Intel gets smart with ‘learning building’
TECH TALK
Israel’s largest hi-tech company Intel Israel is moving its 2,500 development personnel into a new building in Petah Tikva. This 34,000 sq.m. building will learn the habits of every employee who chooses to disclose personal information, customize his or her working environment, help save energy and continue learning and improving over time. Among other things, the building will know what coffee to make for each employee, when to send him or her to get a haircut and recommend where to park.
“The new building will bring together employees currently working in 13 buildings, and will enhance cooperation between the different groups,” said Maxine Fassberg, Intel Israel CEO and Intel Group vice president. “The construction of this campus emphasizes the importance of our presence in Israel and reflects our values: innovation, technology and green construction. We have found real partners in the Petah Tikva Municipality, who have helped us realize this vision.”
Just recently, Intel laid the cornerstone of its Petah Tikva campus, which is one of company’s most advanced buildings worldwide and is a living demonstration of the various technologies it develops. Upon its completion, the personnel working in this building will be able to control their environment and adjust it to their needs using thousands of sensors and advanced processing capabilities. In addition, the new building will have integrated systems encouraging a healthy lifestyle, energy conservation and a green environment.
The new building will be based on Internet of Things (IoT) technology, also developed in Intel. Further advanced technological products developed in Intel Israel will be integrated into this building, which will be built in Petah Tikva’s Kiryat Arye industrial zone, not far from Intel’s current Petah Tikva campus. The building will have nine floors, as well as a 32,000 sq.m. underground parking. It will also contain 3,500 sq.m. of electronic labs, three restaurants, a café, a gym, a spa, a hairdresser, a beauty salon, and a learning and convention center.
This will be a green building, with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum level certification, which means that its focus will be on energy conservation and water recycling. The campus will be built as a “learning building,” which will constantly become more efficient, improving energy and water consumption, as well as the general operation of the building. As part of the focus on green construction, the R&D center will also contain covered parking for 120 bicycles, with adjacent showers. This building is highly accessible to public transportation, in line with Intel’s green agenda, the first Israeli company which received the Environmental Protection Ministry’s sustainable building certification.
By using a designated application, the employees who choose to do so will be able to use personalized services. For example, the application will offer employees living around the same area to carpool to work. An employee who comes to work with his car will be directed to the available parking which is closest to his meeting’s location, in synchronization with his diary. The application will even learn the employee’s coffee drinking habits and will thereby be able to offer him his favorite coffee and even order it in advance for the employee to pick from the lobby on the way to his office.
Information taken from Globes.co.il.
Bank Leumi
Bank Leumi has formed an “innovation alliance” with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) and National Australia Bank (NAB), two of the world’s leading banks in the age of digital banking.
The strategic partnership will enable the three banks to collaborate and share aspects of their product development and to facilitate the exchange of employee talent in the innovation space. The banks are hoping to enhance customer experiences based on the extensive experience of each partner in their part of the world. This is the first time an Israeli bank will be involved in such a project.
NAB serves 10 million customers through its 800 branches spread throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is considered Australia’s third largest bank and the leading bank for small businesses. In early 2015, the bank founded NAB Labs, which creates collaborations with FinTech and early-stage startups in an effort to help them develop innovative banking products in house. In July 2015, it created NAB Ventures in which it plans to invest A$50 million over three years in Australian startups working on mobile products, online payment and big data.
CIBC is the fourth largest bank in Canada, with over 11 million customers. It has done groundbreaking work in the field of innovation and has launched several products that have shaken up the idea of traditional banking in Canada. The bank carries out international money transfers free of charge, enables customers to open up accounts on their mobile phones, and has created an online trading platform. CIBC Live Labs has developed a number of products, such as an app that enables customers to apply for mortgages through their Apple Watch.