Intel confirms Ireland for 14-nm silicon

Peter Clarke

LONDON – The Intel wafer fab complex in Leixlip, Ireland, is set to receive investment to allow it to manufacture 14-nm silicon and beyond, the company revealed in a presentation to analysts on May 10. The investment is expected to be more than $1 billion.

The presentation, given by Intel CEO Paul Otellini, included a slide that detailed three Intel fabs set for investment for 14-nm and beyond. These are fab D1X in Oregon, Fab 42 in Arizona and Fab 24 in Leixlip near Dublin, Ireland.

"We're in the process of construction and initial deployment of equipment into 14-nm and beyond in Oregon, Arizona and Ireland," Otellini said in a presentation that was also capturesd as a webcast. The 14-nm process technology is expected to start being used in 2013.

Intel was reported to have chosen Ireland over Israel for the 14-nm investment back in September 2011. Intel is bringing up 22-nm production at Fab 28 in Kiryat Gat, Israel.

Intel closed down its Fab 14 in Leixlip near Dublin in the summer of 2009 reducing the number of fabs it operates on the campus to three, labeled Fabs 10, 24 and 24-2. In January 2011 Intel committed to spend about $500 million rebuilding the shell and infrastructure of the old Fab 14 building, but without saying what plans it had for manufacturing process technologies in the reconditioned shell.