ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 29. The construction sector holds one of the leading positions in Kazakhstan’s economy, and artificial intelligence should become a key tool in city planning and development, said Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov at a government meeting, Trend reports.
“The construction industry occupies one of the top spots in Kazakhstan’s economy. In the first quarter of this year, the volume of construction work exceeded 1 trillion tenge (approximately $2 billion), which is 17 percent higher than the same period last year. A total of 3.7 million square meters of housing was commissioned, which is almost 7.5 percent more than last year,” he stated.
According to Bektenov, construction activity is increasing across most regions of the country, indicating stable industry growth.
“Global experience shows that the introduction of digital solutions in construction significantly shortens project timelines, reduces costs, and minimizes corruption risks,” Bektenov emphasized.
Technologies such as 3D modeling of structures, digital urban planning cadastres, electronic project coordination platforms, and integration with cartographic systems are becoming the norm in the sector.
“With the implementation of the State Urban Planning Cadastre, the eQurylys portal, and the Information Model Bank, we are transitioning from paper-based workflows to end-to-end digital processes. As of now, over 90 percent of engineering infrastructure has been digitized down to district centers. Automation has been launched for government services related to the issuance of permits and project approvals. A unified registry for shared construction is now available through the eGov portal,” he noted.
Bektenov also stated that, following the President's directive, a Unified Information System will be created by the end of this year. This system will integrate all existing construction-related portals onto a single platform. Using a “one-stop-shop” principle, it will centralize up-to-date information from urban planning to project commissioning.
“To ensure the system’s launch, regional administrations must complete the digitization of all data — including engineering network layouts and urban planning documents - by October 1 of this year. The entire digitalization effort in the construction sector must remain under strict and ongoing oversight,” he stressed.
The Prime Minister recalled that in November of last year, a pilot project was launched in 89 cities for issuing permits and approving design concepts via the Unified Geoportal of Infrastructure Data. This initiative revealed discrepancies between the actual boundaries of some settlements and their approved master plans, as well as incorrect mapping of certain land plots.
He also instructed the Ministry of National Economy, in cooperation with relevant government bodies, to implement systemic measures to mandate the issuance of technical specifications in digital format through the urban cadastre system.
In 2024, Kazakhstan set a record by commissioning 18.9 million square meters of housing. The physical volume index of the sector for the year reached 113.1 percent. By 2029, the country plans to build 111 million square meters of residential space.
