Uzbekistan partners with Saudi's DataVolt to build ‘green’ data centres

As part of efforts to bolster its IT sector, Uzbekistan has announced plans to construct two eco-friendly data centres, in Tashkent and another in the Bukhara region, in collaboration with Saudi Arabia-based DATAVOLT.

The initiative aligns with the Central Asian country’s “Uzbekistan – 2030” strategy and includes a significant development in New Tashkent, an emerging urban area designed to support 500,000 residents over 200 square kilometres.

⚡️ IT Park Uzbekistan hududida DATAVOLT kompaniyasi Ma’lumotlar markazini qurish loyihasining dastlabki bosqichiga start berildi

Batafsil: 👉 https://t.co/lX0DuG1a93 pic.twitter.com/BGYzuQs0zS

— DIGITAL.UZ (@digital_uz_) May 4, 2024

The project which specialises in data centre development and operation will reportedly progress in three phases, starting with a $150 million facility in Tashkent with a 10MW capacity. Subsequent phases will see the construction of a 250MW data centre in New Tashkent and an expansion in Bukhara to match this capacity.

At the recently concluded Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF2024), Sherzod Shermatov, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Digital Technologies, highlighted the partnership’s benefits, stating, “This collaboration offers great investment prospects for Saudi companies and will help attract international technology firms to Uzbekistan, enhancing our strategic position and business climate.”

This year’s forum also saw agreements totalling $26.6 billion, a substantial increase from last year’s $11 billion and $7.8 billion in 2022. Among the major undertakings, DATAVOLT plans to invest $1 billion in urban infrastructure and $3 billion in establishing the green technology-centred data centre in New Tashkent.

READ: Gulf and Central Asian countries discuss strengthening ‘comprehensive cooperation’