Intel is preparing to expand its manufacturing network in Europe, Israel and the United States with a $1 billion investment.
In order to meet market demand Intel wants to scale up its production capabilities when it comes to the manufacturing of 14-nanometer technology.
Senior VP and GM of Manufacturing and Operations at Intel, Dr Ann Kelleher commented in an Intel release that: “Having additional fab space at-the-ready will help us respond more quickly to upticks in the market and enables us to reduce our time to increased supply by up to roughly 60 percent.”
The company has entered in to the early planning stages to start site expansions in its current manufacturing sites in Ireland, Israel and Oregon. It expects to start multi-year construction projects in 2019 on these sites once the discussions and permits have been established with the local planning authorities in each jurisdiction.
Dr Kelleher commented that they are now competing to win in an ‘estimated $300 billion market’ for nanometer technology: “With the biggest market opportunity in Intel’s history ahead of us, we will take the necessary steps to prepare our global manufacturing network for flexibility and responsiveness to changes in demand.”
The Irish expansion is rumoured to take place at Intel’s current production site in Leixlip a town in County Kildare. At the moment a Fab 42 facility is on site, the new investment push could see this site have a 90,000 square meter expansion take place signifying the creation 3,000 construction jobs alongside 850 manufacturing jobs.
Intel Manufacturing FAB 42
Last year Intel announced that it would be investing $7 billion into their American manufacturing centre in Arizona. Construction on FAB 42 began in 2011 with the intention of building a production site for 14-naometer technology.
The company found that it was able to fit the 14-nanometer fabrication into the existing Arizona site through new manufacturing innovations and efficiencies. A slowdown in computer sales in 2014 saw the company hold off in bringing the FAB 42 facility fully online, which resulted in the FAB 42 expansion been deferred for a period.
This week Intel confirmed that they have moved ahead with the work on the Fab 42 fit-out in Arizona and that once complete the site will be able facilitate the manufacturing of 22 nm, 14 nm and their proposed future line of 7 nm products.
Dr Kelleher also commented that they have made the decision to: “Locate development of a new generation of storage and memory technology at our manufacturing plant in New Mexico.”
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