Gulf Tech Giants and Sovereign Funds Target Uzbekistan to Build Central Asian Bridgehead in AI, Hyperscale Data Centers, and Fintech
TASHKENT — Technology operators, institutional investors, and sovereign venture funds from across the Gulf Cooperation Council are executing an expansive investment campaign into Uzbekistan, converting historical diplomatic alignment into a multi sectoral digital corridor spanning artificial intelligence, hyperscale data center infrastructure, financial technology, and video game development.
The strategic deepening was placed in sharp focus during ICTWEEK Uzbekistan 2026 and its dedicated Middle East Tech Summit held in Tashkent, illustrating that Gulf commercial engagement has advanced far beyond early stage venture funding into foundational digital utility construction.
Digital infrastructure and high density compute form the primary anchor of GCC capital deployment. Saudi Arabian hyperscale developer DataVolt has commenced construction on a 12 megawatt (MW) AI ready, Tier III carrier neutral data center facility at the Tashkent IT Park, backed by an initial capital commitment of $150 million. Concurrently, the Sultanate of Oman’s premier managed provider, Oman Data Park, has initiated market entry discussions with Uzbek state authorities to evaluate dedicated cloud, enterprise colocation, and sovereign data management facilities in the country.
Financial technology is accelerating at an equal pace. The United Arab Emirates based DIFC Innovation Hub has institutionalized operational bridges to support Uzbek software and fintech enterprises scaling into the UAE and Saudi Arabian markets. Regionally focused digital banking platform Xpence, which operates across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, has opened an operational footprint in Uzbekistan to establish a localized engineering hub and an export focused regional development division.
Bilateral technology exchanges held throughout 2026 have also broadened industrial collaboration into advanced robotics, sovereign digital platforms, and human capital incubation. Bilateral sessions explored avenues to integrate Uzbek engineering teams with Saudi Arabia’s gigaproject developments, including NEOM, establishing specialized software research divisions in Tashkent. In the digital entertainment sector, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund backed Savvy Games Group has opened discussions with domestic developers to fund original game builds, license regional creative intellectual property, and integrate local gaming talent into international publishing pipelines.
Institutional statistics disclosed by IT Park Uzbekistan underline that this digital highway has matured into a mutually dependent, two way commercial corridor. Currently, 16 enterprises wholly owned by Gulf corporate entities maintain active licensed operations in Uzbekistan. In the reciprocal direction, 75 Uzbek technology providers now export specialized software engineering, cloud services, and digital solutions into the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait. To facilitate ongoing trade, IT Park operates a dedicated representative bureau in Riyadh, offering corporate structuring, regulatory navigation, and contract facilitation for Uzbek technology firms establishing operations across the Arabian Peninsula.
