Nvidia's Jensen Huang makes first Kazakhstan visit, pitches it as an AI hub for Europe

Huang visited Astana on Friday, meeting President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and telling a fireside chat with AI minister Zhaslan Madiyev that Kazakhstan could become "an AI factory hub for all of Europe" thanks to its energy resources and data-center plans. The trip coincided with Firebird's investment agreement for Data Center Valley in Ekibastuz, where it holds a US export license for 45,000 Nvidia Grace Blackwell GPUs and targets a Q3 2027 launch. Nvidia and TCV also invested in AI video startup Higgsfield, which has most of its engineers in Kazakhstan, extending its $400 million Series B at a $5.4 billion valuation.