Uzbekistan digital infrastructure – delivering Central Asia’s first sustainable, AI-ready data center

Context

Following his involvement in establishing DataVolt as a new data center developer in Saudi Arabia early 2023, Tom was asked to explore market entry opportunities in Central Asia. In November 2023, he flew to Tashkent to assess Uzbekistan’s digital infrastructure landscape—a frontier market with only a few megawatts of colocation capacity but significant potential for growth.

Recognizing that attracting international tech companies would require more than just a data center, Tom envisioned a full ecosystem supported by strong public-private collaboration. He initiated discussions with the Ministry of Digital Technologies and, by the end of that same month of November, secured a Memorandum of Understanding between DataVolt and the Ministry of Digital Technologies, Ministry of Energy, and Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade.

Development & Execution
Tom quickly built a core local and international team to begin scouting land and develop the project. A site was secured adjacent to Tashkent’s IT Park, anchoring the project within the national innovation hub. Design began on a 10 MW IT load colocation data center, built to international standards and optimized for high-density, AI-compatible workloads. The architecture allowed for flexible power and cooling configurations, essential for emerging compute needs.

Given DataVolt’s commitment to sustainability, Tom ensured that renewable energy procurement was embedded from the start. He led the negotiation of power supply and connections and structured the first-ever international-standard energy sales agreement in Uzbekistan, underpinned by I-REC-certified renewable energy sourcing.

Tom also negotiated an Investment Agreement with the Government of Uzbekistan, signed in May 2024, securing long-term certainty for the project and reinforcing government backing.

Key Innovations & Firsts
This project marked several national milestones:

First AI-ready data center in Uzbekistan
First large-scale, international-standard colocation facility in the country
First renewable energy supply agreement using I-REC certification
First private-sector project to navigate the country’s newly unbundled power sector, following the creation of a national energy regulator and separation of generation, transmission, and distribution entities

Throughout the process, Tom played an instrumental role in advising both the Ministry of Energy and the newly unbundled energy companies, helping them understand how international-standard energy and infrastructure contracts are structured—an essential contribution in a transitioning regulatory environment.

Partnership Model
Beyond the commercial structure, the project incorporated a unique ecosystem approach. A strategic partnership was formed with Tashkent IT Park, which joined as a shareholder in the data center company. This not only anchored the project within Uzbekistan’s digital development strategy but also strengthened ties to the local tech ecosystem.

The $180 million investment started construction in Q1 2025, launching DataVolt’s first-ever data center—and setting a precedent for digital infrastructure in Central Asia.

Approach

Reputation & Credibility: Built institutional and personal trust through professionalism, responsiveness, and respect.
Speed to Commitment: Accelerated the transition from MoU to binding agreements to demonstrate seriousness and momentum.
Embedded Public Engagement: Worked hand-in-hand with ministries and local institutions to co-create solutions in a new regulatory environment.
Hands-On Leadership: Maintained personal, proactive involvement from inception through groundbreaking.

Impact

The work that Tom delivered on this digital infrastructure project created substantial value for both DataVolt and Uzbekistan:

For DataVolt:

Marks the company's first greenfield data center under construction, anchoring its credibility as a serious new entrant in the digital infrastructure space.
Demonstrates DataVolt’s capacity to develop and execute state-of-the-art facilities, with construction starting just over a year after the company’s launch.
Showcases the ability to deliver sustainable, AI-ready infrastructure — strengthening its position with global clients seeking low-carbon, scalable data center solutions.

For Uzbekistan:

Serves as a catalyst for digital transformation, enabling the growth of cloud services, AI capabilities, and local tech ecosystems.
Positions the country as a competitive regional hub for digital infrastructure.
Advances the government’s digitization agenda while creating skilled jobs and attracting foreign investment.