How the IT industry in Uzbekistan developed in 2025: key events

Key Achievements

By the end of 2025, Uzbekistan entered the top 10 globally in the World Bank’s GovTech Index. Compared to 2020, the country rose 71 positions in the ranking.

This year, direct investments in the field of AI and digital technologies amounted to nearly $2 billion, the export of IT services grew 4.5 times, approaching $1 billion. The number of universities training IT specialists increased almost threefold to 145, with the number of students reaching approximately 80,000, and over 2 million young people enhanced their knowledge and skills through the “One Million Uzbek Programmers” project. Additionally, a decision was made to introduce artificial intelligence lessons.

These achievements have created a solid foundation for new strategic steps: key initiatives were launched, including the “5 Million Prompters” program, the construction of large data centers, and 86 priority state projects for AI implementation, which lay the groundwork for the full-scale development of AI technologies in the country.

Building on this momentum, the number of startups grew tenfold, $300 million in investments were attracted, and construction began on the first joint “green” data center with Saudi Arabia, valued at $3 billion.

Additionally, in Tashkent, construction began on the first DataVolt data center with a capacity of 12 MW within the IT Park. The project, valued at $150 million, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. The center will be the first in Central Asia to utilize artificial intelligence technologies and will receive a LEED Gold certificate, confirming compliance with international “green” standards.

In Samarkand, the world’s first declaration on technological diplomacy was signed. This international document launches a global initiative for ethical digital policy, the appointment of “technology ambassadors,” international cooperation, and knowledge exchange, strengthening Central Asia’s role in the technology sector.

International Cooperation

In 2025, Uzbekistan strengthened international cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence and digital technologies. The country established partnerships with the UAE, USA, China, MENA countries, and Southeast Asia, focusing on the development of AI infrastructure, data centers, education, and the startup ecosystem.

Within the framework of interaction with the UAE, joint AI projects, the development of generative AI, the creation of data centers, and research clusters were discussed. IT Park Uzbekistan expanded cooperation with international technology companies and innovation hubs in the MENA region.

Uzbekistan also initiated a dialogue with Meta regarding AI and online education, including the development of AI solutions for the Uzbek language. Simultaneously, an AI cluster based on NVIDIA is being formed in the country, laying the foundation for large-scale computing infrastructure.

Partnerships with the USA and Gulf countries were developed in terms of localizing AI solutions, supporting startups, and digitalizing government services. Special attention was paid to the creation of a national AI language model and personnel training.

Within the framework of strategic cooperation with China, the development of joint technology parks, scientific centers, and high-tech manufacturing was discussed. Uzbekistan also agreed with Malaysia on cooperation in the field of data centers, AI, and digital technologies.

By 2030, the country plans large-scale development of the AI ecosystem: construction of a network of data centers, growth in IT exports, development of cybersecurity, and the implementation of AI in key sectors of the economy.

As part of the initiative by the Central Bank, a venture fund with a capital of $50 million was created. The main task of the fund is to finance and support the development of FinTech startups.

IT Company News

In 2025, Click was recognized as the operator of a digital platform with a dominant position in the online payments market, and as part of a strategic partnership, Halyk Bank acquired a 49% stake in Click for $176.4 million, while Click shareholders received 49% of Tenge Bank shares.

TBC Bank Group strengthened its presence in Uzbekistan’s digital economy by creating a holding company, TBC Digital, which consolidated all assets in Uzbekistan, including TBC Uzbekistan and the payment app Payme, with the support of EBRD and IFC. Additionally, TBC Bank Group became the owner of OLX Uzbekistan, expanding its presence in the online trading market and strengthening its positions in the country’s digital economy.

In Tashkent, Yandex Go Market was also launched. The platform offers convenient onboarding for new sellers. For participants of other marketplaces, a quick transfer of product cards is available — the Yandex Go team developed a special solution for this.

In 2025, the Uzum ecosystem issued bonds worth 300 billion sums to develop FinTech, attracted $70 million in investments from Tencent and VR Capital, bringing its valuation to $1.5 billion, and also announced plans to issue eurobonds and a potential IPO in 2027.

As of November 30, 2025, IT Park had more than 3,500 resident companies, including a significant share of enterprises with foreign capital. The total number of employees reached 53,000, which is 137% more compared to the previous year, with employment growth in regional offices reaching up to 146%.

