The 3rd Tashkent International Investment Forum took place with the participation of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Within the framework of this international investment forum, the President initiated the first phase of several projects, including the construction of the DATAVOLT company's data center on the territory of IT Park Uzbekistan, a project of Saudi Arabia.
One of the main objectives of the reforms being implemented in Uzbekistan is to bring our country into the rank of economically developed countries of the world. Special attention is being paid to the widespread use of advanced information and communication technologies in all areas of state and society.
"Uzbekistan - 2030" strategy identifies three main objectives in the area of digitalization.
By 2030 Uzbekistan aims to be among the top 30 countries in the United Nations Electronic Government Ranking, to grow IT services and software exports to $5 billion and to increase the number of young people working in the highest-paid jobs in field of information technology to 300 thousand.
Uzbekistan is paying special attention to the development of the ICT sector. The country has created the necessary infrastructure to form a digital economy. Currently, significant investments are being made in order to further its growth.
For example, over the past 7 years, $2.2 billion has been attracted for the development of digital infrastructure, 51 percent ($1.1 billion) of which came from foreign direct investment.
In order to systematically implement these projects, the first phase of the construction of a "Green" Data Center was initiated in cooperation with Saudi Arabia's DATAVOLT company as part of the 3rd Tashkent International Investment Forum.
The foreign partner aims to invest $5 billion gradually by 2030 in order to implement the project.
In the initial phase, a Data Center with a total capacity of 10 MW and valued at 150 million USD, operating on green energy, will be constructed in the IT Park area in Tashkent.
As part of the second stage of the project, the data center with a capacity of up to 250 MW will be constructed over a 25-hectare site in the "New Tashkent” area.
Furthermore, the third phase of the project entails the construction of a facility with an initial capacity of 40 MW, which may be expanded to 250 MW at a later stage. This facility is planned on the designated 25 hectares of land in the Bukhara region.
The construction of these centers is fully financed through 100% foreign direct investment.
DATAVOLT plans to finance the project with its own funds and by obtaining loans from international financial institutions. The company does not require a government guarantee.
Upon completion of the project, DATAVOLT plans to attract major foreign IT companies to their data center, offering them infrastructure rental and other services based on green technologies.
This project is expected to be the first in the world to be based on green energy.