In the Global Innovation Index (GII), published on September 29 by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Kazakhstan climbed eight places to rank 73rd among 139 economies. Uzbekistan ranked 77th and Kyrgyzstan 92nd. Tajikistan placed 112th, while Turkmenistan was not included in the study.
The overall rankings, however, conceal some interesting details. Uzbekistan ranks second worldwide in the share of graduates in science and engineering. Kyrgyzstan ranks second in labor productivity growth, while Tajikistan leads in utility model applications relative to the size of its economy. Utility models are a simpler form of patent protection, usually for smaller inventions.
Such strong results in individual indicators stand in contrast to the countries’ relatively modest overall rankings. Part of the explanation lies in the study’s methodology. WIPO evaluates education and scientific capacity alongside infrastructure and investment. It also considers business activity and research output. A country may train large numbers of engineers or register technical innovations while lagging in research output and investment, with limited commercial activity.
For Central Asia, the rankings also offer a way to compare economic performance with the scale of governments’ technological ambitions.
Kazakhstan: Supercomputers in Search of Customers
In recent years, Kazakhstan has assembled an impressive portfolio of digital projects. The Alem.Cloud and Al-Farabium supercomputers, along with the Data Center Valley project in Ekibastuz, are intended to improve the country’s computing infrastructure. The Alem.ai artificial intelligence (AI) center and the KazLLM and AlemLLM large language models are designed to develop its AI capabilities. Training opportunities are also expanding through AI-Sana and Tomorrow School, with TUMO Astana offering education in AI and other digital fields.
However, the wider use of AI remains relatively modest. The Digital Qazaqstan strategy through 2029 cites figures for the second half of 2025 showing that generative AI adoption in Kazakhstan stood at 13.7%, compared with a global average of 16.3%.
Kazakhstan ranked 24th in the United Nations (UN) E-Government Development Index in its 2024 survey but 73rd in the 2026 GII.
Kazakhstan’s digitalization model has long centered on government services. The country’s high position in the UN study reflects this focus. Commercial technologies present a more complicated picture: here, the government must rely on research teams, private developers, investors, and customers willing to pay for their services.
The arrival of supercomputers expands the country’s technical capabilities. How extensively they will be used outside government projects remains to be seen.
Uzbekistan: Engineering Education and IT Services Exports
The country has long focused on workforce development for the IT industry. An export-oriented digital services sector is growing around IT Park. Foreign companies are operating in the country, while training programs in programming and AI are expanding.
Tashkent intends to support its workforce development policies with domestic computing infrastructure. Under the AI development strategy adopted in 2024, Uzbekistan plans $50 million in AI infrastructure spending and the training of one million specialists. AI laboratories are also planned at 15 universities. A smaller supercomputer is already operating, and preparations are underway to acquire a more powerful system.
The high share of technical graduates demonstrates Uzbekistan’s workforce potential but says little about the structure of its domestic IT industry. Developing software for foreign clients generates export revenue and creates jobs. Producing its own software products requires more investment in research and marketing, including reaching customers abroad.
Kyrgyzstan: Global Leaders in Individual Indicators
Kyrgyzstan climbed four places to 92nd. It also ranks eighth in education expenditure and 15th in microfinance. That said, in most cases the country is developing from a low base.
In October 2024, then-Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Akylbek Japarov reported that only three of the 49 measures planned for that year under the digital transformation program had been completed. At a government meeting, agencies were criticized for delays and poor coordination. While those figures from two years ago do not necessarily describe the program’s current state of implementation, they illustrate the problems encountered during its rollout.
Tajikistan: Clean Energy Amid Seasonal Electricity Shortages
Tajikistan ranks 112th overall but stands out in two categories. WIPO places the country first in utility models and 12th in the use of low-carbon energy.
A high ranking for utility model applications does not mean these inventions have been manufactured or sold.
Tajikistan’s reliance on hydroelectric plants gives its electricity mix a high proportion of low-carbon energy.
Behind these figures lies a familiar problem for Tajikistan’s industry: seasonal restrictions on electricity supply. The share of hydropower in the energy mix and the reliability of electricity supply measure different aspects of the energy system.
Construction continues on the Rogun Hydropower Plant, the country’s largest energy project. How effectively the country can turn its energy potential into reliable power for industry will likely influence its future innovation performance.
Turkmenistan: Outside the Rankings
Turkmenistan is absent from the GII, leaving a significant gap in the regional picture. Nevertheless, Ashgabat has also announced a transition toward a digital economy.
In October 2025, the authorities approved the Concept for the Development of the Digital Economy in Turkmenistan for 2026–2028. The stated priorities include electronic government services and industrial digitalization, along with AI and workforce training.
Technology Plans and Economic Realities
For all the differences between Central Asian countries, technology policy across the region still relies heavily on government initiatives and investment.
The private sector, however, follows its own economic logic. Governments can pay for computing capacity or engineering programs, but the use of this equipment or the employment prospects for graduates depend on demand from customers and businesses.
Kazakhstan’s Economic Research Institute, in its analysis of the GII 2026 results, points to the need to expand venture capital financing and turn more scientific research into commercial products.
There is also a timing issue. Many programs run through 2028–2030, while the innovation index draws on statistics from previous years. The impact of recently launched projects will become apparent later, provided they find practical applications in the economy.
