Firebird launches region’s largest AI factory in Armenia and plans global expansion

Firebird opened the region’s largest NVIDIA DSX AI factory in Hrazdan, Armenia, and said the site is the first step in a multi-country push across emerging markets. The company also outlined plans to expand to more than 70,000 GPUs in Armenia, build 2 gigawatts of capacity by the end of 2028, and add customers such as Perplexity.

Why it matters: - Firebird’s launch gives Armenia a visible role in global AI infrastructure and adds new compute capacity in a region competing for technology investment. - The company’s expansion plan targets frontier markets that want local AI capacity for researchers, startups and enterprises. - The project is designed to support sovereign AI deployment, which is becoming a strategic priority for governments and large companies.

What happened: - Firebird officially launched what it called the region’s largest NVIDIA DSX AI factory in Hrazdan, Armenia, on August 8, 2026. - The launch marked the operational debut of Firebird’s global AI infrastructure platform. - The inauguration included remarks from Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang, NVIDIA Vice President of Physical AI Simulation Rev Lebaredian, U.S. Embassy in Armenia Chargé d’Affaires ad interim David Allen, and Kazakhstan Deputy Prime Minister Zhaslan Madiyev. - Firebird also announced that NVIDIA intends to invest in the company. - Firebird said CoreWeave made an earlier investment this year. - Firebird announced Perplexity as one of its first customers.

The details: - Firebird’s Armenia AI factory is built on the NVIDIA DSX AI Factory reference design. - The site uses NVIDIA Spectrum-X Ethernet networking. - Firebird said the architecture can support up to 40% more GPUs within the same footprint and improve the economics of AI infrastructure. - Firebird’s Armenia roadmap calls for scaling beyond 70,000 NVIDIA Rubin and Blackwell GPUs by the end of 2027. - The company said that would bring the platform to 300 megawatts of AI infrastructure capacity. - Firebird said Kazakhstan is its second market. - In Kazakhstan, Firebird has secured 125 megawatts of AI infrastructure capacity at Data Center Valley. - Firebird said the Kazakhstan project has approvals from the government and export authorization from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security. - Firebird is targeting 2 gigawatts of AI infrastructure capacity by the end of 2028 across additional frontier markets under development. - Firebird said the company is building one of the world’s fastest-growing AI infrastructure networks. - Perplexity will use Firebird’s high-performance infrastructure for its answer engine and AI-powered digital coworker platform. - Firebird said the customer win helps strengthen Armenia’s technology and startup ecosystem.

Between the lines: - The launch signals a shift from announcement mode to delivery mode for Firebird’s multi-country strategy. - The short build timeline, described by the company as just over six months from empty construction site to operational AI factory, is part of Firebird’s pitch to governments and infrastructure partners. - The presence of leaders from Armenia, Kazakhstan, the U.S. and NVIDIA shows the project is being framed as both a commercial buildout and a geopolitical technology asset. - Firebird is positioning itself as a provider of trusted AI infrastructure in markets that want faster access to compute without waiting for larger legacy cloud buildouts.

What’s next: - Firebird will work to scale the Armenia site to more than 70,000 GPUs by the end of 2027. - The company will pursue expansion toward 300 megawatts in Armenia and 2 gigawatts across its broader network by the end of 2028. - Additional frontier markets remain under development as Firebird pushes beyond Armenia and Kazakhstan. - Firebird’s next test is execution at scale, including power, supply chain and regulatory coordination across multiple countries.

The bottom line: - Firebird is using Armenia as the launchpad for a global AI infrastructure push aimed at emerging markets, with NVIDIA, CoreWeave and Perplexity helping validate the strategy.