Business brief
Silicon Photonics Ramps as Corporate Debt Hits ₪1.7T
Tower Semiconductor scales AI optical production while property conglomerates and broadcast networks face mounting balance-sheet costs and leadership turnover.
Business
Nice is carving out Actimize for $2B — shedding financial compliance software to focus its balance sheet entirely on cloud conversational AI.
BackgroundNice Ltd. acquired financial crime analytics provider Actimize in 2007 to provide transaction monitoring and anti-money laundering compliance to international banks. Nice has since pivoted its core growth strategy toward cloud-native customer engagement platforms and enterprise artificial intelligence assistants.
- The proposed divestment would represent one of the largest corporate software carve-outs in Israeli history, releasing substantial cash for core product expansion.
- Actimize had previously drawn private equity interest with buyout valuations approaching $2.5 billion, but volatile credit markets delayed a formal sale.
- The transaction provides Nice management with $2 billion in balance-sheet liquidity to pursue targeted acquisitions in generative AI conversational software.
Business
Tower Semiconductor unlocked volume silicon photonics production — positioning its Israeli foundries at the core of hyperscale AI hardware clusters.
BackgroundSilicon photonics uses microscopic optical lasers rather than traditional copper wires to transmit digital data at the speed of light between computing nodes. As generative artificial intelligence models expand, electrical interconnects face physical bandwidth limits and severe thermal throttling.
- Tower and partner NewPhotonics initiated volume commercial manufacturing of monolithic optical engine circuits on Tower's PH18DA platform, bypassing copper wire speed limits.
- The specialized silicon platform delivers optical data speeds reaching 1.6 terabits per second, paving the way for next-generation 6.4-terabit architectures inside hyperscale computing clusters.
- Barclays and Stifel reiterated Buy ratings on the stock, citing multi-year foundry agreements with hyperscale network buyers including Google and Arista.
Business
Sarid leaves Melisron at peak commercial occupancy — passing leadership to an interim chief as real estate debt costs climb across Israel.
BackgroundMelisron is one of Israel's largest commercial property owners, controlling premier shopping malls including Ramat Aviv Mall and the Krayot Kanyon. Under Sarid's leadership since 2019, the group expanded into office parks and residential high-rises to reduce exposure to retail consumer cycles.
- The company's board of directors initiated a formal executive search for a permanent successor while Chief Financial Officer Oren Hilinger serves as acting CEO.
- Sarid steered Melisron to near-99% commercial occupancy across 18 major shopping centers while managing development of the landmark Nvidia campus in Yokneam.
- The transition occurs as rising corporate debt burdens and higher sovereign interest rates squeeze commercial real estate refinancing across Tel Aviv.
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