Intel building $20B Ohio chip facility amid global shortage
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Intel will invest $20 billion in a new computer chip facility in Ohio amid a global shortage of microprocessors used in everything from phones and cars to video games.
The U.S. share of the worldwide chip manufacturing market has declined from 37% in 1990 to 12% today, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association, and shortages have become a potential risk.
Two chip factories on the 1,000 acre site in Licking County, just east of Columbus, are expected to create 3,000 company jobs and 7,000 construction jobs, and to support tens of thousands of additional jobs for suppliers and partners, the company and local and state officials announced Friday.
It is the largest single private-sector investment in Ohio's history, on par with an agreement in 1977 that brought Honda to central Ohio, where it now employs more than 14,000 people.
Construction is expected to begin this year, with production coming online at the end of 2025.
“Intel’s new facilities will be transformative for our state, creating thousands of good-paying jobs in Ohio manufacturing strategically vital semiconductors," Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a prepared statement.
Intel, based in Santa Clara, Calif., announced plans last year to spend $20 billion for two new factories in Arizona. It’s also pitching for European subsidies to build a big plant somewhere within the European Union and last month said it will invest $7.1 billion to expand its decades-old manufacturing operation in Malaysia, home to roughly 10% of the company’s global workforce. Along with the U.S. and Malaysia, Intel also has existing plants in Ireland, Israel, Vietnam and China.
Intel is the No. 2 semiconductor manufacturer globally, with $73.1 billion in revenue last year, behind South Korean world leader...