Oracle intends to open a second data center in Israel, which will be located nine floors below ground level to ensure it is safe from security threats.
The US tech giant’s CEO Safra Catz revealed the plans during a visit to Israel this week. She said her company would double its investment in the country.
Oracle’s next data center in Israel will be deep underground
Catz visited her company’s teams in Petah Tikva and Beersheba to find out more about how they had been impacted by the war between Israel and Hamas, which has been ongoing since October. She also met with Israeli politicians including President Benjamin Netanyahu.
In comments to the Times of Israel, she said Oracle would double its investment in Israel, and said it would build a second data center to service its cloud customers in the region.
“As our business grows, we increase our cloud activity in Israel,” Catz said. “We will soon open a second new data center in Israel.
“Israel must have a secure cloud, so it will be nine floors underground, with the aim of not jeopardizing business survival.”
DCD has contacted Oracle for more information about the new data center and when it will be operational.
Second site for Oracle’s Israel cloud region
Oracle has operated a dedicated cloud region for Israel since February 2021 when it opened its first data center in the country. At the time it was the first major cloud provider to offer such a service, though rivals AWS and Google Cloud have since launched their own Israel regions. Microsoft quietly launched its own Israeli region in October 2023.
The company’s Jerusalem data center is housed in a 14,000 sqm (460,000 sq ft) bunker located below five parking levels and a 17-story building in Jerusalem’s Har Hotzvim tech hub. Constructed by Bynet Data Communications, the facility extends over four floors at a depth of 50 meters (160 feet) below ground level.
Underground data centers are a popular option for developers in Israel wanting to ensure security and continuity of service amid the ongoing political tensions in the region.
In February, Israeli company Techtonic said it was building a subterranean server hall in Bet Shemesh, east of Jerusalem. The 16MW site is set to come online in the second quarter of 2025, and will be capable of surviving a direct missile attack, according to the company.
