A roundtable held at Astana Hub brought together Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development officials, Astana Hub representatives, and IT professionals to assess Kazakhstan's growing appeal as a destination for international technology talent and digital nomads.
Digital Nomad Residency Takes Shape
The January 2025 launch of the Digital Nomad Residency program, issued on the instructions of the Head of State, represents a deliberate push to position Kazakhstan as a premier regional IT hub. Ministry officials and industry participants examined program effectiveness and identified pathways to build a more attractive ecosystem for highly skilled specialists.
More than 700 applications from 30 countries have arrived since the program opened, with over 120 specialists granted official digital nomad status. Engineers and analysts from multinational companies shared firsthand accounts of their relocation experiences and offered concrete suggestions for improving digital service delivery.
Building Human Capital for a Digital Economy
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev framed human capital development as the cornerstone of Kazakhstan's digital ambitions. "The arrival of highly qualified specialists is not just a statistic—it brings international experience, new competencies, and connections to global markets," he said.
Ministry officials outlined plans to make the Digital Nomad status application process entirely digital, emphasizing transparency and speed. "Our goal is to create conditions in which every talented IT professional can realize their potential here, contributing to Kazakhstan's economy," Madiyev added.
The country's broader economic strategy centers on technology exports and artificial intelligence. To support these objectives, Kazakhstan has set a target of training 10,000 AI specialists by 2030 and increasing IT service exports to $5 billion.
Institutionalizing Cooperation
Roundtable participants agreed to establish a permanent working group tasked with refining the program based on feedback from the IT community. The body will operate continuously to adapt residency conditions to the evolving needs of international talent seeking to establish professional presence in Kazakhstan.