New supercomputer may help revive Israel's tech sector

The American chipmaker giant NVIDIA announced it would be building a supercomputer called the Israel-1 in May, scheduled to be operational in 2024.

Israel-1 is expected to become the sixth most powerful computer in the world, with immense processing capabilities and speed. 

Some believe that the Israel-1 could potentially revive the Jewish state’s currently struggling tech sector and could potentially revolutionize artificial intelligence, medical technology and climate tech.

Prof. Noam Shomron, head of the Applied Genomics Lab at the Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, explained the potential of supercomputers in the medical field.

“We are collecting more and more DNA data in labs, but computing power isn't keeping up with the pace. Therefore, there is great importance in the integration and use of supercomputers that will enable us to read, collect, define and understand as much as possible of that genetic material, the DNA," Shomron said.

Gilad Shainer, senior vice president of marketing at NVIDIA, revealed earlier this year that the tech giant is currently collaborating with some 800 Israeli start-up companies.

“This is a large-scale system that actually will enable them to do training much quicker, to build frameworks, and build solutions that can tackle more complex problems," Shainer said.

NVIDIA built its second-largest research and development center in the Start-Up Nation, employing more than 3,000 Israeli tech workers.