14:22Machine-translated from Russian by AIRead in Azerbaijani
HackAlem AI Sets World Record as Largest AI Hackathon: Kazakhstan Receives GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Certificate
At the international AI & Digital Bridge 2026 forum, official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS adjudicator Glenn Pollard presented Zhaslan Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, with a certificate confirming HackAlem AI’s world record for the number of participants in an AI hackathon.
The presentation took place during The New Economy: Powered by AI panel session, dedicated to infrastructure, investment, human capital and international partnerships for the development of the AI economy.
“Achieving this record is no small victory. In my 14 years as an official Guinness World Records adjudicator, I have witnessed many records—large and small. I personally saw the amount of work required to make this AI hackathon a reality and the high level of planning, preparation and organization behind it. This result, along with the progress Kazakhstan is demonstrating in education, technological development and innovation, shows that the country is making its presence felt on the global technology stage,” said Glenn Pollard.
HackAlem AI set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS world record for the number of participants in an AI hackathon.
HackAlem AI surpassed the previous world record, set on 21 December 2025 in Hyderabad, India. That hackathon, organized by Google for Developers and Google Developer Groups Hyderabad, brought together 2 089 participants.
“Setting a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS world record is an achievement for Kazakhstan’s entire technology community and confirmation of our country’s strong potential. HackAlem AI brought together thousands of talented developers, students and young professionals who worked on real-world economic challenges using advanced technologies. It is important to us that the projects created here continue to develop—from ideas and prototypes to pilot testing and implementation. This result shows that Kazakhstan is capable not only of participating in the global technology agenda, but also of shaping it. HackAlem AI was held as part of AI Month, which is taking place within the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence declared by the Head of State,” said Zhaslan Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Participants developed projects in ten areas: energy, finance, management, telecommunications, logistics, creative industries, education, innovation, communications and trade.
The world record attempt was conducted in compliance with GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS requirements. Participants underwent registration and identification, their entries and exits were recorded by scanning personal badges, and stewards monitored compliance with the rules in each section. The final result included only participants who met the established requirements and worked directly on projects during the hackathon.
“For us, this record is not only an indicator of HackAlem AI’s scale, but also confirmation that a strong technology community and a new generation of talent have emerged in Kazakhstan and the region. We aim to create opportunities for them and provide access to global technologies, knowledge and partnerships so their ideas can become competitive products and enter the global market. HackAlem AI became a standout event of the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence declared by the Head of State,” said Magzhan Madiyev, CEO of Astana Hub.
HackAlem AI launched AI Month, a series of events dedicated to artificial intelligence, digital technologies, cybersecurity and the development of technological skills. The series is being held with the support of Astana Hub ahead of AI & Digital Bridge 2026 and as part of the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in Kazakhstan. The organizers and partners of HackAlem AI were the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Astana city administration, the Astana Hub International Innovation Cluster, Silkroad Innovation Hub, Blockchain & AI Technology Center (BAITC), AI & Digital Bridge, OpenAI, NVIDIA, Arizona State University, Palo Alto Networks, MSSP.GLOBAL and Romanovsky Product.
The sponsors of HackAlem AI were Samruk-Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund JSC, Freedom Holding Corp., Kaspi.kz JSC, Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan JSC (Halyk Bank), Kazakhtelecom JSC, Transtelecom JSC, Beeline Kazakhstan and Firebird Inc.