Virtual Institute of AI launched in Armenia – Minister

YEREVAN, July 9. /ARKA/. The Virtual Institute of Artificial Intelligence, an open platform for innovation, has been launched in Armenia, announced Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, the Minister of High-Tech Industry.

"The platform is designed to unite AI innovators, technology companies, researchers, and IT creators," Hayrapetyan wrote in a Facebook post.

According to Hayrapetyan, the Virtual Institute of AI is an ecosystem with a clear mission where revolutionary ideas are revealed and implemented, innovations meet capital and implementation prospects, and technologies aim to serve the real world.

Hayrapetyan noted that technology giants Amazon Web Services (AWS) and AI champion Mistral AI have joined the launch to support Armenia's national mission and stimulate advanced research, innovation, and product development. The minister also said that, as part of the collaboration, AWS will provide solution architects with technical expert support, training resources, and best practices to promote AI in Armenia through cloud technologies, as part of an expanded partnership with the ministry.

Mistral AI will provide expert support and access to its advanced AI platform and open weighted models under special conditions. They will also provide free access to the API (application programming interface) for select laureates. This will give researchers and startups the opportunity to work with today's most powerful AI tools," he said.

Hayrapetyan also said that highly qualified mentors and technical consultants will be involved to support participants at all stages of the program. Selected startups and researchers will receive recognition on the AI Marketplace platform and personalized support to enter local and international markets. -0-