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Armenia's IT potential
Armenia may be a small nation, but its tech potential should not be underestimated.
IN THE NEWS
Friday 29 November 2019
Avanta Innovative Medical Center promotes medical tourism in Armenia
Avanta Innovative Medical Center in Armenia plays a key role for the country to promote medical tourism, according to the center's CEO Artur Harutyunyan.The center focuses on three medical areas: dentistry, aesthetic medicine and plastic surgery. It consists of six clinics around the country, Harutyunyan said.Dentistry includes filling teeth, tooth whitening, dental implantation with Germany-based suppliers of 3D-printed dental implants, Harutyunyan noted. Aesthetic medicine covers facial rejuvenation, breast enhancement, liposuction and hair implantation, while plastic surgery includes body sculpting, mammoplasty and rhinoplasty, Harutyunyan indicated.The center cooperates with many international suppliers, including Slovenia-based laser instrument maker Fotona; South Korea-based medical equipment maker Caregen and its dermal filler brand Revofil; Greece-based cosmetic product maker Juliette Armand; and Israel-based dental implant maker Cortex Dental Implants Industries, Harutyunyan said.In order to improve medical technology, the center cooperates with local Yerevan State Medical University and allows its 15 doctors to go abroad for 2-3 months a year to attend international seminars to keep abreast of cutting-edge medical technologies and knowledge, Harutyunyan noted. The center also offers internal training for its employees except doctors, Harutyunyan added.The center hopes to cooperate with Taiwan-based firms in medical equipment and materials as well as medical smart robots, Harutyunyan indicated.Promoting medical tourism, Avanta provides service packages for customers including reception at Armenia's international airport, hotel reservations, sight-seeing tours, tour guides and translators, arrangement of conferences and seminars, Harutyunyan said.While the center's patients are mostly Armenians and come from Russia and Kazakhstan, many of the patients seeking aesthetic medicine are from Russia, Georgia, Europe and North America because prices in Armenia may be one-fifth and half of those in the US and Russia respectively but service quality is comparable, Harutyunyan explained.Currently, the six clinics quite often treat more than 300 patients a day, including 150 ones of aesthetic medicine and four ones of plastic surgery, according to the center's chief marketing officer Lusine Babajanyan. Demand for aesthetic medicine traditionally peaks in the summer, Babajanyan said.Particularly for pediatric dentistry, the center plans to adopt chat robots to appease and provide educational services for child patients before treatment, Babajanyan noted.At World Congress on IT (WCIT) 2019 taking place in Yerevan on October 6-9, Taiwan-based Asus Life, Foxconn Electronics, CloudMaster, Syscom Computer Engineering and Nuwa Robotics showcased service robots, standing a chance of becoming suppliers for the center.The center hopes to introduce orthopedic and cervical vertebra smart surgery in the next step, Harutyunyan said.Taiwan Main Orthopedic Biotechnology has developed Caduceus, smart surgical glasses which feature MR (mixed reality) technology and surgical navigation and integrate CT (computed tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) images into 3D models to enable surgeons to minimize errors to below 1.5mm and shorten time taken in surgical operation by 70%.Avanta Innovative Medical Center CEO Artur HarutyunyanPhoto: Mark Tsai, Digitimes, November 2019Dental equipment at Avanta Innovative Medical Center's dental clinicPhoto: Mark Tsai, Digitimes, November 2019
Friday 12 October 2018
Armenia and Taiwan can learn from each other
Armenia, with 96% of its terrirtory covered by mountains, has a population of some three million, but the Armenian diaspora amounts to about 10 million people who have had to leave the mountainous homeland to seek opportunities abroad.Many do find opportunities at home. A Ucom manager who obtained her master's degree in Greece, chose to return home. She told us how she had to travel six hours for a trip back to her hometow, which is some 50 kilometers away from the capital city of Yerevan, while studying in college.The emergence of digital economy has given her the opportunity to work at the present firm. But she said that many Armenians studying and working abroad usually have to split their incomes into three parts: their own tuition fees, living expenses, and sums sent back to their families in Armenia.Armenia and Taiwan seem similar in some ways. Both countries have powerful neighbors: Armenia and Turkey are separated by Mt Ararat, while Taiwan's major rival China lies across the strait.Armenia may be lacking the kind of tech development experience that Taiwan is proud of, but the island nation in East Asia seems to be gradually losing the kind of ambition and vibrancy that the landlocked South Caucasus country is showing in the face of challenges.(Editor's note: This is part of a series of stories about the IT industry development in Armenia.)
