Haaretz: Israel Wants a Massive Supercomputer - No Matter the Cost
The computing network will be powerful enough to enable a large number of researchers and developers to run different tasks in tandem, including those that demand especially large volumes of data (such as simulations, computerized models, training of AI systems, genomic analysis, etc.).
According to Zeevi, the supercomputer will be able to create a model of artificial intelligence capable of processing and understanding Hebrew as what is termed a “natural language.” Natural language processing, or NLP, is something with a large demand in almost all areas of tech today - and Israel is no different.
Israeli army soldiers working on artificial intelligence for the IDF
Credit: IDF's Spokesman Unit
Why does Israel need a supercomputer?
According to the plan’s formulators, a supercomputing infrastructure will enable heavy-duty tasks that cannot be performed by private or local servers to be carried out - or, at least those that can be run on cloud services such as those provided by Amazon, Microsoft and Google - but for a very high cost.
The budget plan says that the supercomputer will support R&D and an innovation environment in Israel which will enable local universities, industry and the defense establishment to work together, running trials for experimental hardware and software components independently of the public cloud systems run by international companies. Israel announced recently that Google and Amazon will operate its official state cloud, known as Project Nimbus.
The computing network will be powerful enough to enable a large number of researchers and developers to run different tasks in tandem, including those that demand especially large volumes of data (such as simulations, computerized models, training of AI systems, genomic analysis, etc.).
"An AI researcher with a background in high-tech and the academic world says that this “supercomputer will impinge on people’s independence and undermine their ability to be dynamic."
According to Zeevi, the supercomputer will be able to create a model of artificial intelligence capable of processing and understanding Hebrew as what is termed a “natural language.” Natural language processing, or NLP, is something with a large demand in almost all areas of tech today - and Israel is no different.
“In order to study and understand a language, an enormous amount of texts must be analyzed first. The academic world needs this tool for research, the Defense Ministry will use it for gaining insights from intelligence reports and Israeli companies will use it for constructing smart chatbots,” he says.
Even though consultations were held with a wide range of experts and companies in this area over the last year or two, the company most actively promoting the construction of this computer is Mellanox. Senior company officials have been trying to promote such a project for years and they are now very involved in the process, providing information and active counselling to the Innovation Authority and other involved players. Mellanox and Nvidia are very prominent global suppliers of components for supercomputers. It is reasonable to assume that their components will be integrated into Israel’s supercomputer, making its construction lucrative for them.
The people promoting this project are aware of these arguments, admitting that there are discussions and debates around the model of operating this project. Despite this, they claim that concerns are overblown, since ultimately, the supercomputer will serve the R&D needs of universities and industry, as well as other national needs.
“There are dozens of countries with supercomputers. You can’t argue that the need is baseless,” says Zeevi. “Claims that industry can do without it and that there is a misunderstanding of the market here may be true in the short run, but not if you want to create a revolution.”
