Not long ago, artificial intelligence felt like something out of science fiction: It lived in futuristic movies and speculative headlines. Today, itโ€™s woven quietly into our daily routines. AI helps us decide where to eat dinner, flags unusual health symptoms, and even drafts our emails. 

But while AI has changed daily life, its impact within research universities may be even more profound. At the Technion, a revolution is unfolding. AI is not just another tool in the academic toolbox. It is transforming how research is done and how quickly discovery happens. 

Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan describes AI as a kind of โ€œsuperbrain,โ€ one we are all connected to. This superbrain can process staggering amounts of information, recognize patterns humans would miss, and solve problems at speeds that were unimaginable just a few years ago. For researchers, whose work depends on thinking, analysing, and discovering, AI has become an extension of their own minds.

A Tectonic Shift in Research 

Across campus, researchers in fields as diverse as medicine, biology, physics, and mechanical engineering are integrating AI into their daily work. Tasks that once required months or even years of painstaking effort can now be completed in hours. Calculations once done by hand or simulations that took weeks to run are now executed almost instantly.

Prof. Mark Silberstein of the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computing Engineering believes this transformation is only beginning. โ€œWeโ€™re seeing a tectonic shift in academic research,โ€ he said. โ€œSoon, everyone will be using AI for one thing or another.

AI Revolution | Prof. Mark Silberstein
AI Revolution | Prof. Mark Silberstein

Within a year, he predicts, AI tools will be fully embedded in research across disciplines, and many researchers will build their own custom AI systems tailored to their work. The pace of change, he said, will only accelerate. 

What does that look like in practice?

From the Test Tube to the Computer

For generations, scientific breakthroughs were born in laboratories filled with microscopes, test tubes, and experimental animals. Today, many of those experiments are beginning not in physical labs, but inside computers. 

Ofer Strichman, professor of computational logic and computer science in the Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, has watched this evolution firsthand. โ€œEvery year we recruit new faculty,โ€ he explained, โ€œand you can see how more and more scientists are computational experimentalists. Theyโ€™re doing their research in the computer.โ€ 

Prof. Ofer Strichman | AI revolution | American Technion Society
AI revolution | Prof. Ofer Strichman

Imagine developing a new drug. Traditionally, scientists tested one compound at a time, often beginning with animals. Itโ€™s slow, expensive, and limited. Now imagine creating a detailed digital simulation of a human organ, a โ€œvirtual organ,โ€ and testing not just one molecule, but millions of combinations. AI can analyze the results, identify the most promising candidates, and dramatically narrow down what needs to be tested in the lab. Instead of replacing laboratory work, computers supercharge it. Scientists can explore possibilities that would be impossible to test physically, then return to the lab with sharper focus and better odds of success. 

Picture a physicist, for instance, trying to predict how 1,000 celestial bodies will move over the next 1,000 years. The math quickly becomes overwhelming. But with powerful computers, each celestial body can be modeled digitally, with the system calculating how every object influences the others. The simulation unfolds in virtual space, revealing patterns no human could calculate by hand. 

โ€œNowadays,โ€ Strichman said, โ€œthe more computing power you have, the better your research results will be. Like having a bigger telescope, computers allow us to see farther.โ€

Why Computing Power Matters 

Behind every AI breakthrough lies a less glamorous but absolutely essential ingredient: computing power. 

For more than 30 years, the Technion has operated a high-performance computing (HPC) facility: essentially a warehouse filled with powerful servers. These systems have long supported researchers running complex simulations, particularly in fields like physics and engineering.

AI revolution | HPC Building at the Technion
3D render of High Performance Computing Building on Technion campus in Haifa

Traditionally, these computers relied on components called central processing units, or CPUs. You can think of a CPU as the brain of a computer. The Technion currently operates about 6,500 CPUs, and researchers typically wait just a couple of minutes to access one. But AI demands something different. 

Modern AI systems rely heavily on graphics processing units, or GPUs. Originally designed to render video game graphics, GPUs are uniquely suited for the kind of massive, parallel calculations that AI requires. While a CPU handles tasks sequentially, a GPU can perform many calculations simultaneously, making it dramatically faster for AI workloads. The difference is enormous. 

