Fast food, fast results, fast growth, fast internet, fast learning... Speed has become an integral part of our daily lives. We want everything to be easier, faster and better. The constant need for more time, speed and productivity is the driving force behind technology innovation. And Armenia is not the last in this series.
An example of this: no one wants to waste time standing in lines. Today there are queue management systems that allow customers to book their seats remotely and receive their services without queuing. Applications developed in Armenia, such as Earlyone, minimize customer waiting times by monitoring and controlling the entire service process.
Scientists, engineers and programmers around the world are also trying to solve computational problems faster and more efficiently. To achieve maximum effect, they are working on the creation of quantum computers. It is today that we are amazed at the huge size of computers that were used 20-30 years ago and occupied entire rooms. Similarly, in the future, people will be in awe of the quantum computers that are being built today. It is a mistake to assume that all types of bicycles have already been invented, and it is also a mistake to think that such technologies and inventions are inherent only in developed countries.
Armenia is a worthy example in IT development
The ICT sector (ICT – information and communication technologies) in Armenia has been growing steadily over the past decade. The Enterprise Incubator Foundation, a technological business incubator and information technology development agency based in Yerevan, reports that the total industry revenue, consisting of the software and services sector, as well as the ISP sector, has reached 922,3 million USD in 2018, up 20,5% from 2017.
Revenues in this sector account for 7,4% of Armenia's total GDP ($12,4 billion), according to a report from the statistics department. Major government changes, various local and international initiatives, as well as close cooperation contribute to the continuous growth of the ICT sector in the country. The establishment of the Ministry of High-Tech Industry in Armenia (previously the sector was regulated by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology) is clearly a step forward in terms of improving efforts and resources in the IT industry.
SmartGate, a Silicon Valley venture capital fund, in its 2018 review of the Armenian tech industry states: “Today, Armenia’s technology is a fast-growing industry that has seen a huge shift from outsourcing to product creation. A generation of mature engineers has entered the scene, with years of experience working on cutting-edge projects at multinational technology corporations and Silicon Valley startups. Because the rapidly growing demand for highly qualified specialists in the field of engineering and technical business development cannot be met in the short to medium term domestically or through local educational institutions.”
In June 2018, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that there is a need for more than 4000 IT specialists in Armenia. That is, there is an urgent need for improvements and changes in the education and science sectors. Several local universities and organizations are taking initiatives to support the growing technical talent and scientific research, such as:
- US Bachelor of Science Program in Data Science;
- Master's Program in Applied Statistics and Data Science from Yerevan State University;
- machine learning and other related training, research and grants offered by the ISTC (Center for Innovative Solutions and Technologies);
- Codex Academy of Armenia, YerevaNN (Machine Learning Lab in Yerevan);
- Gate 42 (quantum computing laboratory in Yerevan), etc.
Strategic Sectors of the IT Industry in Armenia
Large technology companies also take part in training and knowledge/experience sharing programs. At this vital stage in the growth of ICT in Armenia, the strategic focus of the sector is imperative. The educational programs in data science and machine learning mentioned above show that the country is making maximum efforts to advance these two areas. And not only because they are the leading technological trends in the world - there is a real high demand for qualified specialists in already existing enterprises, start-ups and research laboratories in Armenia.
Another strategic sector in need of a large number of technical specialists is the military industry. High-Tech Industry Minister Hakob Arshakyan paid great attention to the development of strategic military technologies, taking into account the vital military security issues that the country must solve.
Other important industries include, directly, science. There is a need for specific research, general and social research, all kinds of inventions. People working on technologies in the early stages of development can have useful technological advances. An excellent example of such activity is quantum computing, which is in its early stages and requires a lot of work by Armenian scientists with the involvement of world practice and experience.
Next, we will look at three technology areas in more detail: machine learning, military technology, and quantum computing. It is these areas that can have a significant impact on the high-tech industries of Armenia and mark the state on the world technological map.
