Google opens second R&D facility in Israel

An internet surfer views the Google home page at a cafe in London, August 13, 2004. Google opened a research and development centre in Tel Aviv, the Web search leader's second such centre to open in Israel within a year.

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Google opened a research and development centre in Tel Aviv, the Web search leader's second such centre to open in Israel within a year.

Google's centre in Tel Aviv has 30 employees and is headed by Yossi Matias, a scientist and expert on algorithms, databases and Internet technologies.

The Tel Aviv centre focuses on projects in the areas of search, advertising and applications, Matias told a news conference on Monday.

It adds to last year's opening of its Haifa centre in northern Israel, which employs about 20. In addition, Google has a sales office in Tel Aviv with a staff of 15.

Alan Eustace, senior vice president of engineering and research at Google, said the company had not set a target for the number it expects to employ in Israel. He declined to say how much Google has invested in the two centres.

Google has 10 R&D facilities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Israel already has large operations belonging to companies such as Intel, Motorola, Microsoft and IBM.