Ekibastuz Data Center Valley: Firebird AI Specs
Status: Under Construction / Early Buildout Phase | Location: Ekibastuz Industrial Zone, Pavlodar Region, Kazakhstan
Project Overview
The Ekibastuz Data Center Valley is a major hyperscale artificial intelligence infrastructure development in Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan, being developed by U.S.-based Firebird in partnership with Kazakhtelecom. Planned with an initial capacity of approximately 125 MW, the project is designed to support the rapidly expanding demand for artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and large-scale GPU infrastructure in Central Asia. The development forms part of a long-term $30 billion investment vision aimed at establishing Ekibastuz as a significant regional hub for advanced digital infrastructure and AI computing. The campus is expected to leverage the region’s substantial industrial power infrastructure, providing the high-capacity electricity required to operate dense NVIDIA GPU clusters and other accelerated computing systems. These resources are intended to support computationally intensive applications, including foundation model training, AI inference, machine learning, and sovereign AI workloads requiring secure and locally hosted computing environments. Its location in Ekibastuz provides access to an established industrial energy ecosystem, which can help support the substantial power requirements associated with next-generation AI data centers. The project also has the potential to strengthen Kazakhstan’s domestic digital infrastructure by providing scalable computing capacity for government institutions, enterprises, technology companies, and AI developers. As AI adoption accelerates globally, the Ekibastuz Data Center Valley represents an emerging model in which large-scale computing facilities are developed alongside existing energy infrastructure to address the power demands of advanced AI systems. By combining hyperscale data center capacity, dense GPU deployments, and strategic energy resources, the project is positioned to contribute to Kazakhstan’s ambitions to become a regional center for AI, cloud computing, and digital innovation.
Quick Facts
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Project Name | Ekibastuz Data Center Valley: Firebird AI Specs |
| Location | Ekibastuz Industrial Zone, Pavlodar Region, Kazakhstan |
| Status | Under Construction / Early Buildout Phase |
| Commissioning | Initial Phase Targeted for 2026–2027 Rollout |
| Total IT Load | ~125.0 MW Initial Critical IT Load (Scalable to 1,000 MW / 1 GW) |
| Total Capacity | Purpose-built AI factory supporting up to 75,000+ next-gen NVIDIA GPUs |
| Tier Level | Tier III / Tier IV Equivalent Fault-Tolerant AI Architecture |
| Project Type | Purpose-Built Sovereign AI Cloud, High-Performance Supercomputing & GPU Megacampus |
City Profile
| Header | Details |
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| City Name | Ekibastuz |
| Population | ~132,000 in the city proper (2021 baseline) |
| Urban Agglomeration | ~145,000 for the broader city/municipal area |
| City GDP | Not separately reported |
| Per Capita Income | Not separately reported |
| City Tier | Tier 2 – Major Industrial & Energy Hub |
| Key Strengths | Coal mining, electricity generation, industrial infrastructure, rail connectivity, large-scale energy resources, available industrial land, and established heavy-industry capabilities. |
Companies Involved
| Header | Details |
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| Developer / Operator | Firebird Cloud Operations Management |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | Ministry of AI & Digital Development Kazakhstan, NVIDIA, CoreWeave, U.S. BIS Export Control Licensing |
| Construction Contractor | Specialized EPC Contractors & Industrial Infrastructure Partners |
| MEP Engineering | Firebird Thermal Systems & Kazakhtelecom Engineering Teams |
| Network Connectivity | Carrier-neutral facility with path-diverse underground fiber vaults, dedicated Meet-Me-Rooms (MMRs), and high-capacity links via Kazakhtelecom's national fiber backbone. |
| Power Infrastructure | Direct high-voltage transmission interconnections with the Ekibastuz power hub, backed by static 2N / N+1 UPS systems and emergency backup generator reserves. |
Technical Specifications
| Header | Details |
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| Power Capacity | ~150 MVA Initial Dedicated Substation Capacity (Scalable to 1,200 MVA) |
| UPS Redundancy | Concurrently Maintainable 2N / N+1 Static UPS Systems |
| Cooling System | Direct-to-chip (DLC) closed-loop liquid cooling infrastructure, rear-door heat exchangers (RDHx), and dry coolers for extreme-density AI rack heat dissipation. |
| Connectivity | Ultra-low latency fiber routes connecting Central Asia, Europe, and Asia-Pacific digital corridors. |
| PUE Target | < 1.15 Annualized Operational Design PUE |
| Energy Mix | Direct grid connection to Ekibastuz power stations integrated with regional renewable energy developments. |
Milestones
| Header | Details |
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| Announcement | August 2026 |
| Construction Start | Mid 2026 |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | Late 2026 / Early 2027 |
| Full Buildout | 2028–2030 Campus Scale-up |
Investment Details
| Header | Details |
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| Total Investment | ~$30,000,000,000 USD (Masterplan Planned Infrastructure Target) |
| Funding | Private Equity & Institutional Capital (Firebird, NVIDIA, CoreWeave, Global Tech Funds) |