Posted on Wednesday, November 02 2005 @ 19:12 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
“The re-opening of Fab 12 marks a first for Intel and the semiconductor industry,” said Bob Baker, senior vice president, general manger, Intel Technology and Manufacturing Group. “The conversion of an existing factory to leading-edge technology – both larger wafer size and most advanced semiconductor technology – further adds to ’s manufacturing capability and improves our ability to better serve our customers.”
The Fab 12 conversion project, which began in 2004 and cost roughly $2 billion, was completed in approximately 18 months. Fab 12 is Intel’s fifth fab using 300mm wafers.
Intel has the largest network of advanced 300mm wafer fabs in the industry. Intel’s other facilities that manufacture using 300mm wafers are Fab 11X in New Mexico, D1D and D1C in Oregon, and Fab 24 in Ireland.
Fab 12’s re-opening is the latest in a string of six Intel announcements regarding re-investment in its U.S. manufacturing sites. In total, the announcements made in 2005 reflect a combination of more than $4 billion of new U.S.-based manufacturing expansion announced this year and completion of this $2 billion investment announced in 2004. These investments will add over 2,000 jobs (not including construction jobs).
This project, which extends Intel’s presence in Arizona, capitalizes on the area’s highly skilled workforce. As part of the conversion project, Intel sent over 800 Fab 12 employees to other Intel fabs, including in Ireland, Oregon and New Mexico, during the construction phase to obtain advanced training on the newest tools and cutting edge 300mm technology.
“The logistics of relocating 800 employees and their families were extremely complex and cost millions of dollars,” said Steve Megli, co-Plant Manager of Fab 12. “Our efforts have paid off as we have a world-class workforce and facility poised to supply new and exciting products for Intel.”
