Two Israeli universities rank among world's top 30 for AI

Two Israeli universities ranked among the world's top 30 institutions for artificial intelligence in a new global index measuring universities' ability to educate AI talent, produce cutting-edge research and foster AI entrepreneurship.

Haifa's Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Tel Aviv University placed 25th and 28th, respectively, in the AI Production Capacity Index, which ranked 50 universities worldwide. Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Carnegie Mellon University claimed the top three spots, followed by UC Berkeley and China's Tsinghua University.

The AI Production Capacity Index, compiled by U.S.-based AI communications firm 5W and released last week, evaluates universities across six equally weighted categories, including research output, AI academic programs, startup creation, computing infrastructure and links to frontier AI companies.

The report found that the top four universities alone account for 54% of the technical leaders at AI companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind.

The global index ranked the Technion as Israel's leading institution for AI production capacity, placing first nationally, 25th worldwide and fourth in Europe.

The university also ranked eighth worldwide for producing graduates who go on to found AI companies. According to the report, when adjusted for institutional size, the Technion's ability to produce AI entrepreneurs is comparable to Stanford, the top-ranked university overall.

Technion President Professor Uri Sivan said the achievement, despite the university's relatively small size, reflects decades of investment in engineering, mathematics, computer science and partnerships with industry.

“Despite the dramatic disparity in resources between the Technion and leading American universities and other top institutions worldwide, the Technion has secured a place among the world’s leading universities and at the top of the Israeli rankings,” Sivan said.

Sivan also noted that Technion researchers were among the early pioneers of machine learning and that artificial intelligence now plays a central role across the university's academic programs.

“Technion researchers were among the pioneers of machine learning, helping lay the foundations for leadership in AI as a whole,” he said.

“AI tools are now essential in the workplace, and we ensure that our students acquire these skills alongside a strong foundation in mathematics, science, and engineering. AI is the defining field of our time, and the Technion is at the forefront globally,” he continued.

The report attributed Israeli universities' strong performance to the close collaboration between academia, industry and the country's technology ecosystem, as well as the talent pipeline developed through Israel's elite military technology and intelligence units.

“Both maintain dense ties to Nvidia’s Israeli R&D operations in Yokneam – the semiconductor company’s largest engineering site outside the US – Intel’s Israeli operations in Kiryat Gat and Haifa, and the alumni pipeline from IDF Unit 8200,” the report said.

The rankings come as Israel continues to expand its investment in advanced technologies. Earlier this year, the country launched its first national AI supercomputer to support startups and academic research.

Last week, the Israel Innovation Authority announced it would invest NIS 100 million ($33 million) in establishing national quantum computing infrastructure and a research and development (R&D) center to support local universities and businesses.

Overall, U.S. universities accounted for half of the top 50 institutions in the index, with 25 universities making the list. The UK had four universities in the rankings, China had three and Singapore had two.