President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited IT Park branch in Karakalpakstan

During the visit to the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, visited the new IT Park branch in Nukus, which was constructed following his initiative after his 2021 visit.

This building is the second largest after the branch in Tashkent, offering local youth the opportunity to acquire IT skills and begin their careers. The branch also houses a branch of the UZINFOCOM center. Through the “uStudy” program, the center will train the region’s young generation in modern professions. Those who upgrade their qualifications will be employed by leading companies within their field.

The President engaged in discussions with IT Park residents and specialists working in the field of information technology. He emphasized the necessity of constructing similar IT Park buildings in all regions based on public-private partnerships.

Soon, by the President's directive, the Nukus branch of IT Park will be integrated with schools in the districts of Karakalpakstan to educate young people interested in the field of information technology and attract them to high-income jobs in the future.

An example of this is Beknazar Abdikamalov from Karakalpakstan, who previously worked at Amazon, one of the most renowned tech giants. Recently, he returned home to develop his product in Uzbekistan and attracted $4 million in investments for his startup, HUPO. The head of state spoke with him and supported his initiatives.

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The number of IT Park Uzbekistan residents in Karakalpakstan has tripled compared to the end of last year, now totaling 108. They have provided employment for 310 specialists. In the first half of 2024, the volume of services increased 2.4 times, and exports grew 1.7 times. Residents have trained and upgraded the skills of 25,000 young people and civil servants. As part of the "One Million Programmers" project, 18,000 young people were trained through the online platform in 2023, and 29,000 in the first half of 2024. This year, over 33,000 are expected to be trained.

Additionally, during his visit to Nukus, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held an open dialogue with entrepreneurs.

During the meeting, it was noted that the focus on developing the IT sector in the country will only intensify. Special attention will be given to artificial intelligence. To fund startup projects based on AI, $50 million will be allocated.

Moreover, an ecosystem to support startups will be developed. This year, for the first time, startups in Uzbekistan attracted $134 million, and 50 local companies with a total turnover of $10 million emerged.

To actively develop startups in the country, venture funds will be created, and IT Park Uzbekistan will allocate $10 million. Additionally, for every $1 of foreign investment, the state will provide $1 and cover the costs of patenting startups’ developments and registering trademarks. Overall, $50 million will be invested in the development of this sector.

All these initiatives will benefit the country in its effort to become a global IT hub, attracting foreign companies to set up operations in Uzbekistan and employ local specialists, thereby creating highly paid jobs. Due to this dynamic growth, the goals for 2030 – ITes-export worth $5 billion and the creation of 300,000 jobs – will be achieved.