Intel Corp. is looking to expand its already significant presence in Israel with the launch Sunday of a new accelerator project there that aims to boost startups in artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.

Called “Ignite,” the 20-week program will provide business and technical support to up to 15 Israeli startups. Intel won’t initially take any equity stakes in the firms that enter the program, though it may do so at a later date.

Intel already has a massive presence in Israel, which hosts some of its largest research and development centers. For example, its facility in Kiryat Gat, in the south of Israel, is the center of its research into its 10-nanometer manufacturing process technology.

Earlier this year, the chipmaker said it was investing $11 million to expand its manufacturing operations there. The 370,000-square-meter expansion is expected to add 1,000 new employees to Intel’s workforce.

“Israel has the deep skill base in AI, autonomous systems and the underlying technologies critical to these inflections that make it a natural choice to launch our Ignite program,” Intel Chief Executive Bob Swan (pictured, second from right) told the Jerusalem Post. “This program is about how we continue to stimulate ecosystems here in Israel and around the globe by giving opportunities and the chance to bring the size and scale of Intel to the ideas and dreams of entrepreneurs.”

Swan said the Ignite program will begin later in the year and later will be expanded to additional countries.

He added that diversity will be a “key feature” of Ignite, as the company looks to back startups from various sectors of Israel’s society.

“Technology stack providers like Intel need to foster ecosystems, and startups are a key part of their fertilizer options,” said Holger Mueller, principal analyst and vice president of Constellation Research Inc. “This is a good move by Intel as startups are always looking for help to get their products out of the door. The challenge for Intel will be to convince startups that it is the right partner in the long run to power their AI platforms, so that it is has a customer or cloud halo effect.”

The Israeli startup scene has already proven to be a fruitful one for Intel. In 2017 it shelled out $15.3 billion to buy Mobileye NV, a provider of technology for autonomous vehicles. Its also backed a range of lesser-known Israeli startups, such as ProteanTecs Ltd., which is building “universal chip telemetry technology that’s meant to improve the performance and reliability of electronics systems.

“I have absolutely no regrets with the acquisition of Mobileye,” Swan said, adding that the acquisition had helped Intel to double its penetration in the high-growth self-driving car industry.

Photo: Intel