In Armenia, it is necessary to create an environment to realize the potential of the regions: Interview with the head of Synopsys Armenia

There is a huge human capital potential in the regions of Armenia, and the private sector, the government and educational institutions must jointly create a favorable environment and infrastructure to realize this potential and attract more international companies to the country and regions. Hovik Musayelyan, director of Synopsis Armenia company, member of Presidium of the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia, says in an interview with NEWS.am Tech.

“There are many rough diamonds in our regions. With the joint efforts of private companies, the government and educational institutions, we have to make sure that these diamonds start to be noticed, worked on, polished,” he said during the interview held in the sidelines of Silicon Mountains Shirak forum held in Gyumri on July 4.
In his opinion, companies should start thinking about how to keep promising employees in regions and how to prevent other elections from tempting and recruiting them. This will contribute to both healthy competition in the sector and the overall development of the IT sector in Armenia.

Today, Synopsis Armenia has around 1400 employees, but their number is planned to be increased to 2000. To achieve this goal, the company is strategically expanding its activities in the regions, using local resources, including in the city of Gyumri. The company also sees potential in other regional cities, Vanadzor and Kapan, where the National Polytechnic University of Armenia has branches. While Synopsys Armenia’s main focus remains its business goals, the regional expansion is in line with the company’s growth strategy, supported by the government’s efforts to identify regional potential and attract multinational companies, Musayelyan noted.

Investment in education

Synopsys Armenia, as Musayelyan mentioned, is actively involved in a number of educational programs of the company and cooperates with universities, in particular with the Microelectronics Chair of the Polytechnic University, which is located on the company’s territory.

The company has established cooperation with several universities, including Yerevan State University, European University and Slavic University. Thanks to this cooperation, about 400 young people (200 from the Polytechnic University and 200 from other universities), while remaining students of their universities, can continue their studies through specialized educational programs of Synopsis Armenia.

These programs equip students with the latest technological tools to design microchips, which Musayelyan says requires considerable effort and dedication. After four years of study, students work as interns and junior engineers. In general, it takes about 7-8 years for them to become a full-fledged engineer. Despite the absence of dividend for 7-8 years and significant investments in the field of education, Synopsis Armenia remains committed to its long-term plans in Armenia. According to Musayelyan, today about 62% of the company’s employees are their former students.

20 years in Armenia: Difficulties and achievements

In 2024, Synopsys Armenia celebrates the 20th anniversary of its activity in Armenia. the company entered the local market in 2004 by acquiring four American companies with the largest branches in Armenia. Since then, the staff has grown from 135 to 1,370.

During these 20 years, according to Hovik Musayelyan, Synopsis Armenia has faced many challenges, the main ones being geopolitical issues and the COVID-19 epidemic. During the 44-day war, 42 of the company’s employees were drafted into the army, and not all of them returned. The epidemic has also created many difficulties. Despite these hardships, Synopsys Armenia has continued to operate.

“Even in 2004, when the cost of one megabit/second of Internet was $20,000, the company survived. Today, its cost has dropped to $5-6, but these high costs have never stopped Synopsys Armenia from achieving its mission.
During the last 20 years, there have been also a few achievements. Several Synopsys Armenia initiatives have had a significant impact on the IT industry in Armenia and beyond. The World IT Award (previously called the RA President’s Award, and after 2018 the RA State Award for global contribution to the field of information technologies) has become an important event and annually brings world legends of the IT field to Armenia. Individuals awarded this award bring their unique culture to the country while becoming ambassadors of Armenia’s technological prowess around the world.

Another noteworthy initiative is the annual ceremony to honor the best students and apprentices in the field of information technology sponsored by Synopsys Armenia. This event encourages young people to choose IT as a career and motivates students to learn better, be more curious and achieve more.

The International Microelectronics Olympiad is another prestigious event held in Armenia. Each fall, national winners from 20 countries compete in the final round. Thanks to this event, according to Musayelyan, Armenia takes a leading place on the world map of information technologies. everyone knows that this international event for professionals under the age of 30 is held every year in Armenia.

“I am proud of all three programs. Of course, we have many other successful programs, but these three are special for me,” said Hovik Musayelyan.