An official representative of the Presidential Administration announced that Uzbekistan has formed a significant pool of investors interested in constructing data processing centers in Karakalpakstan. This information was shared in Tashkent at the Silk Road Finance and Technology Forum on August 24, 2026.
Artificial Intelligence Development Strategy
Bobur Khodjaev, Head of the Department of Financial Technologies, Digitalization, and Artificial Intelligence, stated that Uzbekistan plans to expand its own artificial intelligence infrastructure while attracting foreign investment and utilizing international technologies.
Khodjaev noted that the country aims to gain access to both American and Chinese AI ecosystems. He emphasized that American tech companies offer advanced AI chips and patented models, whereas Chinese developers provide open-weight models that are significantly cheaper than their American counterparts.
Concurrently, Uzbekistan is increasing its domestic computing base. Last month, the first major supercomputer was commissioned at the Digital Government Data Center, and plans include tripling its capacity over the next twelve months.
Work is also underway to create sovereign AI models intended for implementation in education, healthcare, public services, and finance.
Support Measures for Investors
To attract private capital into digital infrastructure, authorities introduced tax incentives and special electricity tariffs for investors involved in building data centers in Karakalpakstan last year. Khodjaev confirmed that these measures have successfully attracted a substantial number of potential investors to the region.
Furthermore, Uzbekistan is establishing Enterprise Uzbekistan—a special zone that will provide international technology companies with a common law legal framework and tax preferences. Khodjaev highlighted the country's readiness to cooperate with all interested global partners in deploying artificial intelligence across all sectors of the economy.