( May 17, 2026 / JNS )
The Israeli government on Sunday unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal for a preliminary work plan for the recently established National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Directorate.
“This is a strategic move designed to ensure Israel’s technological superiority, accelerate development in the field of AI, and maintain Israel’s position in the first line of world powers,” said the Prime Minister’s Office.
The directorate, led by Brig.-Gen. (res.) Erez Askal, was announced on Oct. 12, 2025. It was established as an auxiliary unit within the PMO with the goal of transforming Israel into a “global AI superpower.”
“I welcome the government’s decision to approve the work plan, which reflects a deep understanding of the importance of the field and its broad impact on the State of Israel, its economic, technological and social resilience, and its national security,” said Askal.
The government’s decision marks a “significant first step” toward formulating a national plan that will position Israel as a global leader in the field of artificial intelligence, he added.
The work plan will focus on three main topics: 1) investments to deepen human capital, such as attracting ex-pats back to Israel; 2) developing and accelerating computing, specifically, making 5,000 of the most advanced model GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) accessible each year for six years (2027-2032) for use in academia and the public sector; 3) establishing acceleration centers for the development and promotion of AI applications.
“We today approved a significant budget to immediately address three key components for accelerating artificial intelligence: academic human capital, world-class supercomputing infrastructure, and the establishment of applied laboratories to solve the day-to-day challenges of Israel’s citizens using artificial intelligence,” said Netanyahu.
“We will soon bring to the government an innovative, wide-ranging national plan for the next decade. Israel is going to be a world leader in the field, and it will happen tremendously quickly,” he added.