How the IT industry of Uzbekistan developed in 2024: key events

The IT sector in Uzbekistan continues to develop rapidly, confidently asserting itself on the international stage. Particular attention is paid to areas such as digital transformation, the development of artificial intelligence, the export of IT services, and startup support. Let’s look at the key achievements and trends that defined the industry’s development in 2024.

Key Achievements and Trends

2024 became a turning point for Uzbekistan’s IT industry. Uzum made history as the first Uzbek unicorn, surpassing a market valuation of $1 billion. Uzum is actively developing its FinTech and e-commerce segments, creating a unique user experience within its ecosystem.

IT Park Uzbekistan announced the launch of the Digital Startups Program, aimed at supporting startups operating in the digital sphere. The initiative is designed to help emerging entrepreneurs develop their projects by providing access to training, mentorship, and networking. Program participants will be able to not only improve their business models but also prepare for scaling, entering new markets, and attracting investment.

IT Park Uzbekistan opened a representative office in Saudi Arabia. The ceremonial event took place at The Garage innovation center, known for its technology initiatives.

Additionally, to support technology startups, IT Park Uzbekistan, together with international partners, launched a venture fund with a volume of $10 million. Thanks to this, more than 30 startups at the Seed and Series A stages received funding, giving a powerful boost to the development of the innovative ecosystem.

Particular attention is being paid to the implementation of digital technologies in government administration as part of the "Digital Uzbekistan – 2030" strategy. Among the key initiatives:

— Mobile ID for citizen identification

— digital passports

— 100% transition of government services to electronic format.

In addition, digitalization covers industries such as healthcare, agriculture, and finance, increasing operational efficiency and improving the quality of services for citizens.
A landmark event of the year was the Digital Uzbekistan International PLUS-Forum, which brought together more than 2,000 participants from 25 countries.

Country News and IT Companies

10 new IT schools were opened in the regions, where over 15,000 students acquired modern knowledge, significantly strengthening the human resources potential of the IT sector.

To date, IT Park Uzbekistan has united more than 1,600 companies and increased IT service exports to $344 million, with the United States being the main market.

FinTech leaders PayMe and Click play a crucial role in the country’s digital transformation. Click became a SuperApp, offering users a multitude of services in one application.

It is also worth noting the success of companies such as TBC, which managed to attract significant investments, and new players actively entering the market, who are also launching their own processing center. Data analysis from IT Park Uzbekistan confirms the high potential of the industry: the number of new startups and companies continues to grow, strengthening Uzbekistan’s position as a regional IT leader.

Successful IT Startups of the Year

2024 was a landmark year for Uzbek startups, strengthening the country’s position on the global technological stage. Among the key projects that define the face of innovative Uzbekistan:

BILLZ — attracted $500,000 in investment to develop solutions for automating business processes

Uzum — having become the first unicorn in Uzbekistan, the company also plans to attract $300 million

PoinAi — won first place on Product Hunt

Tahrirchi — launched translation from the Karakalpak language.

These projects demonstrate a high level of technological development and strengthen Uzbekistan’s status as a promising technological hub in Central Asia.

A special achievement was the participation of eight Uzbek startups at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 in Silicon Valley. Under the brand Central Asian Innovation Hubs, the following companies were presented: Uzum, Uzinfocom, Datagaze, Geomotive, Smartup, Point AI, BILLZ, and Call 24.

Active participation of Uzbek startups in such significant events strengthens their integration into global innovation ecosystems and confirms the growing competitiveness of Uzbekistan in the world technology market.

Major IT Events Held in the Country

In 2024, Uzbekistan hosted a number of large-scale IT events that attracted the attention of professionals, entrepreneurs, and experts from around the world. Among them were the Digital Uzbekistan International PLUS-Forum, which brought together 2,000 participants to discuss the digitalization of the economy and the implementation of artificial intelligence in government services; the Digital Silk Road hackathon, where more than 200 participants developed innovations in tourism, logistics, and blockchain; the IT Park Uzbekistan Demo Day; the Yandex Cup 2024, which gathered 20,000 developers from 90 countries, including Uzbekistan; and ICT Week Uzbekistan, which became a platform for demonstrating global trends, closing deals, and strengthening the startup ecosystem. The participation of such notable figures as Jimmy Wales and Zach Kass on AI Evolution outlined the future of technology, while hackathons and the launch of the IT Park Uzbekistan venture fund stimulated startup growth. These events strengthened Uzbekistan’s position as a leading technological hub in Central Asia.

Community and Program Outcomes

The development of Uzbekistan’s IT sector in 2024 was marked by significant successes that made a substantial contribution to strengthening the country’s technological ecosystem.
The creation and development of professional IT communities became an important step in building platforms for specialist interaction, experience sharing, and organizing significant events. Some of them attracted international attention:

— Women in Tech Uzbekistan — this year saw the opening, holding of events, and an awards ceremony.

— GameDev Community Uzbekistan — together with IT Park Uzbekistan, announced the launch of GameDevHQ Academy.

— DevOps Uzbekistan — the community organized numerous meetups and workshops, actively contributing to the development of DevOps culture in the country.

These communities not only contribute to the professional growth of specialists but also strengthen Uzbekistan’s position on the international technological stage.

In 2024, an accelerator was successfully launched:

— GameDev Goeth — secured support from NVIDIA and conducted the fifth season of the incubator.
This initiative demonstrates that Uzbekistan continues to actively develop its IT ecosystem, creating favorable conditions for innovation and startups, which contributes to attracting investment and strengthening the country’s image as a technological center in the region.

People

Uzbekistan is experiencing a boom in the information technology sector, driven by talented and energetic people. Let’s meet seven key figures who have made a significant contribution to the development of the country’s IT industry.

Nuriddin Lafizov
Has made a significant contribution to the development of the FinTech industry in Uzbekistan and Central Asia. Under his leadership, Alif has successfully integrated artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into its products, such as the AI chatbot GulChatAI, recommendation algorithms, and AI solutions for marketplace management.

Anna Ambrozevich
Director of Women in Tech Uzbekistan played an important role in the development of the IT sector by supporting women in technology. She organized the Women in Tech CCA Awards 2024 ceremony in Tashkent, which recognized the achievements of women in IT and inspired new leaders.

Shavkat Karimov
Initiated the IT Community Roadshow project, which started on October 26 with the goal of popularizing IT and exchanging knowledge across the country.

Sherzod Shermatov
During ICT Week Uzbekistan 2024, the minister presented the launch of Uztelekom’s 5.5G technology with internet speeds up to 4,942.24 Gbit/s. He also opened the Huawei Seeds for the Future program in Tashkent, aimed at developing digital skills among students from 14 countries.

Farkhod Ibragimov
Together with the Minister for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications, opened the IT Park Uzbekistan Ventures fund and the IT Park representative office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, strengthening cooperation in the field of information technology. During ICT Week Uzbekistan 2024, Farkhod Ibragimov signed a memorandum with Magzhan Madiev, CEO of Astana Hub, for the joint development of the Central Asian startup ecosystem.

Asror Arabjanov
Together with Aset Abdualiev, organized the IT conference Central Eurasia at Silicon Valley in Silicon Valley.