Chandler and Mesa’s moniker of “The Silicon Desert” is becoming more cemented with yet another announcement today. Intel will be turning a vacant facility in Chandler into a 7-nanometer manufacturing facility by investing $7 billion dollars into it. This new facility is sought to bring around 3,000 new jobs to the East Valley! Intel will manufacture a new computer chip called Fab 42 at this Chandler site.
Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel met with President Trump on Wednesday to make the announcement.
“This factory will help the U.S. maintain its position as the global leader in the semiconductor industry,” Krzanich said in a prepared statement. The idea of Fab 42 was announced originally in 2011 but the sales were slow causing around 5,000 people to be laid off.
Intel said Fab 42 will “be the most advanced semiconductor process technology used in the world. The chip will enable things such as artificial intelligence and advanced transportation.” The Fab 42 chip will also be used to power computers, data centers, sensors and other devices.
The completion of Fab 42 and the Chandler facility will take around 3 to 4 years. After completion around 3,000 high-tech and high-wage jobs will come about.
“Intel is a global manufacturing and technology company, yet we think of ourselves as a leading American innovation enterprise,” Krzanich added. “America has a unique combination of talent, a vibrant business environment and access to global markets, which has enabled U.S. companies like Intel to foster economic growth and innovation. Our factories support jobs — high-wage, high-tech manufacturing jobs that are the economic engines of the states where they are located.”