ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 2. Kazakhstan's Abay district today hosted a ceremony of laying the first stone at a plant for the production of high-tech products, with the participation of the region's Akim Berik Uali, Trend reports.
The project is being implemented by the Kazakh-Chinese joint venture LLP “SUTO KAZAKHSTAN” in the “Production” industrial zone in the city of Semei. The new facility will manufacture chips, optoelectronic modules, intelligent host controllers, power supply units, energy-saving lamps, and electronic displays.
“Recently, a delegation from the region, led by the Akim, visited the city of Altay in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and participated in the international subregional conference ‘Greater Altay’. During this major event, 15 memoranda were signed between the Abai Region and Chinese investors, totaling $1.5 billion. The foundation laying of the new production facility is a concrete result of that visit,” the regional administration's press service noted.
Speaking at the ceremony, the head of the region emphasized that the project would give a strong boost to the diversification of the regional economy, create new jobs, and promote the development of high-tech industries.
“Today is a special day for our region. We are laying the foundation for a high-tech plant in Semei. This facility will produce chips (diodes) for modern electronic devices and lighting systems. It’s the first production of its kind in our country. During the construction phase, 140 people will be employed, and once the plant is operational, it will create over 500 permanent jobs. This is a great opportunity to improve the population’s well-being and create new jobs. The Akimat (regional administration) will provide comprehensive support,” said Uali.
Meanwhile, it is particularly noteworthy that the plant plans to engage students from the Higher College of IT and New Technologies in Semey for industrial internships, followed by permanent employment. The educational institution and the company have already signed a memorandum of cooperation.
“A modern enterprise for the production of microchips and chips labeled ‘Made in Kazakhstan’ will soon appear near the city of Semei. We have been allocated 20 hectares of land. In the first phase, we will build the main building and workshops for equipment. According to our plans, if we complete the construction of the first facility within 90 days, we will immediately start producing the first products. The main goal is chip production. Such chips have never been manufactured in Kazakhstan before - only assembled,” said SUTO Kazakhstan founder Yernur Bolatuly.
The project is valued at $50 million and will be implemented in three phases from 2025 to 2028. In the future, the plant’s products will be supplied not only to the domestic market but also exported to CIS countries and Europe.
