Israel is set to take a big step in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) by launching a tender next month to establish its first supercomputer. This initiative, announced by Dror Bin, the chief executive of the Israel Innovation Authority, points to the nation’s intent to staying ahead in the rapidly evolving AI sector.
Speaking at an AI conference, Bin stressed the necessity of this move to maintain Israel’s competitive edge in technology.
The Israeli government has allocated USD 250 million to a national AI programme that brings together efforts from the government, industry, and academia. This programme will see 60 per cent of its budget executed in 2024, with completion targeted for 2027. Bin hinted at the possibility of even higher funding as the project progresses. The initiative comes as part of a broader strategy to ensure Israel’’s continued leadership in AI, a sector that is critical to the country’s economy.
With tech contributing 20 per cent to Israel’s economic output, the nation has firmly established itself as one of the world’s leading tech hubs.
Israel’s tech landscape includes 9,000 startups, of which over 2,200 leverage AI technologies. The country ranks third globally in the number of generative AI firms, boasting 73 companies in this cutting-edge field. Bin stressed that the new supercomputer will be a pivotal resource for these companies and researchers, enabling them to train large AI models locally rather than relying on costly cloud services.
Currently, Israeli high-tech companies and researchers face challenges due to the absence of local data centres with the necessary GPU capacity to train extensive AI models. The forthcoming supercomputer will look to address this gap, offering advanced computational power at a reduced cost.
(Inputs from Reuters)
