Intel Plans Huge Oregon Chip Fab Expansion As Part Of $100B Investment In US Over 5 years
Intel announced it is advancing its semiconductor technology facilities at its Gordon Moore Park campus in Hillsboro, Oregon. The chip maker views the expansion as an important step towards regaining process technology leadership by 2025, which has been one of Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger's main goals when he returned to the company a little over two and a half years ago.
When he took the reins as CEO in early 2021, Gelsinger wasted little time implementing his vision for IDM 2.0, described as a "major evolution" to Intel's integrated device manufacturing (IDM) model. The expansion at its Oregon site plays into that strategy, as well as Intel's oft-stated goal of releasing five advanced nodes (Intel 7, 4, 3, 20A, and 18A) in four years.
Intel had previously announced a massive expansion at its D1X development factory in Oregon, which it anointed Gordon Moore Park at Ronler Acres (formerly just Roler Acres) last year to pay homage to its co-founder, Gordon Moore, and his infamous 1965 prediction that became known as Moore's Law. Now Intel is going into a little more detail, saying the expansion is made possible in part from anticipated support from the US CHIPS and Science Act.
"Intel has been dedicated to driving innovation and advancing technology in Oregon for almost five decades, and we are set to lead the charge in restoring America's leadership in semiconductor R&D and manufacturing, backed by Oregon and the U.S. CHIPS Act. This investment further solidifies our commitment to the Silicon Forest and rebalancing the global semiconductor supply chain," said Dr. Ann Kelleher, Intel executive vice president and general manager of the Technology Development Group.
As part of its multi-billion-dollar investment, Intel is planning a "substantial upgrade" to facilitate the latest process technologies and tools. That includes the world's first high-numerical aperture extreme ultraviolet (High-NA EUV) lithography tool, which is expected to dock this year. Intel's also filling out permits for a potential multi-billion-dollar expansion to its R&D and manufacturing capacity.
"These investments, comparable to investments being made in other US Intel sites and contingent on support from the U.S. CHIPS Act, would support several thousand new permanent and construction jobs and help ensure that Oregon and the Pacific Northwest remain the hub of US semiconductor R&D and technology development for years to come," Intel says.
Intel's Technology Development Group resides in Oregon. The group's research teams plot out process technologies that are at least 10 years into the future.
Continued investments at its Oregon site will drive leading-edge semiconductor capabilities well into the future. They also play into Intel's plan to invest more than $100 billion in the US over a five-year-period, which is something Gelsinger announced during the Intel Innovation event, where it demoed Lunar Lake and hinted at future CPUs adopting a stacked cache design.
