A new artificial intelligence data centre in Armenia could be used for Western intelligence purposes, including against Russia, according to Russia's Security Council.
The statement concerns the Firebird AI data centre in Hrazdan, which opened on 8 August.
Aleksey Shevtsov, deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council, said the facility could potentially be used by Western intelligence agencies for analytical and intelligence work.
He said this could include activities concerning Iran, Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asian states.
The statement did not provide further details or evidence to support the claim.
Firebird's Hrazdan facility is part of a major AI infrastructure project in Armenia.
The first phase involved an investment of about $500 million. Firebird and Armenian officials have said the wider project could eventually reach about $4 billion.
The first phase includes 6,144 NVIDIA GPUs, while the company plans to expand the site to more than 70,000 NVIDIA Blackwell and Vera Rubin GPUs and about 300 megawatts of capacity by the end of 2027. Those figures are expansion targets, rather than the facility's current operating capacity.
The project involves NVIDIA and Dell Technologies, with NVIDIA describing the facility as the largest AI factory in the Commonwealth of Independent States region.
Armenia's Minister of High-Tech Industry and Artificial Intelligence Davit Tadevosyan dismissed a similar claim about the facility, describing it as politically motivated.
He said those raising concerns should provide specific evidence to the ministry.
The facility has also raised questions about its impact on Armenia's electricity system as it expands.
On 6 October, Armenia's Public Services Regulatory Commission discussed the centre's connection to the electricity system, the capacity required for the facility and its potential impact on the country's power network.
For now, the intelligence allegation remains a claim made by Russia's Security Council. The statement does not provide evidence that the Firebird facility is being used for intelligence activities.
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