Intel has announced the first phase of its plans to invest as much as €80bn in the European Union over the next decade along the entire semiconductor value chain, from R&D to manufacturing to packaging technologies.
The first part of the investment includes plants being built in Germany, France, Ireland and Italy, at a cost of €33bn.
The announcement includes plans to invest an initial €17bn into a semiconductor fab mega-site in Germany, to create a new R&D and design hub in France, and to invest in R&D, manufacturing and foundry services in Ireland, Italy, Poland and Spain.
This investment is being driven by Intel wanting to address the need for a more balanced and resilient supply chain.
(above and top pic) a rendering showing early plans for two new Intel processor factories in Madgeburg, Germany
The investment program is centered around balancing the global semiconductor supply chain with a major expansion of Intel’s production capacities in Europe. In the initial phase, Intel plans to develop two semiconductor fabs in Magdeburg, Germany, the capital of Saxony-Anhalt, at a cost of €17bn. Planning will start immediately, with construction expected to begin in the first half of 2023 and production planned to come online in 2027, pending European Commission approval.
Intel is also continuing to invest in its Leixlip, Ireland, expansion project, spending an additional €12bn, to double the manufacturing space to bring Intel 4 process technology to Europe and expand foundry services. Once complete, this expansion will bring Intel’s total investment in Ireland to more than €30bn euros.
In addition, Intel and Italy have entered into negotiations to enable a back-end manufacturing facility. With a potential investment of up to €4.5bn, this factory would create approximately 1,500 Intel jobs plus an additional 3,500 jobs across suppliers and partners, with operations to start between 2025 and 2027.
In total, Intel plans to spend more than 33 billion euros on these manufacturing investments.
At Plateau de Saclay, France, Intel plans to build its new European R&D hub, creating 1,000 new high-tech jobs at Intel, with 450 jobs available by the end of 2024. France will become Intel’s European headquarters for high performance computing (HPC) and AI design capabilities.
images: Intel Corp