Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram who has been an avid advocate for crypto for years, is now bringing attention towards Artificial Intelligence (AI). This week, Durov unveiled an AI center in Kazakhstan to essentially combine AI with blockchain.
The Russian tech entrepreneur made the announcement on October 2 at the Digital Bridge 2025 forum that is being hosted in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.
Speaking about this initiative, Durov claimed that Telegram has been experimenting with a technology that integrates AI with blockchain and is intended to bring advanced AI services to a billion users through Telegram. More details about Durov’s first AI project remains awaited.
“The Kazakh supercomputer cluster will become the primary source of power supply. Together, we will be able to allow a billion people to use AI transparently, efficiently and privately,” Durov said.
The Kazakh supercomputer cluster will be the primary supplier of power for Durov’s AI plans in the country. The nation’s Artificial Intelligence Ministry will be overseeing the developments under this initiative.
As part of his visit to Astana, Durov also had a meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to discuss the roadmap to collaborate on AI exploration. Topics including cybersecurity and education were also talked about during the meeting, the President’s press office shared on X.
While this seems to be Durov’s first major pivot towards AI, under his leadership, Telegram has emerged as a safe haven for the Web3 community. In 2023, the messaging app debuted “Mini Apps” — an in-app features for Web3 developers to launch new applications. From games to dApps — the Mini Apps feature has become a launchpad for various Web3 projects that bring elements of metaverse, crypto, and NFTs to the screens packaged in interactive experiences.
Telegram is also associated with TON — the Layer-1 blockchain that can be used by developers to create and launch Mini Apps on the platform.