Top Intel Israel executives speak at Sunday's press conference (photo credit: Courtesy)

The company and the country have a deeper relationship than most realize

While many people know of the close relationship between Israel and Intel, the depth of that relationship may come as a surprise to many: Intel Israel has been responsible for many, if not most, of the processor breakthroughs for Intel, and the Intel Sandy Bridge processor, developed in Israel, was responsible for 40 percent of Intel’s sales worldwide in 2011.

That fact was revealed Sunday at a press conference in Tel Aviv, where top Intel Israel executives discussed the company’s activities last year and plans for this year. 2012 is set to be an important year for Intel Israel, as the company refits its Kiryat Gat facility to manufacture the new 22-nanometer Ivy Bridge processor. Currently, the Kiryat Gat facility makes Intel’s 45-nanometer Sandy Bridge processor, and the company has invested $3 billion in preparing the facility for Ivy Bridge.

One highlight of the press conference was the introduction of top Intel exec Mooly Eden as Intel Israel president. Eden will share top executive status with general manager Maxine Fassberg. There had been speculation that Intel has been dissatisfied with Fassberg’s leadership of the company, with Eden being appointed to gradually take over operations. At the press conference, however, both Eden and Fassberg praised the appointment, with Eden pointing out that the appointment of a president and general manager was Intel’s way of honoring the Israel facility for its accomplishments.

Fassberg said that Intel Israel had hired some 700 people in 2011 and planned to hire at least 600 more in 2012. Fassberg added that Intel Israel employs nearly 8,000 workers directly, and is indirectly responsible, through suppliers and subsidiaries, for the employment of 23,000 heads of households — and altogether employs 10% of all workers in the electronics and software industry in Israel. Intel employs about 100,000 people worldwide. A special point of pride, she said, was that Intel Israel did not lay off any workers during the 2008-2009 economic downturn. “We had plans ready for all scenarios, but we were able to work things out to ensure that we did not have to lay off even one worker because of the recession,” she said.

Intel Israel is a strong contributor to Israel’s bottom line, said Fassberg, with $2.2 billion in exports in 2011. That was about 20% lower than in 2010, but Fassberg attributed the shortfall to the limited capacity of the Kiryat Gat plant during its refitting for 22-nanometer processors. The company expects to more than make up for it this year as it gears up to sell the Ivy Bridge processors.

Besides Kiryat Gat, Intel has facilities in Jerusalem, Haifa, Petah Tikvah, and Yakum.

Eden presented the company’s plans for 2012, discussing a slew of new products Intel intends to release. Among those products are the Ultrabook, Intel’s answer to small, light laptops like the Macbook Air. The company will be marketing some 75 different Ultrabook designs, so “there will be something for everyone,” Eden said. Besides Ultrabooks, Intel will be pushing forward with completion and development of its smartphone, and later in the year, an Intel tablet will be available. Eden also described a number of software innovations, including an “end-to-end” service that will allow access to data and content along a series of devices via the cloud — similar to current offerings by Apple, which stores data in the cloud and allows users to access it on its line of Macbooks, iPads, and iPhones.

Eden also rejected notions popular in the media, that the PC was outmoded and would die a quick death, and that tablets were going to replace laptops. “There may be some cannibalization at the fringes,” Eden said, referring to a “blurring” of distinctions among some devices. However, all four “device streams” — PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones — were growing and would continue to grow in tandem. PCs were becoming household necessities and not luxuries, and as such have become a recession-proof product. Regarding tablets, Eden challenged audience members who believe that the tablet is set to replace the laptop to “give me your laptop for two months, and then we’ll see whether or not you don’t need it.”

Eden, who is also an Intel worldwide senior vice president, has been working for Intel in the US since 2003, and was responsible for the sharp growth in notebooks and netbooks for Intel, the company said.

Intel is strongly committed to Israel, Eden said. Israel is the third largest investment target for Intel outside the US — after China and India — and over the past 15 years, the company has invested in 64 different Israeli companies. A big believer in working with start-ups, Eden said that he intended to not only look for companies Intel can work with directly, but for partnerships with other Intel partners around the world for promising Israeli startups. “The most important contribution we can make to Israeli startups is through our rolodex, the connections we have in the industry that we can share with Israeli startups,” Eden said. “We believe in the ‘startup nation,’ and intend to help it reach its full potential.”

