President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was briefed on the progress made and the upcoming priority tasks for developing Uzbekistan’s artificial intelligence ecosystem.

As a result of efforts carried out in recent years, Uzbekistan has improved its position by 25 places in the Global AI Readiness Index, reaching 62nd place worldwide. The country has set the goal of entering the global top 50 in this ranking by 2030, The Caspian Post reports, citing the Uzbek president's press service.

Plans also include increasing the value of AI-based software products and services to $1.5 billion, expanding computing infrastructure, and implementing more than 200 new artificial intelligence projects.

Highlighting that AI technologies are advancing at a rapid pace, President Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of continuously monitoring global and regional trends, quickly adopting advanced technologies, and developing new initiatives.

The presentation began with issues related to the expansion of modern computing infrastructure.

Last month, a supercomputer based on technologies from the American company NVIDIA was launched at the Digital Government data center. In terms of computing power, it ranked 321st globally. Within one month of operation, the cluster’s utilization rate reached 90 percent, demonstrating the strong demand for computing capacity in Uzbekistan.

To date, modern computing infrastructure worth $24 million has been commissioned. A proposal was presented to allocate an additional $70 million to expand the existing computing cluster. The President was also informed about financing sources, equipment delivery timelines, and projects being implemented jointly with foreign investors to establish data centers in Karakalpakstan.

It was noted that the effectiveness of AI-based solutions directly depends on the quality of available data. In this regard, tasks were outlined to conduct an inventory of data held by ministries and agencies, ensure its completeness, reliability, and compatibility, and create high-quality sector-specific datasets.

The importance of increasing the number of AI projects in economic and social sectors to more than 100 this year was emphasized. The presentation showcased AI solutions in healthcare, energy, transport, customs administration, legal services, public security, environmental protection, and geology.

The importance of establishing systematic cooperation with IT Park residents, startups, and more than 20 artificial intelligence laboratories was also highlighted. It is expected that the number of residents working in this field will reach 300 this year, with the total value of their services reaching 2 trillion soums and exports reaching $160 million.

Special attention was paid to training specialists. To date, more than 1.5 million people have received artificial intelligence certificates. Additionally, 900 managers, over 3,000 civil servants, 1,000 bank employees, and 200 advisors have completed specialized training programs.

For the next two years, the task has been set to fully implement the “Five Million AI Leaders” project and develop modern educational and methodological materials for schoolchildren, students, teachers, and the general public.

Industry-specific hackathons and competitions have been organized in Nukus, Samarkand, Termez, Bukhara, Fergana, Andijan, Gulistan, and Jizzakh. The “Best Startup in the Field of Artificial Intelligence” competition has also been launched. The Head of State instructed officials to organize similar hackathons across all regions.

The activities of AI advisors appointed to regional, district, and city khokims were also reviewed. From among 500 candidates, 222 advisors were selected. The need to actively attract young specialists educated abroad and skilled in modern technologies for these positions was emphasized, along with assessing their performance through clear efficiency and performance indicators.

A task was set to launch a dedicated digital platform to monitor and support the work of AI advisors, as well as the projects and initiatives they implement.

The presentation also covered prospects for expanding international cooperation in artificial intelligence. As previously reported, Uzbekistan has joined WAICO - the World AI Cooperation Organization.

It was emphasized that membership in this organization should be used to promote new initiatives focused on introducing advanced technologies, large language models, and digital transformation solutions in Uzbekistan. It should also support joint projects with foreign technology companies and research institutions, as well as the training of highly qualified specialists.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed responsible officials to consistently increase computing capacity, expand practical AI projects across sectors, develop high-quality data resources, support talented young people and startups, and strengthen international cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence.