Intel, Biden-Harris Administration Finalize $7.86B Funding Award Under US CHIPS Act
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 26, 2024 – Intel Corporation and the Biden-Harris Administration announced today that the U.S. Department of Commerce and Intel have reached agreement on terms to award the company up to $7.86 billion in direct funding for its commercial semiconductor manufacturing projects under the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act.
The award will support Intel’s previously announced plans to advance critical semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging projects at its sites in Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio and Oregon. Intel also plans to claim the U.S. Treasury Department’s Investment Tax Credit, which is expected to be up to 25% of qualified investments of more than $100 billion.
“With Intel 3 already in high-volume production and Intel 18A set to follow next year, leading-edge semiconductors are once again being made on American soil,” said Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel. “Strong bipartisan support for restoring American technology and manufacturing leadership is driving historic investments that are critical to the country’s long-term economic growth and national security. Intel is deeply committed to advancing these shared priorities as we further expand our U.S. operations over the next several years.”
The announcement demonstrates the U.S. government’s confidence in Intel’s essential role in building a resilient, trusted semiconductor supply chain on domestic soil. Since the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act more than two years ago, Intel has announced plans to invest more than $100 billion in the U.S. to expand chipmaking and advanced packaging capacity and capabilities critical to economic and national security. The historic investments will support tens of thousands of jobs, strengthen U.S. supply chains, foster U.S.-based R&D, and help ensure American leadership in cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing and technology capabilities.
“The CHIPS for America program will supercharge American technology and innovation and make our country more secure – and Intel is expected to play an important role in the revitalization of the U.S. semiconductor industry,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Thanks to the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, our CHIPS award is catalyzing Intel to make one of the largest investments in semiconductor manufacturing in U.S. history.”
The award follows the previously signed preliminary memorandum of terms and the completion of Commerce’s due diligence, in addition to the announced investment tax credit. The final total award is less than the proposed preliminary award due to a congressional requirement to use CHIPS funding to pay for the $3 billion Secure Enclave program.
U.S. Manufacturing and R&D Investments
The CHIPS Act award will directly support Intel’s investments at sites where the company develops and produces many of the world’s most advanced chips and semiconductor packaging technologies, including in Arizona, the Silicon Desert; New Mexico, the Silicon Mesa; Ohio, the Silicon Heartland; and Oregon, the Silicon Forest.
Intel was founded in the U.S. and has been innovating, investing and supporting global semiconductor manufacturing and R&D for more than 50 years. Intel currently employs approximately 45,000 people in the U.S.
Foundry Momentum and Technology Leadership
Intel is nearing completion of a historic pace of semiconductor node development to regain process technology leadership. Intel 18A, the company’s fifth process node in four years, is on track to launch in 2025 and continues to gain traction with customers. The company is finalizing a multiyear, multibillion-dollar commitment by Amazon Web Services to expand its existing partnership to include a new custom Intel® Xeon® 6 chip on Intel 3 and a new AI fabric chip on Intel 18A.
In September 2024, Intel won a manufacturing contract for up to $3 billion for the Secure Enclave program. This program is designed to expand the trusted manufacturing of leading-edge semiconductors for the U.S. government and builds on Intel’s relationship with the U.S. Department of Defense through the Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes – Commercial (RAMP-C) and State-of-the-Art Heterogeneous Integrated Packaging (SHIP) programs.
Additionally, Intel reported key milestones in advanced semiconductor manufacturing with the completed assembly of the industry’s first commercial High Numerical Aperture (High NA) Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography scanner and receipt of an additional High NA tool installed at the company’s Hillsboro, Oregon, R&D site. This will enable Intel to lead cutting-edge advancements that will define next-generation chip manufacturing.
Workforce Development and Childcare Benefits
Alongside its manufacturing and technology investments, Intel has a long-standing history of investing in the American workforce by supporting education, training and benefits programs needed to create the jobs of the future. In 2022, for example, Intel announced a $100 million investment to expand semiconductor education, research and workforce training opportunities across the nation.
As part of Intel’s overall CHIPS award, $65 million is set aside to support the company’s efforts to create a more skilled semiconductor workforce. Intel plans to use $56 million to help train students and faculty at all education levels to support industry growth. This includes, for example, Intel’s recently launched U.S. registered apprenticeship program for manufacturing facility technicians.
The company will use $5 million of the dedicated workforce award to help increase childcare availability near Intel’s facilities. This is intended to support Intel’s recently announced plans to broaden childcare benefits and pilot innovative programs to support working families. The remaining $4 million of the $65 million award will support Intel’s participation in the CHIPS Women in Construction Framework, which Intel voluntarily committed to this year to help expand the construction workforce by increasing the participation of women and economically disadvantaged individuals.
Finally, Intel is partnering with the Midwest Microelectronics Consortium (MMEC) as its members receive funding for five technology development projects within the Microelectronics Commons initiative established under the CHIPS Act. These projects will engage more than 30 MMEC members representing organizations from industry, academia and government stakeholders to advance domestic microelectronic technology development to deliver solutions to strengthen the U.S.-based supply chain.
About Intel
Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) is an industry leader, creating world-changing technology that enables global progress and enriches lives. Inspired by Moore’s Law, we continuously work to advance the design and manufacturing of semiconductors to help address our customers’ greatest challenges. By embedding intelligence in the cloud, network, edge and every kind of computing device, we unleash the potential of data to transform business and society for the better.
Source: Intel
