A (computer) chip off the old block
11/02/2012 03:30
Paul Otellini, president and CEO of Intel, tells President Shimon Peres he's proud of what Israeli brainpower achieved.
Shimon Peres with Intel CEO Paul Otellini. Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO
Aware of President Shimon Peres’s penchant for science and technology, all the
hi-tech gurus who come to Israel beat a path to his door and are welcomed with
open arms.
Thus when Paul Otellini, president and CEO of Intel and a
member of US President Barack Obama’s Task Force for speeding up jobs and
competitiveness, came to Israel this week, it was in the cards that he would
meet with Peres.
More than that, Otellini, when he visited the
president’s office on Thursday, brought with him what is believed to be the most
advanced microchip in the world. The latest Intel chip is the product of Israeli
research and development.
Otellini told Peres that the establishment in
1974 of Intel’s first R&D plant in Haifa had been an important strategic
choice not only for Intel but for the State of Israel. Since then, other Intel
plants have been established in the center of the country and in Kiryat Gat,
with a total of 8,500 of the best brains in the country.
“We’re very
proud of them,” Otellini said.
Peres suggested to the Intel CEO that if
he was so proud of what Israeli brainpower had achieved for Intel, perhaps it
was a good idea for the global company to set up its next R&D plant in
Israel as well. No country is more suitable, Peres insisted, citing Israel’s
worldwide reputation for its hi-tech achievements.
Otellini acknowledged
that, while Intel’s Israeli facilities were among the company’s most outstanding
in the world, and cooperation with the State of Israel is of great importance to
Intel, he made no promises with regard to establishing another Intel plant in
Israel.