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Intel today announced the location of its megafab, a 1,000-acre parcel on the outskirts of the Columbus, Ohio, metropolitan area. The semiconductor maker plans to innovate at two plants by the end of the year and move into production in 2025.
“It’s all the strategy that our CEO, Pat Gelsinger, announced in March,” Intel senior vice president Keyvan Esfarjani told Ars.
“We’re starting with two factories, and it all aligns with the developing call of what the industry needs,” he said. “It’s also important for the balance of the supply chain in the world. “
While the company will start with two factories, the big one offers Intel’s “optionality,” said Esfarjani, who oversees manufacturing, supply chain and company operations around the world. There is room for up to 8 factories, “but we have room to do even more,” he said. If everything is built, Intel can spend up to $100 billion in Ohio alone.
Esfarjani said Intel spent about nine months comparing between 35 and 40 locations in the U. S. Uu. UU before moving to the Plot of New Albany. The scale of the allocation required a completely new site, he said. “All of our sites within the company, whether it’s in Oregon, New Mexico or Arizona, are essentially at the point where there possibly wouldn’t be enough footprint, enough area where it needs to grow for those mega scales. “
Although the company thought about many variables, some key points helped influence the decision. First, Intel needed a location with the resources for installations of this size. The company needed a position with enough land, water and electricity. it needed a metropolitan domain that could provide enough technicians and engineers to run the factories. And finally, Intel was looking for state and local governments that were willing to host the sites. (Amazon’s recent battles with its HQ2 have certainly crossed the minds of Intel executives. )
“Of all the options, Ohio, no headache. It was given to the most sensible one,” Esfarjani said. Agricultural fields around Columbus have provided an area to build and expand, while the region’s temperate climate provides a stable source of water. (Esfarjani noted that the company recycles 95 percent of its water. )The state is also among the 10 most sensible electric power manufacturers in the country, almost all electrical power is generated by burning herbal fuel and coal. Intel intends to operate the site with one hundred percent renewable energy, which will require the state to load significant wind and solar installations. “Esfarjani said.
Intel will also work with Ohio State University and neighboring network schools to ensure a stable source of technicians and engineers. Although the company has yet to publish the main points of its educational plans, it said it will spend $100 million on educational institutions, academics and the NSF to expand a pipeline for semiconductor jobs.
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