Marvell unveils optical communications chip developed in Israel

The processor is capable of transferring huge volumes of data at record speed in data centers designed for AI technologies.

Marvell Technology (Nasdaq: MRVL) has seen its share price rise nearly 300% snice the start of the year. Last week the company was further boosted by the launch of the most efficient processor for optical communication in data centers designed for AI technologies, which is capable of transferring huge volumes of data at record speed.

Over 80% of the engineers involved in the development and launch of the new processor come from Marvell’s development centers here in Israel – in Petah Tikva and Yokneam. The processor is in direct competition with Nvidia and in particular with the processors based on the acquisition of Israeli company Mellanox, which developed a similar chip. Marvell believes so much in Israeli products and development that it is accelerating hiring for its Israel development centers.

Marvel has been active in Israel for nearly 30 years. Today, Marvell Israel led by country manager Eran Herooti, has 500 employees, after a 10% increase over the past year. The division that developed the new chip is a spin-off of Galileo, the Israeli company which was acquired by Marvell in 2000 for $2.7 billion.

This deal was the start of the road for then Galileo CEO Avigdor Willenz, who has become a serial chip entrepreneur, and his number two in the company was Eyal Waldman, later the founder of Mellanox, sold to Nvidia for $6.9 billion. Marvell then acquired Radlan, the communications chip company of brothers Yehuda and Zohar Zisapel, for $150 million. The development centers in Petah Tikva and Yokneam are strategic for Marvell due to the expertise developed by Israeli engineers in the communications field.

Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on June 4, 2026.

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