Uzbekistan, Ant Group Discuss AI and Digital Cooperation

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan's Minister of Digital Technologies, Sherzod Shermatov, met a delegation from China's Ant Group in Shanghai led by Harry Xian, Director of Innovation and Solutions for the company's international business.

The sides discussed prospects for cooperation in artificial intelligence, data centers, digital infrastructure, financial technology and the deployment of advanced digital solutions.

The talks took place on the sidelines of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), attended by the Uzbek delegation.

Representatives of Ant Group outlined the company's artificial intelligence strategy, describing AI as one of its key long-term priorities. They said the company uses the most cost-effective AI models to address a range of tasks.

During the meeting, Ant Group also presented its solutions for financial services, healthcare and e-commerce, as well as deepfake detection technologies, digital identity systems, cloud services and AI agents. Company representatives said they view artificial intelligence as a tool that enhances human capabilities rather than replaces them.

Shermatov presented an overview of the development of Uzbekistan's artificial intelligence ecosystem, the expansion of computing capacity and the creation of modern data center infrastructure. He highlighted the country's competitive electricity tariffs, opportunities to use renewable energy sources and the conditions being created for hosting modern data centers.

The minister invited Ant Group to consider participating in the development of Uzbekistan's AI infrastructure and to use Tashkent as a location for the company's regional office. Representatives of the Chinese company said they were ready to explore opportunities for a phased expansion of their operations in the region.

At the end of the meeting, Shermatov invited Harry Xian to attend ICT Week Uzbekistan, which will be held in September this year.