Nvidia declares huge campus project in ‘second home’ Israel

U.S. tech giant Nvidia announced on Thursday its plans to establish a mega-campus in Israel, which will be the company’s second-largest after its Silicon Valley headquarters.

The decision was declared following a five-month search process of a suitable location.

The world’s most valuable company eventually chose Kiryat Tivon, a town 9.3 miles southeast of Haifa, and will purchase a strip of land from the Israeli government for about $28 million, receiving a 51% discount of around $21.7 million, according to outlet Calcalist.

Unlike other tech giants such as Google and Microsoft, Nvidia will own the land, not lease it from the state.

The complex is projected to accommodate more than 10,000 employees.

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang said: “Israel is home to some of the world’s most brilliant technologists and has become Nvidia’s second home. Our new campus will be a place where our teams can collaborate, invent and build the future of AI. This investment reflects our deep and enduring commitment to our families in Israel and their unique contributions to the AI era.”

Amit Krig, senior vice president of software engineering and Israel site leader, added: “Nvidia’s growth in Israel has been remarkable, driven by the extraordinary talent and engineering excellence of our teams. We’re grateful to Jensen and Nvidia’s leadership for their trust and support in this next phase of growth, and to the Ministry of Treasury and the Israel Land Authority for their partnership. We look forward to bringing this vision to life and continuing to build the future of AI.”

The location in Kiryat Tivon places the campus—whose design is shaped like a spacecraft, similar to Nvidia’s iconic Santa Clara, Calif., headquarters—near the firm’s current largest office in Israel in the city of Yokneam Illit, as well as to its facility in the Mevo Carmel Science and Industry Park.

Nvidia plans to build the largest server farm in Israel in Mevo Carmel, spanning over some 320,000 square feet, according to Calcalist.

The Kiryat Tivon “spacecraft” is projected to span about 1,700,000 square feet, the report added. For comparison, its current offices with its 3,000 employees in Yokneam span about 320,000 square feet.

Construction of the ambitious project is slated to begin in 2027, with initial occupancy set for 2031.

The complex will include a park, cafés, restaurants and shared workspaces, effectively functioning as a self-contained city, according to Calcalist.

The workers projected to occupy the campus will comprise about a third of Nvidia’s global workforce in 38 countries, outlet Ynet reported.

Assuming that the chip giant’s revenue continues to grow at the current rate, Nvidia will become the largest private employer in the Jewish state, according to outlet Globes. The firm is expected to invest several billion dollars in the new site.

Krig, according to Globes, is the architect of the deal, and is a resident of Kiryat Tivon. The senior VP attended numerous meetings with the Israel Land Authority, the Planning Administration and Israel Electric Corp., and has overseen the process from the request for information to the signing of the deal with the authorities.

The state attempted to lure the company northward of Kiryat Tivon to support areas affected by the two-year war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, but Nvidia preferred to remain close to its existing operation in the Haifa-Yokneam area, according to Calcalist.

Ido Greenblum, head of the Kiryat Tivon Local Council, said, “This is a transformative project for the council and for the entire northern region. … We are confident that Nvidia’s choice of this region will prove to be the right one, and we thank the company for its trust,” Globes reported.

Before deciding on Kiryat Tivon, Nvidia also looked at sites in nearby Nesher, Kiryat Ata, Haifa and Megiddo, the report said.

On Dec. 11, former hostages Avinatan Or and his partner, Noa Argamani, met with Nvidia CEO Huang at the company’s headquarters in the Bay Area. Or works as an engineer for Nvidia in Israel.

The emotional gathering at the company’s U.S. headquarters included the Israeli management team, who were there for professional meetings.

Huang, one of the most prominent figures in global tech in recent years, wished for Or and Argamani “to see the whole world.”

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