Export indicators also show steady growth: IT services from Uzbekistan are now supplied to 90 countries worldwide. North America accounts for 46% of exports, CIS and Asia-Pacific countries account for 27%, Europe and the UK account for 21%, and Middle East and North African countries account for 6%.

Fitness platform Push30 entered the Uzbek market, providing access to dozens of sports and wellness clubs through a single mobile application.

Successful IT Startups of the Year

Startups from Uzbekistan broke the record participation at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco. A delegation of eight teams — Tilmoch, Business Robots AI, Bright Future, LittleChess, DTVSOFT, TopCoach, Paylov, and Freyt — was organized by IT Park Uzbekistan with the support of Silkroad Innovation Hub. The startups presented solutions in the fields of AI, FinTech, education, and logistics digitalization, conducted pitches and meetings with venture funds, established new partnerships, and reached agreements on pilot projects.

Uzbek startup TASS Vision attracted €1.3 million in investments from Purple Ventures, Domino VC, Pragma Tech VC, Sabah Fund, Caucasus VC, Big Sky Capital, and angels. The investments will go toward new cameras that are 20 times faster and easier to install, with an expansion into the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Eurasian markets.

TBC Bank acquired a controlling stake in startup BILLZ for $9 million, with a subsequent increase in its share to 60%. The platform retained its brand and team, continuing to serve more than 4,000 enterprises and processing over 1.5 million transactions monthly.

Humanola, founded by Sanjar Atamuradov, attracted $2.5 million in investments in Silicon Valley. The round was led by venture funds Link Ventures, Bad Ideas Fund, Georgia Tech Fund, as well as business angel Akmal Payziev.

Datatruck, a platform for automating financial and operational processes in freight transportation, attracted $300,000 from AloqaVentures as part of a Pre-Series A bridge round. Additionally, IT Park Ventures invested $250,000 in a bridge round before Series A.

GEOMOTIVE expanded its presence in the outdoor advertising and geoanalytics market, managing more than 106,000 advertising surfaces and 3,000 screens in Central Asia, MENA, and the UK. The company opened an office in Kazakhstan, participated in LEAP 2025, Web Summit Qatar, and London Tech Week 2025, and attracted angel and institutional investors. The startup also attracted $200,000 from IT Park Ventures in a Seed round.

Major IT Events Held in the Country

In 2025, Uzbekistan became a venue for key events in the technology and startup sectors. In May, Plug and Play Uzbekistan Expo 2025 took place with the support of the international platform Plug and Play, IT Park Uzbekistan, and the Ministry of Digital Technologies, gathering more than 400 guests and including a VC Mixer, startup presentations, results of the President Tech Awards 2024, and panel discussions on corporate innovations.

From September 23 to 26, ICT Week Uzbekistan 2025 took place in Tashkent, gathering more than 8,000 participants, including over 300 startups and companies from more than 80 countries. As part of this week, the Startup & Venture Summit 2025 was held with the participation of more than 500 ecosystem representatives, where international startup scaling, investments, and corporate innovations were discussed, and the launch of the international DOMiNO Uzbekistan Fund worth $20 million was announced.

The President Tech Award 2025 also became a key event of the year: from December 5 to 7, a hackathon took place with the participation of 21 teams. An international jury evaluated projects in the areas of AI, Social Tech, MicroSaaS & AdTech, FinTech & Entrepreneurship, and GameTech. The top 25 teams reached the finals, with winners being MoliyAI, Femmy, Romchi, Through The Never, and Karmon AI.

On December 5, the Central Asia Venture Summit took place with the support of UZVC, where a key announcement was made: Qazaqstan Venture Group together with UzVC invested in the venture fund Big Sky Capital, which is forming a second fund with a volume of $50 million.

On December 12-13, the Ministry of Digital Technologies together with IT Park Uzbekistan and IT Park Ventures held the grand final of the Digital Startup Awards 2025 with a prize fund of $1,000,000, in which 22 startups from Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Mongolia participated.

In December, GDG DevFest Uzbekistan 2025 also took place, the largest regional event for developers, dedicated to the practical application of AI and cloud technologies. More than 4,400 participants and leading Google Developer experts took part in the event.