GPUs are not only expensive (each unit can cost around $250,000) but they also require specialized infrastructure. They consume large amounts of electricity and generate extraordinary heat, demanding sophisticated cooling systems and advanced networking to allow thousands of units to communicate seamlessly. The Technion currently has only 72 GPUs, which is far from sufficient. Researchers can wait four hours or more for access to one. In a world where speed determines competitiveness, those hours matter.

A Global Race 

Around the globe, countries, universities, and technology companies are racing to dominate the AI frontier. Success depends not only on talent and ideas, but also on infrastructure. The institutions that build the most advanced computing systems gain a powerful edge in research, innovation, and economic development. 

โ€œThere is an arms race among countries and universities to achieve AI dominance. To be at the forefront of this field, we need to strengthen the capabilities we have at the Technion.โ€

Prof. Mark Silberstein

At present, many Technion researchers must rely on industry partnerships to access advanced GPU systems because the University lacks sufficient in-house capacity. While collaboration with industry can be valuable, dependence creates limitations. 

Complicating matters, Israelโ€™s recent war with Hamas forced national and institutional priorities to shift and long-term infrastructure investments were necessarily delayed. Now, as the country looks toward rebuilding and strengthening its future, expanding AI infrastructure has become a strategic priority. 

The Technion is taking a major step forward with the construction of the Martin and Grace Druan Rosman High-Performance Computer Data Centre. The facility is nearing completion and will provide a state-of-the-art home for next-generation computing. 

Supported by Dr. Martin Rosman and Grace Druan Rosman through the American Technion Society, the new centre includes advanced electrical systems, cutting-edge cooling technologies, and high-speed communications networks โ€” all designed specifically to support powerful GPU-based systems. In simple terms: The building will be ready for the AI era. 

martin and grace rosman unveiling new supercomuting center at the technion in haifa | Donate to Support Israel | Technion University
Martin and Grace Rosman unveiling the supercomputing centre, 2023

High Stakes for Israel 

For Israel, the implications extend far beyond campus. Israelโ€™s reputation as the Startup Nation rests heavily on the strength of its scientific institutions. Many of the countryโ€™s most successful technology companies trace their roots to Technion labs and classrooms. The engineers and entrepreneurs trained here help power Israelโ€™s economy. 

If the Technion falls behind in AI research infrastructure, the ripple effects could be significant. Conversely, if it leads, the impact could be transformative: accelerating medical breakthroughs, advancing clean energy solutions, strengthening national security, and fueling new industries. 

โ€œThe Technion is committed to educating the best engineers in the world, the most capable entrepreneurs,โ€ Silberstein said. โ€œIsraelโ€™s brainpower is our competitive advantage.โ€ 

The AI revolution is here and itโ€™s reshaping science, education, and industry. At the Technion, the question is not whether AI will transform research because that transformation is already underway. The question is how boldly and how quickly the University can build the infrastructure needed to lead.  

Time to Move technology gives users control over motion in AI-generated videos without retraining models or requiring massive computing power

Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed a technology that allows users to control movement in AI-generated videos using simple mouse gestures, without requiring large computing resources or retraining on massive video datasets.

The system, called Time to Move, or TTM, was developed by Dr. Or Litany of the Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science, together with Prof. Ron Kimmel and students Asaf Singer, Noam Rotstein and Amir Mann.

Litany presented the research last month at the International Conference on Learning Representations, or ICLR 2026, in Brazil. The conference is considered one of the leading global gatherings in deep learning and artificial intelligence.

The technology is designed to address one of the key limitations of AI video generation: the difficulty of precisely controlling how objects and characters move over time. โ€œOur development solves one of the main limitations of AI-based video generation: the difficulty of precisely controlling the movement of objects and characters over time,โ€ Litany said.

He said TTM can be integrated as a plug-in into existing video models and does not require retraining. Unlike earlier approaches that require model-specific adaptation and significant computing power, the Technion system operates without additional computational cost, he said.

โ€œIn doing so, it helps democratise AI video creation by expanding access beyond giant companies such as Google and Meta,โ€ Litany said.

The key innovation behind the technology is a method called dual-clock denoising, which refines motion while balancing the userโ€™s intended movement with natural-looking video results.

Experiments conducted by the researchers showed that TTM matched training-based methods and outperformed them in motion accuracy and realism, according to the Technion. The system also allows users to edit the appearance of objects and add new objects to a scene, capabilities not offered by some earlier trained methods.

