Dentons advises Firebird AI KZ on landmark Data Center Valley project in Kazakhstan

Dentons advised Firebird AI KZ Ltd. on the initial contractual stage for the development, construction and subsequent long-term lease of a large-scale AI data center within the Data Center Valley project in Ekibastuz, a town in northeastern Kazakhstan. Kazakhtelecom, KT-Telecom and Firebird AI KZ signed an initial agreement on October 2, 2026, during the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 forum in Astana. The agreement establishes the core operational framework and marked the official commencement of construction.

The project forms part of the wider Data Center Valley initiative, in connection with which Kazakhstan, Firebird and NVIDIA previously announced a package of AI infrastructure agreements with a stated potential investment value of up to US$10 billion.

Our work on this milestone included the structuring, drafting and negotiation of a build-to-suit agreement. This agreement governs the design, construction, testing and handover of the data center facility and establishes the contractual framework for its subsequent long-term lease to Firebird AI KZ Ltd. The matter was led by Dentons partners Birzhan Zharasbayev and Daniyar Toigonbayev (Kazakhstan), Tom Dalton (UKME), and supported by Darya Vologodskaya, Counsel and Bogdan Piskorskiy, Senior Associate.