How Did Nvidia Lead the Tech Market With the Israeli Occupation’s Help?
Nvidia’s Israeli operations are significant, housing the company’s second-largest development center outside of the U.S.
In a landmark financial achievement, Nvidia has eclipsed Apple in market valuation, reaching a staggering $3 trillion and securing its position as the world’s second most valuable company, trailing only behind Microsoft.
This milestone underscores Nvidia’s prominence in the global technology sector, particularly its support for the Israeli occupation, which has been manifested through substantial financial contributions to “Tel Aviv” amidst the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Moreover, Nvidia’s Israeli operations are significant, housing the company’s second-largest development center outside of the United States.
Tech Giant
Based in Santa Clara, California, Nvidia’s business encompasses computing, networking, and graphics.
The company is renowned for its production of electronic chips and graphics processors, essential components in artificial intelligence, and cutting-edge gaming systems.
Nvidia’s stock has witnessed an extraordinary surge, approximately 147% this year alone, which translates to an increase of about $1.8 trillion in market value.
This surge is attributed to the escalating demand for Nvidia’s chips, which power artificial intelligence applications, including products like ChatGPT that rely on specialized graphics processing units. Nvidia commands an impressive 95% share of this market.
Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s CEO, recently announced plans to annually update the company’s artificial intelligence accelerators, a move that has further fueled the company’s stock growth.
Nvidia’s engagement with the Israeli Occupation extends beyond financial aid; it is also a significant employer in the region.
According to a report by the Israeli economic news outlet Globes, Nvidia’s Israeli workforce constitutes 13% of its global employee base.
Since establishing its presence in “Israel” in 2016, Nvidia has seen its local employee count rise to 3,300, marking a 50% increase over four years.
The company’s commitment to the technological advancement of “Israel” was highlighted on May 29, 2023, with the announcement of constructing the Israeli Occupation’s most potent artificial intelligence supercomputer, dubbed “Israel-1.”
This initiative, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, aims to cater to the burgeoning demand for artificial intelligence applications.
Gilad Shiner, Nvidia’s senior vice president, noted the company’s collaboration with 800 Israeli startups and its engagement with tens of thousands of software engineers in the country.
Reaffirming Nvidia’s investment in the Israeli Occupation, CEO Jensen Huang remarked on the strategic importance of the region and the talent of its engineers, indicating continued substantial investment.
In a philanthropic gesture, Nvidia and its employees collectively donated $15 million to support the Israeli Occupation during its war in the Gaza Strip.
This contribution, part of a broader initiative to aid those affected by the war, represents the most extensive campaign in Nvidia’s 30-year history.
Additionally, Nvidia has provided tangible support to Israeli families affected by the war, including the donation of computers and meals to those displaced from the northern and southern regions of the country.
This comprehensive support reflects Nvidia’s deep-rooted commitment to the Israeli Occupation’s welfare and technological ecosystem.
Boycotting Big Tech
Mahmoud Al-Nawajaa, the general coordinator of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, articulates the movement's vigorous stance against major technology companies.
He highlights BDS's concerted efforts to advocate for a comprehensive boycott of both Israeli tech firms and international corporations deeply enmeshed in the Israeli Occupation war in the Gaza Strip.
In media statements, Al-Nawajaa elucidated the campaign against tech giants Google and Amazon due to their involvement in the "Nimbus" project.
This initiative, valued at $1.2 billion, aims to supply cloud computing and artificial intelligence services to the Israeli government and military, which BDS views as facilitating oppressive actions.
Alaa Sabry, a Norwegian-based computer scientist says that the campaign against these tech behemoths, is multifaceted, extending beyond grassroots boycotts to include internal pressures within the companies.
Speaking to Al-Estiklal, Sabry says that globally, there are efforts to target companies like Intel, which announced a $35 million investment in the Israeli Occupation, seen as bolstering the far-right government and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Regarding Nvidia, Al-Nawajaa reveals ongoing discussions within BDS about launching a broad boycott campaign against the company.
Sabry says that Nvidia's acquisition of the Israeli firm Mellanox, whose primary client was the Israeli military, and its substantial financial contributions to the Israeli Occupation, underscore its complicity in what BDS terms as genocidal activities against Palestinians.
Al-Nawajaa underscores the necessity of a popular boycott against Nvidia and mentions that a more strategic campaign is in development to escalate pressure on the corporation.
He elaborates on the guiding principles of the boycott movement, emphasizing the degree of a company's involvement in the Isreali war, the potential for building wide alliances, and the feasibility of success.
These criteria help ensure that campaigns are effective and do not waste the movement's limited human and financial resources.
The BDS movement, originating from Palestinian civil society, has garnered global momentum.
It aims to isolate Israeli Occupation economically and politically by boycotting companies complicit in violating Palestinian rights, thereby exerting pressure for change.
Israeli Tech Recruitment
In a bustling hub of technological innovation, “Israel” hosts research and development (R&D) centers for hundreds of multinational corporations, including Microsoft's chip development center in Haifa.
Nvidia, a trillion-dollar titan fueling the AI revolution, has announced plans to expand its already substantial R&D presence in the country.
Venture capitalists play a pivotal role in nurturing the Israeli tech ecosystem, which is home to 10% of the world’s unicorns — companies valued at over $1 billion — providing 14% of jobs and contributing approximately 20% of the nation's GDP.
Since 2019, investments in Israeli companies have totaled $32 billion, with more than half of this capital coming from U.S.-based investors.
However, this burgeoning tech sector is shadowed by significant controversy.
Social media companies have been implicated in supporting Israeli policies and actions viewed by many as apartheid and occupation.
An independent report commissioned by Meta in 2022 revealed biases in Facebook and Instagram’s speech policies against Palestinians.
Human Rights Watch reported in December that Meta continued to suppress pro-Palestinian content, with 1,049 out of 1,050 reviewed cases involving peaceful content that was censored or suppressed.
The issue extends beyond Meta, with platforms like X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok also accused of censoring pro-Palestinian voices.
Western governments, including the U.S. and those of the European Union, have exerted pressure on these companies to monitor and censor content deemed supportive of terrorism or Palestine.
The reach of Big Tech censorship goes beyond ordinary users, affecting political organizations like Hamas, which are banned, while Israeli military and government accounts operate freely and enjoy widespread support.
“The close collaboration between U.S.-based Big Tech companies and the Israeli is seen as an extension of American imperial power, reinforcing global economic divides,” Sabry said.
“This partnership not only generates significant profits but also aligns with broader U.S. geopolitical interests,” he added.
“These tech corporations, while projecting an image of supporting anti-racism and human rights, are complicit in Israeli actions against Palestinians, drawing parallels to other facets of American imperialism,” Sabry noted.
“The U.S.–Israeli relationship is depicted as one of apartheid, colonial conquest, and genocide, powered by American technological prowess,” he concluded.