Intel is angry in the US and makes it known. According to information from wall street journal June 22, confirmed the next day, the American company decided to suspend the inauguration ceremony of the future site of a semiconductor factory in Ohio in July. The launch of the works scheduled for autumn 2022 is not threatened.
Congress is too slow for Intel’s liking
Legislative work is dragging on to Intel’s taste. While the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the Chips Act last year, funding of 52 billion dollars to promote, among other things, the establishment of semiconductor factories in the United States, the law n is still not promulgated.
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The lower and upper houses of the US Congress are struggling to agree on a common version of the two versions of the text they have adopted. Intel fears the law won’t pass before the midterm elections in November 2022.
Intel informed the governor of Ohio of its decision to postpone the inauguration ceremony scheduled for July 22 on the site of the future factory, on the outskirts of the city of Columbus. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger traveled to Washington on the day of the announcement.
A company spokesperson said, It’s time for Congress to act so we can move forward at the speed and scale we’ve long envisioned for Ohio. “.
This project is actively supported by the Biden administration in response to supply chain difficulties in an industry whose production is highly concentrated in Asia. The president had directly quoted the Columbus project during his State of the Union address in March 2022. He had also met on this occasion with the CEOs of the company.
Can Europe benefit from this rant?
For the moment, this action by Intel is above all symbolic. The initial investment of 20 billion dollars for the factory is maintained, as is the site program. It is due to begin in the fall to launch production in 2025. The company, however, suggests that this delay could have consequences on the overall investment planned for the site of 100 billion dollars.
According to a source from wall street journal, Intel officials have hinted that the company may prioritize its efforts toward countries where talks on similar laws move faster. The European Union is in the process of adopting its own regulation, the European Chips Act, funded to the tune of 43 billion euros to double its semiconductor production capacity by 2030.
Intel has several projects in Europe, including a 17 billion euro semiconductor manufacturing site in Germany. In the United States, the company is also building new factories in Arizona and modernizing its facilities in New Mexico.