ASTANA – The Digital Bridge 2025 international forum, the largest event in Central Asia in digital technologies, startups, and artificial intelligence (AI), will take place in Astana on Oct. 2-4, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry. This year’s theme, Generative Nation, reflects Kazakhstan’s strategic shift from technology consumption to creation and scaling in international markets. The concept underscores the country’s goal of building a knowledge-based society centered on advanced technologies, AI, and human capital development. Among the forum’s key highlights are speeches by global AI leaders, the opening of the International Center for AI alem.ai, the Generative Nation Pitch final competition, the Astana Hub Battle startup competition, the Startup Alley tech exhibition, the Digital Bridge Awards ceremony, as well as interactive zones, thematic panel sessions, and deep tech discussions. Ahead of the forum, AI Week will take place in Astana from Sept. 29 to Oct. 4, featuring masterclasses, public lectures, tech meetups, workshops, and a cultural program. The initiative aims to involve students, young scientists, and startups in shaping Kazakhstan’s AI ecosystem and nurturing the next generation of technology leaders. The Generative Nation Pitch will invite schoolchildren, students, startups with MVPs, and scientific teams to compete in four categories. Projects will be evaluated on originality, ethical considerations, AI utilization, scalability, team competence, and presentation quality. The Astana Hub Battle will spotlight over 100 startups from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and other countries. Its semi-final is scheduled for Oct. 3, followed by the final on Oct. 4, where the top 10 projects will present on the main stage. The Digital Bridge Awards 2025 will honor outstanding contributions to Kazakhstan’s IT industry in eight categories, including Export Excellence, Tech Leadership Laureate, AI Solution of the Year, EdTech of the Year, GovTech Innovation, Tech Media Excellence, Social Impact Project, and Breakthrough Startup. Startup Alley will host innovative solutions in fintech, EdTech, GovTech, Big Data, AR/VR, sustainable development, eco-technologies, and cybersecurity from local and international innovators. An exhibition will also showcase achievements by leading IT companies. Since its inception, Digital Bridge has grown into a key technological event in the Eurasian region. The forum has brought together over 67,000 participants from more than 100 countries, 1,000 speakers, and 550 representatives from governments and international organizations. Over 500 startups and nearly 500 investors have taken part in its business program.