Firebird AI factory, financed by Ardshinbank, officially opens in Armenia
YEREVAN, August 12. /ARKA/. Firebird has launched the region's largest artificial intelligence factory in the town of Hrazdan, powered by NVIDIA DSX AI.
The official opening ceremony of the Firebird AI factory was attended by Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang, NVIDIA Vice President Rev Lebaredyan, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in Armenia David Allen, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Zhaslan Madiyev, as well as representatives of government, diplomatic, technology, and business circles.
Also present at the event were Ardshinbank Chairman of the Board Artak Ananyan, Board Member and Corporate Business Director Armen Gasparyan, and other bank representatives.
At the key stage of the factory's creation and financing, Ardshinbank acted as the initiator and lead financial institution, forming a syndicate of six financial institutions for the first time in the history of the Armenian financial and banking system, the bank's press service reported.
"For Ardshinbank, participation in this project is more than just financing. We attach great importance to the fact that Armenia's financial system supports the implementation of a technological project of global significance and contributes to the country's positioning as a center of high technology and innovation. The development of artificial intelligence today creates not only technological but also new economic opportunities, and the necessary infrastructure is becoming an important prerequisite for attracting new investments and business development," noted Artak Ananyan, Chairman of the Board of Ardshinbank.
The total investment volume in the first stage of the AI Factory project amounted to $450 million. As part of this transaction, unprecedented in the history of the Armenian financial and banking system, the syndicate participants united around a single mega-project, providing $300 million in financing to Firebird.
"This transaction marks an important step for the Armenian financial market. The unification of six financial institutions around a single major technology project allowed us to consolidate banking and investment capital, generating the necessary financing for such a large scale. The project's launch already demonstrates that this financing is transforming into real infrastructure and new opportunities for the Armenian economy and international technological cooperation," noted Armen Gasparyan, Ardshinbank Management Board Member and Corporate Business Director.
The syndicate, in addition to Ardshinbank, includes ACBA Bank, Evocabank, Fast Bank, C-Quadrat Ampega Asset Management Armenia, and Amundi-ACBA Asset Management Fund.
Ardshinbank is one of Armenia's leading banks. It provides a wide range of universal banking services, offering solutions in retail, corporate, investment, private banking, and asset management.
Ardshinbank has over 912,000 clients, served by approximately 2,400 employees. The bank has a powerful multi-channel service platform, including comprehensive mobile and online banking systems, as well as the country's largest branch network—73 offices—and a representative office in Paris.
Ardshinbank is the only company in Armenia rated by three leading global rating agencies: Standard & Poor's (BB- (stable)), Moody's (Ba3 (positive)) and Fitch (BB- (positive)). The bank's rating corresponds to the rating level of the Republic of Armenia, which is the best possible indicator for assessing the rating of a private organization.
The bank's activities are regulated by the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia.-0-
