Israel is set to launch a tender next month to establish the country’s first supercomputer, ensuring its continued leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, announced Dror Bin, CEO of the state-backed Israel Innovation Authority, on Wednesday.
Speaking at an AI conference, Bin emphasized that while AI has been a significant asset for Israel’s tech sector, it could become a challenge without proactive measures due to its rapid evolution.
The Israeli government is allocating $250 million for a national AI program involving government, industry, and academia, with 60% of the budget to be spent in 2024 and the project expected to be completed by 2027, potentially with increased funding.
Technology contributes to 20% of Israel’s economic output, and the country is recognized as a leading tech hub globally. Of Israel’s 9,000 startups, over 2,200 use AI, and with 73 generative AI firms, Israel ranks third in the world. “Our goal is to ensure that Israel maintains its leadership and ranking in the global AI race,” Bin stated.
He highlighted the importance of a supercomputer for training large AI models. Currently, high-tech companies and researchers must purchase cloud time as there is no local data center with sufficient GPUs (graphic processing units) for training these models. The new supercomputer will be available to researchers and companies at a lower-than-market cost, Bin added.
 technologies, announced Dror Bin, CEO of the state-backed Israel Innovation Authority, on Wednesday.){kind=link}