US computer chip giant Intel announced plans on February 18 to invest more than $5 billion to build a new state-of-the-art chip manufacturing facility in Arizona. The announcement was made by Intel president and chief executive Paul Otellini during a visit by President Barack Obama to an Intel facility in Hillsboro, Oregon.
Intel, the world's largest computer chip maker, said construction of the new facility, Fab 42, in Chandler, Arizona, will begin in the middle of this year and it is expected to be completed in 2013.
"When completed, Fab 42 will be the most advanced high-volume semiconductor factory in the world," Otellini said, and wwill create thousands of jobs. Intel said the new Arizona factory will make transistors with a minimum size of 14 nanometers.
"Building the new fab on the leading-edge 14-nanometer process enables Intel to manufacture more powerful and efficient computer chips," Intel said in a statement.
A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter or one ninety-thousandth the width of a human hair. "The investment positions our manufacturing network for future growth," said Brian Krzanich, senior vice president and general manager for manufacturing and supply chain at Intel.
"The products based on these leading-edge chips will give consumers unprecedented levels of performance and power efficiency across a range of computing devices from high-end servers to ultra-sleek portable devices," Krzanich said.
Intel announced plans in October to invest between $6 billion and $8 billion in its US manufacturing facilities to produce next-generation computer chips, including building a new fabrication plant in Oregon.