Nokia, FTI Test AI Data Center Blueprints for Kazakhstan

In a strategic collaboration, Nokia and FTI test AI data center blueprints for Kazakhstan at a dedicated Sunnyvale, California lab. The joint venture, part of a [Strategic Cooperation Agreement signed earlier this year], aims to create replicable, high-performance designs for Tier-III+ data centers. These next-generation facilities will leverage advanced liquid cooling and cloud-native networks to boost performance and energy efficiency. The project focuses on AI data center blueprints and feasibility studies in Kazakhstan, positioning the country as a growing digital hub with enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities.

What are FTI and Nokia building for Kazakhstan's new AI data centers?

FTI and Nokia are engineering advanced Tier-III+ data center designs optimized for artificial intelligence workloads. These blueprints feature liquid-cooled racks for energy efficiency, cloud-native IP fabrics for high-speed networking, and a modular architecture to support Kazakhstan's national AI initiatives.

Inside the Innovation Lab, engineers are running three parallel work-streams:

Work-stream	Primary KPI	Kazakhstan relevance
AI back-end architecture	Low-latency GPU-to-GPU communication across large-scale clusters	Supports [Alem.AI] and national AI platform
Cloud-native IP fabric	High-throughput networking capabilities	Supports advanced connectivity infrastructure
Liquid-cooling design	Optimized power usage effectiveness at high rack densities	Reduces energy consumption in data center operations

"We treat Sunnyvale as a digital wind-tunnel. If a blueprint survives continuous high-load testing here, we know it will perform well in the Kazakh climate and power environment." - Nokia engineering lead, quoted in internal documentation.

According to industry reports, the initial reference design for Kazakhstan outlines multiple facilities in strategic locations, with expandable capacity to meet growing demand. The sites utilize Nokia's modular OCP-based chassis with its SR Linux NOS, allowing operators to easily add GPU or storage sleds. A dedicated liquid-cooling system maintains optimal GPU temperatures with efficient inlet water cooling, enabling free cooling for a significant portion of the year.

Concurrently, FTI's parent, Freedom Holding Corp., is reportedly investing in enhanced connectivity infrastructure. This new infrastructure will integrate directly with the data centers, establishing improved transit capabilities on Kazakh soil. The Ministry of Digital Development projects this will significantly increase cross-border data traffic capacity and reduce regional latency, attracting workloads from legacy routes.

"Without infrastructure it is impossible to talk about developing artificial intelligence or competition in the global market." - [Timur Turlov, CEO Freedom Holding], April 2026 interview.

The lab is also stress-testing Nokia's Event-Driven Automation (EDA) software to ensure it meets Kazakh regulations. Configuration changes are recorded with comprehensive auditing capabilities, supporting data sovereignty requirements in accordance with evolving data protection legislation. This system is being considered for deployment at the Akashi Data Center project, with Freedom Cloud data center construction having begun in Almaty in April 2025.

This project's influence is already extending across the region. Uzbekistan is reportedly using the Sunnyvale cooling specifications for large-scale GPU facilities, while Tajikistan is assessing the IP fabric for its Area AI zone. According to industry reports, Central Asian nations have announced significant AI-focused data center capacity expansions, representing substantial growth from previous years.

To attract global tenants, Kazakhstan is reportedly developing tax incentives for firms committing to substantial data center capacity. These incentives are designed to lower effective colocation costs, making the region competitive for cool climate operations. Operators using renewable energy may achieve even more favorable rates, which has reportedly secured interest from multiple cloud providers.

The Sunnyvale lab also serves as a showcase for Nokia's sustainability initiatives. Energy consumption is offset through renewable energy credits, and the company plans to publish carbon accounting metrics for clients' ESG reporting. Public demonstrations are being planned for industry events, featuring live workload management between testing facilities.

Investors are monitoring the project's financial viability. Industry feasibility studies suggest positive returns once facilities reach substantial utilization levels. Early potential tenants include major global companies exploring the platform for supply-chain optimization and European financial institutions for risk modeling applications.

The success of these blueprints will be tested as Kazakhstan advances its digitalization and AI initiatives under President Tokayev's leadership. FTI plans to open-source the final reference architecture for any operator building in the Kazakh corridor, aiming to accelerate the region's transformation into a vital digital bridge between Europe and Asia.