The groundbreaking ceremony for a new IT park in the Davlatabad district of Namangan region took place, attended by Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The facility is being built as part of a strategy for accelerated development of the digital economy and the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies in the country's regions.

The project is being implemented jointly with Chinese investors and is estimated at $117 million. The complex will be located in the new Yangi Namangan town and will be part of a program to create similar IT hubs in a number of cities, including Samarkand, Chirchik, Nurafshan, Urgench, and Navoi.

The new center plans to construct a 17-story building with offices, co-working spaces, educational and export platforms, as well as a startup accelerator. The total area of the facility will be about 18 thousand square meters, and its launch will create about 2 thousand jobs for IT specialists.

According to estimates, after the park is put into operation, the volume of digital services in the region could reach 500 billion soums per year, and exports – $30 million. The project is considered part of a broader program for developing technological infrastructure and increasing service exports.

Concurrently, industrial and investment initiatives are being implemented in the region with the participation of companies from China, Turkey, India, and Russia. In total, about $2 billion in foreign investments have already been attracted to the region, and new projects are expected to further boost economic growth and employment.

It is separately noted that the development of the digital sector is considered one of the key sources of future economic growth in Uzbekistan and the creation of high-income jobs.