Tajikistan Opens First AI Innovation Hub in Central Asia with NVIDIA Support
Tajikistan has presented the first applied artificial intelligence innovation hub in Central Asia, being built in Dushanbe on the Area AI platform with NVIDIA support.
Gurban Gurbanzadeh2 min read
Tajikistan has presented the first applied artificial intelligence innovation hub in Central Asia (AI Innovation Hub). The hub is being built in Dushanbe on the basis of the Area AI platform with the support of the American technology company NVIDIA.
As the Embassy of Tajikistan in Germany reported, the presentation took place on 21 October at the Embassy of Tajikistan in Germany, within the framework of the international conference NVIDIA GTC Berlin 2026.
The event was attended by Shilpa Kolhatkar, Global Lead of AI Nations at NVIDIA, as well as representatives of the technology companies Armada, VEON, DataVolt, Perplexity and Supermicro.
Imomuddin Sattorov, Ambassador of Tajikistan to Germany, stressed that the development of artificial intelligence is one of the priorities of the state's policy. According to him, the creation of the hub with NVIDIA support will help implement the resolution of the UN General Assembly on the role of artificial intelligence in the sustainable development of Central Asia. The resolution was adopted in July 2025 on the initiative of Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon.
Plans for the hub
Azizdzhon Azimi, Chairman of the Council on Artificial Intelligence under the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan, spoke about the plans. They include training specialists in cooperation with NVIDIA and introducing physical artificial intelligence (Physical AI) technologies into the country's industry.
The hub is expected to bring together universities, developers, startups and industrial enterprises. The goal of the hub is education, research and practical application of artificial intelligence technologies. The hub is being developed and managed by the company zehnlab.ai, one of the founders of the Area AI consortium. Institutional support is provided by the Council on Artificial Intelligence under the ministry.
The project also envisages the creation of a Physical AI laboratory in Khujand. It will focus on research and testing of these technologies in industry, including the mining sector.
Background
In 2022, Tajikistan became the first country in Central Asia to adopt a national artificial intelligence strategy. According to the source, the creation of the hub is the next stage in the development of the Area AI platform. It is intended to expand capacity for training personnel, research and practical application of AI technologies in Tajikistan and in the region.
Source: trend.az
