For a region of about two million people, Karakalpakstan has an unusually concentrated AI agenda. In October 2025 the President of Uzbekistan announced that an artificial intelligence center would be created in the republic, and the government followed with a special economic regime for AI and data-center projects.
The AI Center in Nukus
The Artificial Intelligence Center of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, established by the Joǵargʻı Keńes, works on three fronts: speech technology for the Karakalpak language, vision-language systems for city safety, and automation of public services. Its first public product is karakalpakvoice.uz — Karakalpak text-to-speech with voice cloning, available as an open API. Speech recognition for Karakalpak is in active research.
Data centers and investment
According to IT Park Uzbekistan, an AI-powered next-generation data center is planned in the republic under a framework agreement worth about 130.9 million US dollars involving Keycore Technology Corp. and Nvidia server technology. The Times of Central Asia reports that Saudi company DataVolt is building a 12-megawatt AI-oriented data center — set to be the largest of its kind in Central Asia. Euronews reports that investors bringing 100 million dollars or more receive full tax exemption until 2040 under the region’s special AI zone.
A growing local scene
The first AI hackathon in Karakalpakstan was held in Nukus in May 2025, organised with UZINFOCOM, IT Park and the republic’s Council of Ministers. Karakalpak State University and the Nukus branch of TUIT train the region’s IT specialists, and courts and public offices have begun testing AI in their workflows. The combination — local language technology, state backing and international infrastructure — is what makes the region’s AI story worth watching.