Armenia emerges as AI infrastructure hub via Firebird data center

September 22, 2026 at 09:00 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Firebird, a San Francisco-based startup, began operating a data center in Hrazdan, Armenia, in August, set to reach 300 megawatts and over 70,000 Nvidia chips by end of next year. A fifth of its computing power is reserved for domestic use, with the remainder allocated to foreign firms including Perplexity AI. The complex is on track to be the largest computing cluster in the region and among the largest in Europe.

Key Facts

Firebird's data center in Hrazdan, Armenia, began operations in August and is set to reach 300 megawatts and over 70,000 Nvidia chips by the end of next year.
A fifth of the data center's computing power is reserved for domestic use, with the remainder allocated to foreign firms including Perplexity AI.
The complex is on track to be the largest computing cluster in the region and would rank among the largest in Europe, according to Firebird.
President Donald Trump's team promised permission for Nvidia exports to advance conversations with Armenia toward a US-brokered peace accord with Azerbaijan.

Firebird Data Center

Firebird, a San Francisco-based startup founded by individuals of Armenian descent, began operations of a data center in Hrazdan, about 45 kilometers outside Yerevan, in August. The facility is set to reach 300 megawatts and more than 70,000 cutting-edge Nvidia Corp. chips by the end of next year. A fifth of its computing power is reserved for domestic use to power local research, government, and startup ecosystems, while the remainder is allocated to foreign firms including Perplexity AI. Firebird states the complex is on track to be the largest computing cluster in the region and would rank among the largest in Europe.

AI Diplomacy and Regional Impact

The data center played a role in securing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan after decades of conflict over a disputed territory. President Donald Trump's team promised permission for Nvidia exports to advance conversations with Armenia on the way to a historic US-brokered accord with Azerbaijan, according to people involved in the talks. The role of Nvidia chips in that deal, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, exemplifies Trump's unorthodox approach to AI diplomacy. Trump's team utilizes certain chip export regulations introduced under the Joe Biden administration while criticizing their predecessors' broader approach. The development underscores Armenia's ambitions to carve out a role in the fast-changing region and how Yerevan's years of work to lay the foundation for tech investment are paying off.