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ArmTech Congress '12: Armenia Wants a Piece of the Pi

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  • ArmTech Congress '12: Armenia Wants a Piece of the Pi

    ArmTech Congress '12: Armenia Wants a Piece of the Pi

    http://asbarez.com/106966/armtech-congress-%E2%80%9912-armenia-wants-a-piece-of-the-pi/
    Friday, December 7th, 2012 | Posted by Contributor



    Prime Minister Tirgan Sargsyan addresses last year's ArmTech conference

    BY ROSTOM SARKISSIAN

    On December 10 and 11 the 5th Annual ArmTech Congress will take place
    at Stanford University.

    The last ArmTech Congress that took place in the U.S. was in 2009
    (alternating between Yerevan and Silicon Valley since 2007). I
    attended the Congress (Armenian Technology Congress) in San Jose on
    behalf of Asbarez Armenian Daily. As a preview for the upcoming
    event, below are my observations from the 2009 Congress.

    In 2009, over 250 high tech executives, industry professionals,
    Armenian government officials, and interested participants attended
    the Congress. The ambitious 3 day conference addressed critical
    high-tech industry topics by featuring 4 plenary session and 24
    parallel track sessions in areas ranging from telecommunications and
    internet to microelectronic design and testing to green technologies
    to professional networking. It was well organized and the topic areas
    ranged from the basics of education reform to detailed pitches for
    investor funding on specific project.

    ArmTech was envisioned as being more than a yearly conference. Its
    purpose was to become a platform for the development of the high tech
    industry in Armenia. It has been developed to be a networking space,
    an ideas lab and a showcase of Armenia's high tech industry to the
    world.

    `The goal of ArmTech is to showcase Armenia's high tech capability and
    to energize and connect high tech diaspora communities all over the
    world' said Tony Moroyan, co-chair of the 2009 ArmTech Congress and
    Chairman of Viasphere Technopark. `We accomplished our goal, and the
    conference was exceedingly successful from the reviews of
    participants.'

    According to one participant, Dr. Greg Nemet of Spectralus, a
    developer of crystal and laser technology for consumer electronics
    market, `when we first signed up for ArmTech, we weren't sure what to
    expect so we were just looking forward to hearing the presentations
    and to getting some information about high tech in Armenia.' He
    added, `ArmTech has been successful for us because we made two
    important contacts and had really useful conversations with them.
    Those two contacts alone were worth the event for us'.

    In 2009, the high tech industry was beginning to have an impact on
    Armenia's economy, with high tech contribution to the GDP increasing
    by 15-20% per year based on government statistics. The high tech
    industry was equal in size to the mining industry in terms of sales
    and employment, according to the Prime Minister's office. At that
    time, high tech employed nearly 5,000 Armenians in 200 companies.

    According to Rich Goldman, co-chair of the 2009 ArmTech Congress and
    CEO of Synopsys Armenia, `Armenia's inherent advantages have not
    changed. That core starts with the extreme brain power in Armenia'.
    Goldman noted other comparative advantages Armenia has: soviet legacy
    as a center of Semiconductor development; electrical engineering
    capacity; and continuing rise in English fluency. `electrical
    engineering is the high value space where Armenia has a proven
    advantage'

    It was no surprise then that a mini cluster begun to form around the
    semiconductor industry in Armenia. This growth was led by Synopsys,
    one of the largest Electronic Design Automation (EDA) companies in the
    world, and Virage Logic (which Synopsys eventually bought). In 2009,
    both were respected Silicon Valley companies and early entrants into
    Armenia's high tech field.

    These two Silicon Valley based firms were drawn to Armenia because of
    the existing potential of Armenian scientists in this area. Both
    companies have been successful in Armenia and have been at the
    forefront of attracting other high tech companies.

    While Armenia is quickly establishing itself in the Semiconductor
    field, do not expect to see `made in Armenia' micro chips in your
    computer any time soon. `Setting up a Semiconductor manufacturing
    operation in Armenia is not feasible due to the high start up costs
    and the limited transportation options out of Armenia' said Yervant
    Zorian, Chief Architect at Synopsys Corp. He added, `...but, Armenia
    can play an important role as a center of research and development in
    this field.'

    Starting a business in Armenia
    For Diasporan high tech firms looking to start a business in Armenia,
    up until this ArmTech Congress, there was no high tech trade office in
    the US or Armenia where they could get all the essential information
    about setting up and operating in Armenia. This year, during the
    Congress, the government of Armenia will introduce an IT sales
    representative office in the Silicon Valley.

    While that office becomes operational, you can also contact Enterprise
    Incubator Foundation (www.eif.am), created by the Armenian government
    and the World Bank, to assist the local IT sector with business,
    training, legal and facility services. According to its Director,
    Bagrat Yenigbarian, the EIF can serve as a starting point for
    Diasporan firms.

    The Viasphere Technopark (www.viasphere.com) in Yerevan is another
    high tech resource that companies can contact, but note that the
    privately funded technopark is not set up to be a `trade office' for
    business entry into Armenia. Their primary goal is to incubate local
    businesses and house subsidiaries of established businesses.

    Challenges ahead
    While high tech is a very promising industry for Armenia, we should
    also be aware of the challenges that this sector faces. The
    challenges will include the high cost of internet access; the need for
    increased computer literacy; the real commitment of the Armenian
    government to invest in primary and higher education (including
    necessary equipment); the need for more training programs; Armenian
    scientists and business people understanding how to work with American
    and European technology consumers; and the fierce competition for
    investment dollars that will begin once Georgia and Azerbaijan start
    ramping up their high tech efforts.

    One of the great challenges Armenia faces in developing its economy
    will be dealing with corruption, which up to this point has left the
    high tech industry alone. If the high tech industry fortifies its
    position as a leading field in the economy, will the Oligarchs demand
    a piece of their Pi? High tech, unlike mining, is not an immobile
    industry. With enough disincentives, businesses can easily move to
    more welcoming locales. Hopefully, the nicknamed robber barons
    understand that they should not mess with the nerds that will
    potentially fuel Armenia's growth during the 21st Century.

    Looking forward
    This is a very promising field for Armenia. While the development of
    the high tech industry is a newer focus for Armenia's government,
    science has always been something that Armenians have been good at.
    >From Hambatsumian to Migoyan to the Cosmic Ray Division to the
    Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant to being a center of semiconductor
    research during the soviet to being a finalist for the SESAME
    Synchrotron project, Armenia has always thrived in the scientific
    field.

    The foundation for high tech is developing in Yerevan and is now being
    actively developed in Gyumri. The `computers for all' program has
    lowered the cost of computer ownership and has slowly increased
    computer literacy in Armenia. The TUMO Center for Creative
    Technologies (www.tumo.org) has added a new layer of high tech
    potential: creative technologies. As this is happening, the newly
    arriving companies in Armenia are developing their own curriculums
    with Armenia's higher education institutions while the LUYS Foundation
    (www.luys.am) is actively funding the education of Armenians
    throughout the world that get into the best universities in the world
    (Cal Tech, MIT, Harvard, etc).

    If you're a scientist, engineer, patent attorney, venture capitalist,
    high tech executive, technophile or scientific visionary, then you
    should definitely go to the ArmTech `12 Congress at Stanford
    University from December 10-11. Registration is free. For more
    information, visit: www.armtechcongress.com.

    Based on what I saw in 2009 and what I've read since then, there
    should be a lot of positive energy and forward looking projects that
    will be discussed and introduced at ArmTech 2012.



    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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