Friday 12 October 2018
Synopsys Armenia provides cradle for quality IT talent
Having developed a solid presence in Armenia, US-based electronic design automation (EDA) solutions provider Synopsys has spared no efforts fostering young Armenia IT talent through a dedicated unit dubbed Synopsys Armenia Educational Department (SAED).Since its inception in 2001, SAED has helped educate 64 holders of doctoral degrees, 904 master's degrees and over 1,000 bachelor's degrees, with around half of the graduates employed by Synopsys Armenia and the rest by other IT firms in Armenia and the region, according to the company.Under the umbrella of the Synopsys University Program, SAED has developed competitive curricula based on a proven model of cooperation between the industry and academia, helping universities overcome common challenges in microelectronics education.SAED has been engaged in many successful cooperation programs with major universities in Armenia and the region, including National Polytechnic University of Armenia (NPUA), Yerevan State University (YSU), Russian-Armenian University (RAU), National Research University of Electronic Technology (MIET), and European Regional Academy (ERA).Synopsys has also cooperated with around 1,000 universities around the world including those in Russia and India's Mumbai and Hyderabad, in exchanging teaching resources, materials, students and other personnel. A student exchange plan between Armenia and Taiwan has been put into practice in 2018, with one selected Armenia doctoral student to study at a Taiwan university for three semesters, marking the first cooperation plan between both countries.Crucial Armenia talent outletHovik Musayelane, director of Synopsys Armenia, said that more and more high-tech firms no longer just rely on traditional education system for talent supply. He said that Synopsys Armenia has maintained highly close connections with international enterprises, providing a crucial outlet for Armenia talent, the country's important assets.Musayelane indicated that Synopsys Armenia has a total of over 800 employees, making it the largest tech firm in the country and the largest operating base of Synopsys outside Silicon Valley. Accordingly, he stressed, Synopsys has developed a strong corporate social responsibility for Armenia.While extending strong support for the 2019 World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) to be held October 6-9 in Yerevan, Armenia, Musayelane said he strongly hopes for more concrete cooperation with Taiwan's semiconductor sector. He said if Taiwan can cooperate with SAED, Taiwan can introduce more quality engineers from Armenia and attract more tech talent from East Europe and Central Asia to join the global semiconductor cooperation systems.(Editor's note: This is part of a series of reports about Armenia's IT industry development.)Synopsys Armenia director Hovik MusayelanePhoto: Digitimes staff, October 2018
Thursday 11 October 2018
Armenia aims at major role in global tech market, says Ucom founder
In Armenia, Aleksandr Yesayan, co-founder and business development director of telecom operator Ucom, is an iconic entrepreneur, as he founded the company in 1998 at the age of only 16. The company is now a business with 1,800 employees and annual revenues of US$80 million, and Yesayan is a role model for young Armenians establishing startups.Yesayan told Digitimes in a recent interview that more than 10 million Armenians live abroad, and they need to be in touch with their families in the country. But back in 1998, he added, it was a heavy financial burden for low-income Armenians to place a phone call to the US at a rate of US$3 per minute.After reaching the US in 1998, he and his elder brother Hayk learned that the telecommunication cost could be sharply reduced through Internet calls. This inspired them to offer Internet call services at fixed places in Armenia, allowing people with memberships to make overseas calls at US$1 per minute. Then, Yesayan set up many Internet cafes to allow more people to enjoy low-cost Internet call services.Soon after Armenia liberalized its telecom market in 2006, Ucom acquired the debt-ridden Orange Armenia, transforming its traditional analog wired telecom service firm into a digital one. Now, Ucom has become Armenia's No.1 fixed-network and No.2 mobile communication services provider.Armenia's smartphone market scale is estimated at 400,000 units per year, with Samsung commanding a share of up to 45% despite strong competition from China's vendors, such as Huawei. The domestic smartphone market in Armenia alone can hardly be enough incentives for investors to set up smartphone production lines there, but Armenia is a crucial gateway