The Future of HPC in Israel
Last week, NextSilicon hosted HPC+AI TECH Conference—the first-ever event in Israel dedicated to supercomputing and its growth potential. The conference came on the heels of the official launch of our HPC research laboratory, the first of its kind in Israel. The event brought together some of our community’s brightest minds, including our two distinguished keynote speakers: Prof. Michael Levitt from Stanford University, and Dr. Orna Berry, Director of Technology in the office of the CTO at Google Cloud.
For those who couldn’t attend the conference, I would like to share my opening address, in which I reflect on the immense opportunities that can be seized in Israel by investing in the development of HPC.
HPC+AI Tech Conference Opening Speech by Elad Raz
It is an honor to welcome you all to this momentous occasion today. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made this day possible. A special thanks goes to the Israel Innovation Authority for initiating the HPC and AI laboratory, and to its inspiring leaders Dror Bin, Dr. Ziv Katzir, and Dr. Aviv Zeevi. I also want to thank our partners from Dell and CoMedia - Uri Alali and Elad Abrahami, as well I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Prof. Steven Frankel from the Technion and Prof. Oded Margalit from NextSilicon for their efforts in organizing the conference.
I also wish to acknowledge our exceptional collaborators – Orr and Avi Baum from Hailo, Ronen Hyatt and Danny Volkind from UnifabriX, as well as Guy Koren and Yossi Meyouhas from Xsight Labs for their invaluable contributions. Most importantly, I commend the dedicated employees of NextSilicon who worked tirelessly to bring our Maverick-2 accelerator to life. These combined efforts mark a pivotal step forward in HPC and AI innovation in Israel.
Seven years ago, when I founded NextSilicon, I had a conversation with a relative who worked in DevOps. When I explained my plan to start NextSilicon and build compute accelerators, he asked a seemingly simple yet profound question: “Why do we need to accelerate compute?” This question is not uncommon. Throughout history, advancements in technology have often faced skepticism. Despite consuming a fifth of the institute’s budget, the bold decision to build Israel’s first computer, WEIZAC, laid the foundation for Israel’s high-tech sector. Once operational, demand for WEIZAC soared, transforming skepticism into recognition of its immense value. Just as it was hard to predict the groundbreaking impact of WEIZAC 80 years ago, the potential of this lab will become evident through the breakthroughs it enables. Today, this laboratory carries the same pioneering spirit, representing the starting point of Israel’s next wave of technological leadership.
Israel’s unique position as a global technology leader compels us to address a critical market failure: the lack of sufficient computing infrastructure. In the modern arms race, computing power is as vital to a nation’s future as energy resources once were. As a small nation with limited resources, Israel must strategically prioritize its investments. Our leadership in science, computing, and engineering—coupled with our reliance on computing for security and innovation—positions us to lead in HPC and AI on the global stage.
High-performance computing and AI demand cutting-edge chip design. While manufacturing advanced nodes like 3nm and 2nm is beyond our current capacity, Israel’s strength lies in chip design—a critical aspect of the ecosystem. At NextSilicon, we take a different approach. Instead of the traditional path of heavy investment in hardware, we focus on a software-driven strategy. Our Intelligent Compute Accelerator (ICA) uses algorithms to identify and optimize the critical 1% of code that drives 99% of the performance in HPC and AI workloads. This approach exemplifies the Pareto Principle, delivering unmatched efficiency with reconfigurable hardware.
The launch of Maverick-2, our HPC Intelligent Compute Accelerator, is a testament to this philosophy. Designed to handle the most complex supercomputing applications, Maverick-2 focuses on HPC workloads. Its successor, however, will be engineered to accelerate next-generation neural networks, ensuring our solutions remain cutting-edge for evolving AI demands. This laboratory, powered by Maverick-2 and supported by our partners, will unlock unprecedented scientific potential and pave the way for transformative discoveries.
I call on the Israeli government to amplify its investment in high-performance computing, AI/ML, and related infrastructure. Just as cyber initiatives positioned Israel as a global leader, a similar focus on computing will secure our technological edge. We must inspire and equip the next generation—Gen Z and Alpha—with the knowledge and skills to drive the innovations of the future. By fostering expertise in areas like parallelism, quantum computing, and neural networks, we will sow the seeds of tomorrow’s breakthroughs.
In closing, I urge scientists and innovators from Israel and around the world to utilize this laboratory as a platform for solving today’s challenges in new and better ways.
On every Maverick-2 5nm chip, we incorporate the marking “עם ישראל חי (Am Israel Chai)” prominently. "The Nation of Israel Lives," is a declaration of Jewish resilience and unity, inscribed as the smallest marking of its kind in the world. We’ve placed it there because together, we can shape a future defined by progress, collaboration, and resilience.
