Apple To Open Its First Foreign R&D Center In... Israel

[SamurAchzar]

Following the planned acquisition of Israeli flash controller startup Anobit for around half a billion dollars, there are solid rumors Apple has already hired an Israeli guy to run a new R&D center that will focus on VLSI (chips) and will be built up around this acquisition.

Link

Apple of course will not be the first company to do so; Intel too had its first non-US R&D center opened in Israel, maybe 30 years ago, and nearly all top tech firms have R&D centers located in Israel (Google, IBM, EMC, Microsoft to name a few). So, fellas, is the Israeli engineering talent this good to make Apple establish an R&D center there, out of all places?

 

[Vic Vega]

Lots of tech going on there these days. I have a lot of SAN customers there. Definitely the technical power house of the region, second maybe to Egypt or SA. The rest of the area is in the dark ages.

 

[SamurAchzar]

Lots of tech going on there these days. I have a lot of SAN customers there. Definitely the technical power house of the region, second maybe to Egypt or SA. The rest of the area is in the dark ages.

There aren't any significant R&D activities anywhere else in the Middle East as far as I know. From my info tech firms branches in the Arab countries are just sales reps, if they develop anything its product localization at most.

 

[woolfe9999]

It's pretty obvious isn't it. By controlling the information technology, the Joos are trying to control the flow of all information. Come on, wake up, sheeple!

 

[DaveSimmons]

So, fellas, is the Israeli engineering talent this good to make Apple establish an R&D center there, out of all places?

Given intel's successful chip designs developed there I'd say yes.

Also, unlike some other potential sites like Russia there isn't the decaying infrastructure, corruption and arbitrary threat of being imprisoned for years to make setting up a R&D center too risky.

 

[gevorg]

So, fellas, is the Israeli engineering talent this good to make Apple establish an R&D center there, out of all places?

During the 1980s and 1990s, there was a major inflow of engineering/CS talent to Israel from former USSR states. Lots of those folks, mostly Russian/Ukrainian Jews, were very high caliber in what they do, so together with US aid, it shouldn't be surprising that R&D in Israel grew so fast over the last two decades. Why Apple chose Israel? Well, its a pretty safe bet, considering the fact that the whole US foreign policy in the region is focused around one country.

 

[SamurAchzar]

During the 1980s and 1990s, there was a major inflow of engineering/CS talent to Israel from former USSR states. Lots of those folks, mostly Russian/Ukrainian Jews, were very high caliber in what they do, so together with US aid, it shouldn't be surprising that R&D in Israel grew so fast over the last two decades. Why Apple chose Israel? Well, its a pretty safe bet, considering the fact that the whole US foreign policy in the region is focused around one country.

The inflow of Soviet Jews into Israel took place mostly in the 90's after the fall of USSR. Intel and Microsoft established R&D presence way before this. Also, I don't see how military aid given to Israel has anything to do with R&D - perhaps you could explain this?

 

[gevorg]

The inflow of Soviet Jews into Israel took place mostly in the 90's after the fall of USSR. Intel and Microsoft established R&D presence way before this.

Nope, the immigration of Soviet Jews started even earlier:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Russia#Emigration_to_Israel

Also, I don't see how military aid given to Israel has anything to do with R&D - perhaps you could explain this?

US government foreign aid includes both, military and economic, which doesn't include corporations and third-party organizations that were helping build/modernize Israel. And military aid can be used for military R&D, for example F-15 Strike Eagle.

 

[cybrsage]

Personally, I see it as smart to build your products in multiple locations. The price of Hard Drives has doubled recently because of flooding in SE Asia. One small area gets flooded and the hard drive industry is crippled.

Since Israel is not going anywhere, and it is one of two stable democracies in the region, it is a good location to use.

Build some chips in the US, some is East Asia, some in Israel.

 

[gevorg]

Given intel's successful chip designs developed there I'd say yes.

Also, unlike some other potential sites like Russia there isn't the decaying infrastructure, corruption and arbitrary threat of being imprisoned for years to make setting up a R&D center too risky.

You're mistaking Russia for Stalininst USSR.

Even in the 1990s, the worst chaotic/corrupt period after the collapse of USSR, Intel has managed to snatch Vladimir Pentkovski from Russia who became one of the lead architects of Pentium III. When you need niche highend personnel for your R&D, you would go anywhere to get them. Israel is a very solid choice for Apple, unlike Indian call centers or Chinese slave camps, which are like finding a needle in a haystack.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

It's pretty obvious isn't it. By controlling the information technology, the Joos are trying to control the flow of all information. Come on, wake up, sheeple!

I see what you did thare.

Anyway, seems like a reasonable choice.

 

[lothar]

It's pretty obvious isn't it. By controlling the information technology, the Joos are trying to control the flow of all information. Come on, wake up, sheeple!

I have to admit, that made me chuckle.

 

[jhu]

Given intel's successful chip designs developed there I'd say yes.

But all they did was modify Pentium !!! (Pentium M through Nehalem trace their lineage to Pentium Pro) which could have been done in the USA if Intel's marketing department hadn't latched on to Netburst.

 

[SamurAchzar]

But all they did was modify Pentium !!! (Pentium M through Nehalem trace their lineage to Pentium Pro) which could have been done in the USA if Intel's marketing department hadn't latched on to Netburst.

