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Euronews
3 days ago
- Business
- Euronews
The most powerful supercomputer in Central Asia launches in kazakhstan
Kazakhstan has entered the global race to build a supercomputer and has unveiled the most powerful one in Central Asia but the country's brain drain may hinder its ambitions. The supercomputer capable of about 2 exaflops speed, that is two quintillion (10^18) floating-point operations per second, has been launched at the supercomputer centre in the capital, Astana. It will be used for two purposes: One is to power the country's e-government services used more and more frequently by both the population and businesses. Another is the development of artificial intelligence (AI models) and engines. The government has prioritised these two projects for many years. Pressing the red button to activate the computer was President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who has long championed the supercomputer, so much so that the whole AI drive in the country is considered to be his pet project. He decreed the Concept of the Development of AI in Kazakhstan until 2029. It stipulates that in four years from now, Kazakhstan will stand shoulder to shoulder with global leaders in AI technology. At the opening ceremony, he said that the launch was an important step in the digitalisation of the key spheres of economy and science and that it would create conditions for the development of the new advanced technologies and everyday life solutions. 'This is an image-boosting project. Kazakhstan presents itself in the international arena as a country which has access to modern technologies and knows how to use them,' said Boris Potapchuk, Senior Expert of the Data Center Infrastructure Service at Nazarbayev University. 'The use of AI cluster will enable a much more efficient and rational use of the state resources and the budget because it will assemble and centralise information systems that are at the moment dispersed in different places and institutions. That will make the data more accessible for the citizens and provide more reliable data storage and safety,' he added. The country did have problems with data safety. Only last month a large-scale data breach, potentially affecting the personal information of 16 million citizens, was discovered. The Ministry of Digital Development is investigating the incident and suggested there was a leak of names, individual identification numbers, birthdates, addresses, and phone numbers of citizens originating from private, non-governmental databases. Kazakhstan started its e-government strategy in 2004 and has since digitalised 92 per cent of the public services. The young generation is now using digital signatures and e-government services daily. Eight out of twenty million citizens have digital signatures. It ranks 24 out of 193 countries in the world in e-government services, according to the 2024 UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI). But the central focus of the government strategy is AI's development. In 2024, a draft law on AI was approved, and a Committee on AI was established to oversee the development of this field in the country. Kazakhstan's experts and politicians alike believe that without its own localised solutions and infrastructure, no country in the future will be successful, or even independent and sovereign. AI's language problem Thus, a supercomputer. The Astana super-computer is placed in a Tier III data centre where Kazakhstan's experts will have the opportunity to learn how to cool, stabilise, detect, and correct failures as well as provide cybersecurity. Some of those solutions that have been demonstrated at the opening are the Kazakh language model of AI (AlemLLM), the system of early detection of forest fires as well as solutions in medicine, construction and education. The model that attracted the most attention for years was the Kazakh language model in AI computing and utilisation. The AI experts warn that the heavy utilisation of AI in the future might make non-Western languages go extinct. Kazakhstan reacted by investing in a large language model (LLM) in the Kazakh language. There are already six supercomputers stationed at different universities in the country that are used for research and AI development. 'Prime example (why we needed the supercomputer) is the development of KazLLM. And as we develop further, we would need even greater computing power in order to do that. If you think that the basic model, which was developed by KazLLM largely text-based. So KazLLM was a basic model. We're now building on it,' said Waqar Ahmad, President of the Nazarbayev University. 