Erez Askal and Netanyahu Unveil National AI Development Plan

Israel is fully determined to cement its status as the world’s leading technological superpower. The country’s government has unanimously approved an action plan for the newly established National AI Directorate, headed by Brigadier General (res.) Erez Askal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explicitly stated that the strategy’s ultimate goal is to secure absolute global technological superiority for Israel, and to achieve it as quickly as possible.

Instead of vague promises, the authorities presented a concrete and ambitious plan built on three main pillars: people, hardware, and practical benefits for citizens.

The first and most critical challenge to address is the “brain drain.” The state plans to inject serious investments into boosting academic capital and launch a program to bring Israeli scientists and IT specialists (ex-pats) back home. The core idea is that the nation’s brightest minds should drive local science forward rather than working for foreign corporations.

The second focus area is ramping up computing power. Training advanced neural networks requires colossal resources, so the government guarantees academia and the public sector access to 5,000 of the most powerful Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) every year. The program is set to run for six years — from 2027 to 2032. In parallel, the Israel Innovation Authority is already preparing to launch a national supercomputer powered by the latest Nvidia B200 chips, which will provide a massive boost for commercial startups.

The third key feature of the strategy is the creation of so-called acceleration centers and applied laboratories. They will focus on developing services that everyday people can experience in real life: from smart healthcare to streamlining public services without the usual bureaucracy.

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