Researchers said the technology represents a step toward more intuitive and controllable tools for generative video.

Litany joined the Technionโ€™s computer science faculty as a senior lecturer in 2023 after being selected as an Azrieli Faculty Fellow and a Taub Fellow. He previously completed postdoctoral fellowships at Stanford University and FAIR at Meta and has worked on computer vision technologies.

For decades, theย Energy Tower by Dan Zaslavskyย was one of the most audacious clean-energy ideas never built. And it was the first story we covered when Green Prophet was founded in 2007!

Dan Zaslavsky date unknown
Dan Zaslavsky date unknown

Conceived by Dr. Phillip Carlson and championed by Professor Dan Zaslavsky of the Technion in Israel, the Energy Tower proposed something almost magical: spray seawater into the top of a giant desert tower, cool the hot air, let it plunge downward at high speed, and generate electricity through turbines at the base. The hotter and drier the desert, the better it would work. Zaslavsky envisioned towers over 1,000 metres tall rising from the Negev, Jordan Valley, and Red Sea region, generating power day and night while potentially producing fresh water.

Energy Tower
The Energy Tower

The idea never made the leap from drawings and engineering studies to full-scale construction. We have the original PDF proposal and science โ€”>ย LINK HERE

Theย UN advertised its potential in 2001ย but noted then that the $20M USD cost to build it was limiting. But nearly two decades after most people stopped talking about it, the concept is quietly evolving in two unexpected places: China and Iran. The concept let dreamers dream and doers do โ€“ figuring out more pleasing designs and engineering.

The Downdraft Energy Tower
The Downdraft Energy Tower

China turns the Energy Tower into a climate machine

The Chinese methane paper, on the other hand, is much closer to the original Energy Tower because it explicitly describes spraying water into the top of the tower to create the downdraft, exactly as Carlson and Zaslavsky envisioned.
The Chinese methane paper, on the other hand, is much closer to the original Energy Tower because it explicitly describes spraying water into the top of the tower to create the downdraft, exactly as Carlson and Zaslavsky envisioned.

In 2023, researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Wuhan University of Technology and other institutions revisited the downdraft Energy Tower concept with a new purpose: removing methane from the atmosphere. Their study proposed that the humid air released from a downdraft tower could increase the formation of hydroxyl radicals, the atmosphereโ€™s primary cleanser and the main natural sink for methane.

Downdraft Energy Tower (DET)

The researchers estimated that a tower 1,200 metres high and 400 metres in diameter could generate roughly 380 MW of electricity while simultaneously helping remove atmospheric methane. They calculated that a single Jordan-based tower could remove approximately 12.5 tonnes of methane per day under ideal conditions.

Whether those numbers hold up in practice remains to be seen. No commercial-scale downdraft Energy Tower has yet been built. But the research marks a remarkable shift. The tower is no longer viewed merely as a power plant. It is being reimagined as a tool for climate remediation.

Iran transforms the tower into a vertical oasis

Energy Tower from Iran
Iranian Energy Tower

Meanwhile, a team of Iranian architects received an Honorable Mention in the 2025 Skyscraper Competition for their โ€œRegenerative Towerโ€ proposal on Iranโ€™s Makran coast.

Unlike Zaslavskyโ€™s energy-focused concept, the Iranian project imagines the tower as an entire ecosystem. The design combines wind energy generation, atmospheric water harvesting, food production, housing and climate adaptation in a single 200-metre structure.

The towerโ€™s twin wind shafts generate energy. A butterfly-like exoskeleton captures moisture from the air. Vertical farms produce vegetables, fruit and medicinal crops. Residential rings provide shaded housing inspired by traditional Baluchi architecture. The project claims it could generate up to 15,000 litres of water per day while recycling nearly all of its water in a closed-loop system.

Iran energy tower
Iranโ€™s Energy Tower

Although the project does not explicitly employ the classic evaporative downdraft system developed by Carlson and Zaslavsky, its philosophy is strikingly similar: use desert heat, wind and humidity not as obstacles but as resources.

What links these projects is not simply a tower. It is a way of thinking.

