Computer giant Intel has announced that it will invest five million dollars (NIS 20 million) into Israeli high schools over the next four years, to provide advanced science, technology, engineering and math education to students in the “startup nation”.

The investment will initially be applied in 25 schools in southern Israel along with a budgeted NIS 50 million from the Ministry of Education to more than double the number of students graduating with science and technology diplomas.

During the six years between middle school and the completion of their high school educations, 4,000 students will receive guidance from representatives of Intel, who will encourage them to develop their skills in social media, gaming, video, and other areas of high-tech.

The program is expected to eventually include 200 schools.

Intel is Israel’s largest private employer.

The IntelCollaborative Research Institute for Computational Intelligence, the Technion Institute in Haifa and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem will team up to  research technology that “learns” about the user, imitating the human brain, according to a report by Reuters.

The aim of the project is to create technology and applications which will assist people in their daily lives, “learning” about the needs and weaknesses of the user in order to compensate for them, providing reminders and helping to locate misplaced items.  The devices will become available in the next 2 to 3 years.

After weeks of negotiations, computer mega-giant Apple has acquired its first Israeli company, Anobit Technologies, for $390 million.

Anobit, based in Herzliya, will develop high-performance flash-memory drive components for Apple’s ubiquitous iPhone and iPad.  The agreement was signed on January 6 and confirmed by Apple spokesman Steve Dowling on January 10.

Apple is also cultivating plans to open a semiconductor development center in Israel, a plan which is unrelated to the Anobit acquisition.

While the Anobit purchase is Apple’s first foray into the Israeli market, competitors Microsoft, Intel, and Hewlett-Packard already have labs and development centers in the country.  Intel opened its doors in Israel with five employees in 1974, according to Bloomberg business news, and now has 6,600 personnel in the country.  Microsoft’s Israeli research and development center opened in the spring of 2006.

Bloomberg reported that Israel has 60 companies featured on the Nasdaq Stock Market, the most of any country outside North America with the exception of China.  It is also home to the most startups per capita of any country in the world.

Israeli companies have been featured in several major international deals recently, including the sale of Israeli chip developer Zoran to the British makers of chips for Nokia Oyj mobile phones and the $307 million acquisition of Tel Aviv information technology firm Ness Technologies by Citi Venture Capital International.

Computer and software giant Apple has begun searching for office space for its first technology development center outside of Cupertino, California  – in Israel.

Real estate companies hired by Apple are on the lookout for 2,500 square feet for Apple’s first research and development facility outside the United States, which will employ 200 staff members. In 2010, Apple spent $2.4 billion on R&D, all in Cupertino, just 2 percent of its annual revenue.

Israel’s reputation as a hub for technology development will be bolstered by the company’s arrival, though powerhouses Microsoft and Intel have already been in country for more than a decade.

Apple is also poised to acquire Israeli chipmaker Anobit, a developer of flash memory for smartphones, tablet computers, and multimedia players.  The deal is expected to be worth $400-$500 million.