Google opens second R&D facility in Israel

TEL AVIV, June 4 (Reuters) - Google Inc. (GOOG.O) opened a research and development centre in Tel Aviv, the Web search leader's second such centre to open in Israel within a year.

Google's centre in Tel Aviv has 30 employees and is headed by Yossi Matias, a scientist and expert on algorithms, databases and Internet technologies.

The Tel Aviv centre focuses on projects in the areas of search, advertising and applications, Matias told a news conference on Monday.

It adds to last year's opening of its Haifa centre in northern Israel, which employs about 20. In addition, Google has a sales office in Tel Aviv with a staff of 15.

Alan Eustace, senior vice president of engineering and research at Google, said the company had not set a target for the number it expects to employ in Israel. He declined to say how much Google has invested in the two centres.

Google has 10 R&D facilities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Israel already has large operations belonging to companies such as Intel Corp (INTC.O), Motorola Inc (MOT.N), Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and IBM (IBM.N).

((Reporting by Tova Cohen, editing by David Holmes; Tel Aviv newsroom, +972-9-899-0222; email: telaviv.newsroom@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging: tova.cohen.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: GOOGLE ISRAEL/

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