This is how the Middle East war endangers technological progress

Semiconductors, cloud, cybersecurity: All tech companies operate important research centers in Israel. Mobilization could significantly slow down chip development.

Thomas Jahn24.10.2023 - 14:16 Uhr

Production at Intel in Kiryat Gat: Intel is investing $25 billion in expanding the site.

Photo: PR/ Intel

Dusseldorf. Intel operates numerous manufacturing facilities around the world. But none, according to the chip company, is as “advanced and of high quality” as the one in Israel’s Kiryat Gat. The experience is so good that Intel wants to build an even more modern factory there by 2027 for $25 billion.

Intel announced this investment a few months ago. Since then, events have accelerated. Hamas' terrorist attacks and the Israeli army's counterattacks are keeping the world in suspense. Kiryat Gat is only half an hour's drive from Gaza - and within the radius of Hamas rockets.

With almost 13,000 employees, Israel is “the largest development center for Intel in the world,” says the company. Groundbreaking products such as the energy-efficient semiconductors Centrino and Pentium M come from there.