YerevaNN /jɛɾɛvɑnˈɛn/ is a machine learning research center based in Yerevan, Armenia. YerevaNN is a non-profit funded by research grants, academic partnerships and generous donations from individuals and companies.

Goals

• To prepare the next generation of scientists and researchers in the field of artificial intelligence in Armenia;
• To involve Armenia in the AI revolution on a global scale through world-class competitive scientific research.

AI is gradually becoming the driving force of the economy, and in the coming decade, it will revolutionize various sectors of the economy. For Armenia to participate in this forthcoming economic revolution, we need leading scientists in the field of AI. After working in YerevaNN's scientific environment, some researchers will remain in academia, continue conducting scientific work, and educate the next generation of specialists. Others will join the economy, strengthen existing companies, and establish innovative technology startups.

Our center collaborates with leading scientists who serve as co-leaders or advisors of our research. Our partners include Prof. Aram Galstyan, Prof. Naira Hovakimyan, Prof. Ruben Abagyan, Armen Aghajanyan (ex Meta), Karen Hambardzumyan (UCL), Hrayr Harutyunyan (Google Research), and Theofanis Raptis (National Research Council (CNR), Italy).

Impact

YerevaNN has been contributing to the development of science and technology through research, talent development, international cooperation, and innovation since 2016.

• Our researchers participate in research aimed at solving global challenges and publish their work in leading scientific journals and venues.
• Our team members teach 15 different computer science subjects to over 480 students in various universities and centers in Armenia, contributing to the training of specialists.
• Our team has supervised 20 master's theses and research projects, supporting the growth of young scientists.
• Our graduates continue their education in international PhD programs and participate in YerevaNN projects.
• Eight YerevaNN graduates work as machine learning engineers in technology companies.
• Two YerevaNN graduates have founded startups: AimStack and Profound Academy.

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FAQ

What do we do?

In recent years, companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have developed AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) that revolutionized text processing. Today, tasks like understanding text, translation, answering questions, and summarizing have been almost fully solved by these systems. These tools are massive neural networks, trained by thousands of GPUs working for several months. In the coming years, similar universal solutions will emerge for tasks related to image recognition, sound, and video processing.

We believe that it’s too late to work on AI for text and video. The leading companies continue to invest billions of dollars in these fields and are far ahead of everyone else. We believe Armenia should invest in AI subfields that are going to be huge in 5 to 10 years, in particular AI applications in biotech and robotics. Hence, we focus all our efforts on developing world-class in-house AI expertise for molecules, robots, drones, and satellites. 

What do we offer?

While the high-tech industry is relatively well developed in Armenia, there are very few high-quality research labs that are accessible for students who study computer science. YerevaNN allows university students to get involved in world-class scientific research since their undergraduate studies, collaborate with well-known scholars from various countries, and publish papers in leading journals and conferences. YerevaNN makes it possible for students to choose academic careers, or to become the next generation of AI leaders in the industry while staying in Armenia.

How are donations on the platform used?

Every donation collected on the platform is directed toward fulfilling the organization’s mission and ensuring the continuity of its activities. Your support will be used in the following key areas: attending prestigious conferences where our specialists can share their knowledge and gain new partnerships; registering for necessary platforms and tools to enhance our work efficiency, and other operational costs. Funds will be used to ensure the day-to-day functioning of the foundation, including administrative and organizational expenses.

Every donation directly contributes to achieving our mission and helps us continue our work.

Does the Armenian government invest in this direction?

In 2024, the Armenian government approved the purchase of a GPU supercomputer, allocating 8.5 million USD for it. It will be hosted at Yerevan State University (YSU) and will contain 64 NVIDIA H100 GPUs. This is arguably the largest investment into scientific equipment by the Government which will enable researchers to develop neural networks with up to 10 billion parameters to solve various tasks. 

In addition to hardware investments, the Higher Education and Science Committee announces multiple grants every year. Our team applied and obtained three research grants which we are implementing within the frames of the Machine Learning Research Group at the Yerevan State University. These funds allow us to cover approximately 30% of the salaries required to keep our researchers full-time focused on their work.

What other investments are being made to support scientists' work?

YerevaNN attracts various grants and donations that help cover the remaining salary and ensure the continuation of research. Private sector involvement – we establish partnerships with local and international companies to provide scholarships for researchers (Yandex Armenia, Cognaize, Formula VC, Nuve, Mayro, Fimetech, Layerswap, etc.).

Donations made by U.S. citizens are tax-deductible.