World Bank VP and Uzbekistan Discuss AI and Semiconductors

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The World Bank's Vice President for Digital and AI held substantive talks with Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister on June 17, elevating a bilateral technology agenda that now explicitly includes semiconductors — a sector that sits at the geopolitical and industrial core of the global tech competition.

Sangbu Kim, who oversees the World Bank Group's digital development and artificial intelligence portfolio, met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov in a meeting that also brought together Michel Kerf, the Bank's Regional Director for Digital and AI, and Anastasia Alexandrova, the World Bank's Project Manager in Uzbekistan, alongside officials from multiple Uzbek ministries and agencies.

From Governance to Startups to Chips

The conversation ranged across several strategic layers of Uzbekistan's digital ambition. Near-term priorities included accelerating the digital transformation of government operations and expanding the innovation ecosystem through new projects drawing on international best practices. The parties identified the IT sector, artificial intelligence, and the startup ecosystem as key drivers of value creation and economic competitiveness.

A dedicated block of the talks focused on the semiconductor sector — framing it as an important element of global technology supply chains and high-tech manufacturing. The inclusion of semiconductors on the agenda is notable: few Central Asian economies have articulated a credible role in the chip supply chain, and Uzbekistan's interest signals an aspiration to move up the technology value ladder beyond software services and digital services exports.

Youth, Skills, and the AI Workforce

Both sides also addressed the human capital dimension of the digital transition, discussing programs to raise digital literacy among young people and develop specialists capable of working with AI technologies and participating in startup creation. The World Bank delegation expressed positive views of Uzbekistan's reform trajectory in digital economy and innovation, while underlining the importance of continued development of the technology environment and support for youth-led initiatives.

The meeting concluded with an agreement to continue cooperation and broaden the format of engagement across all identified areas — language that suggests follow-on project development is already being scoped.