The Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sayasat Nurbek reported on the progress of the creation and the first results of the activities of the first AI-Enabled university in Central Asia. In Astana, within the framework of the international forum AI & Digital Bridge 2026, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev officially opened Qazaq AI Research University - the first university in Central Asia that implements the AI-Enabled model. The head of state paid special attention to the development of human capital. According to him, modern data centers and advanced technologies by themselves do not guarantee the desired result, and a technological breakthrough is impossible without scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs. “We must form a national scientific and engineering school that will train educated, qualified and innovative-minded specialists. In this regard, a special task is assigned to the recently opened Qazaq AI Research University. This educational institution, along with training, must conduct scientific research that meets the needs of production and economics. To achieve this goal, the AI+X model is being introduced, designed to apply artificial intelligence in specific industries. Its capabilities should be effectively used in industry, energy, medicine, finance and public administration. In general, we need strong, truly qualified specialists capable of creating finished products and new technologies. There is one important aspect to consider here. Artificial intelligence is not a replacement for human intellectual abilities, but only an auxiliary tool in the process of learning and cognition. The more rapidly technologies develop, the more relevant the pursuit of knowledge, critical thinking, the ability to make decisions and a sense of responsibility become,” the President is convinced. The Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sayasat Nurbek reported to the Head of State on the progress of the creation and first results of the activities of Qazaq AI Research University. “In accordance with your instructions given on October 1, 2025 at the first meeting of the Council for the Development of Artificial Intelligence, Qazaq AI Research University was created. On April 29 of this year, the university received a state license for educational activities. On May 15, it was given the status of an experimental site for training personnel using the AI ​​+ X model. On May 18, the university received institutional accreditation from the Central Asian Association for Educational Accreditation. The first enrollment was carried out on September 1. Today, 528 people study at the university, of which 294 students receive state grants. The teaching staff has been completed,” the minister noted. Rector of Qazaq AI Research University Sapar Toksanov presented the main results of the university’s activities to the Head of State. At QAIRU, artificial intelligence is integrated into key processes of the university - educational and research activities, the work of teachers and the management system. The academic year at the university began on September 1. Currently, 528 people are studying here, including 391 undergraduate students, 32 master’s students and 105 students of the MBA AI+X program from national companies. Of the bachelors, 294 are studying on state grants. Bachelors are trained in the “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning” and “Physical AI” programs. The master's program offers five programs in the fields of industrial AI systems, security, unmanned systems, business analytics and digital law. The campus is designed for more than 3,500 students. The basis of the university’s digital model is its own QAIRU OS platform, which combines teaching, research and management in a single digital environment. The system forms individual educational trajectories for students, supports teachers in organizing the educational process, and provides researchers with tools for working with scientific literature, data, and computing resources. The university is also developing its own AI infrastructure based on NVIDIA H200, which is used to develop models, conduct research and create AI products in a secure university circuit. With the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, QAIRU developed the AI-Enabled University standard. The document defines requirements for digital infrastructure and data, the quality of AI systems, security, ethics, human control and risk management. The methodology of the standard undergoes an independent international examination by Oxford Insights. QAIRU acts as a pilot platform for testing the standard and its further scaling in the higher education system of Kazakhstan. A separate area of ​​the university’s activities is the development of the AI ​​Research Hub, which combines fundamental and applied research, robotics and intelligent systems. Research work is focused, among other things, on the use of artificial intelligence in urban infrastructure, public administration and the financial sector. QAIRU develops international cooperation with leading universities and research centers. The university is working on launching double degree programs with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tsinghua University from 2027, and is also collaborating with Carnegie Mellon University, Shanghai Innovation Institute, the University of Helsinki and Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School. Work is underway to attract professors from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Stanford University and Northeastern University. Together with technology companies Google, Huawei and Samsung, the university implements industrial certification programs integrated into the curriculum. A regional center, the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute, is being created with NVIDIA. The QAIRU educational model is based on the AI+X principle, combining artificial intelligence with industry expertise. The training is based on a project approach: students from the first year work on their own AI products, developing them throughout the entire period of study. Thus, the educational process is closely related to research activities and practical tasks of the industry. The AI+X model is already being implemented in joint projects of the university with technology and industry partners. In particular, together with Lenovo, we are developing a solution for intelligent analysis of the educational process, and with Skyworker, we are developing competencies and technologies in the field of unmanned aviation, including training specialists and developing a traffic control system for unmanned aerial vehicles. The next stage will be scaling the AI+X model at the national level. QAIRU is the core of the AI+X consortium, uniting leading universities in Kazakhstan. Within the framework of pilot projects, the areas “AI and education”, “AI and mechanical engineering”, “AI and agriculture” and “AI and transport technology” are being implemented together with specialized universities and industrial partners. In the future, it is planned to connect other universities in the country to the consortium, taking into account their industry specialization and the needs of the regional economy. This will create a network of regional AI+X competency centers and provide training for specialists who combine competencies in the field of artificial intelligence with deep knowledge of specific industries. Let us remind you that on October 30, 2026, the PROFIT Education Day conference dedicated to information technologies in the field of education will be held in Almaty.