITEX, hoists its next flag. The inaugural GITEX Central Asia & Caucasus x Ai Everything Kazakhstan, 2-4 June in Astana, was announced during the opening day of GITEX EUROPE x Ai Everything in Berlin.

Organised by KAOUN International as part of GITEX, the world’s largest tech and startup community, hosted by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation & Aerospace Industry, in partnership with Astana Hub, GITEX Central Asia & Caucasus x Ai Everything Kazakhstan taps into a powerful network of global relationships to create the largest meeting point in Central Asia and Caucasus for AI, data centres, cybersecurity, cloud, fintech, startups, and deep-tech investment. Kazakhstan becomes the ninth stop on a circuit that now includes Berlin, Morocco, Nigeria, Singapore, Thailand, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Vietnam; a cross-border multisector platform designed to give innovative companies a direct route into global markets, capital and talent.

Reflecting the event’s UAE roots and the deepening investment and innovation ties between the UAE and Central Asia, His Excellency Mohammad Alhawi, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Investment joined the eminent delegation at the unveiling of the event, alongside representatives from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry, and Astana Hub.

On the occasion of the launch, His Excellency Zhaslan Madiyev, Minister of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry, said: “This announcement marks a pivotal step forward in Kazakhstan’s journey to becoming a global hub for digital innovation. With a strong focus on AI integration, talent development, a vibrant startup ecosystem, cross-sector digital transformation, and international cooperation, the vision and values of GITEX align seamlessly with those of our government. United by a shared digital ambition and a commitment to a prosperous, technology-driven future, this partnership holds tremendous promise for Kazakhstan and beyond.”

Trixie LohMirmand, CEO of KAOUN International & EVP of Dubai World Trade Centre, global organiser of GITEX, revealed: “Central Asia and the Caucasus are shifting from resource-rich to an innovation and AI-first era, and Kazakhstan is setting the pace with a long-view strategy to redraw the region’s digital alliance. Bringing the GITEX network to Astana plugs that ambition directly into the world’s supply chain of capital, code and talent. Visionary policy, rapid infrastructure build-out and a surge of home-grown digital projects have created a historic moment - one that the global tech community will be excited to discover at GITEX Central Asia & Caucasus.”

Magzhan Madiyev, CEO of Astana Hub, added: “GITEX is renowned worldwide for its exemplary track record in uniting tech industry stakeholders, bridging digital divides, enabling connections, and inspiring partnerships across increasingly digital-critical sectors. With GITEX officially coming to Kazakhstan from next year, we are excited to begin working alongside our partners to ensure these outcomes become immediately synonymous with the Kazakhstani edition of the world’s largest tech show also. It’s an event we envisage being a central digital economy development catalyst for many decades to come.”

Igniting Central Asian Tech Trajectory in Partnership with the World

GITEX Central Asia & Caucasus x Ai Everything Kazakhstan convenes AI hyperscalers, data-centre architects, cyber-security leaders, fintech innovators, and the region’s most talented founders to design and deploy the technologies that will drive the bloc’s next growth cycle. Participants tap directly into the GITEX global network of tech stakeholders and powerbrokers, from policymakers, innovators and VCs to business executives and procurement officers, ensuring that ideas move quickly from the show floor to real-world pilots and scalable deals.

Kazakhstan: Fueling a Digital Ascent

Guided by the Digital Kazakhstan roadmap, the government aims to move every public service online by 2026 and automate 70 percent of industrial and financial operations. The results are already visible: the UN ranks the country in the global Top Ten for Online Services, while the IMF’s AI Preparedness Index places it first in Central Asia for AI readiness2. Kazakhstan’s venture funding has grown to US $71 million last year3 while Astana’s alem.ai is slated to boost AI-driven exports to US $5 billion by 2029, sparking a shift from tech sourcing to exporting at scale.

Building On Deep Trade and Technology Ties Between UAE and Kazakhstan

The show also widens a fast-growing corridor of innovation between Astana and Abu Dhabi. Earlier this year, the UAE Minister of Investment H.E. Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi visited the Kazakh capital to sign a strategic agreement on AI-powered data centre projects, followed by Abu-Dhabi based Presight opening its first Central Asian office in Astana to bolster local AI capacity and accelerate the nation’s digital transformation push. The collaborations follow advanced talks on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the UAE and the Eurasian Economic Union.

GITEX Central Asia & Caucasus x Ai Everything Kazakhstan will turn those high-level frameworks into on-the-ground ventures, linking Gulf capital and expertise with Central Asia’s engineering talent to power a new engine of shared digital prosperity.

- END –