President Joe Biden applauded Intel’s newly announced semiconductor factory outside Columbus, Ohio, as “a truly historic investment in America and American workers”.
The plants will establish America in the global market as a massive producer of semiconductor chips, which help power many digital and electronic devices, and will elevate the nation’s status as a manufacturing power, Biden added.
“These facilities are a symbol of what America is all about,” said Biden. “To be able to say, ‘Made in Ohio. Made in America.’ What we used to always be able to say 25, 30 years ago. That’s what this is about. We’re going to stamp everything we can ‘Made in America,’ especially these computer chips.”
President Biden also used the occasion to push Congress to pass legislation incentivising companies to make chips in America.
Biden called on Congress to pass a bill that would provide $52 billion in funding to the chip industry and that has been stalled in the House after it passed the Senate last June.
“I want other cities and states to be able to make an announcement like the one being made here. And that’s why I want to see Congress pass this bill right away and get it to my desk. Let’s get another historic piece of bipartisan legislation done.”
Meanwhile, Intel officially announced plans for an initial investment of more than $20 billion in the construction of two new leading-edge chip factories in Ohio. 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.
“Today’s announcement is monumental news for the state of Ohio,” said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. “Intel’s new facilities will be transformative for our state, creating thousands of good-paying jobs in Ohio manufacturing strategically vital semiconductors. Advanced manufacturing, research and development, and talent are part of Ohio’s DNA, and we are proud that chips – which power the future – will be made in Ohio, by Ohioans.”
Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, added: “Today’s investment marks another significant way Intel is leading the effort to restore US semiconductor manufacturing leadership. Intel’s actions will help build a more resilient supply chain and ensure reliable access to advanced semiconductors for years to come. Intel is bringing leading capability and capacity back to the United States to strengthen the global semiconductor industry.
“These factories will create a new epicenter for advanced chipmaking in the US that will bolster Intel’s domestic lab-to-fab pipeline and strengthen Ohio’s leadership in research and high tech.”
Over 10,000 new jobs
As the largest single private-sector investment in Ohio history, 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.
Spanning nearly 1,000 acres in Licking County, just outside of Columbus, the “mega-site” can accommodate a total of eight chip factories – also known as “fabs” – as well as support operations and ecosystem partners. At full buildout, the total investment in the site could grow to as much as $100 billion over the next decade, making it one of the largest semiconductor manufacturing sites in the world.
Planning for the first two factories will start immediately, with construction expected to begin late in 2022. Production is expected to come online in 2025, when the fab will deliver chips using the industry’s most advanced transistor technologies. Ohio will be home to Intel’s first new manufacturing site location in 40 years.
