DigiTec will take place on November 20–22 at the Meridian Exhibition Center. This year, the event is expanding both its conference and international components: in addition to the exhibition, the program includes a conference on artificial intelligence, technical workshops, specialized discussions, a startup exhibition, a B2B площадку, a robotics competition, and a separate fintech program.

As Edita Ghazaryan, Executive Director of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises of Armenia, said, the conference segment this year will be larger in scale than last year’s and more international. In addition to the main stage, separate venues will host technical discussions and workshops. The international technical community OpenTalks, which brings together specialists and engineers, will dedicate a separate day to its program.

According to Ghazaryan, around 80 international speakers have currently been confirmed, and by November 20 their number is expected to increase to about 150.

AI — from chips to applications

Ghazaryan notes that this year’s DigiTec program is built around five levels of the AI ecosystem. These include chips, computing resources and infrastructure, models, as well as tools and applications, with energy given special importance as a foundational element of the entire system.

According to her, international participants are expected in each of these areas. In the chip-related segment, representatives of leading companies in the industry will be present. In the computing resources track, international technology companies are expected to participate, and Amazon Web Services will send several representatives and a large delegation to Armenia.

The program will also feature international companies working with AI models. Their representatives will speak both on the main stage and as part of technical workshops and discussions.

Among the companies Ghazaryan mentions in connection with this year’s DigiTec are NVIDIA, OpenAI, Amazon Web Services, and Revolut. Participants will also include Armenian technology companies, including projects founded by Armenians that have already attracted international investment.

The organizers are placing special emphasis on physical artificial intelligence — technologies related to robots capable of independently navigating and acting in their environment. According to Ghazaryan, companies working in this area will be represented at DigiTec, and their robots are planned to be showcased both in the exhibition area and on the main stage.

Around 70 startups and hundreds of international delegates

According to Ghazaryan, around 70 startups will be showcased at the exhibition. Another important element will be the B2B zone, where organizers expect hundreds of international delegates and business representatives from different countries.

To help participants find business contacts, the organizers have prepared a special digital tool. Through the app, participants will be able to see who has come to DigiTec, what they are interested in, and what kinds of partnerships they are seeking. In addition, the organizers intend to use artificial intelligence tools to help participants find contacts that may be a good match for one another.

Another element of the program will be the national Robotics competition, held with the participation of UATE. Children will take part in it.

On November 22, the third day of DigiTec, the organizers, together with the Central Bank, will hold an event dedicated to the 33rd anniversary of the Armenian dram. As Ghazaryan explained, this segment will include a discussion with the participation of fintech sector specialists. Among the international participants, she specifically mentioned Revolut.

International delegations and investors

This year, DigiTec’s international dimension also extends to government institutions. Ghazaryan said that the organizers expect representatives of government agencies and large delegations from various countries.

In particular, a large delegation from Kazakhstan is expected, as well as ministers overseeing the IT sector in Georgia, Uzbekistan, and Bulgaria. In addition, representatives of investment and venture funds have been invited to the event.

Ghazaryan specifically mentioned Oman Investment Fund and other international funds that are considering opportunities to invest in various companies.

According to her, the interest of international participants is primarily driven by the opportunity to find potential suppliers and partners in one place. In this way, DigiTec is meant to connect different parts of the technology market — companies, developers, investors, and government representatives.

This year, the organizers are paying special attention to four areas — Central Asia, Europe, America, and the Gulf countries. According to Ghazaryan, representatives of these regions are coming to Armenia, among other reasons, in search of potential partners.

We are no longer just using technology — we are creating it

Armen Kocharyan, President of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises of Armenia, says that the current scale of DigiTec is the result of 21 years of development in Armenia’s technology sector.

According to him, when DigiTec was created in 2005, Armenia was only beginning to form its technology ecosystem. At that time, the exhibition was needed primarily to show what the country’s young technology sector was doing.

Since then, Kocharyan notes, the situation has changed significantly. Armenia today not only uses technologies, but also creates them, and local companies are developing technologies that are in demand globally.

Kocharyan believes that DigiTec should be a platform where this potential becomes visible. According to him, the event brings the technology community together every year, creating conditions for new ideas, business, and cooperation.

In his view, a major technology exhibition demonstrates that the country has a significant technology sector, and DigiTec’s expansion beyond Armenia makes that sector more visible to the outside world.

Another area Kocharyan highlights is the preparation of future participants in the technology sector. According to him, alongside the development of companies, it is necessary to create a technological environment in schools that will serve as the foundation for future DigiTec participants.

That is why, Kocharyan believes, DigiTec’s original idea has gradually transformed. If it was initially an Armenian technology exhibition, today the event is becoming international in nature and should connect the Armenian technology ecosystem with the broader global space.

AI is becoming part of all spheres of human activity 

Armenia’s Minister of High-Tech Industry and Artificial Intelligence, Davit Tadevosyan, believes that DigiTec’s scale shows that the event has long gone beyond the bounds of a purely technology exhibition and has acquired importance for the entire country. The minister noted DigiTec’s growing scale and said that this year’s participation figures may surpass last year’s. He also stressed that DigiTec is gradually becoming a platform that brings together a significant part of the Armenian technology community.

According to Tadevosyan, DigiTec’s significance is much broader than the event itself. Having originally emerged as a relatively small initiative, today it has turned into a platform whose influence extends beyond the technology sector itself. The minister paid special attention to the topic of artificial intelligence, which this year has become central to DigiTec. At the same time, according to him, it is important that AI is presented not as a separate element of the program, but is considered in a much broader context.

This spectrum includes computing resources, energy, the creation and design of complex products, and artificial intelligence itself. Thus, Tadevosyan believes, AI can no longer be perceived simply as a separate program or tool. “Artificial intelligence” is gradually acquiring infrastructural significance and is penetrating all spheres of human activity, the minister noted. That is why, according to him, the further development of this field requires a systemic approach.

Tadevosyan also emphasized the importance of cooperation between the state and the private sector. According to him, it is impossible to achieve success in developing the technology industry and using the opportunities of artificial intelligence without effective public-private cooperation.