KI-Industrie: Wie Trumps Nvidia-Deal Armenien zum KI-Hotspot macht

Armenia is emerging as a significant hub for American AI infrastructure. In August, a data center owned by San Francisco-based startup Firebird began operations in the city of Hrazdan, located 45 kilometers from the capital Yerevan. By the end of next year, the facility aims to expand to 300 megawatts and house over 70,000 advanced Nvidia chips.

One-fifth of the computational power will be reserved for Armenia's own use – research, government, and local startups – while the rest will be utilized by foreign companies, including US company Perplexity AI. Firebird, whose founders have Armenian roots, refers to the complex as the largest computing cluster in the region, potentially even competing with the largest globally.

This gives the country economic weight in a strategically important area: the South Caucasus and neighboring Central Asia, where superpowers compete for a trade corridor bypassing Russia. The case demonstrates how Trump's chip export rules from the Joe Biden administration are being used to achieve objectives that extend beyond technology policy, while publicly criticizing the previous government's approach.

The deal also highlights the ambition of a country of around three million people to secure a central role in the AI era in a region rapidly changing. Chips as a peace lever The data center has already played a role in the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This treaty ended decades of conflict, which claimed tens of thousands of lives, over a disputed area.

According to those familiar with the discussions, Trump's team offered Nvidia export approval to advance peace talks with Armenia, paving the way for the US-mediated agreement with Azerbaijan. This was first reported by the "Wall Street Journal". "Sovereignty is a key issue for Armenia, even under Soviet rule," says Rich Goldman, who founded the Armenian division of chip design company Synopsys, a key Nvidia partner.

The White House declined to comment. A spokesman for Prime Minister Nikol Paschinjan said he had a clear mandate for peace with Azerbaijan. The bilateral agreements signed in Washington, including those on semiconductors and artificial intelligence, are seen as an important peace dividend for Armenia. In Armenia, the chip export licenses are partly the result of peace negotiations with Azerbaijan.

The still unsigned agreement paves the way for a central transport corridor through Armenia - from Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nagorno-Karabakh on the Turkish border. The so-called "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity" (Tripp) is to be jointly managed by the US and Yerevan. Contacts to Nvidia date back to 2019 when Paschinjan visited Santa Clara - years before the AI boom sparked by ChatGPT.

Hakob Arshakyan, Armenia's former high-tech minister and today chairman of a foundation promoting Armenian innovation, mediated the visit. Nvidia set up a presence in Yerevan in 2022 and relocated engineers from Moscow there after Russia's major attack on Ukraine. In 2023, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited the country. Firebird's CEO Razmig Hovaghimian says this was a key building block for the later founding of the startup.

The same year, Armenia distanced itself from Russia, its largest trading partner and main arms supplier up to that point. Yerevan accused Moscow of failing to uphold a defense pact and not preventing Azerbaijan's advances into Armenian territory following Baku's capture of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, triggering a wave of Armenian refugees.

In response, Yerevan sought closer ties with the West, including in the technology sector, where the country traditionally has well-educated professionals. Washington initially hindered these plans, fearing Armenia could become a conduit for American hardware ultimately benefiting Vladimir Putin's war machine in Ukraine. New trust in Armenia - and thus new investors Firebird and its partners reportedly submitted first applications for Nvidia chip purchases as early as early 2025, before the company officially launched.

A first license package had been obtained before the peace summit in August of that year. Diplomatic talks at the time did not involve Firebird, according to the company's spokesman. "Both the Armenian and American governments have supported our vision and growth plans in Armenia," says Firebird CEO Hovaghimian. "Peace and regional stability create the prerequisites for investments, innovation, growth, and global partnerships to thrive."

"Armenia has exceptional technical talent and a vibrant, growing innovation ecosystem. That's why we invested early in its future," explained an Nvidia spokesperson. "We know that Armenia can create economic opportunities, which in turn strengthens regional relations and lays the foundation for lasting stability."