Carlson and Zaslavsky believed deserts should not be viewed as barren landscapes waiting for resources to be imported. They believed deserts themselves contained enormous untapped energy. Heat, dryness, wind and seawater could be transformed into electricity, water and prosperity.

Chinaโ€™s methane-removal research expands the concept into the realm of climate engineering. Iranโ€™s Regenerative Tower expands it into urban design and community resilience.

Neither project has yet delivered a functioning tower. But both suggest that Zaslavskyโ€™s dream may have been ahead of its time. From the engineering literature, Carlson appears to have been an American engineer/inventor, and the concept emerged in the United States before being adopted and extensively studied in Israel during the 1970sโ€“1990s. The Israeli work is much better documented than Carlsonโ€™s own biography.

Nearly half a century after its invention, Dan Zaslavskyโ€™s giant Energy Tower may finally be finding its moment.

Technion researchers have developed, for the first time, a comprehensive physical model explaining how the properties of a radiating material, including absorption, emission, and quantum efficiency, affect the fundamental characteristics of the light it emits as a function of temperature. In essence, the emitted light changes its color, intensity, and randomness according to the material’s properties and its temperature. Theย discoveryย was published inย Opticaย and opens new possibilities for designing advanced light sources, optical sensors, and thermally based photonic systems.

The research was led by M.Sc. student Tomer Bar-Lev and Prof. Carmel Rotschild from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute at the Technion. According to the researchers, the central phenomenon examined in this work is photoluminescence, a process in which a material emits light in response to incident illumination. In this phenomenon, light particles (photons) are absorbed by the material and re-emitted, forming the basis of many technologies, including LED lighting and optical sensors.

The Technion researchers demonstrated that the influence of fundamental physical laws formulated more than a century ago is far broader than previously thought.

At the beginning of the 20th century, physicist Max Planck showed that a body in thermodynamic equilibrium emits radiation depending on its temperature and material properties. Another German physicist, Gustav Kirchhoff, showed that under the same conditions, a material’s absorption and emission properties must be identical.

The new work by Technion researchers extends beyond the specific case of thermal radiation to all types of radiation, generalizing the relationship between matter and radiation out of equilibrium. Moreover, in their paper, they present a general equation that enables prediction and, crucially, design of the nature of light emitted from luminescent materials.

The new model describes how increasing temperature gradually transforms the emitted light, from well-defined, narrowband emission, such as that of an LED, to broad, multicolored radiation like sunlight. In doing so, the model fully explains, for the first time, how these two phenomena are fundamentally connected.

This scientific discovery paves the way for controlling the properties of light simply by adjusting temperature. Potential future developments includeย advanced optical devices, communications technologies, precise sensing, and applications in optical cooling and heat management.

According to Prof. Rotschild, “The model we developed provides a broad foundation for understanding light properties and for designing radiation sources with the material characteristics we desire. It offers a new physical framework for the light sources of the next generation.”

From cultivated milk to sustainable proteins, Technion researchers and graduates are reshaping the future of food

The way the world eats is changing rapidly. As global populations grow, climate pressures intensify and consumers seek healthier, more sustainable alternatives, food technology has emerged as one of the defining industries of the 21st century. At the forefront of this revolution stands the Technion โ€“ Israel Institute of Technology.

Featured recently in The Jewish Chronicle, Technion Professor Uri Lesmes highlighted how Israel has become a global centre for food innovation, with Technion researchers, graduates and entrepreneurs leading advances that could transform nutrition, sustainability and food production worldwide.

Reimagining dairy

One of the most exciting examples is Remilk, the Israeli start-up co-founded by two former Technion students. The company has developed a groundbreaking method of producing dairy proteins without cows.

Using precision fermentation, scientists insert the gene responsible for milk protein production into yeast cells. The yeast then produces proteins that are molecularly identical to those found in cowโ€™s milk. The result is a dairy product that contains the same essential proteins, but without lactose, cholesterol, hormones or antibiotics.

This innovation has the potential to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of dairy farming while maintaining the taste, texture and nutritional value consumers expect.

Israel became the first country in the world to approve the sale of lab-grown and alternative proteins in 2024, cementing its reputation as a global food-tech leader. The sector has attracted billions in investment and continues to expand rapidly.

Innovation with purpose

Professor Lesmes, from the Technionโ€™s Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering in Haifa, is helping train the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs who will shape the future of nutrition.

