On July 1, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation outlining plans in digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and telecommunications.

Thanks to the extensive opportunities created for the development of digital technologies in the country, significant progress has been achieved. The number of IT Park residents has exceeded 2,800, with 752 of them being foreign companies. Approximately 40,000 young people are earning high incomes in this sector.

Over the past five years, the industry’s exports have grown from $170 million to nearly $1 billion. Internet speed has increased sevenfold, and mobile internet speed by 4.5 times. Last year, startups attracted $70 million in venture capital investments.

As a result, Uzbekistan has risen by 12 positions to enter the top 100 in the Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking. The country also climbed 17 positions in the international Artificial Intelligence Readiness Assessment, ranking first in Central Asia. Additionally, Uzbekistan now leads among CIS countries in terms of growth in the telecommunications sector.

Efforts in this direction are continuing systematically. Notably, the following targets have been set for next year: digitalization of 70 percent of public services and an increase in the volume of IT services to 100 trillion UZS. It is also planned to reach at least the 55th place in the E-Government Development Index. A series of draft documents has been prepared to achieve these targets.

During the presentation, these projects and proposals were thoroughly discussed.

To date, 760 types of public services have been digitalized. Last year, 10 million citizens used digital services.

The Head of State emphasized that it is time to move to the next stage – Digital Government. It was noted that this transition should begin with the sectors most in demand among the population: education, healthcare, construction, and public utilities.

According to the Resolution of the President of Uzbekistan dated October 14, 2024, a strategy for the development of artificial intelligence technologies up to 2030 was adopted. A total of $50 million has been allocated for infrastructure development in this area. The objectives include creating a national artificial intelligence model and training one million specialists.

The Minister of Digital Technologies reported on the stages of implementing this task and the measures being taken to improve the infrastructure.

One of the key priorities remains expanding services and exports in the digital sector. Currently, Tashkent accounts for the largest share of the indicators. Due to the favorable conditions and incentives created in Uzbekistan, foreign specialists and companies are showing increased interest in relocating to the country. In this context, it was emphasized that each region must develop an attractive environment and actively engage international companies.

UzA