Intel said it will invest over USD 20 billion into the construction of two new chip factories in the state of Ohio in the US. The investment will help boost production to meet the surging demand for advanced semiconductors, powering a new generation of innovative products from Intel and serving the needs of foundry customers as part of the company’s IDM 2.0 strategy. To support the development of the new site, Intel pledged an additional USD 100 million toward partnerships with educational institutions to build a pipeline of talent and bolster research programmes in the region.
Planning for the first two factories will start immediately, with construction expected to begin late this year. Production is expected to come online in 2025, when the fab will deliver chips using the industry’s most advanced transistor technologies.
Spanning nearly 1,000 acres in Licking County, just outside of Columbus, the “mega-site” can accommodate a total of eight chip factories, as well as support operations and ecosystem partners. At full buildout, the total investment in the site could grow to as much as USD 100 billion over the next decade. The new site will be designed and constructed with "green" building principles, and the new factories have a goal to be powered by 100 percent renewable electricity and to achieve net positive water use and zero total waste to landfill in support of Intel’s 2030 sustainability goals.
The initial phase of the project is expected to create 3,000 Intel jobs and 7,000 construction jobs over the course of the build, and to support tens of thousands of additional local long-term jobs across a broad ecosystem of suppliers and partners. As part of the announcement, Intel's partners Air Products, Applied Materials, LAM Research and Ultra Clean Technology indicated plans to establish a physical presence in the region to support the buildout of the site, with more companies expected in the future.
