Insider Brief
- Firebird launched an Nvidia-based AI factory in Hrazdan, Armenia, and plans to scale the site beyond 70,000 Nvidia Blackwell and Vera Rubin GPUs and 300 megawatts of capacity by the end of 2027.
- Nvidia intends to invest in Firebird following an earlier CoreWeave investment, while Schneider Electric, Vertiv and Dell Technologies supplied electrical, cooling and infrastructure systems for the facility.
- Firebird is expanding beyond Armenia into Kazakhstan and other markets, targeting about 2 gigawatts of global AI infrastructure capacity by the end of 2028, with Perplexity named as one of the Armenia facility’s first customers.
Firebird has launched its Nvidia-based AI factory in Armenia and outlined plans to scale the site to more than 70,000 Nvidia GPUs by the end of 2027 as it expands computing infrastructure across emerging markets.
According to Firebird, Nvidia also intends to invest in the company, following an investment by CoreWeave earlier this year. The company did not disclose the size or terms of either investment.
The new facility in Hrazdan, Armenia, was built using Nvidia’s DSX AI Factory reference design and Spectrum-X Ethernet networking. Firebird said the site is part of its three-phase expansion in Armenia will use Nvidia Blackwell and Vera Rubin platforms as it works toward 300 megawatts of AI infrastructure capacity.
“As AI becomes foundational infrastructure for every modern economy, countries need trusted partners who can deliver secure, scalable AI platforms fast, ” Firebird co-founder and CEO Razmig Hovaghimian said in the announcement. “Firebird combines proven execution, deep partnerships with NVIDIA and leading infrastructure providers, U.S. regulatory expertise, and a growing international pipeline. Within two years, we expect our global AI infrastructure platform to reach about 2 GWs of capacity, enabling frontier markets to participate directly in the global AI economy.”
Firebird reported its infrastructure is designed to increase the number of GPUs that can be operated within a given physical and power footprint. The company indicated the architecture can support up to 40% more GPUs in the same space, improving the amount of computing capacity available from each megawatt.
The Project
According to Nvidia, the Hrazdan facility was completed in just over six months, with Schneider Electric supplying the electrical infrastructure needed to bring the AI systems online. That included medium- and low-voltage switchgear, three-phase uninterruptible power supplies and rack enclosures designed to support the facility’s accelerated deployment schedule.
Vertiv supplied the cooling system, combining chilled-water technology, controls and its TrimCooler heat-rejection system. Nvidia said Vertiv’s iCOM CWM Chilled Water Manager coordinates cooling resources across the site, allowing the system to adjust as thermal demand changes with AI workloads.
The Armenia facility also uses infrastructure from Dell Technologies. Firebird said the deployment is intended to support so-called sovereign AI, in which countries maintain domestic computing capacity for developing and operating AI systems.
“Just over six months ago, this was an empty construction site,” noted Firebird co-founder Alexander Yesayan. “Today, it is the region’s largest operational AI factory and the foundation of one of Europe’s most ambitious AI infrastructure programs.”
Firebird’s Roadmap
The Armenia project is the first part of Firebird’s expansion strategy, the company said, noting that Kazakhstan has become its second market. The project, where it has secured 125 megawatts of AI infrastructure capacity at Data Center Valley, has received approvals from the Kazakhstan government and export authorization from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, according to the company.
“AI factories are the infrastructure nations need to create intelligence, drive economic growth and compete in the age of AI,” said Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang. “Together with Firebird, we are building AI infrastructure across Armenia and Kazakhstan that will give researchers, startups and industries the computing foundation to develop AI at home, attract innovators from around the world and participate in the global AI economy.”
Firebird also named Perplexity as one of the first customers for the new facility. The AI company will use Firebird’s computing infrastructure to support its answer engine and AI-powered digital coworker platform, according to Firebird.
Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said at the facility’s inauguration, “Exactly one year after signing the U.S. – Armenia Memorandum of Understanding on AI and technology cooperation with President Donald Trump, we are now seeing this major achievement.”
In February, Firebird advanced the second phase of its AI supercomputing project in Armenia after securing U.S. export licensing for an additional 41,000 Nvidia GB300 GPUs, bringing total planned investment to about $4 billion. The expansion builds on a $500 million first phase and is intended to support large-scale AI training and inference while expanding Armenia’s role as a destination for advanced U.S.-designed AI infrastructure.
Image credit: Firebird
