• OpenAI, The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia, and Firebird are partnering to position Armenia as a global hub for AI-driven education, research, startups, innovation, and venture creation
• OpenAI is supporting the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport & Firebird Labs’ vision by providing technology access and technical support to ensure the benefits of AI extend to learners across the country

YEREVAN, Armenia, May 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Firebird today announced the launch of Firebird Labs, an innovation platform that will invest in, incubate, and co-develop high-ambition technical ventures in Armenia. As first part of the launch, Firebird and The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia are bringing AI access to 50,000 students, teachers, and researchers in Armenia, expanding access to frontier AI tools across the country’s engineering and research community. OpenAI is supporting the initiative by providing technology access, team support and API credits.

The initiative marks a significant milestone in Armenia’s emergence as a global center for AI-driven education and innovation. Through this partnership, founders, engineers, and researchers will gain access to world-class AI tools, infrastructure, and expertise, enabling them to build globally competitive companies and contribute to the next wave of technological innovation.

“The future of technology is not something that will happen years from now. It is being shaped today, in classrooms, universities, and research communities around the world. We believe that meaningful investment in education is one of the most important investments a country can make, especially in the era of artificial intelligence. Armenia has extraordinary talent, and giving students, educators, and researchers access to the world’s most advanced AI tools can help unlock a new generation of innovators and builders. What makes this initiative especially important is the partnership behind it. This is about more than technology, it’s about Armenia’s future,” said Alexander Yesayan, Co-Founder of Firebird.

“Armenia has one of the highest concentrations of engineering talent in the region, supported by a government that is actively investing in its future as a global technology hub,” added Razmig Hovaghimian, Co-Founder and CEO of Firebird. “With Firebird Labs, we aim to give a new generation of builders access to frontier AI models and world-class compute infrastructure so they can innovate and compete on equal footing with the world’s leading AI teams.”

Jayna Devani, International Education Lead at OpenAI, added, “Intelligence is becoming a national utility and education has an important role to play in making sure people have both access to the tools and the skills to use them well. With Firebird’s investment in AI infrastructure and long-term commitment to Armenia’s innovation ecosystem, this collaboration brings together the country’s strong talent base, frontier tools like ChatGPT and Codex, and practical support for students, educators and researchers to help close capability gaps and strengthen the foundations for globally competitive innovation.” 

Armenia is joining a group of leading countries advancing the use of Codex and ChatGPT Edu, designed for academic institutions, providing access to OpenAI’s latest models with enterprise-grade security and controls. This initiative will support universities and educators in integrating AI into teaching and research, helping prepare a new generation for a technology-driven future, following successful implementation in other countries and at leading institutions such as Harvard University and the University of Oxford.

“Armenia, like many advanced nations, also sees its future in technological development, and that future must be built on a strong and modern education system. We welcome this initiative, which expands access to artificial intelligence tools and creates new opportunities for our universities, educators, and students. The introduction of ChatGPT Edu and the development of AI-driven learning environments bring Armenia closer to leading global institutions, where such technologies are already transforming education. This is an important step in preparing a new generation of professionals who will not only use technology, but help shape its future,” said Zhanna Andreasyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of the Republic of Armenia.

Firebird Labs, an innovation platform launching in Q3 2026, will invest in, incubate and co-develop high-ambition technical ventures across three strategic verticals: robotics and physical AI, aerospace, and life sciences. Firebird Labs targets five ventures per year, working with deeply technical teams over longer time horizons than a traditional startup program.

Selected participants (Frontier Fellows) will receive a comprehensive set of resources from Firebird, including:

• Access to the latest OpenAI technology to build during our upcoming hackathon, including Codex and API credits
• Firebird and OpenAI mentoring and technical support
• Dedicated GPU capacity from Firebird, scaling up to 1,000 GPUs, reserved for Frontier Fellows in 2027
• Structured research partnerships with leading Armenian, U.S. and European universities
• Firebird’s operational infrastructure, physical workspace, and ecosystem support in partnership with AI9 Startup Campus
• Participation in hackathons, global events, and potential investment opportunities 

Details on upcoming hackathons, the competitive selection process, and opportunities to officially apply will be announced at a later stage. Participants will also gain access to major international events and may be considered for joint investment from Firebird and its global partner network. 

Firebird Labs is oriented around original research, technical breakthroughs, and company formation on cutting-edge compute infrastructure. Armenia’s combination of engineering talent, government commitment, clean energy, and high-potential infrastructure makes it one of the few places outside the major AI centers capable of producing globally competitive frontier companies.

Firebird holds U.S. government export authorization and operates one of the largest GPU clusters in Europe, with the capacity to scale to 250 megawatts by 2027. Firebird’s Phase 2 expansion in Armenia, announced in February 2026, targets $4 billion in investment and 50,000 GPUs by the end of 2026.

About Firebird

Firebird is a U.S. and Armenia-based AI cloud and infrastructure company designed to provide secure, scalable, and globally accessible GPU infrastructure. Its mission is to democratize access to advanced AI computing, enabling innovation across research and enterprise in both the private and public sectors.

www.firebird.ai 

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SOURCE Firebird