News
AI, startups, tech and digital transformation — Kazakhstan & the world
At the annual GTC conference, CEO Jensen Huang announced record sales plans for AI chips. The forecast pertains to the Blackwell and Rubin platforms, whose demand is growing due to the AI boom. This event changes investor expectations and strengthens Nvidia's position in the semiconductor market. Today, March 20, 2026, the tech sector is reacting with growth despite the correction in chips.
Startup Plata, founded in 2022, officially joined the unicorn club after a successful funding round led by New York investment firm Kora. The company has transformed from a credit product provider into a fully-fledged digital bank with its own core banking system and a banking license from the Bank of Mexico, obtained in December 2024.
On March 19, 2026, at the GTC conference, NVIDIA announced open frameworks and models for developing robots that combine versatility with specialization. The Isaac platform integrates simulation, training, and computing to accelerate the transition from cloud to robots. This is changing the robotics market right now, as data scarcity is slowing down projects. Such tools allow robots to be tested in realistic conditions without risks.
Today, March 19, 2026, Microsoft has expressed concern over the partnership between OpenAI and AWS, which involves the exclusive use of AWS as a third-party for distributing the Frontier model. The deal includes $50 billion in investments and 2 GW of Trainium power. This threatens the multi-billion dollar Microsoft-OpenAI partnership and intensifies competition in the cloud AI services market, especially as demand for AI computing grows by 250 GW.
On March 19, 2026, FinTech Breakthrough announced Bottomline as the winner in the B2B Payments Innovation category. Paymode is the first to combine commercial digital banking with a major B2B payment network, enabling secure ACH payments with rebates. This is transforming the business payment infrastructure market today, as banks seek new revenue sources without high fees.
Today, March 19, 2026, the world's largest climatetech and energy incubator, Greentown Labs, introduced a cohort of five innovative startups. The Greentown Go Build 2026 program, in collaboration with Amazon and the Global CO2 Initiative, aims to decarbonize construction through CO2 mineralization. This is critical as construction generates 39% of global CO2 emissions, and Amazon is investing in technologies to meet the Climate Pledge by 2040.
Kazakhstan's largest fintech holding, Freedom Holding Corp., has reached a new milestone of international recognition with the first rating of its flagship bank. The Ba3 rating reflects the bank's solid capitalization, dynamic growth in its customer base, and successful development of digital services. This event is strategically significant for the region, as Freedom Holding is actively expanding its presence in Georgia, Turkey, and other countries.
On March 19, 2026, Nvidia announced a strategic $2 billion investment in Nebius, strengthening its position in the AI infrastructure chain. This decision reflects the growing demand for specialized computing for the next generation of models. For the market, this is a signal of the need for massive capital investments in physical infrastructure. Today's news shifts investor focus from software to energy and data centers.
Saje Partners, a Silicon Valley venture firm, has confirmed its participation in the pre-IPO round of Korean AI startup Upstage with investments exceeding 100 billion won. The company is valued at 1.3 trillion won and plans to attract up to 200 billion won from other investors, followed by an additional 200 billion won in government funding through the K-Nvidia program.
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