His work focuses not only on technological breakthroughs, but also on improving public health and accessibility. Among the challenges being tackled are the nutritional needs of ageing populations, healthier processed foods and more sustainable methods of production.

โ€œWeโ€™re trained to think about what other people are missing, or what they think is impossible โ€“ and then we try to do it,โ€ Professor Lesmes said.

That mindset reflects the wider Technion culture: combining scientific excellence with practical problem-solving that can improve lives around the world.

Food security and resilience

The importance of food innovation has become even more pronounced in recent years. Since October 7, many Israeli researchers and students have also contributed directly to national resilience efforts.

Professor Lesmes himself worked with IDF units to improve nutrition for combat soldiers, helping develop sterilised, ready-to-eat meals suited to frontline conditions.

At the same time, Technion students continue to launch new ventures addressing food security, sustainability and nutrition challenges on a global scale.

From the laboratory to the supermarket

What once sounded like science fiction is increasingly becoming reality. Alternative dairy products, cultivated proteins and advanced nutritional technologies are already reaching supermarket shelves.

Companies founded by Technion graduates are helping redefine how food is produced and consumed, while demonstrating how scientific research can translate into real-world impact.

The Technionโ€™s unique ecosystem โ€” bringing together world-class researchers, ambitious students and close industry collaboration โ€” has positioned Israel as one of the worldโ€™s leading food-tech hubs.

Supporting the next generation of innovators

Technion UK is proud to support the pioneering research, education and entrepreneurship taking place at the Technion.

From sustainable food systems to medical breakthroughs, Technion scientists are addressing some of the greatest challenges facing humanity.

As the world searches for smarter, cleaner and more resilient ways to feed future generations, Technion innovation is helping turn pure imagination into reality.

Israeli startup ZyG, founded by alumni of ironSource, has raised $60 million in a Series A round at a valuation of $500 million. The round comes just a year after the companyโ€™s founding and shortly after it emerged from stealth, bringing total funding to $118 million.

The financing was led by Accel, with participation from existing investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Viola Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Access Industries (Clal Tech), Stardom Ventures, Emerge, Disruptive AI, and Jibe. New investors Felix Capital, O.G. Venture Partners, QP Ventures, and Wiz CEO Assaf Rappaport also joined the round. Sonali De Rycker, partner at Accel, will join the companyโ€™s board of directors.

ZyG was recently ranked fourth in Calcalistโ€™s list of most promising startups for 2026.

The company was founded in 2025 by a group of former ironSource executives and employees following the companyโ€™s sale to Unity. Its founders include Tomer Bar-Zeev (Chairman), Omer Kaplan (CEO), Assaf Ben Ami (CFO & COO), Nadav Ashkenazy, and Daniel Shinar, alongside cybersecurity and artificial intelligence experts from Unit 81: Dr. Eyal Amitt, Omri Steinmetz, and Guy Tsur. The company currently employs 65 people.

ZyG has developed a platform aimed at addressing key challenges in the e-commerce sector through artificial intelligence. The system identifies products with high growth potential using advanced data models, assigning each a proprietary โ€œZyG Score.โ€

For products that receive a high score, the platform functions as an end-to-end operating system, managing the full lifecycle of scaling a product. This includes building online stores, developing brands, creating advertising campaigns, executing digital marketing strategies, optimising search and AI-driven discovery, working with influencers, handling customer acquisition and retention, and improving logistics, all within a unified platform.

“Shopify and Amazon opened the door for anyone who wants to start selling online. But shifting from selling to scaling remains overwhelmingly complex. It forces founders to manage fragmented tools, siloed data, and the many teams or agencies needed to execute every aspect of scale,” said Omer Kaplan, CEO and Co-Founder of ZyG. “ZyG OS flips that model with an end-to-end solution that solves the entire problem, not pieces of it. With a complex agentic infrastructure, ZyG OS executes the endless elements needed to scale, freeing founders to focus on building great products.”

The 4-kilogram CloudCT satellite, built through an international project involving the Weizmann Institute, Technion and Germanyโ€™s Center for Telematics, will test AI-based cloud tomography technology ahead of a planned 10-satellite constellation

The first tiny satellite in an Israeli-German research satellite network, CloudCT, has been built, tested and prepared for launch from California. The launch is expected in June.

