The Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI) welcomed representatives of Google, Ramesh Chander, Head of Developer Relations for MENA, Turkey, and Central Asia, and Beyza Sunay Güler, Developer Relations Coordinator on June 11, 2026.
The meeting was attended by ISSAI Founding Director Dr. Huseyin Atakan Varol, Deputy Director of Product and External Affairs and Senior Data Scientist Madina Abdrakhmanova, Acting Deputy Director of Product and External Affairs Amina Baikenova, Data Scientist Akylbek Maxutov, and External Affairs Manager Ulzhan Alibek.
During the visit, Dr. Varol shared ISSAI’s key achievements and ongoing initiatives, including its new flagship models and products on the ISSAI Playground after the release of KazLLM in late 2024. He also highlighted the institute’s AI infrastructure, including IRGETAS, the supercomputer located at Nazarbayev University, and Mangitas, ISSAI’s inference server, as well as the institute’s strategic roadmap for 2026.
Google representatives shared information about available grant opportunities and expressed their willingness to support ISSAI’s research and development efforts. The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange perspectives on advancing open source research through international collaboration. Both sides expressed interest in exploring future opportunities for cooperation that could contribute to the development of Kazakhstan’s AI ecosystem.