IT Park Uzbekistan has launched its office in Saudi Arabia.

The opening ceremony featured the Minister of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan, Sherzod Shermatov.

“The bilateral relations between the innovative ecosystems of Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia are developing rapidly, reflecting the interest of our partners from the MENA region in the rapidly evolving technology sector of our country,” said Sherzod Shermatov.

The Minister emphasized that such initiatives not only strengthen economic cooperation but also create new job opportunities, fostering professional growth and development for local specialists.

The extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Saudi Arabia, Nodirjon Turgunov, addressed the participants of the event with words of congratulations.

“The opening of the IT Park representation in Riyadh is not just an important step but also a new perspective for cooperation. We are confident that this step will act as a catalyst for deepening partnerships, accelerating market integration, and opening unique opportunities for both ecosystems,” said Farhod Ibragimov, the general director of IT Park, in his congratulatory speech.

Other speakers at the event included Muhammad Alghamdi, Director of Cooperation at Plug and Play Tech Center, Rajit Nanda, CEO of DataVolt, and Muzaffar Karabaev, founder and investor of kpi.com, zip24.com, and Financial IT.

Rajit Nanda highlighted the potential for collaboration: “The technology sector in Uzbekistan is growing rapidly, and we see this growth at DataVolt, where we are investing in the construction of highly efficient green data centers. This is a vivid example of the level and dynamics of the country's development, indicating its readiness to become an important technological center on the global stage.”

During the event, guests were introduced to key programs supporting the IT sector and business environment in Uzbekistan, including the developing startup ecosystem and the conditions created for their growth.

It is worth noting that this year, IT Park Uzbekistan successfully showcased the country's startup ecosystem at BIBAN-2024, featuring 12 startups. Additionally, the Uzbekistan Tech Conference was held in Riyadh, along with several pitch sessions for foreign startups. These initiatives significantly increased the interest of Saudi investors in local Uzbek projects.

Furthermore, the partnership between the two countries is being strengthened through joint projects, such as the construction of Green Data Centers involving DataVolt (Vision Invest holding), which plans to invest $5 billion in the project.

The opening of the IT Park representation in Saudi Arabia marks an important step in strengthening the international ecosystem for startups and attracting foreign investments. The representation will facilitate the development of cooperation in digital technologies, exchange of experiences, and support for innovative projects, while also providing Uzbek companies with opportunities to expand their presence on the international stage.

The IT Park representation in Saudi Arabia will serve as a bridge to maintain collaboration and exchange of experiences between the innovative ecosystems of the two countries, opening up the following opportunities:

Simplified access for GCC region startups to the Central Asian market of over 80 million people through Uzbekistan;

Support for Uzbek startups entering the GCC market with over 60 million people;

Co-investments at the pre-seed and seed stages for promising startups;

Reduction of operational costs for IT companies from the GCC region through back-office operations in Uzbekistan.