Uzbekistan: The 38th International Olympiad in Informatics comes to the Land of "Algorithm"

Summary:

• Nearly 400 of the world's top young programmers, from more than 97 countries, gathered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in August 2026.
• Being deeply involved in talents cultivation around the world Huawei joined international contest in the heart of Central Asia.

[Tashkent, Uzbekistan, September 15, 2026] From August 9–16, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, hosted the 38th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) — the oldest and most prestigious competitive programming contest for secondary school students in the world, held annually since 1989. It is the first time the Olympiad comes to Central Asia region. IOI 2026 is organized on behalf of Uzbekistan by the Ministry of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Preschool and School Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the IT Education Association, and the Center for Digital Education Development.

386 students from more than 97 countries, accompanying delegations, honored guests, and members of the International Committee, more than 900 participants in total headed to Uzbekistan capital for an eight-day program built around five-hour algorithmic problem-solving rounds, technical workshops, and cultural exchange across Tashkent.

IOI 2026 in CAEx Uzbekistan (Central Asian Expo Uzbekistan), Tashkent

"The right to host the International Olympiad in Informatics in Tashkent is the result of many years of consistent work to develop IT education, support talented youth, and build a modern digital ecosystem," Sherzod Shermatov, Minister of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan, said at the opening ceremony. "Hosting IOI 2026 has become international recognition of these efforts. We view IOI 2026 not as a one-off reputational event, but as part of the 'Digital Uzbekistan — 2030' strategy. The earlier young talent encounters the highest world standard, the faster a new generation of specialists capable of competing in the global market is born. In August, Tashkent becomes the place where 386 of the world's best young minds will see Uzbekistan as we see it — an open, ambitious, and growing technological country."

The country has been building out its digital infrastructure, offering preferential tax regimes for the sector through IT Park Uzbekistan, and leaning into its demographic advantage — more than 60% of the country's population is under 30. It stands as a country systematically investing in digital technology and education, encouraging thousands of students toward programming, mathematics, and other STEM fields, and opening doors for international cooperation and exchange between specialists from different countries. With delegations arrived from more than 90 countries, the event also gave many visitors their first direct exposure to Central Asia — and a chance to see Tashkent's growing tech ecosystem firsthand.

Huawei Tech Arena at IOI 2026

For Huawei, it is honorable to be the part of IOI 2026 in the heart of Ancient Silk Road and in the homeland of Al-Khwarezmi – the father of algebra, whose name is the origin of “Algorithm”. In the special Tech Arena zone IOI participants were open to communicate with Huawei experts, to learn their experience of career building in R&D sphere, to solve logic puzzles and to test new intellectual devices. Tech Talk lecture held by Huawei expert helped students to explore how competitive algorithm skills transition from contest environments to solving real industrial challenges.

Chen Jieping from Huawei R&D gives a speech at Tech Talks

Being deeply involved in ICT talents cultivation around the world Huawei fully understands the importance of such international contests. On annual basis it supports key global competitions in STEM, including recent the 56th International Physics Olympiad 2026 in Colombia, the 67th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO 2026) in China, the 58th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) hosted by Uzbekistan and the 3rd International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) in Kazakhstan. For many years Company collaborates with IOI organizing committee in joint pursuit to provide the opportunity for the participants to compete in their knowledge, solve real-time challenges, gain new experience from internationals peers and expand horizons for further career paths.

Huawei Tech Arena at IOI 2026

In Uzbekistan, Huawei has been operating for more than 26 years advancing tech innovations for local digital infrastructure and providing comprehensive training programs to support talent development in the sector. Company’s vision on development of sustainable talent ecosystem based on openness, collaboration, and shared success for the whole industry reflects in its own educational initiatives launched in Central Asia region. Well-known Huawei ICT Academy and Huawei ICT Competition are both highly supported by local governments, universities and educational ecosystem partners and attract thousands of students annually. Collaboration of Huawei in Uzbekistan in terms of “Five million AI Leaders” program opens access to advanced AI courses and cutting-edge technologies to wider society and help to nurture future digital talents and get ready for a more sustainable and intelligent world.