1、 Israel Mnistry Of Roreign Affairs 作 者： Nisso Cohen The Israel High-Tech Industry -Fifty Years of Excellence By Nisso Cohen Israels high-tech industry is experiencing an unprecedented rate of growth which began in the early 1990s. Its growth is evidenced both in total sales - 1997 sales totaled $7.2
2、 billion, a growth of 10.7% over 1996 - and in exports - $5.6 billion in 1997, a growth of 14.2% over 1996. This is in a country with a total population of less than six million; GDP （1996） of $92.3 billion; and exports （goods and services, 1996） of $31.3 billion. Moreover, advanced technologies dev
3、eloped in Israel are in great demand, and many Israeli-developed applications can now be found in the products of multi-national companies in the communications, computers, information systems, medicine, optics, consumer goods and software sectors. Origins The Israel high-tech industry was born with
4、 the State of Israel. In 1948, the newly-created Israel Defense Forces established a branch called the Science Corps. The corps developed new arms, explosives, and a variety of electric and electronic appliances for the IDF. Israels military industry developed at a rapid pace, meeting the countrys n
5、eeds for armaments and technologies which it could not obtain from abroad. During the same period, Israel developed what were to become the best institutions of education and scientific research in the Middle East. They include the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, the Weizmann Insti
6、tute of Science in Rehovot, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and universities in Haifa, Beer Sheba, Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan. In the early sixties, Israel entered the nuclear era with the establishment of two nuclear research plants. The first Israeli computer was developed and assembled in the ear
7、ly fifties at the Weizmann Institute. Golem （dummy） was an all-tube computer, similar to the first computers developed in the US in the forties. In the late fifties and early sixties, there were already several mainframe computers in Israel, purchased from IBM and Philco. Those computers were used p
8、rimarily by government ministries and institutions, universities and a number of banks. In the late sixties and early seventies, mainframe and mini computers penetrated the financial and business sectors. During the eighties, many Israelis acquired personal computers. The High-Tech Industry One fact
9、or in the exceptional growth rate in this industry in recent years is Israels percentage of engineers, the worlds highest, with 135 engineers per 10,000 persons, as compared to 85 per 10,000 persons in the United States. Another factor has been the many thousands of skilled engineers and technicians
10、 who have immigrated from the former Soviet Union since 1989. Moreover, advanced technologies that were originally developed and utilized for military purposes are now being used for developing commercial products for civilian use. With the downsizing of Israels defense industry - as a peace dividen
11、d - thousands of skilled personnel have left the defense industry since 1988. Many of them were absorbed into the civilian marketplace, while others formed start-up companies which later became successful high-tech firms. The ongoing success of the Israeli high-tech industry is reflected in the loca
12、l and foreign stock markets. In 1996 Israeli firms provided the third largest number of initial purchase offerings （IPOs） on the NASDAQ （over-the-counter stock exchange） in New York, after the US and Canada, and the second largest number of IPOs on the relatively new AIM （Alternative Investment Mark
13、et） in London （after the UK）. Many leading American investment houses and venture capital funds have established a presence in Israel in order to support Israeli high-tech firms and benefit from the current boom. Israels leaders are proud of the countrys high-tech label and promote it. The result is
14、 that the country is particularly interested in cooperation with foreign investors in the high-tech fields, more than with investors in other areas. A unique Israeli phenomenon is the office of the Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which distributes grants totaling nearly $400 m
15、illion to various R&D projects. The projects that succeed are expected to pay royalties to the Chief Scientists office for a number of years.Domestic Technological Advancement Israel has firmly established itself as the most computerized country in the Middle East; it even surpasses some Western Eur
16、opean nations. In 1997, more than 250,000 personal computers were sold in Israel, compared to 102,000 sold in Egypt （with a population of some 60 million） and just under 300,000 in Turkey （with a population of some 65 million）. Israel also leads the Middle East with the highest penetration rate of P
