Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — IT Park Uzbekistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a memorandum of understanding on a US$200 million project aimed at developing artificial intelligence research and development and commercializing technologies in Uzbekistan.
The announcement was made at the Startup and Venture Summit held as part of ICT Week 2026 in Tashkent, where the document was exchanged by IT Park Director General Azamat Karamatov and ADB Country Director for Uzbekistan Kanokpan Lao-Araya.
Opening the ceremony, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov said the project envisages the creation of nearly 100 technology startups and 300 research projects.
According to him, around 2,000 startups are registered on the national Startup Base platform, while about 25 venture funds operate in the country. He added that the ecosystem has already produced two “unicorns.”
Following the signing, Kanokpan Lao-Araya said ADB helps Uzbekistan’s government and private sector implement development objectives and described the country as one with a high pace of reforms and a young population enthusiastic about technology.
She said cooperation with the private sector is conducted through continuous dialogue with the government, adding that Uzbekistan has made significant progress in reforms and infrastructure development in recent years.
