The fifth meeting of the Science and Technology Development Council under the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia was held under the leadership of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

The agenda included the draft state programs for the development of the semiconductor industry, robotics and artificial intelligence, the draft strategic program for the development of the high-tech sector, and the draft on the further activities of the Science and Technology Development Council under the Prime Minister of Armenia.

Before presenting the agenda items, Vice President of the National Assembly Hakob Arshakyan noted in his introductory speech that within the framework of the agreement signed between Armenia and the United States on August 8, which also includes points of cooperation between Armenia and the United States in the field of robotics, artificial intelligence and semiconductors, new opportunities have been created in Armenia for the development of these areas and the two projects being presented are specifically on semiconductors, artificial intelligence and robotics. According to him, these projects are the result of extensive work in cooperation with working groups, private partners, as well as the Armenian Innovation Foundation.

Anahit Sargsyan, Director of the Armenian Innovation Foundation, presented details on the draft State Program for the Development of the Semiconductor Industry. First, the global picture of the semiconductor industry was discussed, emphasizing that artificial intelligence is expanding the economic impact of the industry at an unprecedented rate. Details were presented on the semiconductor R&D centers operating in Armenia, Armenia’s position in semiconductor business, education, and infrastructure development. Anahit Sargsyan touched upon the vision for the development of Armenia’s semiconductor engineering ecosystem by 2032, and in this context, highlighted the prospects for human capital development and economic impact.

ARCS.ai Board Vice President Karen Eguiazarian presented details on the draft State Program for the Development of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, touched upon the decisive role of robotics and artificial intelligence in the modern technological race, and the opportunities for the development of existing infrastructure in Armenia. The speaker presented the work to be done in the areas of talent attraction, educational and research priorities, the prospects for ecosystem formation, and economic impact.

Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry Ruben Simonyan, in turn, noted that, as he presented at the previous session, work on the draft strategic program for the development of the high-tech sector continues and during this period, work on the development of an action plan has been carried out. Accordingly, work is being carried out to finalize strategic targets with the Government and stakeholders, to validate pillar-level measures with public stakeholders, and to hold consultations with the technological and academic community on feasibility and alignment with Armenia's strategic directions. It was emphasized that the strategic program focuses on two areas: AI engineering and smart digital systems and Deep-Tech engineering, prototyping and embedded systems as the main pillars of the development of the high-tech ecosystem and the basis for coordinated growth in priority areas.

Vice President of the National Assembly Hakob Arshakyan presented the draft on the further activities of the Council for the Development of Science and Technology of Armenia under the Prime Minister, and touched upon the issue of adding new members to the Council.

The council members presented their observations and suggestions on the presented projects. The importance of combining the projects with the programs implemented and planned by the Government was emphasized, from the point of view of the most effective implementation of the latter.

Summing up the discussions and emphasizing the importance of economic transformation through high technologies, the Prime Minister instructed those responsible to organize working discussions within the framework of the presented projects and present the institutional mechanisms for their implementation.