Armenian tech union plans expansion, AI focus in 2025

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia’s Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE) plans to build on its 2024 achievements in 2025 through several strategic initiatives. Key objectives include continuous membership growth, modernization of over 100 "Armath" laboratories, elevating the DigiTec expo to international prominence, and inviting 10 leading venture capital firms and 10 top AI specialists to Armenia. These goals were outlined by UATE’s Executive Director, Sargis Karapetyan.

According to Karapetyan, 2024 was a period of significant progress for the union, as reported by Armenpress.

"The number of UATE members has doubled, reaching 216. We also organized the largest DigiTec exhibition in our history. Additionally, we upgraded over 50 Armath workshops, which were in need of renovation since their establishment. In 2025, we plan to increase the budget for Armath instructors’ salaries by 97 million drams, which is 45 million drams more than last year. Furthermore, 17 new workshops were launched in 2024, and more are expected in 2025. By the end of the year, we aim to modernize over 100 workshops, improving the overall quality of education."

Another major milestone was hosting the WCIT 2024 global tech summit in Yerevan, attended by over 80 delegations, nearly 500 international guests, investors, and entrepreneurs. Attendees explored DigiTec and Armenia’s tech ecosystem, while 14 international media outlets covered the event extensively.

Karapetyan highlighted another key accomplishment: UATE’s inclusion in Armenia’s top 1,000 taxpayers, contributing 73% of the IT sector’s tax revenue.

Discussing industry challenges, he noted that while government bodies, including the Parliament and Cabinet, are highly engaged in the tech sector, more effective collaboration frameworks are needed.

"A major challenge is the 20% appreciation of the dram, significantly impacting the profitability of companies working with foreign contracts. Previously, these firms operated with 15-30% profit margins, but those figures have dropped sharply.

Another critical issue is the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, leading to increased automation. This especially affects junior and mid-level developers. Previously, one experienced engineer supervised about 10 junior developers, but now a single expert can perform the same work independently. As a result, Armenia lost approximately 2,000 tech jobs in 2024."

Looking ahead to 2025, Karapetyan emphasized the importance of uniting the tech community and surpassing 300 UATE members.

"We have outlined detailed plans for Armath development. We aim to elevate DigiTec to an internationally recognized level.

A key initiative is inviting 10 venture capital firms from the world’s top 100 and 10 leading AI specialists to Armenia. This will enable our community to establish new partnerships, enhance cooperation, and develop competitive products for the global market. At the same time, investors will gain deeper insights into Armenia’s investment environment and opportunities."