The success of the pioneering mission is expected to pave the way for the launch of 10 additional CloudCT satellites next year and advance research into clouds and their role in the climate.

The satellite is the product of seven years of intensive joint research by Israeli and German scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science, led by Prof. Ilan Koren; the Technion, led by Prof. Yoav Schechner; and the Center for Telematics in Germany, led by Prof. Klaus Schilling.

The achievement was made possible by a prestigious ERC Synergy research grant from the European Research Council. Discoveries by the international research team on AI-based tomographic observation methods, cloud physics and advances in satellite technology have been published in leading scientific journals.

ืžืขืจื›ืช CloudCT

โ€œThe mission focuses on in-depth study of small clouds, which are often not observed by current remote-sensing technologies,โ€ said Koren, a world-renowned expert in atmospheric and climate research. โ€œThe mission addresses significant sources of uncertainty that currently limit long-term climate models and forecasts.โ€

Researchers said that after flight tests, the pioneer satellite will test its innovative sensing technology from orbit. The satellite weighs only about 4 kilograms and must autonomously tilt itself toward specific cloud fields.

ื•ื“ื™ื ื—ื•ืœื•ื“ื•ื‘ืกืงื™ ื•ืคืจื•ืค' ื™ื•ืื‘ ืฉื›ื ืจ ื‘ื—ื“ืจ ื”ื ืงื™ ื‘ืžื›ื•ืŸ ืืฉืจ ืœื—ืงืจ ื”ื—ืœืœ ืขื ื”ืžืขืจื›ืช ืฉื‘ื ื• ื›ื“ื™ ืœื‘ื“ื•ืง ื•ืœื›ื™ื™ืœ ืืช ืžืฆืœืžืช CloudCT

โ€œPrecise aiming and coordination between 10 tiny satellites flying in formation in space are significant challenges for such small guidance and control systems,โ€ said Schilling, president of the Center for Telematics and an expert in small-satellite development. โ€œThis is the key to autonomous formation flying.โ€

ืคืจื•ืค' ืื™ืœืŸ ืงื•ืจืŸ

The group developed an entirely new observation approach inspired by medical CT, or computed tomography. The method maps the internal structure and properties of clouds in three dimensions, including unprecedented measurements of the microphysics of cloud droplets. It uses AI and allows scientists to assess the reliability of the mapping.

โ€œOptical CT of clouds requires simultaneous images from many directions in space, using a unique camera,โ€ said Schechner, an expert in computational photography. โ€œThe camera is sensitive to light polarization: polarization is invisible to the human eye but provides information about cloud droplets. The camera was developed especially for CloudCT, and we will test its performance in space in the upcoming mission.โ€

The Technion continues to set the standard for innovation and excellence and once again puts Israel on the world stage.

Haifa and London โ€“ The Technion, Israel Institute of Technology has earned major international recognition for both academic excellence and entrepreneurial impact, according to newly released global rankings.

The Technion has been ranked first in Israel and Europe in a leading international computer sciences index measuring peer-reviewed conference publications between 2005 and 2025. The institution placed 21st worldwide overall, with particular strength in artificial intelligence and machine learning, including a top-10 global ranking in machine learning.

The index evaluates research output and impact across key computer science disciplines, underscoring The Technionโ€™s leadership in advanced technologies shaping the future of AI, data science, and computational research.

In addition to its academic distinction, The Technion has also been ranked among the top 10 universities worldwide for producing venture-backed founders, according to the latest PitchBook University Rankings. Climbing six places from the previous year, the Technion secured 10th place globally, reflecting the growing influence of its alumni within the global startup ecosystem.

Technion graduates have founded hundreds of companies that have collectively raised billions of dollars in venture capital, reinforcing the universityโ€™s reputation as a powerhouse of deep-tech innovation and entrepreneurship.

Alan Aziz CEO of Technion UK commented: “These rankings reflect more than academic achievement, they represent the Technionโ€™s unique ability to turn groundbreaking research into real-world impact. From pioneering advances in AI to nurturing the next generation of global entrepreneurs, The Technion continues to set the standard for innovation and excellence and once again puts Israel on the world stage.”

Together, these achievements highlight the Technionโ€™s ability to combine world-class scientific research with tangible commercial success advancing knowledge while fuelling technological innovation worldwide.

