Intel upgrading it's US plants

AlmightyCushion

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/19/intel-announces-plans-to-spend-up-to-8-billion-on-u-s-factory/

Apple and Google may be sitting on their piles of cash, but Intel sure is dipping into its reserves in a big way these days -- the company has just announced that it's following up its nearly $8 billion acquisition of McAfee with a multi-billion dollar investment in upgrades to its factories in Arizona and Oregon. That investment will total between $6 billion and $8 billion, and include the development of an entirely new fabrication plant in Oregon, in addition to upgrades at the two existing facilities that will allow Intel to move forward with its 22-nanometer manufacturing process. As you can no doubt guess, the investment will also be quite a boon to both areas -- Intel says that the upgrades, which will take place over "several years," will create as many as 8,000 construction jobs and between 800 and 1,000 permanent jobs at the facilities. Head on past the break for the full press release.

Good to see intel investing in upgrades but I do worry about the Irish plant as it's not getting an upgrade. The Irish plant is starting to get out-dated (using 65nm tech isn't it?). Hopefully, intel haven't forgotten about it and are planning an upgrade for it some time soonish.

magna12

Is the Irish plant still fully used or any parts laying redundant?

AlmightyCushion

There are two fab plants there and as far as I know they are both being used but only for older tech like celeron, pentium dual core, core2, maybe the atom as well etc. The core i3/i5/i7 are manufactured elsewhere I think. Seeing as it looks like the i3/i5/i7 will be replacing everything bar the celeron and atom this could be bad news for intel ireland.

Khannie

Would be odd for them to let so much expertise go though. Experience has a serious dollar value too.

Feelgood

Intel apparently bought McAfee to build a new type of chip that offers virus protection at a hardware level rather than a software level. Virus fighting processors, should be some interesting times ahead

magna12

Khannie wrote: »

Would be odd for them to let so much expertise go though. Experience has a serious dollar value too.

Would it though? I'm sure they can train up off-shore and get a good return in the longer term - however I have no idea of the technology involved.

Dempsey

F24-2 was only opened in 2006, I wouldnt expect that Fab to be upgraded again for another couple of years. IFO is limited in what it can produce but it does manufacture alot of different products which is its strength. I wouldnt be worried about Ireland's place in Intel's plans at all.

Oregen will always be maintained as the biggest & most advanced facility at Intel's disposal and Arizona is their 2nd biggest so the news shouldn't surprise anyone that these plants are getting huge investments.

A friend working in management at the Irish plant has told me they are constantly offering employees incentive packages to move to the plants in the states. Have been for couple of years she tells me.

deravarra

Deleted User wrote: »

A friend working in management at the Irish plant has told me they are constantly offering employees incentive packages to move to the plants in the states. Have been for couple of years she tells me.

That's not how it's being sold to the employees. They are being told it's a one year assignment with a possibility of longer ... and there's the hope that they will be coming back to a newer process in Ireland.

Truth is, nobody really knows. There is a feeling of expectation around the leixlip site, and it's fairly positive. We'll know when we'll know.

teg23

From their site: http://www.intel.com/jobs/ireland/sites/

Pentium III chips??? Do they really still make them?

Dempsey

teg23 wrote: »

From their site: http://www.intel.com/jobs/ireland/sites/

Pentium III chips??? Do they really still make them?

No, some parts of the website havent been updated in a long time

deravarra

Dempsey wrote: »

No, some parts of the website havent been updated in a long time

just like some parts of the fabs on site