Intel's New PTK1 Development Center Boasts 14,000 Sensors

Intel on Wednesday unveiled its new 11-story PTK1 development center in Israel, dubbing it the “smartest building in the world.” It has room for 2,700 people, contains 14,000 sensors and produces up to 100TB of data per day, using artificial intelligence (AI) to make decisions.

Located in Petach Tikva, PTK1 is an 11-story building that occupies 75,000 square meters (800,000 square foot). Intel said it hosts 2,000 employees who had previously been scattered in eight buildings across five campuses and work in computing, communication, AI and cybersecurity.

According to Intel, the building's 14,000 sensors, which Intel said is twice that of a regular building, monitor and control lighting, temperature, ventilation, parking, conference room availability and other building services and systems, generating 50-100TB of data per day. That data is processed in real time with an Intel-created building management system. It does not require human intervention. Instead, it uses AI for decision making. The buildings’ “system-of-systems” includes 970 APIs and 60,000 input fields.

The building is supposedly not just smart, but also efficient. In its announcement, Intel claimed it has a 40% higher efficiency than a normal office building, a water system that uses 75% less water and will be 100% powered by renewable energy. Some other specs include 50 3D cameras in the lobby, 500 displays and tablets, 143 meeting rooms and 1,900km of cables. Its construction took 36 months.

PTK1 is not Intel’s only construction project in Israel. In August, together with the Israeli Prime Minister, Mobileye (Intel's autonomous driving business) laid the cornerstone for an eight-story development center in Jersusalem with similar employee capacity as PTK1. Intel has also plans for a new $11 billion fab in Israel; (although, those plans have been delayed by up to a year) and a $5 billion fab expansion.

Israel is an important hub for Intel and is where much of its IP is developed. With 12,800 employees in 2018, circa 12% of its workforce is located in Israel, with the majority in R&D and manufacturing. Intel’s Israel Development Center in Haifa is where all Core CPU architecture development is done. Meanwhile, Mobileye is located in Jerusalem. Intel’s Israeli manufacturing operations, which represents Isreal’s largest private investment, are located in Kiryat Gat.