Intel to expand Irish manufacturing operations
Intel has unveiled plans to enter a new era of innovation and technology growth with the acceleration of investment in Europe that will see it expand its Irish manufacturing operations. Investment underway in Leixlip Ireland is expected to lead to the creation of 1600 new high-tech jobs on completion. In outlining the company’s plans, Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, said Intel’s IDM 2.0 model will pave the way for it to continue to lead through manufacturing.
The General Manager of Intel Ireland and Vice President of the company’s Technology and Manufacturing Group, Eamonn Sinnott, confirmed that since locating its technology campus in Ireland in 1989, Intel has invested $15 billion in manufacturing capacity, making it one of the largest and most advanced semiconductor manufacturing operations in Europe. The current expansion, which in time will more than double Intel’s available manufacturing space in Ireland and Europe, has seen an additional $7 billion investment between 2019 and 2021.
Martin Shanahan, CEO of IDA Ireland, described the company’s plans to invest and further expand its global manufacturing network as “exciting, ambitious and innovative” and said the substantial expansion represents a significant investment that will continue to position the Irish site at the centre of Intel’s European and future global operations. “The level of Intel’s commitment to Ireland and its impact on the Irish economy has been, and will continue to be, enormous,” he said, adding: “The work undertaken at the Leixlip campus is highly complex, and this investment will bring Intel’s latest generation of 7 nanometre process technology to Ireland and Europe. While this investment is very important to Ireland, it is also very important in a European context, and will help to deliver on the EU’s vision for digital transformation by 2030.
“The scale of the investment and the number and types of jobs being created is a huge vote of confidence in the Leixlip campus and is testament to Intel’s continued commitment to Ireland. Furthermore, the company has signalled that there will be an opportunity for additional investment as it plans to announce another phase of expansions in locations including Europe in the next year. I wish Intel every success with this exciting new phase of development in Ireland and globally and look forward to our continued partnership approach.”
