Thousands of Russian Students Are to Become Top AI and IT Specialists in 2026
Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development is expanding its own training programs for the IT workforce.
The Ministry of Digital Development of Russia has launched a set of in-house training initiatives aimed at building talent for the country’s IT sector. More than 6,500 students are expected to take part in the programs this year, according to the ministry’s press service.
The focus is on two education tracks – TOP-AI and TOP-IT. These are specialized programs based at leading universities across the country, combining academic training with hands-on work at major digital companies from the first year of study.
A Talent Pipeline for the Economy
TOP-AI specialists are being trained through 72 academic programs at 22 Russian universities. Students are not only studying, but also taking part in research, developing their own AI models, designing training methods for artificial intelligence technologies, solving applied problems, and fine-tuning existing neural networks. By 2030, at least 10,000 people are expected to complete advanced training in artificial intelligence.
The TOP-IT track includes 53 programs across 26 universities. Here, the emphasis is on solving applied tasks provided by IT companies. Around 4,000 specialists are expected to be trained under this track by 2030. Together, the two programs are designed to form a comprehensive system for developing talent in one of the economy’s most critical sectors.
