Abu Dhabi-based and ADX-listed big data analytics company Presight has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, to develop a city-wide, AI-enabled urban operating system. The agreement marks a significant expansion of the UAE firm’s footprint in Central Asia, building on its existing smart city projects in the country.
Quick Facts
- Who: Abu Dhabi’s Presight and the City of Almaty.
- What: An MOU to build a unified, AI-powered urban OS.
- Why: To integrate mobility, public safety, and municipal services.
A Unified Urban Operating System
The partnership moves beyond deploying separate digital tools, aiming instead to create a single, integrated intelligence layer embedded directly into Almaty’s core infrastructure. This unified framework is designed to manage critical city functions including intelligent transport systems, digital public service platforms, and real-time city management through a central command center.
“This partnership opens up new opportunities to further develop Almaty as a modern and technologically advanced metropolis,” said Darkhan Satybaldy, Mayor of Almaty. “The adoption of AI-based solutions will enhance the efficiency of urban management and improve the quality of life for residents.”
Thomas Pramotedham, CEO of Presight, added, “In Almaty, we are moving beyond digitalization toward integrated urban infrastructure, anchored by sovereign AI capabilities… This is about creating a unified operating layer for the city, where intelligence is embedded directly into how systems function.”
Foundational AI Infrastructure
A key pillar of the agreement is the planned development of an AI data center. Presight and the city government will jointly assess the requirements for the facility, from compute capacity and network architecture to security and location. The goal is to build foundational infrastructure that can support the long-term, scalable deployment of sovereign intelligent systems for the city of over two million people.
The collaboration will also involve joint technical, regulatory, and economic studies to ensure the project’s viability and establish measurable outcomes.
Deepening Roots in Central Asia
This deal in Almaty builds on Presight’s established presence in Kazakhstan. The company has already delivered the Astana smart city project and an AI supercomputer deployment in the nation’s capital.
In May of last year, Presight opened its Central Asia hub at the Astana International Financial Centre, coinciding with a $190 million, six-year smart city agreement with the City of Astana. With over 40 local staff already employed in its Astana office and a potential second regional office planned for Almaty, Presight is solidifying its position as a long-term national infrastructure partner in the region.
About Presight
Presight is an ADX-listed public company, majority-owned by Abu Dhabi–based G42, and a global leader in applied AI for intelligent systems. Operating across infrastructure, capital, and societal systems, Presight builds and deploys AI-enabled platforms that embed operational intelligence into complex environments at national and enterprise scale.
Source: middleeastainews.com
