Uzbekistan's Ambitious Goals for AI and IT Exports
Uzbekistan is aiming to achieve at least $5 billion (€4.3 billion) in exports of IT and AI services by 2030, as the country works to transform artificial intelligence from a digital policy priority into a broader economic sector. This ambitious target highlights the nation’s growing interest in leveraging technology to drive economic growth.
Annual IT exports have seen significant growth, rising from less than $1 million (€850,000) in 2017 to nearly $1 billion (€850 million), according to Sherzod Shermatov, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Digital Technologies. He emphasized that the next phase of development will depend on skills, investment, and the ability to apply AI across businesses and public services.
Officials, investors, and AI specialists discussed these challenges during interviews with Euronews at the Tashkent International Investment Forum, as demand increases for computing capacity, digital services, and workers capable of using AI tools in everyday economic activities.
From Outsourcing to AI Services
Uzbekistan’s digital economy is developing in a country with a young and increasingly connected population. As of the start of 2025, there were 9.6 million people aged 14 to 30, according to official statistics, while internet penetration reached 89% by the end of 2025. This provides a potential domestic base for digital training, but the economic target is external.
Service exports by IT Park participants reached $191.8 million (€169 million) in the first quarter of 2026, according to the National Statistics Committee, as Uzbekistan tries to move from outsourcing into higher-value digital services.
Shermatov stated that the country wants to attract companies looking for talent, delivery centers, and multilingual teams able to serve foreign markets from Uzbekistan. The goal, he added, is not only to help companies reduce outsourcing costs, but also to support “expanding to third markets through Uzbekistan.” This includes start-ups as well as established IT companies.
According to Shermatov, foreign start-ups can qualify for support if they create back-office operations and jobs in Uzbekistan, while the government is also seeking more companies built around AI.
Opportunities in AI Services
Benedict Macon-Cooney, Chief AI and Innovation Officer at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, noted that countries such as Uzbekistan may find opportunities in AI services and applications rather than trying to compete directly with the United States or China in building the most advanced AI models. The aim is to connect talent, companies, and data infrastructure to services that can be sold beyond the domestic market.
Turning Energy into Digital Services
Data centres remain central to Uzbekistan’s AI plans, but they are not the final destination. They are the infrastructure needed to support cloud services, AI tools, and digital exports. Shermatov linked the data-centre push directly to energy policy. “With AI, you need compute. For compute, you need energy,” he said. Instead of exporting electricity only as a raw resource, he added, Uzbekistan wants to sell it “in the form of AI data centre services.”
He also mentioned that investors in AI data centres can access incentives, including cheaper electricity, IT Park residency, a tax-free environment, and exemptions from import duties on AI equipment.
Rajit Nanda, CEO of DataVolt, described the demand for data centres as being driven by the “explosive adoption of AI” by companies, governments, and digital platforms. However, he argued that infrastructure alone will not be enough. “Capital, energy and talent are all equally important,” he said, adding that no single factor would be enough for AI adoption to succeed.
Skills for Everyday AI Use
Uzbekistan has already launched its “5 Million AI Leaders” programme, aimed at spreading AI literacy across schools, universities, teachers, and public officials. Shermatov said more than one million people have completed the programme. The aim is not only to train engineers but also to prepare workers in different sectors to use AI tools in their own jobs.
Vladimir Norov, Chairman of the Central Asian Association for AI, highlighted the importance of focusing not only on training engineers but also on “basic understanding” and the ability to use the technology. He identified education, healthcare, agriculture, and logistics as areas where those skills could be applied across Central Asia.
Putting AI to Work in Government
For Macon-Cooney, the main challenge is implementation. “This is always the challenge of government,” he said. It is about “translating actual pieces of paper into delivery and action.” Some of the earliest gains may come from routine but important areas of public administration, including forms, compliance checks, tax administration, and fraud detection.
Macon-Cooney noted that these areas can produce real savings if governments have strong data systems. Wider adoption will also depend on trust. Fraud, cyberattacks, and misuse of data can quickly damage public confidence, making cybersecurity part of the economic test facing Uzbekistan’s AI plans.
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