Israel has launched an ambitious national effort to develop a domestically based quantum computing platform while expanding its push into advanced artificial intelligence.

The Finance Ministry’s Accountant General and the Prime Minister’s Office National AI Directorate issued a tender for “Project Nexus,” which will establish and operate a national platform providing quantum computing services from within Israel. The government says the project is intended to strengthen Israeli technological sovereignty, reduce dependence on foreign infrastructure and give local researchers and technology companies access to advanced computing capabilities.

Unlike conventional computers, quantum systems use qubits to perform certain highly complex calculations that are beyond the practical reach of today’s most powerful machines. Potential applications include cryptography, drug development, materials science, financial modeling, logistics and national security.

The government has not yet disclosed Project Nexus’s budget or a timeline for when the platform could become operational. Erez Askal, head of the National AI Directorate, previously estimated that fully implementing Israel’s broader national AI strategy could require approximately NIS 5 billion annually, although that figure has not been approved as the project’s budget.

Project Nexus follows a separate NIS 100 million program launched by the Israel Innovation Authority to create quantum research infrastructure accessible to Israeli companies and universities. That facility will be required to support at least three different quantum-processing technologies, allowing users to compare systems, test algorithms and develop applications without independently purchasing prohibitively expensive equipment.

Israel is also advancing two additional AI initiatives. One would establish a national “physical AI” testing ground where robotics, drones and autonomous systems could be evaluated in environments such as hospitals, factories, highways and agricultural sites. The other will examine how Israel can strengthen its ability to develop foundation models, the large-scale systems powering advanced generative AI platforms.

Together, the projects signal a shift from research and policy discussions toward building national technological infrastructure. Israel may lack the financial scale of the United States or China, but officials are betting that its combination of defense expertise, academic research and a powerful startup ecosystem can secure leadership in carefully selected areas of quantum computing and physical AI.