Armenia advances vision of AI infrastructure development at Yerevan Dialogue 2

Armenia’s High-Tech Industry Minister Mkhitar Hayrapetyan has highlighted the country’s artificial intelligence strategy and plans for large-scale investment in AI infrastructure, emphasizing sovereign AI development, public–private cooperation, and the integration of advanced technologies across the economy during a panel discussion at Yerevan Dialogue 2026.

Hayrapetyan participated in the “AI Sovereignty and Scale: Governing Frontier Technologies in a Competitive World” panel discussion alongside Omran Sharaf, UAE Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology; Christos Harpantidis, Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Philip Morris International; and Arsen Babayan, Chief Technology Officer, Ineco Group.

During the discussion, issues related to the development and effective governance of artificial intelligence were addressed, as well as the importance of ensuring technological sovereignty amid global competition, in the context of technological progress, security, and the resilience of democratic systems.

During the panel discussion, Minister Hayrapetyan referred to Armenia’s initiative to establish an artificial intelligence factory in cooperation with NVIDIA and Firebird AI, noting that a roadmap has already been presented, which envisages more than $4 billion in investments. He emphasized that the program is aimed not only at creating computational capacity, but also at the comprehensive and phased integration of AI across all sectors of Armenia’s economy.

The minister also presented the concept of “Armenia as a garden of AI factories,” highlighting the country’s energy potential. He noted that the Government of Armenia encourages investments in the energy sector, ensuring the efficient use of generated energy for the operation of AI data centers as well.

According to Hayrapetyan, the development of sovereign AI requires not only computing power, but also protected data, model development, and the formation of language ecosystems. In this regard, the state and the private sector are working closely together with the aim of gradually realizing this vision.

The minister outlined three priority directions: investment in human capital development, support for the private sector, and public administration reforms. In education, emphasis is placed on the introduction of AI tools and access to high-performance computing resources through the AI Virtual Institute, which cooperates with Amazon Web Services and Firebird AI.

In the private sector, the government encourages innovation and research, supporting companies in transitioning from outsourcing to product development, while also ensuring access to computing resources. In public administration, the focus is on digitalization and the application of AI solutions to promote smart governance.

The minister also referred to the application of AI in scientific research and development, emphasizing that high-performance computing resources can significantly accelerate innovation processes.