Abu Dhabi: The UAE’s Ministry of Investment and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies have inked a deal to collaborate on digital infrastructure projects, particularly data centers and artificial intelligence initiatives in Uzbekistan.
The Republic of Uzbekistan’s Minister of Digital Technologies, Sherzod Shermatov, and Minister of Investment, Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, signed the memorandum.
Since the country’s transformation over the following ten years was made possible by the adoption of the Digital Uzbekistan – 2030 strategy in 2020, the digital market in Uzbekistan has grown steadily.
The country’s data center market is anticipated to expand by 9.82 percent between 2024 and 2028, reaching a market size of $361.40 million in that year.
The purpose of the MoU is to investigate and assess cooperative investment prospects for brand-new data centers in Uzbekistan that would offer cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) services to both commercial and public sectors. Beyond fostering robust and efficient cooperation between the public and private sectors in the two countries, the agreement also aims to draw major cloud service providers to the nation, evaluate the viability of supercomputer projects, investigate the creation of language models unique to Uzbekistan, and create a local talent ecosystem for AI and computing.
Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment of the UAE, said that,“This memorandum builds on the strong relations between the two nations, reflecting our commitment to mutual prosperity through collaboration in economically crucial sectors. Moreover, expanding data centers and AI capabilities in Uzbekistan contributes to enhancing its position as a preferred destination for digital investments in Central Asia.”
The non-oil trade between the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan reached $1.9 billion in 2023, more than tripling from $1 billion the year before and more than tripling from the previous year. 82 percent of Uzbekistan’s commerce with the Arab world is with the UAE, which surpassed other Arab nations to become the country’s 17th-largest trading partner globally in 2022.