Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 22, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Israel moves to build new AI data centers
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
An illustrative image of a Microsoft data center (Courtesy)
The cabinet approves a measure to accelerate the establishment of new artificial intelligence data centers, says the Prime Minister’s Office.
Energy Minister Eli Cohen says that the decision will remove barriers in the planning and construction of server farms.
He adds that construction has begun for AI data centers that will use 1 gigawatt of energy, “more than five percent of the State of Israel’s energy consumption in just the last three months.”
Cohen says that, in order to meet the new energy demands, Israel will double its plans for new power plants, aiming to build four by the end of the decade.
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