Marking a milestone in Intel’s ongoing manufacturing expansion in Arizona, the company today announced that the initial portion of the cleanroom is “weather tight” and the “blow down” phase has begun at the company’s two new leading-edge chip factories on its Ocotillo campus in Chandler, Arizona. This milestone underscores Intel’s dedication to advancing its presence in the state and fostering technological innovation.
“Our commitment to Arizona runs deep, and as we expand our operations, we remain dedicated to addressing the growing demand for semiconductors and helping the United States regain its leadership position in this vital industry. This milestone represents the result of great teamwork, proficient teams and exceptional craftsmanship of the tradespeople, and it’s thanks to their hard work that we’ve made such significant progress on our site while keeping our culture of caring and the safety of all as our top priority,” said Dan Doron, Intel vice president and general manager of Fab Construction Enterprise.
With Arizona as an important manufacturing hub, Intel – the sole U.S.-based leading-edge chipmaker – is dedicated to addressing the growing demand for semiconductors and helping the United States regain its leadership position in this vital industry.
Intel’s journey in Arizona began more than four decades ago. In that time, the company has become an integral part of the state’s technology landscape. Today, more than 13,000 Arizona residents work at Intel, helping to support Intel’s mission of developing and manufacturing cutting-edge technology solutions that address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
Intel’s long-term investment has yielded significant benefits for Arizona, with an estimated 58,600 jobs supported by Intel’s operations. Intel’s annual economic impact in the state stands at $8.6 billion.
In 2021, Intel reaffirmed its commitment to Arizona by announcing an additional $20 billion investment. This expansion initiative includes the construction of two advanced semiconductor fabs in Ocotillo, pushing Intel’s total investment in Arizona to more than $50 billion over more than four decades. The new fabs will manufacture Intel’s most advanced process technologies, including Intel 18A and Intel 20A featuring the new RibbonFET and PowerVia innovations.
The current expansion is expected to create more than 3,000 high-tech, high-wage Intel jobs, along with 3,000 construction jobs. Additionally, it will support an estimated 15,000 indirect jobs within the local community.
The Ocotillo construction site is a bustling hub of activity, with a daily workforce of 6,000 skilled tradespeople who have collectively worked more than 10 million job hours to date. Workers have poured 342,000 cubic yards of concrete, an amount equivalent to filling 103 Olympic-size swimming pools, and constructed nearly a mile and a half of steel trestles. Intel reports good progress with the site’s mechanical, electrical and process equipment work.