Cities to take a new dimension: How digital twins to transform Kazakhstan

Underground pipelines, road conditions, electricity grid loads and the impact of new residential construction can all be assessed using a digital replica of a city. Kazakhstan plans to develop such systems, El.kz reports.

Beneath an ordinary city street lies an extensive network of infrastructure: water supply and sewerage systems, electrical cables, gas pipelines and telecommunications lines. Each network has its own operator, technical documentation and maintenance history. When an incident occurs, utility service providers must gather this information, determine the location of underground utilities and identify the damaged section.

A digital twin makes it possible to integrate fragmented data into a single system. A three-dimensional city model can display buildings, roads and underground utility networks, provide access to their technical specifications and, where appropriate sensors have been installed, supply information on their current condition. Some systems can also model the impact of construction projects, forecast flooding and detect early signs of infrastructure failures.

Similar technologies are already being used in Singapore, Helsinki and Rotterdam. Kazakhstan has also previously reported on the development of digital twins for cities, including Almaty.

What is already under way in Kazakhstan

In Almaty, the Zhas Kanat residential neighbourhood has been selected for the first phase of the digital twin project. The planned activities include an inventory of utility networks, verification of their locations and the digitisation of technical documentation.

According to the Almaty Regional Communications Service, the digitisation of utility networks in the pilot area is expected to be completed by March 2027. Full implementation and integration of the system are also scheduled for the following year. The project involves China’s SUTPC and Kazakhstan’s Qala AI.

Almaty already has a number of digital tools that could subsequently be incorporated into an integrated model. The SCADA system is used to manage electricity networks, the Digital Heating Networks project is being developed for heat supply management, and the iAlma portal consolidates geographic information about the city.

Individual technologies are also being tested at the district level. For example, the Almaly District is piloting digital monitoring of street lighting and public-area cleaning.

Another project is being prepared for Alatau in Almaty region. In September 2026,Alatau City Authority, AST Holdings Co., Ltd. and ILJOO GnS Co., Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding. The parties agreed to explore the application of digital twin technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) in the management of the future city.

Alatau has a distinct advantage: a substantial share of its infrastructure is being built from scratch. This makes it possible to collect information on utility networks during construction and create their digital records from the outset. The project is currently at the stage of preparing a pilot solution.

Will digital twins monitor residents?

The answer depends on which urban systems are integrated into the platform. Modelling a water supply network requires technical specifications for the pipes and readings from pressure sensors. Assessing the solar energy potential of a rooftop requires only the building’s geometry and location data.

A different category of information comes into play when video surveillance and facial recognition technologies are integrated. In Astana, such solutions are being considered as part of the development of urban security systems. 

For this reason, the integration of urban data must be accompanied by clear rules governing who is authorised to access the information and how it is protected. This is particularly important for personal data and technical documentation relating to critical infrastructure assets.

In the United Kingdom, for example, access to underground utility records is restricted to authorised professionals and organisations. Detailed information on the location of utility networks is not made publicly available for unrestricted use.

When will digital twins be introduced in Kazakhstani cities?

In his Address to the Nation on October,28, 2026, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the Government and local executive authorities to develop digital twins of urban infrastructure. These systems are intended to support the management of urban resources and the planning of settlements’ development.

No single deadline has yet been announced for completing these projects across all cities. Developers will need to compile technical documentation, verify the locations of utility networks and establish data exchange between municipal utility operators.

The next specific milestone is planned for Almaty. Once the inventory of utility networks in the Zhas Kanat neighbourhood has been completed, the collected data are expected to be incorporated into the city’s digital infrastructure model. The project’s results will demonstrate which engineering and infrastructure management challenges the system can address in practice and how ready the city’s data infrastructure is for further expansion.