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Former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili stated in a Facebook post on February 14 that the company NVIDIA would produce chips in Armenia. “The world’s leading technology company NVIDIA is investing billions in chip production in Armenia,” the former Georgian official wrote.
However, the Fact Investigation Platform has revealed that Saakashvili’s statement is false and inaccurate.
What is actually planned
NVIDIA is a major American technology company founded in 1993. Initially, it produced graphics processing units (GPUs) for computers and gaming, but today it is considered one of the global leaders in artificial intelligence (AI).
The announcement regarding investments in Armenia by the companies Firebird and NVIDIA was made on June 11, 2025. It announced the creation of a $500 million Artificial Intelligence data center in Armenia.
According to the announcement, the project is a large-scale collaborative initiative involving approximately $500 million in investment to build an AI supercomputer and data center, where NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs will be installed to perform large-scale computations. The goal of the project is to position Armenia as a regional AI hub, develop local talent, and foster innovation.
NVIDIA is joining the initiative as a systems technology partner, while Firebird is the co-implementing company that will continue to lead investments and related work.
Firebird’s co-founder and CEO, Razmig Hovaghimian, stated that the project is aimed at building high-performance AI infrastructure and developing an innovative ecosystem.
Nowhere in the announcement is there any mention of chip production.
None of the joint statements by Firebird and NVIDIA indicate that chips will be produced in Armenia.
The initiative was also discussed at the Government session on June 12, 2025, where there was likewise no mention of chip production in Armenia.
About the chips
No chip manufacturing is envisaged in NVIDIA’s announced plans. The presented projects relate to the import and use of chips, not their production.
Within the framework of the AI project being built in Armenia, working units powered by NVIDIA chips (GPUs) will be installed in the data center. These chips are imported exclusively from the United States with the appropriate export license.
The fact that this license has already been granted was announced by U.S. Vice President JD Vance during his visit to Armenia:
“We also jointly underscored the significant achievements in bilateral relations, including in the fields of artificial intelligence and innovative technologies. I am pleased to note that the memorandum signed between Armenia and the United States on August 8 in the field of semiconductors and artificial intelligence will bring to life the megaproject of the company Firebird building an artificial intelligence plant and data center in Armenia. In this regard, one should note the recent approval of the issuance of export permits for the next batch of super-powerful chips produced by NVIDIA, for exportation to Armenia.”
The fact that these chips are not manufactured in Armenia was also stated by the Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry of Armenia, Gevorg Mantashyan:
“The 500 million USD will be invested in the U.S. economy, not ours, as we do not manufacture those chips; NVIDIA does. When speaking about the value, it is not about direct investments—there seems to be a misunderstanding. The 500 million refers to the value of those chips. Those chips belong to NVIDIA, that is the U.S. economy.”
The false post by the former President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, was circulated by several Armenian media outlets, including radar{.}am, tert{.}am, armtimes{.}am, 1in{.}am, factor{.}am.
Thus, neither official statements nor the plans presented by the Government provide for chip production in Armenia. The discussion concerns the import of already produced chips. Therefore, Saakashvili’s claim that the company will produce chips in Armenia is false and inconsistent with the published facts.
Hasmik Hambardzumyan