'There are new systems which focus on voice recognition. There are new tools which use image processing and so on. And some of the new models which will be developed in this area are going to be all singing, all dancing models which use a text, which use sound, which use image, and so on,' he added. His colleague from the same university, Boris Potapchuk, is, however, not sure whether the computer will be used more for the development of new AI models and new services. 'The performance calculation methods given suggest that the solution will be used primarily for applying existing models and to a much lesser extent for training and developing new ones,' said Potapchuk, who added that venturing into the new realm of AI solutions is a big step that also poses big questions and reveals weaknesses. The brain drain 'We need to understand that a supercomputer of this kind requires constant modernisation and programming maintenance, and this is something that can only be entrusted with the highest profile specialists,' he said. 'If we're honest, Kazakhstan faces serious problems in this respect. It is not a secret that we face a big brain drain in all the fields of expertise, IT specialists leading the way. This is why Kazakhstan needs to attract and train its own experts as well as provide timely updating and modernisation of software and program code'. But he noted that bearing in mind that 'the state secrets confidential citizens' information will be stored on this computer, foreign experts will not be allowed, just like we don't allow them in the oil and gas industry or logistics,' said Potapchuk. But it is exactly this computer that is the pre-requisite for such training (although with limited access to data for the trainees) and the government insists that the launch of the first super-computer in he country is the most important, first step on a thousand-mile journey. The Minister in charge of digital transformation Zhaslan Madiyev, said that there is no doubt that digital development is already as crucial for national sovereignty as energy or food security is. 'The launch of the national super-computer centre is a strategic step in the development of the technological sovereignty of the country. We are creating the conditions for the development of the AI eco-system that will be able to compete on the global level,' said Madiyev.
Saudi Gazette
10-07-2025
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
At Geneva World Summit, Saudi Arabia highlights great strides in digital leadership
Saudi Gazette report GENEVA — Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Acting Governor of the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) Haytham AlOhali highlighted, while attending the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, Saudi Arabia's great strides in digital leadership. Speaking before senior officials and experts representing 194 countries, he reaffirmed the Kingdom's dedication in supporting the summit's goals and enhancing the role of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in fostering inclusive and sustainable digital communities. AlOhali showcased Saudi Arabia's progress in advancing the ITU's strategic objectives, referencing key global indicators that reflect the Kingdom's success in the digital domain. He emphasized that Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in the ICT Development Index issued by ITU, reflecting the ongoing development in the ICT sector. He noted that Saudi Arabia is now among the global leaders in providing digital government services and has achieved sixth place globally in the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI) in 2024. The deputy minister showcased the Kingdom's robust ICT infrastructure, as the digital economy reached $132 billion in 2024, representing 15 percent of the GDP and half of the region's digital economy. During the AI World Summit, AlOhali also participated in the "Crafting a well-balanced, pro-innovation regulatory framework" session, during which he emphasized that the foundation of a sustainable AI ecosystem lies in investing in human capital, infrastructure, and clear standards. "Today, we possess the largest technical workforce in the region, comprising over 381,000 specialists, with an annual growth rate of 8.8 percent compared to 350,000 in 2023. We began our journey in 2018 with an investment exceeding $25 billion in digital infrastructure in partnership with the private sector, which enabled the Kingdom to top the 2025 ICT Development Index," he said. AlOhali noted that Saudi Arabia is scaling up its investments through strategic alliances with major global AI companies, including AMD, AWS, and Qualcomm, in addition to a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to establish a 500MW data center. 'The launch of 'Humain' marks the creation of a regional and global AI powerhouse, backed by robust infrastructure and cloud computing. These initiatives reflect the Kingdom's strong commitment to fostering a thriving AI ecosystem and reinforcing its position as a global hub for sustainable innovation,' he added.