IT in Armenia: the field of machine learning
According to Data Science Central, machine learning (Machine Learning or ML) is an application/subset of artificial intelligence that “focuses on the ability of machines to take in a set of data and teach themselves, changing algorithms as the information they process increases and changes,” as well as solve problems. without human intervention. Over the past decade, machine learning has exploded into the world thanks to the successful and diverse applications of the technology in business and science.
Such applications include:
- speech and voice recognition;
- natural language generation (NGL);
- automated processes for making operational decisions for business;
- cyber security and more.
There are several successful Armenian startups that use similar solutions. For example, Krisp, which is a desktop application that reduces background noise on phone calls. According to David Baghdasaryan, CEO and co-founder of 2Hz, the parent company of Krisp, their solutions are revolutionary in audio technology. “In just two years, our research team has created a world-class technology that is unparalleled in the world. We have 12 specialists in our team, most of whom have doctoral degrees in mathematics and physics,” says Baghdasaryan. “Their photographs hang on the walls of our research department to remind us of achievements and development. This provides an opportunity to rethink the quality of sound in real communication,” adds David Baghdasaryan, CEO of 2Hz.
Krisp was named 2018 Audio & Video Product of the Year by ProductHunt, a platform that represents the world's latest technology. Recently, Crisp has partnered with the Armenian telecommunications company Rostelecom, as well as with international companies such as Sitel Group, to better service calls from potential customers.
Another startup powered by ML is SuperAnnotate AI, which provides precise image segmentation and object selection for image annotation. It has its own proprietary algorithm that helps large companies like Google, Facebook and Uber save financial and human resources by automating manual work, in particular when working with images (SuperAnnotate AI eliminates the point selection of images, the process is accelerated by 10- 20 times with one click).
There are a number of other growing startups using ML that are making Armenia the center of machine learning in the region. For example:
- Renderforest for creating animated videos, websites and logos;
- Teamable - an employee recommendation platform (also known as a “tender for hiring”, allows you to select qualified personnel without spending time);
- Chessify is an educational app that scans chess moves, visualizes next steps, and more.
These startups are important not only because they use machine learning to provide business services, but also as creators of scientific value for the tech world.
In addition to various business projects in Armenia, there are other initiatives that make a great contribution to the promotion and development of ML technologies in Armenia. These include the YerevaNN object. It is a non-profit computer science and mathematics research lab with three areas of research:
- forecasting time series of medical data;
- deep learning natural language processing;
- development of Armenian "tree banks" (Treebank).
The country also has a platform for a community of machine learning specialists and enthusiasts called ML EVN. Here they conduct research, share resources and knowledge, organize educational events, connect companies with educational centers, etc. According to ML EVN, Armenian IT companies require more expansion in the ML industry, which, unfortunately, the Armenian field of education and science does not can provide. However, the skills gap can be filled by more ongoing collaboration between different businesses and the education sector.
Quantum computing as a key area of IT in Armenia
Quantum computing is supposed to be the next breakthrough in technology. IBM Q System One, the world's first quantum computing system for scientific and commercial use, was introduced less than a year ago. This shows how revolutionary this technology is.
What is quantum computing? It is a new type of computation that solves problems beyond a certain complexity that classical computers cannot handle. Quantum computers allow discoveries in many areas - from healthcare to environmental systems. At the same time, it will take only a few days and even hours to solve the problem of technology; in its usual form, this will take billions of years.
It is said that the quantum capabilities of countries will help determine the future economic strategy, such as nuclear power in the XNUMXth century. This has created the so-called quantum race, which includes the US, China, Europe, and even the Middle East.
It is assumed that the sooner a country joins the race, the more it will win not only technologically or economically, but also politically.
Armenia is taking its first steps in quantum computing at the initiative of several specialists in the field of physics and computer science. Gate42, a newly formed research group made up of Armenian physicists, computer scientists and developers, is considered an oasis of quantum research in Armenia.
Their work revolves around three goals:
- conducting research;
- creation and development of educational base;
- raising awareness among technical professionals with relevant specializations to develop potential careers in the field of quantum computing.
The last point does not yet apply to higher education institutions, but the team is moving forward with promising achievements in this IT field.
