The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov, visited the Yandex Qazaqstan booth at the Digital Almaty forum. Timur Shalekenov, the head of the company, shared in a conversation with him that in 2024, Yandex Qazaqstan opened an office in Almaty accommodating 500 employees, which brought together teams from over 15 Yandex services available in the country. Today, around 10 million people use the company's services, and the total tax contributions of the group of companies in 2024 amounted to 29.5 billion tenge.
In 2024, the company introduced Yandex Search with Neuro, which combined search capabilities with large generative models. This service allows for quick answers to complex questions in both Kazakh and Russian, simplifying access to knowledge. The service finds the most relevant content, including resources for schoolchildren, students, and teachers.
In Yandex Search, neural network translation of articles from English and Russian into Kazakh has provided access to over 15 million useful materials. Additionally, the Yandex Browser introduced an automatic video translation feature into Kazakh.
In 2024, the company launched a bilingual Alice in smart speakers. The virtual assistant seamlessly switches between Kazakh and Russian, responding in the language of the query. Users can not only chat with Alice but also manage their smart home, set timers, play music, and accomplish a variety of other tasks.
In Yandex Music, "My Wave" in Kazakh appeared in 2024 – an AI-based personal recommendation system. The service learned to consider users' musical tastes and suggest songs in Kazakh. Tracks of mixed types, where Kazakh is present alongside another language, are also included in the music recommendations. This year, Kinopoisk subscribers spent over 10 million hours watching Kazakh cinema. Over the past two years, the service has released more than 200 Kazakh films and series. Recently, a "Sports" section was added for Kazakhstani viewers to watch broadcasts.
The company also launched several new urban services in 2024.
Electro in Yandex Go
The Taxi service introduced the Electro tariff, which allows users to order electric vehicles. Customers are offered modern and spacious electric cars from well-known brands: BYD, Hongqi, Tesla, Zeekr, Volkswagen, Audi, and others.
Shop in Yandex Go
In Almaty, it is now possible to order groceries, household items, and ready-made meals with delivery in as little as 15 minutes: fresh brewed coffee can even be ordered. The service features products from local producers and quality control using technology at every stage of order fulfillment.
Delivery Robots
Delivery robots from Yandex Qazaqstan have appeared in Almaty. They are capable of recognizing objects, planning routes, and moving independently through the city, yielding to pedestrians and navigating around obstacles. Currently, the robots are delivering Yandex Go orders from restaurants and cafes in the "golden square" area.
Ultima in Yandex Go
New premium Ultima services have become available in Almaty and Astana. Users can now order rides in luxury sedans or crossovers in the new Premier class, as well as dishes from over 20 unique and signature restaurants.
Yandex Maps has introduced warnings about hazardous road sections.
The company plans to further develop existing services in line with the needs of Kazakhstani citizens, as well as launch new services and actively support projects related to social, educational, cultural, and other aspects of life in Kazakhstan.