GMA Network
30-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
PH bags UN E-Government Award for improved digital governance
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary for E-Government David Almirol Jr. receives the UN E-Government Award for the Philippines from officials of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) during the 2025 UN Public Service Forum held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan in June 2025. Courtesy: UNDESA via RTVM The Philippines was recognized by the United Nations for its progress in digital governance. The country's ranking in the E-Government Development Index (EGDI) has improved from 2022 to 2024, a UN report stated. The UN E-Government Award was conferred to the Philippines by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) during the 2025 UN Public Service Forum held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It was indicated in the report that the Philippines has improved its classification from 'High' to 'Very High' after increasing its spot in the EGDI global ranking. Further, its rank also moved from 'High' to 'Very High' in the Online Service Index (OSI) after achieving an increase of over 15% between 2022 and 2024. ''These countries have made significant progress in their digital transformation journeys, focusing on enhancing their telecommunications infrastructure, improving online services, and investing in human capital development,'' the report stated. ''They have implemented various strategies and initiatives to boost their digital capabilities, such as expanding broadband access, developing e-government platforms, and promoting digital literacy among their populations,'' it added. Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary for E-Government David Almirol Jr. underscored that these milestones reflect the government's sustained efforts to digitalize public services as well as make them more accessible and secure. 'This global recognition by the UN validates the Philippines' digital transformation roadmap under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., aligning with his vision to make government services more efficient, inclusive, and future-ready,' Almirol said in a press release. Almirol said the recognition follows the successful rollout of several major digital platforms by the DICT, particularly the eGov PH Super App, which has more than 13 million users and offers 47 integrated service modules with over 150 million transactions. The eGovDX platform, meanwhile, has facilitated over 500 million transactions connected to more than 1,000 national and local government agency systems. —KG, GMA Integrated News
Leaders
12-02-2025
- Business
- Leaders
SDAIA President at UNESCO: Saudi Arabia Leads in Global Tech, AI Rankings
Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, President of the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), highlighted Saudi Arabia's position as a global leader in technology, data, and artificial intelligence (AI) during the ministerial session at UNESCO, held alongside the AI Action Summit. EGDI He noted that Saudi Arabia ranked sixth globally in the 2024 UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI) and placed among the top 14 nations in the Global AI Index, securing the highest position in the region. Additionally, UNESCO's recently released AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) recognized SDAIA as a model for integrating data and AI under a unified entity. Dr. Al-Ghamdi reaffirmed the Kingdom's commitment to a strategic partnership with UNESCO to promote ethical AI development. This commitment is demonstrated by Saudi Arabia's role in hosting the UNESCO-affiliated International Centre for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) and being among the first ten nations to complete the AI RAM report. Reflecting on the Kingdom's AI journey, he emphasized that SDAIA's establishment in 2019 and the launch of the National Strategy for Data and AI in 2020 have positioned Saudi Arabia as a global leader in AI governance. The UNESCO report also highlighted the Kingdom's balanced approach to AI regulation, which includes an ethics framework supported by eight regulatory tools for guiding AI developers and users. Saudi Arabia is set to expand its AI efforts in alignment with UNESCO's RAM recommendations. Dr. Al-Ghamdi assured that ICAIRE is ready to support countries conducting their AI RAM assessments. AI Ecosystem On both local and international fronts, Saudi Arabia continues to strengthen its AI ecosystem. He noted that 46 Saudi AI companies recently received accreditation under the AI Ethics Program in Riyadh, reinforcing the Kingdom's dedication to ethical AI. As a result, Saudi Arabia ranked 11th globally and first regionally in the Global AI Safety Index, announced at the AI Action Summit. Regarding national capacity building, SDAIA has trained over 700,000 Saudis in AI since 2020, with the goal of equipping 40% of the workforce with AI-related skills. The Kingdom's Vision 2030 initiative has also increased Saudi women's participation in the technology sector to 35%, aligning with the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Internationally, Saudi Arabia recently hosted the International AI Olympiad in Riyadh, in collaboration with Slovenia, with participation from 25 countries. The session was attended by Gustavo Lino Adrianzén Olaya, Prime Minister of Peru, alongside ministers of technology, innovation, and communications from various countries, as well as representatives of UNESCO member states. Related Topics : Paris AI Action Summit: SDAIA Highlights Saudi Arabia as Comprehensive Governance Model SDAIA Winter School Boosts AI Sector with International Researchers NEOM Ignites AI Revolution with $5 Billion Oxagon Data Center Saudi Arabia Hosts Catwalk 2025 in Al-Jouf, Hail Short link :