Source: Times of Israel

For Immediate Release – March 18^th, 2012

‘Size Doesn’t Matter’ Brings Tel Aviv to Toronto

Toronto, On- Have a Thirst? Want a Taste? Come savor the fierce, exotic flavour of Tel Aviv! ‘TLV to the YYZ’. Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of one of the hottest destinations and cultural meccas on the planet. Featuring world renowned Israeli Spinmaster, DJ Erez Ben Ishay, sample delectable Israeli food and wines, be first to see the hottest trends from the streets and runways of TLV in our premiere designer fashion showcase sponsored by Shenkinwest. See, and be seen at our custom photo booth, win a trip for 2 to legendary Tel Aviv from Air Canada, and revel in a surprise live performance! Don’t miss this sizzling red carpet affair extraordinaire taking place on April 26th 2012 starting at 10:00pm at 224 Richmond Street West. Visit www.sizedoesntmatter.com/yyz for upcoming announcements.

Size Doesn’t Matter is a not for profit organization whose primary mission is to highlight  all the incredible accoutrements, artistic and significant societal advancements that Israel offers as a world class, modern, yet historically significant destination.

SDM was launched in 2010 and has already held events showcasing Tel Aviv in Montreal, Guelph, Quebec City and Saskatoon. SDM has also had a branding and promotional presence at 26 Canadian Universities, as well as internationally in Boston, London, Paris, Australia, and Argentina. Their viral video campaigns have famously reached millions of viewers worldwide and have been featured in numerous magazines and Television programs.

“The Size Doesn’t Matter (SDM) campaign is a cutting-edge social media experience that includes videos, an interactive website, branded promotional merchandise and educational information. Aimed at highlighting the multitude of Israel’s accomplishments and contributions in a unique, and positive literary forum, this campaign has quickly become Canada’s most successful of its kind, reaching thousands across the country and beyond. SDM aims at highlighting Israeli nightlife, pop-culture, technology, culture, art, innovation and much more” says Dan Hadad – Founder of Size Doesn’t Matter.

SDM is pleased to invite the media to attend our exclusive “Correspondent Lounge” where you will be able to indulge your senses, and witness a legendary look into the Tel Aviv l lifestyle without leaving the GTA. Live video of the event, performances and fashion showcase will be streamed online worldwide as well as a simultaneous “tweet up” media marketplace we encourage you to participate in.

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For public relations inquiries, media event lounge accreditation, or interview opportunities, please contact;

Kirsti Stephenson

Director of PR and Special Events
kirsti@sizedoesntmatter.com
Mobile: 416-529-2611

You can also find Size Doesn’t Matter on Facebook and Twitter

Study finds 18% of Israelis volunteer regularly to help their community.

More than 250,000 Israelis are expected to turn their hands to volunteering on Tuesday as part of the sixth annual “Good Deeds Day,” a project initiated by multimillionaire businesswoman and philanthropist Shari Arison.

The project, which was launched in 2007 by Arison’s nonprofit organization Ruach Tova and supported by The Ted Arison Family Foundation, will this year see some 163 local authorities, including 62 from the Arab community, along with hundreds of schools, academic institutions, soldiers, businesses and other organizations volunteering to do a good deed.

Among the 3,400 good deed activities planned for Tuesday will be efforts by volunteers sent out to paint houses for the elderly, clean up beaches, renovate day-care facilities for children at risk, and plant community gardens.

Events in Israel will be followed on March 25 with International Good Deeds Day in various cities and communities around the world.

“Every year, I am thrilled to see people from Israel and around the world come out and give of their time and skill to do a good deed for others,” commented Arison, who will attend events in Jerusalem, Ramle and Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

“I believe this year hundreds of thousands will participate in Israel and worldwide by joining in on this special day to bring about real change for us and for future generations,” she added.

Meanwhile on Monday – in time for Good Deeds Day – food aid charity Hasdei Naomi, which has a network of more than 4000 volunteers, released the results of a Geocartography survey showing that less than a quarter of Israelis actively contribute to society on a regular basis.

According to the survey, which used a sample of some 500 Israelis aged 18 and up, only 18 percent of Israelis are involved in community volunteering. Of those, the majority (6.3%) volunteer with children or youth, 2.3% contribute their help to health facilities, 2.2% in food distribution and packaging for the needy and the remaining 1.7% volunteer in old age homes and for the elderly.

Of those who volunteer, 8.2% volunteer more than 30 hours a month and the majority of those are over the age of 55; 11.4% volunteer 15-20 hours a month; 7.3% volunteer 10-15 hours a month; 7.4% volunteer 3-4 hours a month and 14% volunteer an hour or two each month.

