RISE Powered by Silicon Mountains 2026 Showcases Armenia’s Growing High-Tech and Defense Industries

YEREVAN — A major high-tech exhibition RISE Powered by Silicon Mountains 2026 took place on June 3–4 at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex in Yerevan.

The exhibition brought together leading representatives of the technology and military-industrial sectors, industry experts, and more than 40 Armenian companies. This year’s event is being held in two phases—in June and November—under the motto “We Are Our Mountains. Ascent.”

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Armenia’s Minister of High-Tech Industry, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, emphasized that the country’s military-industrial sector is rapidly strengthening and emerging as a significant branch of the national economy.

“The defense industry has generated approximately 70 billion drams in economic turnover and is already expanding beyond Armenia’s borders. Defense products are becoming a key export sector of our economy,” Hayrapetyan said.

According to the minister, this is only the beginning of a long-term development process, as the government has set even more ambitious goals for the sector.

“We are concluding the first three-year development program, which included direct government procurement orders totaling 172 billion drams. We consider this program a success,” he said.

“That is why the government has made another important strategic decision—to continue the practice of long-term contracts, a policy that has already been incorporated into decisions involving an additional 190 billion drams,” Hayrapetyan added.

Armen Baldryan, President of the Union of Employers in Information and Communication Technologies (UEICT) and CEO of Unicomp CJSC, stressed that Armenia has no alternative but to develop its domestic high-tech industry.

“This is not merely an industry; it is a driving force for the entire economy. Armenian products must become the engine that increases the country’s economic productivity and enables Armenia to gain a competitive advantage in the global marketplace,” Baldryan said.

About the Exhibition

RISE Powered by Silicon Mountains 2026 is organized by the Union of Employers in Information and Communication Technologies (UEICT), established in 2015. The organization unites more than 130 companies employing over 30,000 people.

RISE stands for Research, Innovation, Science, and Engineering. Silicon Mountains RISE is being held for the first time in 2026 as a spring expansion of the Silicon Mountains Summit series.

The exhibition is dedicated to showcasing high-tech products, innovative solutions, scientific achievements, and engineering projects developed by Armenian companies, research centers, and technology teams.

Since 2019, UEICT has organized the annual Silicon Mountains Tech Summit. According to the organizers, the event has featured more than 100 speakers and attracted over 6,000 participants.

In 2024, the summit was held outside Yerevan for the first time, taking place in the Shirak region. In 2025, it was hosted at the COAF SMART Center in Armenia’s Lori region.