Friday, June 24th 2022
Intel Puts Ohio Fab Groundbreaking Ceremony on Hold, Indefinitely
The US Congress hasn't been able to agree on passing what is known as the CHIPS Act, which consists of some US$52 billion in subsidies for semiconductor manufacturers and it appears that Intel isn't very pleased. As such, the company is said to have put the brakes on the groundbreaking ceremony for its planned Ohio fab, which was meant to take place on the 22nd of July. Intel allegedly sent out an email to various state and federal lawmakers that it has placed the ceremony on hold, indefinitely due to the lack of progress on the CHIPS Act. In an official response from Intel to the Register, the company said that the event hasn't been rescheduled, which the publications says means that there's no new date planned for the groundbreaking ceremony.
It will apparently still be held at some point, but the Intel spokesperson had no answer when questioned if the ceremony was contingent on the CHIPS Act. However, the Register was told that the planned construction start date remains unchanged, for now. That said, Intel also issued a statement saying "the scope and pace of our expansion in Ohio will depend heavily on funding from the CHIPS Act.", which was also part of the initial press release back in January when the fab plans were announced. If the CHIPS Act doesn't happen, Intel's plan seems to be to focus on countries outside of the US where the company is getting subsidies, although the Ohio fab is still likely to be built, just at a slower pace. Intel's CEO, Pat Gelsinger hasn't been mincing his words either, having told Congress "We've already wasted several quarters since the Senate acted last year, and now it's time for us to move forward rapidly," back in March.
Source:
The Register
It will apparently still be held at some point, but the Intel spokesperson had no answer when questioned if the ceremony was contingent on the CHIPS Act. However, the Register was told that the planned construction start date remains unchanged, for now. That said, Intel also issued a statement saying "the scope and pace of our expansion in Ohio will depend heavily on funding from the CHIPS Act.", which was also part of the initial press release back in January when the fab plans were announced. If the CHIPS Act doesn't happen, Intel's plan seems to be to focus on countries outside of the US where the company is getting subsidies, although the Ohio fab is still likely to be built, just at a slower pace. Intel's CEO, Pat Gelsinger hasn't been mincing his words either, having told Congress "We've already wasted several quarters since the Senate acted last year, and now it's time for us to move forward rapidly," back in March.
70 Comments on Intel Puts Ohio Fab Groundbreaking Ceremony on Hold, Indefinitely
Also, none of what I wrote contradicts what your local papers are reporting. Intel never said they wouldn't build the fab, but it might get a lower priority.Wow, just wow. :mad:Indeed, do we really need a new CPU or GPU core every year? Maybe we should slow down to every 18-24 months and try and make slightly bigger jumps in performance each time instead?
i mean really? i have to argue for the point of the reporters; who are at the state's capital, getting information first hand from both parties, intel and gov dewine w/senator rob portman, over some national reporters that [probably] only read intel's arizona announcements?
meh.
c'mon, ceremonial ground breaking ≠ start of construction. intel is just drawing attention back to themselves as some rubes and morons have been getting the headlines over here lately.
With that said, I guess I'm guilty, too, in a way. I tend to buy a lot of computer hardware just out of curiosity, but I always find some use for my old stuff by either selling, repurposing in another PC, or just as part of my collection.
"The move is not a signal that Intel is delaying or canceling construction"
:rolleyes:looks to me you're trying to play with words. the two fabs will go on as originally scheduled, the future expansion of 6 other fabs is what intel is keeping to rattle their tin cup.
or it this like intel, that the press can also count their chickens before they hatch? national and international press somehow knows better than local; where its in their own backyard. how about i tell you about life in taiwan? europe? africa? wouldn't that be rather ignorant? arrogant? get the picture?see above. the meaning of no delay does means the opposite of delay. in the meantime, in the last 8 years i've been to over a dozen ground breakings and those nothing more than a photo op. on a few sites construction had already begun while some were still 6 months away; ceremonial ground breaking is ceremonial photo op only.wow. talk about lack of read comprehension:over HERE, like the US of efin' A! like the head lines of gun laws, abortion rights, jan 6th insurrections. i didn't wish to specifically mention them since politics is off topic and against the guidelines.
way to go pal. :shadedshu:
E: and lets be clear before you start crying foul again, up until this post i said nothing about you or this site, i kept it to sources. but if you're going to start off criticizing my reading comprehension, well pal, that's another ballgame.
The fact is GloFo is relegated already to older nodes. Another fact is Intel is close to that moment. Its either advance, or be left in a situation similar to AMD: fabless.
For Europe though the perspective is much more interesting, I totally get why Germany is willing to pay. They're an industrial powerhouse in the Union, and chips are in almost every industry, x86 isn't going away either. Germany just witnessed first hand there are no guarantees unless you control them yourself. Europe experienced a similar scenario. Just trade and everyone is gonna be friends, is an illusion. Without forms of deterrence, you'll lose.
I think you also misunderstood what I wrote. As I said, your local publications aren't wrong, the fab construction will start as intended, but if Intel doesn't get its government money, they'll make sure it's not done according to plan, so they can blame it on the government, while making sure their new German fab gets done first, so they can say "hey, look what happens when we get subsidies".
Then again, having things in writing means nothing if you can't afford to take them to court.
Enterprise is a different story where x86 still reigns supreme.