Translated with AI
On May 11, 2026, the "Tajik-China Digital Business Connect" IT forum was held in Beijing at the initiative of the Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies under the President of Tajikistan. The event was organized as part of the state visit of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to China, according to the Council on Artificial Intelligence of Tajikistan.
On the sidelines of the forum, the Council on Artificial Intelligence under the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan and the Chinese company IAT Automobile Technology Co., Ltd., which works in the field of autonomous AI systems for transport, signed a memorandum of understanding.
The document provides for cooperation in the field of intelligent transport systems, AI mobility, robotics, and AI infrastructure.
One of the key areas of the partnership will be the creation of IAT's Automotive AI Innovation Hub (TAI Lab) within Area AI, a specialized AI free zone being established in Dushanbe. This R&D hub will be the first AI lab in Central Asia in the field of transportation and mobility.
As part of the collaboration, the parties intend to develop "green" AI infrastructure and GPU clusters, autonomous mobility, smart cities, and intelligent transport infrastructure, as well as research in the fields of synthetic data and computer vision.
In addition, the collaboration includes exploring the possibility of creating industrial components for autonomous AI systems and developing educational programs in the field of AI engineering.
IAT's R&D hub will reportedly be located in Area AI 1.0, the project office of the Area AI international consortium, which is already operating in Dushanbe.
IAT Automobile Technology Co., Ltd. is one of China's leading companies in automotive engineering and AI-based intelligent transportation solutions. The company specializes in autonomous vehicle technologies and is publicly traded on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange with a market capitalization of RMB 5.7 billion.