MMX, Core Duos, Sandy Bridge were all led by the Israeli center at Intel. It would have been a different company today if not for this center (they actually have 4-5 facilities in Israel, including two fabs).

 

[jhu]

MMX, Core Duos, Sandy Bridge were all led by the Israeli center at Intel.

And those were derived from Tualatin. All of those could have been designed in the USA (Banias, Dothan, Yonah, Merom, etc.).

 

[Nebor]

Well hopefully no good, devout Muslim would be caught using an Apple, Intel, Microsoft or Google product, since there's a good chance it came out of Israel.

 

[Dari]

What is the point of this thread? For Israelis to give themselves a pat on the back? These companies also have R&D or fabs in India, Ireland, and China, among other places.

 

[Whiskey16]

What is the point of this thread? For Israelis to give themselves a pat on the back? These companies also have R&D or fabs in India, Ireland, and China, among other places.

Aside from domestic Israeli nationalism that is not present in this thread, a vocal portion of Christian evangelical loons hold Zionist Jews in their dogmatically deluded and self serving high esteem.

...Then there are on the flip side of bigotry fearing influence of Jews through to inane views of ethnic excelling for Jews through to Asians being genetically suited to certain abilities.

Yup, you pegged it, the OP's foolish notion for Israeli exceptionalism (plenty of design studios elsewhere) and the tragic posts that followed are craptastic.

Israel has a relatively weak economy, on proportionality par with Greece, and will gladly gain any investment it may get. That it's knowledge based production and not requiring external raw resources, all the better.

 

[jhu]

Aside from domestic Israeli nationalism that is not present in this thread, a vocal portion of Christian evangelical loons hold Zionist Jews in their dogmatically deluded and self serving high esteem.

This part I never really understood. You would think that Christians would be anti-Jewish.

 

[fskimospy]

This part I never really understood. You would think that Christians would be anti-Jewish.

There's some really bizarre and twisted ties between the ultra evangelicals in the US and Israel. I know there are certain segments that want us to fund Israel because they believe a Jewish state there is a necessary precondition to the return of Jesus. So... they send them lots of money.

Of course everyone glosses over the fact that according to these Christians' belief, when Jesus does roll back into town all Jews will be killed or converted. Seems pretty ghoulish to give someone money so that your god can come back and kill them later.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

There's some really bizarre and twisted ties between the ultra evangelicals in the US and Israel. I know there are certain segments that want us to fund Israel because they believe a Jewish state there is a necessary precondition to the return of Jesus. So... they send them lots of money.

Of course everyone glosses over the fact that according to these Christians' belief, when Jesus does roll back into town all Jews will be killed or converted. Seems pretty ghoulish to give someone money so that your god can come back and kill them later.

My previous next door neighbors were Christian Zionists, born again no less, though you would never know it from just having a conversation with them. They weren't preachy at all and were actually really nice people. I did have some occassional discussions with them about their beliefs and conversion of the Jews or death was not one of them. They simply believed that the Jews are part of the chosen people, along with the "true" believers, and will be received into the kingdom of god after the rapture.

Personally I think all religion is pure bunk but I just wanted to make it clear that not all, or even most fundies, think that the Jews must be converted or killed. That's more of a radical belief amongst a few really hard-core fundies.

 

[fskimospy]

My previous next door neighbors were Christian Zionists, born again no less, though you would never know it from just having a conversation with them. They weren't preachy at all and were actually really nice people. I did have some occassional discussions with them about their beliefs and conversion of the Jews or death was not one of them. They simply believed that the Jews are part of the chosen people, along with the "true" believers, and will be received into the kingdom of god after the rapture.

Personally I think all religion is pure bunk but I just wanted to make it clear that not all, or even most fundies, think that the Jews must be converted or killed. That's more of a radical belief amongst a few really hard-core fundies.

Sure, I didn't mean to imply that all very conservative Christians thought that way.

 

[Zebo]

Lots of tech going on there these days. I have a lot of SAN customers there. Definitely the technical power house of the region, second maybe to Egypt or SA. The rest of the area is in the dark ages.

Second to SA? This is a joke right? SA's don't work. Sure they have "jobs" but all real work is done by people they import. Some 8 million of them. American's and European's to do their medicine, maintain their military HW and oil wells. Filipinos and Malaysians to do housekeeping and grunt work like construction. Egyptians to be drivers and low level management.

No all the ME is in the dark-ages and if it wernt for the accident of geology they would still live in tents and ride camels.

 

[Nebor]

Second to SA? This is a joke right? SA's don't work. Sure they have "jobs" but all real work is done by people they import. Some 8 million of them. American's and European's to do their medicine and oil wells. Filipinos and Malaysians to do housekeeping and grunt work like construction. Egyptians to be drivers and low level management.

No all the the ME is in the dark-ages and if it wernt for the accident of geology they would still live in tents and ride camels.

You know what the business community thinks of you? They think that a hundred years ago you were living in tents out here in the desert chopping each other's heads off and that's where you'll be in another hundred years

 

[Zebo]

Well they are not stupid. They buy lots of stock to repatriate the petro dollars thinking long term. For example majority ownership in Mercedes is Arab. Citibank is 5% owned by one prince. And much much more. They blow a lot. Some 20 trillion has been transferred since the discovery of oil to a very small population but they do have something to show for it long term.