Priority tasks defined for the development of the artificial intelligence ecosystem

As a result of the work carried out in recent years in this area, Uzbekistan has risen 25 positions to rank 62nd in the global AI Readiness Index. The country has set a goal of joining the world's top 50 in this ranking by 2030.

In addition, plans call for increasing the value of AI-based software products and services to $1.5 billion, expanding the computing infrastructure, and implementing more than 200 new AI projects.

Stressing that artificial intelligence technologies are developing at a rapid pace, the President emphasized the need to continuously analyze global and regional trends, promptly adopt advanced technologies, and put forward new initiatives.

The presentation first addressed issues related to the development 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 capacity, it ranked 321st globally. Within just one month, the cluster's utilization reached 90 percent, reflecting the high demand for computing capacity in the country.

To date, modern computing infrastructure worth $24 million has been put into operation. A proposal was made to allocate an additional $70 million to expand the existing computing cluster. The President was also briefed on funding sources, delivery schedules for the necessary equipment, 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 data. In this regard, tasks were set to conduct an inventory of the data available in ministries and agencies, ensure its completeness, reliability, and interoperability, and develop high-quality datasets by sector.

The need to increase the number of AI projects in the economy and social sphere to more than 100 this year was emphasized. The presentation featured AI solutions for the healthcare, energy, transport, customs administration, legal services, public security, environmental protection, and geology sectors.

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

Special attention was given to personnel training. To date, more than 1.5 million people have received certificates in artificial intelligence. In addition, 900 managers, more than 3,000 civil servants, 1,000 bank employees, and 200 advisors have completed specialized training courses.

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

Industry-specific hackathons and competitions were held in Nukus, Samarkand, Termez, Bukhara, Fergana, Andijan, Gulistan, and Jizzakh. The "Best Startup in the Field of Artificial Intelligence" competition was launched. The Head of Stateinstructed officials to organize similar hackathons in all regions.

The work of AI advisors to the khokims of regions, districts, and cities was also discussed. Out of 500 candidates, 222 advisors were selected. The need to actively attract young specialists educated abroad and proficient in modern technologies to these positions, and to evaluate their performance based on specific performance and efficiency indicators, was emphasized.

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

The presentation also considered prospects for the development of international cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence. As previously reported, Uzbekistan has become a member of WAICO – the World AI Cooperation Organization.

It was emphasized that participation in the organization should be used to promote new initiatives aimed at introducing advanced technologies, large language models, and digital transformation solutions in the country, implementing joint projects with foreign technology companies and research institutions, and training highly qualified specialists.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed the 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.