$4 billion investment and 100,000 GPUs: Pashinyan attends the opening of the 'AI Factory'

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan toured the factory, familiarizing himself with the company’s technical capabilities and upcoming projects. He was informed that this project being implemented in Armenia reflects the developing technological cooperation between the USA and Armenia, creating new opportunities for joint development in high technology, innovation, and artificial intelligence.

It was noted that the Armenian government acts as a strategic partner in this project, supporting the establishment of advanced AI infrastructure in Armenia and the development of Armenia as a regional technological center.

A ceremonial event followed, attended by members of the Armenian government, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev, co-founders of the 'Firebird AI' center Alexander Yesayan and Razmik Hovakimyan, Vice President for Physical AI Simulation at NVIDIA Rev Leberedyan, diplomats, and other guests. The Prime Minister welcomed the attendees and stated: 'First, let me congratulate everyone on this occasion and on August 8th in general, because I feel that August 8th is gradually gaining more and more significant importance in the history of the Republic of Armenia. And what is happening today is actually very important, very significant, but it is an event that has many layers in that significance.'

'For a long time, we in the Government have discussed the need to change our perceptions about speed, and when last year Rev Leberedyan, Razmik Hovakimyan, and Alexander Yesayan spoke about their intention to implement such a project within a year, or even less, I must admit it sounded very strange and unusual, but at least I did not show my feelings in that regard. And here we are today, at precisely the agreed time and place. But it must be recorded what has made all this possible. It is quite obvious that the peace summit held in the United States on August 8, 2025, by the initiative and participation of President Trump, has a significant and key importance for today’s event.'

The Prime Minister highlighted that after that event, international agencies have been reevaluating Armenia's sovereign ratings one after another, sending a very clear message to the investment community that Armenia is a place for reliable investments. In the near future, we will focus only on the massive TRIPP project, which will further elevate Armenia’s standing on the international investment map.

'I want to emphasize that the speeds must also reach their culmination. The Prime Minister thanked all those who contributed to creating such a center in Armenia. 'I am sure that many people have made significant contributions to today, but the mood of today’s event is very important, because I realized that we are talking more about the future, about tomorrow, proud of what has already happened.'

'But what has happened is a very great asset, and it is very important how we will move forward on that basis. I want to say it is very interesting how the political and economic processes accompany each other. And in our reality, indeed, it has been discussed at a theoretical level in many instances, but we have not often seen that in reality. And today’s event is a very vivid example of that.'

'The acceleration of events since the establishment of our political strategic relationship with the United States in January 2025 is marked by today’s presence of the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, along with recent discussions with the President of Kazakhstan.' The Prime Minister also emphasized the incredible speed at which relations between Armenia and Kazakhstan are developing.

Referring to the Armenia-Diaspora relationship, Nikol Pashinyan stressed the importance of participating in the development of Armenia, stating: 'Armenia does not need sympathy, I officially state that the Republic of Armenia needs partnership and cooperation, and the Republic of Armenia is a reliable partner.'

'I want to thank all our compatriots for responding to this message from the Government. Today we are discussing entirely different agendas, which is the agenda of the state, the agenda of life, and the agenda of the future. And the future is now, here, today, and you are witnessing that future with your own eyes.'

The factory represents an advanced artificial intelligence computing infrastructure in Armenia, designed for the training and deployment of AI models and solving large-scale and complex computational problems. The first phase of the AI factory is planned near Hrazdan, covering approximately 200,000 square meters, and will be equipped with over 6,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs and around 18 MW of power, with an investment volume of $500 million. Future phases are expected to significantly expand the infrastructure's computing capabilities, forming one of the largest clusters of advanced AI computing capabilities in emerging markets, with total investments exceeding $4 billion to incorporate approximately 50,000 next-generation NVIDIA Vera Rubin GPUs.

The project’s first phase is expected to create around 100 permanent jobs, with employee numbers projected to reach up to 300 in the second phase. On April 17, 2026, a contract for acquiring high-performance computing resources worth $25 million was signed between the Armenian Ministry of High-Tech Industry and Firebird AI, aimed at providing AI specialists, researchers, scientists, research institutions, and startups with the acquired resources.