Kazakhstan signed accords with the startup Firebird Inc. on computing projects involving Nvidia Corp. that could bring as much as $10 billion in investment, as the Central Asian energy producer looks to position itself as an artificial intelligence hub.

The pacts include a strategic cooperation agreement on developing AI infrastructure and terms for a planned large-scale project known as Data Center Valley in the country’s northeast, Kazakhstan’s AI and digital development ministry said, The Caspian Post reports via Bloomberg.

The plan envisages $5 billion in investments in phase one - including $1 billion provided by state-run Kazakhtelecom - with commercial operations at the 125 megawatt facility planned to start in 2027, according to the statement. The timing of the second phase, and the estimated $5 billion in additional investments, will be determined later.

Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said the goal is to create a platform for hosting global digital infrastructure.

Kazakhstan is seeking to leverage its abundance of land, low-cost energy and strategic location between Asia and Europe to gain an edge in the global race to build AI infrastructure. The push is part of a broader effort by Central Asia’s largest economy to diversify beyond natural resources and make itself a regional center for advanced computing.

“According to our estimates, the project’s implementation will generate at least $3 billion in export revenue annually, create new jobs, attract global technology companies and strengthen Kazakhstan’s position as one of Eurasia’s key digital hubs,” said Deputy Prime Minister Zhaslan Madiyev.

The project will enable the creation of a large-scale computing cluster based on 100,000 of the latest-generation graphic processing unit chips, including Nvidia GB300 and Vera Rubin, he said.

To support those efforts, Kazakhstan is working to lay a fiber optic cable to Azerbaijan through the Caspian Sea, increasing its connectivity to the wider region. Kazakhstan also launched a supercomputer last year based on Nvidia H200 chips.

Under the framework of the partnership, Firebird’s Kazakh subsidiary will secure and finance AI computing infrastructure and related technology, while Kazakhtelecom will be responsible for the power, cooling and telecommunications connectivity needed for data centers. Nvidia is supporting Firebird with the design of the project and with GPUs and other technology, the ministry said.

US-based Firebird, which specializes in building AI infrastructure and data centers, is also working on a supercomputer project in Armenia, and last year secured US government approval to export Nvidia chips to the South Caucasus country.