Israel Investing Millions In Advanced AI Research Lab  

The Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) is investing up to 30 million shekels (nearly $8 million) to establish a new R&D lab that will advance artificial intelligence and data processing. 

It has selected NextSilicon, an Israeli company that develops energy-efficient processing technologies that accelerates computer applications, to establish the lab and provide a range of services for other startups within the country, including testing and upgrading their technologies before launching them in the market.

The IIA is a Jerusalem-based branch of the Israeli government dedicated to supporting industrial research and development. 

The new lab will support the development of hardware components, communication, and software to help advance data processing demands for AI computation, high-performance computing (HPC), data centers, and processing units. 

It will feature a variety of state-of-the-art computing, communication, and storage equipment from world-leading suppliers. Additionally, it will provide R&D services to startups, companies, and researchers for the acceleration of technological developments in HPC and AI computational technologies.

Its goal is to lower entry barriers for researchers and companies, fostering Israeli innovation and breakthroughs.

“Today, due to a lack of such infrastructure in Israel, many startups are forced to choose between establishing expensive infrastructure themselves (which hinders their growth) or seeking services from global giants, leading to a “brain drain” early on, and for advancements in development processes to take place in other countries,” said Israel Innovation Authority CEO Dror Bin.

“Israel has identified artificial intelligence as a domain in which it wishes to maintain its leadership, and this initiative aims to change the current situation, creating a platform that provides a viable alternative for researchers and companies to continue their research activities in the country.”