IBM Israel
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Information technology, Research and development |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Headquarters | Haifa , Israel |
Area served | Israel, global |
Number of employees | 3000+ (2023) |
| Parent | IBM |
| Website | www |
IBM maintains operations in 170 countries globally. Its research and development activities in Israel commenced in 1972 with the establishment of the IBM Israel Scientific Center by Professor Josef Raviv at the Technion in Haifa. By 2023, IBM's workforce in Israel exceeds 3,000 experts distributed among R&D facilities located in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Rehovot, and the Jerusalem Technology Park.
Haifa Research Lab
Situated in Haifa, the IBM Haifa Research Laboratory (HRL) stands as IBM's largest research establishment outside the United States. Its primary focus areas encompass cloud computing, healthcare and life sciences, software verification, multimedia processing, event-driven systems, information retrieval, programming environments, business transformation strategies, and optimization technologies.
Originally founded as the IBM Israel Scientific Center in 1972, HRL has grown from a small team of three researchers to a staff exceeding 500 across its Haifa and Tel Aviv locations. The laboratory operates from a dedicated building near the University of Haifa campus. Current research initiatives include healthcare innovations, cloud infrastructure development, formal verification methods, semiconductor design, data storage solutions, and collaborative software tools.
Around one-quarter of HRL’s technical personnel hold doctoral qualifications in fields such as computer science, electrical engineering, mathematics, or related disciplines. Many team members actively participate in Israeli higher education by lecturing at institutions like the Technion and supervising postgraduate research. Numerous employees have received IBM accolades recognizing their innovation and outstanding contributions.
Systems and Technology Group Lab
The STG Lab encompasses the former Haifa Development Lab and focuses on pioneering technologies for IBM's Systems and Technology Group. This Israeli-based lab specializes in three main domains: storage technologies, data de-duplication software solutions, and semiconductor chip design. Engaging closely with Israel’s high-tech sector and recent IBM acquisitions, the lab plays a pivotal role in establishing a storage technology ecosystem within Israel and collaborates extensively with IBM's XIV team. Its core divisions include Hardware Development, Storage Systems Development, and Diligent Technologies.
Israel Software Lab
The ILSL focuses on creating software for real-time collaboration platforms, content discovery mechanisms, text analytics, metadata management systems, application security solutions, and SOA frameworks. Teams within ILSL work closely alongside IBM’s Lotus, Information Management, Rational, and WebSphere units within the Software Group.
List of Israeli companies acquired by IBM
In recent years, IBM has incorporated more than a dozen Israeli tech firms into its R&D operations within Israel. Notable acquisitions include:
| Company | Description | Acquisition Date | Value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubique | Creator of instant messaging and collaboration tools integrated into IBM Lotus Sametime | May 19, 1998 | |
| iPhrase Systems | US-based company with an R&D center in Jerusalem; specialized in automated text classification software | November 1, 2005 | |
| Unicorn Solutions | Developer of metadata management software featuring repository services, ontology modeling, semantic mapping, and federated business queries | May 5, 2006 | $10 million |
| WatchFire | Known for AppScan application security software originally developed by Israeli company Sanctum; now part of IBM Rational AppScan | July 20, 2007 | |
| I-Logix | Provider of collaborative Model Driven Development (MDD) tools; acquired via Telelogic; products rebranded as IBM Rational Rhapsody and IBM Rational Statemate | April 3, 2008 | |
| XIV | Manufacturer of high-end disk storage products now marketed as IBM XIV Storage System | January 2, 2008 | |
| FileX | Developer of disk-based backup and recovery technologies | April 10, 2008 | |
| Diligent Technologies | Specialist in data de-duplication solutions | April 18, 2008 | $200 million |
| Guardium | Provider of real-time database security and monitoring tools to protect enterprise data and ensure regulatory compliance | November 30, 2009 | $225 million |
| Storwize | Data compression technology now marketed under the IBM Storwize product line | July 29, 2010 | $140 million |
| Worklight | Platform for mobile application development | January 31, 2012 | $70 million |
| CSL International | Virtualization management software supporting IBM's zEnterprise systems | July 9, 2013 | $10 million |
| Trusteer | Cybercrime prevention solutions focused on endpoint security | September 3, 2013 | $630 million |
| EZSource | Tools for application discovery and dashboard visualization | June 1, 2016 | Not disclosed |
See also
- History of IBM research in Israel
- List of multinational companies with research and development centres in Israel