US-based semiconductor company Astera Labs on Monday announced the opening a new R&D hub in Israel to develop and ramp up high-performance connectivity technologies that meet the fast-evolving challenges of artificial intelligence-based infrastructure.

The Santa Clara, California-based firm has hired office space in Tel Aviv and Haifa for its two R&D centers and is planning to hire hundreds of employees by the end of 2027. Google veteran Guy Azrad will oversee Astera’s operations in Israel.

“It is amazing and a bold move that after the war and the situation in Israel, a global company like Astera is coming and opening a strategic site here,” Azrad, senior vice president of engineering and general manager of Astera Labs Israel, told The Times of Israel. “Astera believes in the talent and the ecosystem in Israel, and we want to produce chips made in Israel.”

“With offices in Tel Aviv and Haifa, the new Israel center will look to tap into the world-class engineering talent to focus on the full chip design flow —........

© The Times of Israel