17、Cs in private homes. There is a personal computer in nearly one out of two households, a ratio similar to that of the United States, Canada and a very few European and Far Eastern countries. In recent years, the education system has purchased tens of thousands of computers for use by students, from
18、kindergarten through university age. Compared to other so-called high-tech tigers, such as Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan, Israel is unique in that it is a true high-tech country, with a highly developed domestic market for computing and telecommunications. Israel is also a quick adopter of advanced tec
19、hnologies. Local expenditure on information technology is estimated at $2.4 billion in 1997, with a steady growth of 12-15% annually. Worldwide, expenditure on information technology reaches about $700 billion, with a 5-year compound annual growth rate of about 10%. Telecommunications Infrastructure
20、 In 1984 a government-owned company - Bezeq - took over the telephone and telecommunications services, which had previously been supplied by a department of the Ministry of Communications. Since then, the telecommunications infrastructure in Israel has developed at a rapid pace, and is today conside
21、red to be one of the most highly advanced systems in the region, providing full digital service throughout the country, advanced data communications, integrated services digital networks （ISDN）, asynchronous transfer mode （ATM）, and fiber-optic and satellite services. It is clear that the developmen
22、t of telecommunications services has contributed significantly to the development of Israels high-tech industry. High-Tech Exports Israels first high-tech exports were produced by defense industries such as the Israel Aircraft Industries and Rafael, as well as by defense industry sub-contractors. Th
23、ese firms produced electronic defense products with advanced technologies, meant for use by the IDF. Demand for proven in battle products from Israel led to a developing export industry of defense-related products. today this is still a relatively large percentage of high-tech exports. Studies have
24、shown that R&D-intensive, high-tech companies have been a major factor in the growth of exports over the years, especially in electronics, optics, electro-optics, lasers, computer-based equipment, robotics and aeronautics. Moreover, in the last two decades Israeli developments have contributed signi
25、ficantly to the following information technology and telecommunications industries: Wireless Communications （voice and data）Advanced Data Communications Technologies （ATM, IDSL, SDH）Advanced LAN Technologies （ATM, Fast Ethernet, FDDI, ISDN）Satellite VSAT （Very Small Aperture Terminal）Voice Mail and
26、Related Voice Manipulation Technologies DSP - Digital Signal Processing Technologies and Products Encryption and Data Security Anti-Virus Technologies Software Utilities for Mainframe and Mid-Range Computers （including year 2000 problem solving utilities） Databases for Mainframe and Mid-Range Comput
27、ers Internet Technologies Internet Products Educational Software and Multimedia Graphic Arts and Color Printing Technologies Billing Software for Telephone and Cellular Operators Semiconductor Development and Post-Production Inspection Tools CAD, CAM, and CAE. International Firms in Israel It has ta
28、ken several years for the management of international high-tech firms to decide to utilize Israels advantages as an operations base. Of course, events in the Middle East play a decisive role in international business strategies. The continuing peace process with the Palestinians, since 1993, has enc
29、ouraged many international firms to establish operations and/or conduct business in Israel. There has been a US presence in Israel, though, for three decades. Two high-tech giants - IBM and Motorola - established local subsidiaries for sales and technical support in the 1960s; over time the local pl
30、ants evolved into full research and development facilities. Motorola took the process one step further and established one of its largest manufacturing facilities in Arad, near the Dead Sea. During the late 1970s Intel Corporation began operations in Israel. Today, Intels activities range from R&D （
31、in Haifa） to wafer manufacturing （Fab 8 in Jerusalem）; and a plant designated Fab 18 under construction in Kiryat Gat. Israel is highly regarded as a location for branches of foreign firms. Benefits include highly-skilled engineers, good geographic location and some tax and custom benefits, which en
32、able US firms to sell products manufactured in Israel to European markets without paying duty. Moreover, the government of Israel is considered a generous partner for foreign investors who establish operations in the northern or the southern parts of the country. Government assistance can be in the form of a cash refund or long-term tax-waivers. In Israel, the presence of international firms is somewhat of a controversy. Opponents in local industry claim that foreign firms gain resou