to the East Europe and Middle East markets, particularly Iran, which is touted by Yesayan as an "untouched market." Armenia has recently signed a free trade agreement with Iran, and over 40% of Iran's external web traffic volumes are contributed by Ucom.Education counts mostYesayan believes that future opportunities for people living in landlocked Armenia, which is 96% covered by mountains, will surely hinge on education and that only through education can quality Armenia engineers be employed worldwide. In fulfilling its corporate social responsibility, Ucom has set up digital learning centers in remote rural areas, offering basic courses on 3D design and robotics for children when aged 10, and the company is expected to establish over 600 digital education footholds in Armenia by 2019.Having visited Taiwan for many times, Yesayan expressed the hope that his company can have more opportunities for cooperating with Taiwan businesses in 3D design and telecom services.He said Ucom has established a complete Internet protocol television (IPTV) service system exclusively for the millions of Armenia around the world. He also stressed that now 40% of VMware's R&D engineers come from Armenia, Synopsys has over 800 Armenian engineers, and Mentor Graphic also has a major R&D base in the country.Hosting 2019 WCIT ArmeniaIn his capacity as one of the directors of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITAS), Yesayan will represent Armenia to host the 2019 World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) on October 6-9 in the Armenia capital city Yerevan.Yesayan disclosed that the 2019 WCIT Armenia will bear the theme of "Other Nature, Other People, Other Time" to convey his country's hope of playing a distinct role in the global science and tech service field, and the event will highlight Armenia's prowess in the fields of decentralization, 3D printing, smart architecture, and IC design.Apart from WITSA member states, Armenia will also invite countries maintaining close ties with Armenia, including Russia and Israel, to participate in the the event. Former US president Barack Obama and global business leaders including Dell founder Michael Dell and Siemens' president will also be among VIPs at the 2019 WCIT Armenia, Yesayan disclosed.He stressed that Armenia is a small country with a global vision and is eager to learn from Taiwan's tech industry experiences while also seeking to enhance mutual cooperation.(Editor's note: This is part of a series of reports about Armenia's IT industry development.)Ucom co-founder Aleksandr YesayanPhoto: Digitimes staff, October 2018
Tuesday 9 October 2018
Armenia seeking to build science park with Taiwan experience, says IT minister
Deeply aware of Taiwan's robust tech prowess, Armenia hopes that industries in both countries can build closer partnerships and that more young tech talent can complement each other through bilateral industrial exchanges, according to Hakob Arshakyan, Armenia's minister of transport, communications and IT.Arshakyan expressed the hopes in a recent interview conducted by Digitimes after he opened the three-day DigiTec Expo 2018 on October 5 at Yerevan Expo Center.The 33-year-old Arshakysan said Armenia's prime minister is only 42 years old and its deputy prime minister Tigran Avinyan was born in 1989 - all young leaders who grew up surrounded by digital technologies and are eager to gain industry experiences. He stressed that Armenia is eager to build a new-generation science park modeled after the Hsinchu Science Park (HSP) in northern Taiwan.He continued that Armenia boasts special expertise in the military engineering sector - which was showcased in many related exhibits at DigiTec Expo 2018, including solar energy-controlled autocannons, large-size drones and the nation's first autonomous vehicle.Arshakysan also disclosed that Armenia will launch some foundations capitalized at over US$100 million each to support investment projects by tech startups, so as to more effectively encourage the development of startups.Accompanying Arshakysan at the interview, Yvonne Chiu, chairperson of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), said that though a young country, Armenia has developed its own characteristics in many tech fields.Chiu revealed that the 2019 World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) will be held in October in the Armenia capital city of Yerevan, and that Taiwan will organize a large delegation to render the largest support to the event.Chiu led WITSA member representatives from Malaysia, Belarus, Egypt, Greece and Taiwan to attend the DigiTech Expo 2018.(Editor's note: This is part of a series of reports about Armenia's IT industry development.)
