Facebook is expected to establish a development center in the field of chips in Israel

Facebook is expected to establish a development center in the field of chips in Israel, which will focus on the processing and storage areas for the company's server centers (data centers). The move is still in the early stages, but Facebook is already in talks on the subject and is looking for a senior in the field to lead the new activity. In the United States, Facebook is already active in the field, and in recent years it has recruited engineers to develop artificial intelligence chips.
Facebook joins Google, which just a few weeks ago recruited Uri Frank, one of Intel's senior Israelis, to set up a new chip activity here that is expected to attract hundreds of engineers. Google's entry into the field of chips in Israel is already arousing huge interest among engineers, and it is estimated that the Internet giant will also make investments and acquisitions in the local market.
Microsoft is also expected to expand its chip development center in Israel. The center was secretly opened about a year and a half ago on the basis of a group of engineers from Mellanox, which was acquired by the American Invida, headed by Oren Ish-Am.
The challenge in the entry of global giants into Israel is clear: the intensification of competition for the experienced and skilled manpower employed in the local chip industry - which is already in short supply, before their entry.
The growing demand for chip developers in Israel has led to a steep rise in the wages of workers in the industry. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the average monthly salary of chip developers employed by start-ups jumped from NIS 16,000 in 2016 to NIS 29,000 in 2019 - and today the salary in the chip sector is the highest in the local high-tech industry.
In the chip industry, the large companies also tend to entice the sought-after employees with generous share packages and signing grants of hundreds of thousands of shekels.