Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen addressed the Government on Sunday regarding a decision to accelerate the building of an AI server farm.
Prime Minister Netanyahu described the decision as both "great news" and "a major move," emphasizing the strategic importance of artificial intelligence.
"Leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI), and in my opinion, in quantum as well, will be a decisive factor in the continued cultivation of our power," Netanyahu said. "This is a small country; it needs to possess immense power. This applies both militarily and in the ability to project power, which is the ability to move your forces. I am talking about moving military forces across the space and even the presence of your forces within that space."
The Prime Minister added that a separate discussion would be held regarding a new security concept he plans to present in the coming days.
"However, it is not just about projecting or building power; it is also about gaining immense power advantages on a global scale," Netanyahu continued. "We must do this because we are a small and threatened country: Small in population and small in territory, but huge in spirit and in action. And we will do it. Therefore, this is an integral part of this vision. I thank you, Minister Eli Cohen, and all of you."
Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen said the decision would remove barriers and accelerate processes for building data centers.
"Today, we are introducing a decision that will remove barriers and accelerate the processes for building data centers, which is a vital step on Israel's path to becoming a global AI superpower," Cohen stated.
He noted that Israel benefits from "excellent human capital and hundreds of international companies operating within its borders," as well as its location at "an international communications crossroads" and what he described as "very attractive energy prices."
"Today we are adding another tier: Removing barriers to accelerate the planning and construction procedures for server farms," he said.
Cohen revealed that in the last three months, planning and establishment procedures had begun for data centers with a capacity of one gigabit.
"Just to give some perspective, this represents more than 5% of the State of Israel's energy consumption initiated in just the last three months, and there is more to come," he said.
According to Cohen, the centers are expected to create thousands of jobs and bring billions of dollars into the state treasury.
"We will act here to assist them so they can be established quickly," he added.
Cohen also addressed energy infrastructure plans, stating that alongside the expansion of data centers, efforts are underway to increase the construction of energy facilities.
"Our original plan was to build two power plants by the end of the decade; we will double the number of power plants under construction, including both those based on gas and those based on renewable energy," he said.