The survey also showed that the majority of those who volunteer, 27.1%, are unemployed and the next biggest group of volunteers, 16.7%, are educators. The rest come from the hi-tech sector, the health industry or are soldiers or in security services, the research showed.

Source: Jpost.com

Over 500 Jewish, Arab teens try to settle decades-old conflict in Israel-Mideast model UN. ‘There is hope,’ one student says

Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators have rarely spoken to each other during the last three years, but that didn’t stop a group of Jewish and Arab teenagers from trying to settle the decades-old conflict.

More than 500 students gathered last month in Even Yehuda, a Tel Aviv suburb, for the Israel-Middle East Model United Nations. The conference capped six months of meetings by the group’s “conflict resolution committee” to analyze the dispute that has shaped their lives.

They didn’t resolve it, but many said they understand the other side better now.

“I always dreamed of changing. I never liked the situation we’re in,” said Lisa Rahamim-Flam, a teenager from central Israel.

While high school students around the world participate in model United Nations conferences, many attending the Israeli version had first-hand experience with conflict.

Rahamim-Flam comes from a small village that lost three teenagers in a 1996 Palestinian suicide bombing. Outside the grounds of the conference’s meeting place at American International School, the signs pointing to nearby bomb shelters provided a clear reminder that this is the volatile Middle East.

The mock conference included a Security Council and several committees, including disarmament, human rights and territorial disputes.

Most of the participants were Israeli Jews and Arab citizens of Israel, who make up about one-fifth of the country’s population. They complain of discrimination by the Jewish majority and tend to identify with their Palestinian brethren in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Beyond the political debates, students said they found that personal contact with “the other side” brought down walls that typify relations between Arabs and Jews.

Shrouk Badir, 18, from the West Bank village of Battir was the only Palestinian on the committee. Badir went to great lengths to win a scholarship to the American school in Israel and gain personal exposure to Israeli society and culture.

“There is hope,” she said. “There’s got to be some sort of solution.”

Working together

Badir said she wanted to break down Israeli stereotypes about Palestinians. “There are people who are open-minded from the other side,” she said. “They’re not all terrorists.”

After months of debating, the last committee session ended in hugs and tears.

In one emotional moment, American student Jessica Fordon turned to a teary-eyed Badir. “Palestinians, I feel, they get kind of a bad rap, but from now on I will have a very, very open mind when I meet Palestinians,” she said.

Badir and Rahamir-Flam became close, as did Shaya Schloss, and Orthodox Jew from the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh, and Reem Shaheen, a Muslim girl from Nazareth in northern Israel.

Many participants acknowledged their core beliefs haven’t changed. But they said they are more open-minded and will use the skills they’ve learned to create bridges between Jews and Arabs.

In a reflection of the real world, a decision was made not to come up with a final peace resolution. Instead,

the students created a YouTube video called “iWish Conflict Resolution 2012″ and pledged keep working together through youth groups and volunteer work.

Source: Ynetnews.com

Prestigious international Marseille summit allows Israeli water-tech companies to showcase latest innovations

Israeli water technology companies are advancing new water projects at the 6th World Water Forum taking place in Marseille, Israel NewTech reported.

Ronen Katz, Israel’s economic attaché in Paris and Adi Yefet Beeri, of Israel NewTech said that a “positive buzz” has been noted regarding the Israeli booth in the show.

Some of Israel’s key water technology companies, such as Mekorot, Netafim and Blue took part on the conference, and according to Beeri, they have garnered the interest of several major European companies, such as Veolia, Suez and the water authorities of Marseille, Lyon and Aix-en-Provence.

“The relationships with French water utilities and companies were forged when they visited the last WATEC event in November in Israel,” Katz added.

“I expect major projects and cooperations to come out of these follow-up meetings in Marseille.”

Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau headed the mission and chaired a high-level intergovernmental session on wastewater management.

The session was co-chaired by Singaporean Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan.

“Israel is pioneering in the fields of water technology, conservation, proper management of the resource and efficient and maximum use,” a statement released by Landau’s office said.

“We take pride in this and we have much to offer. We are considered the leaders in the world in terms of wastewater treatment, and about 93% of Israeli wastewater is treated, with about 80% of it restored for reuse.

“We intend to present at the conference the revolution that has passed through Israel in recent years and to challenge the member countries at the forum to double sewage treatment by the year 2025,” the statement said.

Israel’s booth in World Water Forum was led by Israel NewTech, the Israel Export Institute, the Foreign Ministry, Israel’s Foreign Trade Administration, the Israel Water Authority, and the Ministry of Water and Energy.

Source: Ynetnews.com

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