Uzbekistan, US Eye AI and Cybersecurity Partnership in Tech Talks

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A U.S. delegation led by Deputy Secretary of Commerce David Vogel visited Uzbekistan's Ministry of Digital Technologies, where both sides reviewed prospects for deeper cooperation across information technology, the digital economy, and innovation — extending a bilateral engagement that earlier in the day had covered broader trade and investment ties.

The Uzbek side used the visit to present a comprehensive picture of the country's digital ambitions. Officials briefed the delegation on IT Park Uzbekistan — its resident conditions, IT services export performance, foreign company attraction programs, and the country's positioning as a regional technology hub. The delegation also toured UZINFOCOM, where they were introduced to projects spanning state information systems, cloud technologies, artificial intelligence solutions, digital services, and digital infrastructure development.

The centerpiece of the visit was a bilateral meeting between Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov and Vogel. Talks covered digital economy development, AI adoption, growth of IT services exports, specialist training, and expanded engagement with leading American technology companies.

Data center infrastructure emerged as a distinct priority. Discussions focused on building modern computing capacity to international standards, scaling cloud services, and attracting foreign investment into the sector — an area where Uzbekistan has been actively courting global operators as part of its regional hub strategy.

Cybersecurity occupied equal billing on the agenda. The two sides discussed counter-threat measures, specialist training pipelines, educational program development, and cooperation frameworks with U.S. companies and academic institutions — a domain where American expertise and Uzbekistan's rapidly digitizing public sector create natural alignment.

Both parties concluded the session by reaffirming their interest in sustaining the dialogue and advancing collaboration across digital transformation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and modern digital infrastructure.

The visit is the second leg of Vogel's Tashkent engagement, following an earlier meeting at the Presidential Administration focused on trade and investment. Together, the two meetings signal Washington's broadening economic footprint in Uzbekistan across both traditional commerce and the technology sector.