Nvidia CEO Huang Visits Kazakhstan, Citing Potential as European AI Hub; Backs Higgsfield Funding Extension

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made his first visit to Kazakhstan on Friday, stating during a fireside chat with Zhaslan Madiyev, the country's deputy prime minister and minister of artificial intelligence and digital development, that Kazakhstan could become "a hub, a computing hub, an AI factory hub for all of Europe." This highlights a broader trend of global AI infrastructure expanding into regions with abundant energy resources and available land.

Kazakhstan has declared 2026 the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence. In June, the government announced a $10 billion AI infrastructure plan in partnership with US-based AI cloud company Firebird, aiming to build a cluster powered by 100,000 advanced GPUs. Nvidia intends to invest in Firebird, which is pursuing a 2-gigawatt expansion across Armenia, Kazakhstan, and other markets. Additionally, Singapore-based GK Hyperscale signed an agreement to develop two hyperscale data centers in Kazakhstan with an expected $1.5 billion investment.

In the private market, AI video startup Higgsfield announced on Friday that Nvidia and investment firm TCV had invested in an extension of its Series B funding round, though the amount was not disclosed. The company had previously raised $400 million in its Series B at a $5.4 billion valuation in August. Co-founder Yerzat Dulat noted that Higgsfield employs over 300 people in Kazakhstan. Huang emphasized during the chat, "The first thing and the last thing is you invest in people, not companies."