Azerbaijan cites 50-plus initiatives in new digital strategy to attract AI data centres
C4IR's Fariz Jafarov said Azerbaijan's energy surplus and a "Digital Economy Development Strategy for 2026-2029" with over 50 initiatives aim to draw hyperscale AI data centres, speaking at AIIF 2026 on 26 September.
Azerbaijan's energy surplus and a new national digital strategy built around more than 50 initiatives are the country's main pitch for hosting artificial intelligence data centres, Fariz Jafarov, Executive Director of the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR, which Report.az abbreviates as 4SIM), said at the Second Azerbaijan International Investment Forum (AIIF 2026) in Baku on 26 September 2026, according to Report.az.
What Jafarov said
- Energy: Jafarov said energy-rich Azerbaijan is becoming a supplier of "a key element of artificial intelligence — electricity for data centers," noting that many countries pursuing data-centre projects face energy shortages.
- Five pillars: international analyses show AI rests on "electricity and critical infrastructure, data and models," the "application and adaptation of AI tools" by organisations, and "talent, education and governance," he said, adding that human talent is needed to turn "any theoretical idea, strategy or policy into action."
- Priority to 2030: Jafarov said one of Azerbaijan's main priorities is "to transform oil capital into human capital."
- Data centres: in a separate Report.az account of the same panel, Jafarov said Azerbaijan's chief advantage in data centres is connecting regional and global markets, and that cooperation with global technology firms is expanding under the "Digital Economy Development Strategy in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2026-2029," which "currently includes more than 50 initiatives" designed to create incentives for hyperscale operators to build data centres serving local, regional and global markets.
Why it matters
Jafarov's remarks add an official framework — a named 2026-2029 strategy with a specific initiative count — to a week of Azerbaijani statements courting AI infrastructure investment, following a deputy minister's disclosure of "final stage" data-centre talks in the Alat Free Economic Zone and a signed Oracle technology agreement, both on the same forum's sidelines. Report.az gave no breakdown of the 50-plus initiatives, their cost or a timeline for adoption.
What it means for Azerbaijani companies
The new strategy sits alongside Azerbaijan's Artificial Intelligence Strategy for 2025-2028, approved by presidential decree, which already lists infrastructure accessibility among its goals. For local cloud, hosting and systems-integration firms, a named incentive framework aimed at hyperscalers signals where public support may concentrate next, though without a published initiative list or budget, companies cannot yet identify specific programmes to apply for.