The Technion claimed the top spot in Europe for AI research according to CSRankings, placing 21st globally, and has fuelled a surge of successful commercial tech spinoffs.

The Technion Israel Institute of Technology was ranked the best university in computer science and artificial intelligence research in Israel and Europe. It was also ranked 21st worldwide, according to an index unveiled by CSRankings on Monday.

The index was created using the number of peer-reviewed conference papers published by Technion researchers between 2005 and 2025 at the worldโ€™s leading computer science conferences, highlighting the Technion as one of the leading institutions in AI research and development.

The institute was also ranked among the top ten most important universities when investigating Machine Learning, a subfield of Artificial Intelligence.

The Technion explained that this achievement was possible thanks to its extensive community of researchers, comprising more than 150 professionals from across a range of faculties, working in various areas of AI research and development.

โ€œThis international recognition stems from a long-term strategy to advance AI research at the Technion and from substantial investment in this field,โ€ said Prof. Danny Raz, Senior Executive Vice President at the Technion.

Aerial view of the Technion Israel Institute of Technology (credit: TECHNION SPOKESPERSON’S OFFICE)

โ€œHundreds of our faculty members apply advanced AI-based methods across a wide range of fields, including data science, medical research, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, architecture, and biology, and I am confident this trend will only intensify,โ€ he added.

Technion transforms academic achievements into commercial applications

According to a statement by the institute, theย Technionโ€™s AI research achievements have been translated into commercial applications, mainly using the T3, the Technionโ€™s technology transfer arm.

Among the most important are Firefly Neuroscience (brain health), founded by Dr. Shahaf Goded and which went public in 2024; DECI AI (deep learning), founded by Prof. Ran El-Yaniv and acquired by NVIDIA; and Autobrains (autonomous vehicles), founded by Prof. Yehoshua Zeevi.

Other important companies founded by Technionโ€™s alums are Barcode Nanotech (in-body particle transport for therapeutic purposes), founded by Prof. Avi Schroeder, Pickommerce AI Robotics (robotics), founded by Prof. Elon Rimon, Nol8 (data processing), founded this year by Prof. Mark Silberstein, Metasight Diagnostics (bioinformatics), founded by Prof. Tomer Shlomi, and SleepAI (sleep research), founded by Prof. Joachim Behar.

Ali Ayoub told the Globes Putting the North at the Center Conference that Nvidia does not see the north as a periphery but as the center of the AI revolution.

โ€œI was born and raised in the (Galilee) village of Majd al-Krum and was infatuated by the field of technology from an early age. I remember my father buying us a computer, which was not a given. I shared the computer with my brothers,โ€ Nvidia VP software engineering Ali Ayoub told Globes technology editor Assaf Gilead at the Globes Putting the North at the Center Conference held in cooperation with Bank Leumi and Strauss Group.

Nvidia VP Ali Ayoub credit: Cadya Levy

Ayoub spoke about AI and if it will replace engineers and juniors, how to hire employees in the North, how to integrate Arab society into tech professions, Nvidiaโ€™s cooperation with academia, and how he reached his current position at Nvidia. Ayoubโ€™s path to Nvidia VP included several stages: he earned a degree in computer engineering at the Technion โ€“ Israel Institute of Technology, worked at Mellanox, moved to the US where he worked at Google and founded a startup, and after 10 years he returned to Israel and Mellanox, and remained there even after the acquisition of Nvidia. At the US chip giant, he founded the DOCA feature group and today manages hundreds of employees at Nvidia in Israel and around the world. He is also cofounder of the HAAT food delivery company.

When asked why he chose to return to Israel, he replied: “People usually ask why I left the center of the country and came to the north. I left the center of the world, Silicon Valley, and returned to the north. This is home. In high-tech, they always talk about the importance of work-life balance, the north is ‘life’, and also being close to family and Nvidia is ‘work’. For me, the stars aligned and looking back, this is one of the best decisions I made.”

Nvidia is to build a large development center in Kiryat Tivon over the next decade for 8,000-10,000 employees. Why in the north and specifically in Kiryat Tivon?

