SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You've probably heard of the iPad, but what about the arm tab? This is Armenia's own tablet computer, designed and assembled by engineers right here. The man making them is Vahan Chikarian man. Chikarian (ph) isn't trying to compete with big brands, he wants to make cheaper, customized solutions for the local market.</s>VAHAN CHIKARIAN: Our clients can come and say, hey, I am ready to spend $120. And I need 500 tablets with this specific software, with this specific abilities. Can you build it for us? We build for them.</s>UDAS: And he is not the only one, across Yaraban (Ph) the IT sector is booming, from computers to robotics. Today, the country's latest innovations are increasingly exported through a new, virtual silk road. Early this year, these four young men developed a game for Apple's mobile operating system. The app, Shadowmatic, tests users' abilities to match shadows to shapes. It was their first game, but already it is a hit. It has over 4 million downloads so far. "It was very surprising for us to see people paying so much attention to us. It was like we were a winning sports team and all of Armenia was cheering, he says. There are, of course, challenges for start-ups here, like anywhere. Limited cash flow, change in technology and difficulties exporting to name a few. But Chikarian doesn't see any risk in this industry.</s>CHIKARIAN: The more we have startups, it's going to bring more investment in Armenia, it is going to bring more happiness and the young generation is not going to look how to escape from this country to find a job.</s>UDAS: He has invested $3 million of his own money in the company and is hopeful his technology will soon be available around the world. Sumnima Udas, CNN, along the Silk Road.
Silk Road: Armenia's IT Sector