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 Teerlynck was asked to explore market entry opportunities in Central Asia. Uzbekistan, with only a few megawatts of colocation capacity but growing digitization ambitions, emerged as a promising frontier.

By November 2023, Tom was on the ground in Tashkent assessing the market and engaging with key government stakeholders. Recognizing that attracting global tech firms would require more than a facility, he advocated for a broader ecosystem approach—anchored in strong public-private alignment.

Within weeks, he initiated and secured a Memorandum of Understanding between DataVolt and the Ministries of Digital Technologies, Energy, and Investment, Industry and Trade. This was the first step toward delivering Uzbekistan’s most advanced digital infrastructure project to date.

Development & Execution
Tom assembled and coordinated a local and international team to lead land scouting, design, stakeholder engagement, and transaction structuring. The project was anchored within Tashkent’s IT Park, connecting the facility directly to Uzbekistan’s national innovation agenda.

A 10 MW colocation data center was designed to meet international standards and support high-density, AI-compatible workloads—with flexible architecture to accommodate future compute and cooling demands.

Tom led the negotiation of a renewable energy supply agreement, the first in Uzbekistan to be based on international contracting standards and backed by I-REC certification. He also secured an Investment Agreement with the Government of Uzbekistan in May 2024, providing long-term clarity and reinforcing public support.

Crucially, Tom worked across ministries and with the newly unbundled energy entities—advising on risk allocation, contract structure, and governance models—as Uzbekistan’s power sector entered a new regulatory phase.

Key Innovations & Firsts

First AI-ready data center in Uzbekistan
First larger scale, international-standard colocation facility in the country
First renewable energy supply agreement using I-REC certification
First private infrastructure project to operate within the newly unbundled power market

Partnership Model
The project was structured around ecosystem alignment. Tashkent IT Park joined the project as a shareholder, anchoring it within the government’s broader digital development strategy and strengthening ties to the local tech sector.

With USD 180 million in investment, construction began in early 2025—marking DataVolt’s first operational data center and establishing a precedent for sustainable digital infrastructure in Central Asia.

Approach

Hands-on leadership from market entry through to groundbreaking.
Accelerated credibility-building, moving from MoU to binding agreement within months.
Institutional trust-building through responsiveness, professionalism, and alignment with policy priorities.
Advisory support to government entities navigating new regulatory frameworks.
Collaborative execution, bringing together technical, legal, commercial, and public sector teams under a unified vision.

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.