“The north has excellent human capital, and tech companies are really looking for the best. In the north, first of all, there are very good universities. Also in general, if you want to find good people, it is worth looking where others are less likely to look. In Nvidia’s eyes, the north is a place with excellent human capital and a place for growth, and it is no coincidence that they chose Tivon. From our point of view, there is raw material here and it is full of talent that we would be very happy to recruit to Nvidia to reach even further and greater growth. In my opinion, not only is there talent here, but also untapped talent here.”

Can you expand about Nvidiaโ€™s activities in Israel?

“Nvidia Israel, which employs 5,000, is the company’s biggest branch worldwide outside the US. The employees are the nervous system of data centers. They focus on the field of networking and the transformation of AI. Nvidia makes the GPU (graphics processing unit), the AI engine, and if hundreds of GPUs were once enough to build AI data centers, today thousands are needed. They must be connected to a very fast network, and this is where Nvidia Israel comes in. We provide these fast networks. This is the beating heart of the AI revolution not only in Israel, but around the world.”

How do you hire employees in the North?

“Firstly, you have to believe that they exist, look for them and then find them. It’s a matter of cause and effect. In all kinds of jobs, not just in high-tech, there is a lot of stress on the balance between work and home. The North brings the home part and we have to work on the work part. So, companies must set up branches here and focus on here and create the opportunity to work in quality jobs. This is, in my opinion, the number one element that will keep people here. Nvidia does not see the North as a periphery but sees it as the center of the AI revolution, and you have to believe in it and see it and when you look, you find it.”

Are you working with universities in order to build a pool of employees in the future?

“For us, universities are not just a collaboration, but complement us. This is not done as a favor to the universities, but we want to bring the best to us. Personally, every two months, there is a high school or school that comes to visit. It starts even before the universities.”

Ayoub spoke about collaboration with the universities: “We work very closely with them. This is reflected in job fairs, and we have a program that provides AI tools to lecturers and students, and this brings us very close together.”

On the change required in universities and the integration of AI tools, he said, “I think universities are changing. They also turn to us and we suggest how to change the syllabus and courses. The juniors and students we hire do an excellent job and integrate into AI very quickly. We take people when they have the basic tools, and we do the education and use of AI tools within the company.”

On the difficulty of juniors finding tech jobs, he said, “We hire a lot of juniors and we are at the center of the AI revolution that will require more work. We need to hire people. The reason we are doing this is because we believe in juniors and do not believe that AI will replace them.”

“Whoever doesnโ€™t use AI will get left behind”

You are Nvidia VP software engineering, and this is the area most vulnerable to the impact of AI. There are companies where employees and programmers have not programmed for six months. Do you believe that the programmer will be replaced by AI?

“Not at all. AI will not replace the engineer, but any engineer who does not use AI will be replaced by another engineer who does use it. Almost every engineer at Nvidia uses AI. Things that take weeks to do alone, today can be done in days or hours. It is such an essential tool that anyone who does not use it will be left behind. AI will certainly create new jobs for those who look at it from the right angle.”

What would you recommend to your young children when they grow up to study: software or electrical engineering?

“You cannot do one without the other. I studied software and work in it, but the software I make is software that complements the hardware. The hardware is the body and the software is the mind. You cannot have a body without a mind and vice versa. They complement each other.”

You have previously told me that when you were growing up, your family took it very hard that you went to study computer engineering.

“My parents wanted me to be a doctor, maybe to this day,” laughs Ayoub. “I remember when I wanted to enroll in school, there was the option to give two majors. But I asserted myself, and I only registered the first major.”

How has Arab society changed in recent years and how easy is it for young people to integrate into the tech industry?

“We see them at the Technion, but many give up after their degree and go do other things. But still, almost 16% of the students today in technology subjects are from Arab society. At the Technion, close to 20% of students are Arab, which is very close to the percentage of the population. 50% of Arab students are female students, and this representation we are very proud of. Tech companies are looking for diversity and we see it as a blessing and something good that brings better products.”

Ayoub stresses that more work is needed because there are not many entrepreneurs from Arab society: “Today there is more openness and exposure to technology and we need more role models to say ‘When I grow up, I will be a tech professional’. I think it is happening, but we need to give it more push.”

Full disclosure: The conference was held in cooperation with Bank Leumi and Strauss Group, and sponsored by Aura Investments, Tel-Hai Academic College, Propdo, and with the participation of Netivei Israel National Transport Infrastructure Co.