“THE ASSET NO ONE IS PRICING CORRECTLY IS THE HUMAN ONE. YOU CANNOT MANUFACTURE A 35-MILLION-PERSON NATION THAT IS YOUNG, EDUCATED AND DIGITALLY ENGAGED. UZBEKISTAN ALREADY HAS IT.”

ICT EXPORTS PASSED $1 BILLION IN 2025. WHICH MILESTONES BEST DEFINE WHERE UZBEKISTAN STANDS TODAY?

​

Every serious investor looks for the same fundamentals - stability, growth potential and people. Uzbekistan delivers on all three. But it is our human capital that makes this story genuinely exceptional. Over 60% of our population is under 30. That is not simply a demographic statistic - that is a structural economic advantage that compounds over decades. A young, growing, working-age population drives consumption, innovation and productivity. We are at that same inflection point. Right now.

But our youth are not just young - they are hungry to learn. Consider one single fact: Uzbekistan ranks number one globally on Coursera by user base not in Central Asia, it is in the world which 58,9% were female users. Our students - from Tashkent, from Samarkand, from cities across the country - are pursuing AI, data science, technology and business. They are competing intellectually with peers from the United States, India and Europe. Voluntarily and passionately.

This is not accidental. Education and technology are national priorities - not rhetoric, but deliberate policy. We are building IT parks, launching specialised universities, and forming international academic partnerships at a pace that would have been unimaginable a decade ago. We are converting demographic size into economic strength. A young population without skills is just a number. A young population with digital literacy, technical education, and ambition - that is an engine. For this reason, last year we have launched “5 million AI leaders” project in cooperation with UAE to create “free-study” for our youth. And yet, global investors still associate Central Asia with commodity dependence and outdated political narratives. That picture no longer reflects reality. Uzbekistan has been quietly and consistently reforming - opening markets, improving the business environment, and building the institutional foundations that long-term capital requires.

In fact, lots of special favorable conditions are offered by IT-park to the international investors and international IT companies. Such as, “0” tax regime until 2040 (for exporter companies), “Zero risk” program that IT Park members free office space for up to 12 months in regional branches, helps furnish their workspaces with deferred payment options, and subsidizes payroll by covering between 5% and 15% of employee salaries depending on company size. It even reimburses up to 50% of staff training costs. The asset no one is pricing correctly is the human one. You cannot manufacture a 35-million-person nation where the majority is young, educated, digitally engaged, and deeply motivated. That takes generations to build. Uzbekistan already has it. The gap between perception and reality - that is where the opportunity lives. The investors who moved early did not take a blind risk - they simply saw clearly while others were still catching up. Uzbekistan is that story today. The data is there. The people are there. The moment is now.

UZBEKISTAN 2030 TARGETS $5 BILLION IN IT EXPORTS. HOW DOES POLICY TRANSLATE TO DELIVERY?

​

Each segment of the digital economy plays a distinct role in delivering Uzbekistan 2030, with artificial intelligence as the cross-cutting enabler. The regulatory foundation is firmly in place. Presidential Resolution PR-358 of 14 October 2024 approved the Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence Technologies until 2030. Government Resolution No. 425 of 10 July 2025 defined priority AI projects for 2025-2026. Further momentum came from Presidential Decree PD-189 of 22 October 2025 and Presidential Resolution PR-320 of 30 October 2025, which expanded financial support and strengthened implementation capacity.

Under the National AI Strategy, Uzbekistan aims to reach $1.5 billion in AI-based products and services by 2030 and enter the Top 50 of the Government AI Readiness Index. Financing is structured around an initial $50 million fund, $100 million in annual allocations and a further $100 million in supplementary funding. A 64 PFLOPS supercomputer launched in 2025, with the next phase reaching 2,304 PFLOPS and scaling to 4,608 PFLOPS by end-2026. A national data center programme of up to $3 billion is under implementation, and around 100 AI projects are live across priority sectors. Uzbekistan has risen to 62nd out of 195 countries in the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index, up 25 positions since 2023.

HOW IS THE MINISTRY BUILDING THE AI TALENT PIPELINE AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK THROUGH 2030?

