Intel India and Consulate of Israel Bengaluru sign MoU to accelerate innovation

Taking India-Israel tech cooperation to the next level, the Israel Consulate at Bengaluru and Intel India signed an MoU to connect startups and enterprises of both countries to drive innovation and technology development.

As a part of the initiative, Intel India will extend Intel India Maker Lab (its in-house hardware/systems-based startups accelerator in India) capabilities to Israeli startups to support development of products and solutions.

In addition, it will provide mentorship, and connect the Israeli startups to India market requirements and opportunities to test and deploy solutions in the India market.

In turn, the Israeli technology ecosystem, which has strong business acumen, specifically with regard to new usage models and future technologies, will make their knowledge and technical capabilities available to the Indian startup ecosystem. This will be accomplished through trainings and workshops.

Talking to DH, Israel Consulate General to South India Dana Kursh said 2018 marks Israel’s 70 years of “heritage of innovation”, and India has been a key partner on this exciting journey.

"We are honored to be part of this collaboration that so intrinsically combines the values and strengths of India, Israel and Intel to advance innovation through these two vibrant technological ecosystems. We look forward to working closely with Intel and the India technology ecosystem in this endeavor,” she said.

The MoU will comprise initiatives which will focus on key technology areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) for automotive safety, and Communications (e.g. 5G) in verticals including health, water conservation, agriculture and automotive.

Intel India Country Head and Vice President, Data Center Group Nivruti Rai said Intel and Israel share a very strong culture of innovation and hunger to innovate.

"We have continuously strived to deliver cutting-edge technologies that impact the world. Intel is celebrating its 50th year of innovation journey and it is an exciting moment for us to be collaborating with the Israel Consulate to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in both the countries,"she said.

Rai said the natural synergies that exist between the Indian and Israeli ecosystems, will help us drive innovation to deliver solutions for these markets, and for the world.

"We have lots of unresolved problems in India which affects our citizens. If we co-operate with Israel tech ecosystem these problems can be solved. It will fuel economic growth and welfare of citizens," she said.

Rai said the company is looking at opportunities to enable the cloud and networking infrastructure in India on par with the global standards.
"Intel India will shortlist 50 to 100 Isareli startups in the course of next three years,"she said.

The collaboration also entails academia involvement through the Israel Center at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), which will provide its students access to engage with both the Indian and Israeli technology ecosystem. IIMB will also help conduct seminars and workshops for entrepreneurs from both countries.

Intel has established deep relation with Israel in technology since 1974 and invested about $11 billion since then. The company employs 10,000 people in the country directly, with 60% of employees in research and development.

Intel Corporation this year announced its investment of $5 billion over the next two years to upgrade its fab in Kiryat Gat in Israel from 22nm to 10nm technology.

Commenting on the new synergies between India and Israel, Vice Chairman Federation of Indo-Israeli Chambers of Commerce David Keynan the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year marked a new era in Indo-Israel relationship.

"India and Israel are natural partners and technology is an element in cementing our relationship. Our technology co-operation has helped us drive innovation in agriculture, healthcare, water purification, IoT and Industry 4.0. We are expecting much more to achieve going forward,"said Keynan.