Intel plans to invest more than $20bn to establish two chip factories at a new manufacturing site near Ohio’s capital city of Columbus, a move that supports the Biden administration’s efforts to revitalise US manufacturing and boost domestic supply chains.
The Santa Clara, California-based company expects to begin construction later this year and bring production online in 2025. The “mega-site” in the Midwestern state will be able to accommodate up to eight chip factories — also known as fabs — across nearly 1,000 acres, the company said on Friday. The initial phase of the buildout is expected to generate 3,000 Intel jobs and 7,000 construction jobs.
The investment is the latest in a series of giant bets by Intel as it tries to make up lost ground in chip making against Taiwan’s TSMC and Samsung. The US company last year promised investments of around $100bn in two other US facilities, along with a new site in Ireland that would cost nearly as much over a number of years.