More than 1,000 data professionals gathered in Tel Aviv for the sixth annual hayaData conference, bringing together executives and experts from some of the world's largest technology companies to discuss the growing role of artificial intelligence, data infrastructure and automation in the global economy.
The conference, held at the David InterContinental Hotel, is organized by Israeli fraud prevention company Riskified as a nonprofit community initiative. It features dozens of speakers from companies including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Wix, NVIDIA, Microsoft, monday.com, Databricks, Snowflake, HoneyBook, Cato Networks and AI21 Labs.
hayaData
(Photo: Yair Sigron)
The event comes as demand for data processing and storage continues to accelerate, driven largely by the expansion of AI technologies and the infrastructure needed to support them.
According to real estate services firm JLL's 2026 forecast, the global data center industry will require nearly $3 trillion in investment by 2030 to accommodate approximately 100 gigawatts of additional capacity, effectively doubling the sector's existing capacity.
The expansion is expected to place growing pressure on electricity grids and increase demand for innovative energy solutions. JLL projects the sector will grow at a compound annual rate of 14%, with major technology companies expanding their computing infrastructure through a combination of leased data centers and facilities they develop themselves.
'A foundational infrastructure reshaping the rules'
Noa Lubin, CTO at the National AI Directorate in the Prime Minister's Office, emphasized the strategic importance of artificial intelligence to Israel's economy and national security.
"Artificial intelligence isn't just technology — it's a foundational infrastructure reshaping the rules of business, society and geopolitics," Lubin said.
"Leadership and sovereignty in this field are vital prerequisites for Israel's national strength."
The growing importance of AI has placed renewed emphasis on the enormous quantities of information required to train, operate and improve advanced computing systems.
According to IDC figures cited by conference organizers, roughly 90% of the world's data was generated within the past two years, while global data storage volumes approximately double every four years.
The rapid growth presents challenges for companies seeking to process information efficiently while maintaining accuracy, security and reliability.
Guy Machlev, vice president of research and development at Riskified, said the proliferation of AI-powered systems capable of acting independently has made reliable data more important than ever.
"The data landscape is at a critical turning point," Machlev said. "The AI revolution doesn't lessen the importance of data — it makes it more critical than ever."
He said the industry was moving beyond traditional systems that primarily analyze information toward a new generation of autonomous AI agents capable of making decisions and performing tasks on behalf of users.
"We are moving from systems that primarily analyze information to an era where AI agents make decisions and execute actions on behalf of users," he said.
"This shift introduces new challenges in trust, identity and risk management, underscoring the vital need for high-quality data and precise, real-time decision-making."
Machlev said Riskified's own operations illustrated the scale of the transformation.
"Over the past five years, the volume of data we process at Riskified has grown more than fivefold, accompanied by significant improvements in processing speed and efficiency," he said.
"These capabilities serve as the foundation for navigating the new challenges of the agentic AI era."
Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence systems designed to pursue goals and carry out sequences of tasks with varying degrees of autonomy, rather than simply responding to individual prompts.
The technology is expected to expand the range of activities that companies can automate, while creating new challenges involving accountability, fraud prevention and the verification of automated decisions.
AI transforms the skills required of data professionals
Beyond the infrastructure challenges, conference participants also examined how AI is changing the responsibilities and expertise required of employees working with data.
Amit BenDor, head of AI and data science at Unity, said increasingly accessible AI tools were enabling employees without specialized technical training to perform tasks traditionally reserved for data professionals.
"The data space is evolving rapidly, and AI is redefining job roles, scope of responsibility and the skill sets required for professionals," BenDor said.
"On one hand, more people across various roles can now build dashboards and execute tasks that once demanded dedicated expertise."
He said the democratization of data tools did not eliminate the need for specialists but instead shifted the emphasis toward deeper analytical judgment and the ability to use AI effectively.
"Because of this democratization, two types of expertise become critical," BenDor said.
The first, he explained, is deep knowledge of a particular field, including the ability to identify underlying problems, formulate relevant questions and draw meaningful conclusions beyond superficial findings.
The second is proficiency in applying AI tools across the data ecosystem, including analytics, data engineering and data science.
The changes reflect a broader shift in how companies organize their technical teams, as AI increasingly automates routine data processing and analysis while placing greater value on problem-solving and domain expertise.
More than 50 sessions across four tracks
The hayaData conference aims to provide Israel's data community with practical knowledge drawn from real-world industry experience, allowing participants to explore emerging technologies, methodologies and frameworks they can apply in their daily work.
The program includes more than 50 technical presentations and sessions organized into four tracks: Data Engineering, Data Science, Analytics and Business Intelligence, and Data Products.
This year's event places particular emphasis on the intersection of data and artificial intelligence, examining how AI is transforming the way organizations collect, build, manage and use information.
Sessions also address the changing roles of data professionals as companies increasingly integrate AI into their operations.
The gathering reflects the growing importance of data not only as a resource for businesses but also as a foundation for technological innovation and national competitiveness, with governments and private companies investing heavily in the infrastructure, expertise and computing power needed to participate in the expanding AI economy.