What is Gate42 in Armenia?
The Gate42 team includes 12 members (researchers, consultants and board of trustees) who are PhDs and scientists from Armenian and foreign universities. Grant Gharibian, Ph.D., is a scientist at Stanford University and a member of the Quantum AI team at Google. Plus a Gate42 advisor who shares his experience, knowledge and research with the team in Armenia.
Another consultant, Vazgen Hakobjanyan, is the co-founder of Smartgate.vc, working on the strategic development of the research group along with director Hakob Avetisyan. Avetisyan believes that the quantum community in Armenia at this stage is small and modest, it lacks talent, research laboratories, educational programs, funds, etc.
However, even with limited resources, the team managed to make some progress, including:
- receiving a grant from Unitary.fund (a program focused on open source quantum computing for the project "An open source library to reduce quantum errors: methods for compiling programs that are more resistant to processor noise");
- development of a quantum chat prototype;
- participation in the Righetti Hackathon, where scientists experimented with quantum superiority, etc.
The team believes that the direction has promising potential. Gate42 itself will do everything possible to mark Armenia on the global technological map as a country with the development of quantum computing and successful scientific projects.
Defense and cybersecurity as a strategic area of IT in Armenia
Countries that produce their own military weapons are more independent and powerful both politically and economically. Armenia has an obligation to consider strengthening and institutionalizing its own military resources not only by importing but also by manufacturing them. Cyber security technologies should also be at the forefront. This is a serious problem, since, according to the National Cybersecurity Index, Armenia's rating is only 25,97.
“Sometimes people think that it is only about weapons or military equipment. However, the production of even small volumes can provide a number of jobs and a significant turnover,” says Minister of High Technologies Hakob Arshakyan.
Arshakyan attaches great importance to this industry in his strategy for the development of the information technology sector in Armenia. Several businesses, such as Astromaps, make special equipment for helicopters and provide the Department of Defense with information to modernize military technology.
Recently, Armenia has presented military products at the IDEX (International Defense Conference and Exhibition) exhibition in the UAE in February 2019, as well as electro-optical and other military equipment. This means that Armenia seeks to produce military equipment not only for its own consumption, but also for export.
According to Karen Vardanyan, General Director of the Union of Advanced Technologies and Enterprises (UATE) in Armenia, the army needs IT specialists even more than in other areas. It offers information technology students the opportunity to serve in the military and at the same time continue their studies by devoting 4-6 months a year to research on important issues related to the army. Vardanyan also believes that the growing technical capacity in the country, such as the students of Armath Engineering Laboratories, could later play an important role in vital technology decisions in the army.
Armath is an educational program created by UATE in the Armenian public school system. In a short period of time, the project has achieved significant success, and currently has 270 laboratories with almost 7000 students in different schools in Armenia and Artsakh.
Various Armenian enterprises are also working on information security. For example, the ArmSec Foundation brings together cybersecurity professionals to address security issues in collaboration with the government. Worried about the frequency of annual data breaches and cyberattacks in Armenia, the team offers its services and solutions to military and defense systems, as well as other national and private institutions that need data protection and communications.
After years of hard work and perseverance, the foundation announced a partnership with the Department of Defense to create a new and robust operating system called PN-Linux. It will focus on digital transformation and cybersecurity. Such an announcement was made at the ArmSec 2018 security conference by Samvel Martirosyan, who is the director of the ArmSec Foundation. This initiative ensures that Armenia is one step closer to e-government and secure data storage, an issue the country has always struggled to combat.
In conclusion, we add that the Armenian technology industry should focus not only on the above three areas. However, it is these three areas that may have the most impact given the existing successful business ventures, educational programs, and growing talent, as well as the prominent role they play in the global technology arena as technological breakthroughs. Startups will additionally help solve the vital needs and problems of the majority of ordinary citizens of Armenia.
Given the rapid changes that are natural to the IT sector around the world, Armenia will definitely have a different picture at the end of 2019 – with a more established start-up ecosystem, expanded research labs, efficient inventions and successful products.
Source: habr.com