​

The approach rests on an integrated system that connects education, public-sector capacity, long-term skills development and applied research. The anchor is human capital. The government launched the national Five Million AI Leaders initiative on 28 November 2025 in partnership with the Government of the United Arab Emirates, as a direct expansion of the earlier One Million AI Leaders programme, and it runs through aileaders.uz, which carries courses from Coursera, Oracle, Alison, Apolitical, Huawei and Skillbox. Around 1.3 million young people are currently participating, and nearly 900,000 have been certified. That pool is growing. On the institutional side, AI expertise is being embedded directly into governance structures. 223 regional AI advisors have been appointed, and dedicated AI specialists are deployed across 90 government bodies. Adoption is operational as well as strategic, built into decision-making at both national and regional levels. The planned establishment of AI laboratories in 19 universities by 2026 strengthens the link between research, education, applied innovation and industry uptake. Academic institutions are drawn into real-world AI development, and the commercialisation of research outcomes is actively supported. The combined effect is a framework that aligns human capital with institutional readiness, giving the National AI Strategy what it needs to scale.

WHY SHOULD A TECHNOLOGY FIRM CHOOSE TASHKENT OVER COMPETING REGIONAL HUBS FOR R&D OPERATIONS?

​

The argument is straightforward. Tashkent combines speed and cost efficiency with strategic state support, a combination that is rare in the region. Companies can set up quickly, recruit in volume and begin operations without the delays that have built up in more saturated hubs. The cost-to-quality ratio of engineering talent is highly competitive, which matters both for early-stage teams and for large captive centres. The differentiator is state alignment. The digital sector sits at the core of national economic policy, which translates into long-term regulatory stability and proactive government support for international businesses.

IT Park tax incentives are extended to 2040. The IT Visa is operational. Enterprise Uzbekistan provides a dedicated regulatory sandbox. 5G covers all regional centres, and mobile broadband reaches 99% of settlements. Companies should also look beyond the capital. IT Park operates branches across every region of the country, providing the same infrastructure and operational support, with access to additional talent pools and even more competitive operating costs. Regional expansion within Uzbekistan is itself a strategic advantage, allowing firms to scale teams efficiently without losing quality. Companies choosing Uzbekistan enter a fast-growing environment with strong state support, where they can build and scale across domestic and international markets alike.

WITH MANY SERVICES AVAILABLE ON MY.GOV.UZ, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR CITIZENS IN REMOTE REGIONS?

​

These changes represent a new model of the relationship between the government and citizens. The state is shifting from a demanding authority to a service provider, and the evidence is quantifiable. My.gov.uz offers over 800 services. 42.5 million were delivered in 2025 alone, and more than 130 types of documents have been removed from citizen requirements through information-system integration. The effect is sharpest in remote areas. In the past, even a simple certificate required travel to a district or regional center, with the associated time and cost. Today, citizens access services online around the clock regardless of where they live.

The extraterritorial principle is significantly reducing regional inequality, and system integration has largely eliminated the practice of requiring unnecessary documents. Transparency is improving in parallel. Reduced direct contact between citizens and officials lowers the risk of corruption and strengthens trust in institutions. Social inclusion is advancing. Groups that previously had limited access to services, particularly those in remote areas, can now reach social benefits, subsidies, business registration and public-health enrollment online. Digital versions of passports, driver's licences, birth certificates and other core documents are available through the portal's mobile application. Physical documents no longer need to be carried at all times.

WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO INVESTORS?

Every serious investor looks for the same fundamentals: stability, growth potential and people. Uzbekistan delivers on all three, and our human capital makes the story exceptional. Over 60% of our population is under 30. That is a structural economic advantage that compounds over decades, driving consumption, innovation and productivity. We are at that inflection point now. Our youth are hungry to learn. Uzbekistan ranks number one globally on Coursera by user base, with 58.9% female users. Students from Tashkent, Samarkand and across the country are pursuing AI, data science and business, competing intellectually with peers from the United States, India and Europe.

Education and technology are national priorities. We are building IT parks, launching specialised universities, and forming international academic partnerships at a pace unimaginable a decade ago. A young population with digital literacy and ambition is an engine. Last year we launched the "5 million AI leaders" project with the UAE, creating free study programmes for our youth. IT Park offers exceptional terms to international investors: a zero-tax regime until 2040 for exporters, free office space for up to 12 months in regional branches under the "Zero Risk" programme, payroll subsidies of 5% to 15% by company size, and reimbursement of up to 50% of staff training costs. The asset no one is pricing correctly is the human one. You cannot manufacture a 35-million-person nation that is young, educated and digitally engaged. Uzbekistan already has it. The data is there. The people are there. The moment is now.