Monday 8 October 2018
Yvonne Chiu reelected to WITSA leadership
Yvonne Chiu, currently chairwoman of the Information Service Industry Association of Taiwan, has been re-elected as chairwoman for the World Information Technology Service Alliance (WITSA), a consortium of ICT organizations around the world.The confirmation vote was conducted at WISTA's board of directors meeting in Yerevan City, Armenia, on October 4, 2018.The focus of ICT industry development is transitioning from PCs and handsets to software innovation, and therefore cooperation across countries and industries is of key in the IoT (Internet of Things) era, Chiu said.WITSA currently has 83 member countries, 30 of them being in Asia Pacific, 20 in the Americas, 11 in the EU, 11 in non-EU Europe areas, and 11 in Africa. WITSA will make efforts to recruit additional members in emerging markets, especially South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and East Europe.World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT), an annual global ICT meeting organized by WITSA, was held in Taiwan in 2000 and again in 2017, and in India in February 2018. It will take place in Yerevan in 2019 with "Power Decentralization" as a theme, and in Penang, Malaysia in 2020 with "Gateway to Southeast Asia" as its main topic.The global meeting will take place in Bangladesh in 2021 and probably in South Africa in 2022.By hosting WCIT in 2000 and 2017, Taiwan's successful development of ICT industries has become a reference for other WITSA members in making ICT policies, Chiu said.WITSA chairwoman Yvonne Chiu (front, third from right)Photo: WITSA
Friday 21 September 2018
Taiwan ICT firms urged to join WITSA events to tap global opportunities
Through attending various commercial activities hosted by the World Information Technology and Services Alliances (WITSA), Taiwan information software and hardware firms can more easily tap global business opportunities, according to Yvonne Chiu, chairperson of both WITSA and the Information Service Industry Association of the ROC (CISA).In an interview conducted in Hanoi, Vietnam by Digitimes, Chiu said WITSA is an organization with global visions, and has a total of 83 member states, with all its activities highly supported by host countries.Chiu called for Taiwan makers of information hardware products, particularly industrial PCs, to join her association first and then actively attend commercial activities organized by WITSA in various countries to directly explore business opportunities though cooperation with integrators of software and hardware systems. At the ASOCIO Smart City Forum 2018 recently held in Hanoi, Chiu had the opportunity to discuss various smart city business opportunities with over 600 representatives from 10 member states, highlighting Taiwan's various smart city application solutions, especially those associated with mass rapid transit systems (MRT).Chiu said that Taiwan's MRT systems, long renowned for their clean in-train space and punctual services, managed to provide 4K live TV broadcast of the 2017 Summer Universiade held in August in Taipei. This can serve as a good reference for various countries in hosting large-size sports events. In addition, the electronic payment and fund transfer systems via MRT EasyCard now under promotion by Taipei City Government, as well as how to address related regulatory and financial issues can also serve as paragon models for other countries.Interest in working with Taiwan in ICT developmentChiu managed to arrange Colley Hwang, president of Digitimes, to give a talk at Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), and had dialogues with MIC's deputy minister and other officials.The Vietnamese officials expressed strong interest in creating opportunities for cooperation with Taiwan in ICT development. Possible cooperation projects include organizing municipal-level smart city forums, cultivation of IC design talent, information exchanges between Taiwan and Vietnam, and inviting Taiwan experts to serve as advisors in the government sector.Chiu also revealed that CISA will organize a delegation to attend a WITSA-hosted global directors meeting to be held in early October in Armenia, adding that she will recommend Taiwan experts to speak at the meeting and discuss business cooperation opportunities.At the moment, the world's leading EDA (electronic design automation) specialist Synopsys has a workforce of some 1,000 engineers in Armenia. Chiu said that if Taiwan can introduce ICT engineers from Armenia, its shortage of ICT talent can be significantly eased.As Synopsys has reportedly sent some talented Armenia engineers to Taiwan's National Chiao Tung University for advanced studies through an industry-academia cooperation mechanism, Chiu urged the government in Taiwan to use the channel to carry out smart city cooperation projects and tech talent exchanges.