Kam Ghaffarian named Armenia’s 2026 State Award laureate in high technology

Armenia’s 2026 State Award for Global Contribution in High Technology will be presented to Iranian-American Kam Ghaffarian, founder and executive chairman of X-energy, Intuitive Machines, Space and Quantum Space.

Hovik Musayelyan, Director of Synopsys Armenia and coordinator of the work of the award committee’s executive board and international selection committee, announced the laureate’s name at a press conference held at Engineering City on 6 October.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will present the award to Ghaffarian on 5 November. Among other events, the laureate will receive an honorary doctorate from the National Polytechnic University of Armenia. A symbolic star bearing his name will be installed at Engineering City.

Introducing Ghaffarian, Musayelyan said he had founded several companies transforming the space and energy sectors. He chairs the board of X-energy, which develops nuclear energy solutions, including for use in spacecraft propulsion systems. Musayelyan said Ghaffarian was also an active philanthropist and the founder of a non-profit organisation dedicated to scientific research and developing the possibilities for interstellar travel.

Minister of High-Tech Industry and Artificial Intelligence Davit Tadevosyan stressed the importance of the award ceremony, saying it ensured and increased Armenia’s visibility in the international technology sector.

“It very naturally reinforces and confirms our conviction that Armenia is both a country that produces and exports technologies and a part of the global technology agenda. Another extremely important purpose of the award ceremony and the resulting visits by distinguished laureates is to give young people an opportunity to meet truly legendary figures,” the minister said.

Tadevosyan announced that Armenia’s space programme had already been approved. Unless exceptional events disrupted the plans, the first satellite launch would take place in late 2028 or early 2029. He said cooperation with Ghaffarian within the space programme was not yet on the agenda, but did not rule out discussing the possibility during the forthcoming meetings. He stressed that the award recognised the laureates’ work and professional achievements and had no commercial component.

Armen Avetisyan, General Director of Viva, the award ceremony’s main partner, said that behind every great achievement was a person who had once believed in themselves, their abilities and their idea and, most importantly, had had the courage to take the first step. Avetisyan hoped the event would inspire innovators, scientists and people with bold ideas in Armenia, encouraging them to believe in their abilities and see Armenia as a country where their talent was in demand, their ideas had value and a great journey could begin here and now.

“This is precisely why Viva has supported this award ceremony for 17 years, bringing Armenia together with people who push the boundaries of what is possible. For us, connection takes on a special meaning when we can take part in events that bring talent and opportunity together, and unite confidence with inspiration and action,” Avetisyan said.

Musayelyan also admitted that speaking about the award ceremony’s purpose and substance at press conferences always moved him deeply. When the idea of holding such an award ceremony in Armenia emerged at Synopsys Armenia in 2009, almost no one believed it could be achieved.

“They did not believe it because there was no precedent anywhere in the world for organising an annual award ceremony of this kind in the sector and honouring global legends. We are proud that such an award ceremony was established here in Armenia,” he said.

Musayelyan explained that Bill Gates had originally been intended as the first laureate, but the initiative had not succeeded. The first award was presented in 2010 to American Craig Barrett, Chairman of Intel Corporation.

In the years since, the award has been presented to leading figures in high technology. In 2011, it went to Steve Wozniak of the United States, co-founder of Apple Computer, now Apple Inc. On receiving the award, he declared to the world that, since no Nobel Prize was awarded in IT, he considered this award its equivalent.

The 2012 laureate was Italian-American Federico Faggin, a member of the team that created the Intel 4004, the world’s first single-chip microprocessor. In 2013, the award went to Tsugio Makimoto of Japan, a long-serving chief executive at Hitachi Ltd.

In 2014, it was presented to American Mario Mazzola, Chief Technology Officer of Cisco Systems. At the press conference itself, he announced a donation of $1 million to the American University of Armenia. Interest earned on the funds now supports scholarships at the university.

In 2015, the award went to Eugene Kaspersky of Russia, co-founder and CEO of the international company Kaspersky Lab. The 2016 laureate was Louis Pouzin of France, one of the founding fathers of the internet. In 2017, it was presented to Tony Fadell of the United States, co-creator of the iPod and iPhone.

The 2018 recipient was James Truchard of the United States, President of National Instruments. In 2019, the award went to Takeo Kanade of Japan, one of the founders of robotics, followed in 2020 by Chinese-American Chi-Foon Chan, co-founder of Synopsys Inc.

In 2021, the award was presented to Leon Stok of the Netherlands and the United States, Senior Vice President of IBM. The 2022 laureate was Shantanu Narayen of India and the United States, Chairman of Adobe Inc., while the 2023 recipient was Narayana Murthy, a legendary figure in India’s IT sector.

In 2024, the award went to Yoshiaki Hagiwara of Japan, an inventor of sensor technologies. The 2025 laureate was Vincent Roche of Ireland, Chairman of Analog Devices.