Israel plans to build its own AI infrastructure with 300,000 GPUs

Israel plans to build its own AI infrastructure with 300,000 GPUs

National AI chief Erez Askal says the country must control the technology powering critical services as energy, water and healthcare become increasingly dependent on artificial intelligence.

Israel plans to build its own artificial intelligence infrastructure, including 300,000 GPUs and a domestic foundation model, as the government seeks to reduce the country's dependence on foreign technology companies.

“If it's not your AI, you have no control over your country,” Brig. Gen. (Res.) Erez Askal, head of the National AI Directorate at the Prime Minister's Office, said Monday at AI & Cyber Week at Tel Aviv University.

Presenting Israel's national AI strategy, Askal warned that within five to seven years, essential systems such as energy, water and healthcare are expected to rely increasingly on artificial intelligence. He argued that dependence on foreign companies for the models and infrastructure powering these services could leave countries vulnerable to commercial interests and disruptions in access.

“Today, countries depend on commercial companies that have their own business interests and values, which are not ne...