Forbes on Armenia as a Future Geopolitical Center and Its AI Data Center Project with Nvidia
YEREVAN, December 8. /ARKA/. The Forbes Magazine has an extensive story about Armenia's transformation into a small but significant geopolitical center, as well as its $500 million AI data center project to be carried out together with Nvidia.
The story recalls that the U.S. government recently approved the deployment of the chips into the data center, which will be operated by a joint Armenian-American company, Firebird.AI.
The ambitious Firebird.AI initiative is the latest in a wave of diaspora-led investments, which have included the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, which brought hundreds of global development experts to the country about a decade ago, and a United World College school in the north of the country.
The story highlights Armenia's strategic location near Iran and Turkey, as well as its innovative economy, which will now be supported by a $500 million data center equipped with Nvidia chips. Among the projects implemented in Armenia with diaspora support, Forbes cited the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and the establishment of the United World College in Dilijan.
The publication also notes that economic development in Armenia coexists with the consequences of unresolved regional conflicts.
It says that Russian-Armenian entrepreneur Ruben Vardanyan, one of the first diaspora investors to engage in the country's revival after decades of Soviet rule, remains in custody in Azerbaijan (following the 2020 events in Nagorno-Karabakh - ed.). Vardanyan financed the creation of the UWC school. His case highlights a key paradox of the new world order: business actors wield enormous influence, but without state protection, they are exposed to enormous risks.
The article notes that while the United States still has a strategic influence through the business community and through its controls over chip export licenses, Western Europe is also stepping up its soft power presence in Armenia (and Eastern Europe).
It says the European Union has launched targeted ecosystem-building initiatives in Armenia, aiming to foster education, startup incubation, and regulatory support. While the U.S. traditionally led global entrepreneurial ecosystem development, Europe is now stepping in, supporting Armenian entrepreneurs through grants, mentorship, and integration into European markets.
According to Forbes, young Armenians are increasingly looking to Europe for higher education and access to international technology networks—and to fulfill their role in Armenia's development.-0-