Intel Delays Groundbreaking on Ohio Plant
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Intel Corp. told federal lawmakers Thursday that it has indefinitely delayed groundbreaking on a $20 billion semiconductor plant it wants to build near Columbus, citing the lack of progress on the stalled CHIPS Act.
The legislation contains inducements to help the domestic semiconductor industry, providing $52 billion toward research and manufacturing.
However, the bill is stalled as lawmakers reconcile language in versions passed by both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
“Every day we waste by not passing the CHIPS Act funding is another day we fall further behind in our competition with China,” U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-13, said in a statement. “This partisan gridlock has now caused a delay of a $20 billion economic shot in the arm for Ohio. It’s time our leaders in Washington find the courage to put aside their differences and ensure our country has a fighting chance at dominating the industries of the future.”
Intel announced in January it selected a site near Columbus to build a new $20 billion chip manufacturing campus. That investment over time could grow to $100 billion, the company said.
However, the scale and scope of the project depends on passage of the CHIPS Act, the company said Thursday.
Groundbreaking on the project was expected in July.
“We are excited to begin construction on a new leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing plant in Ohio and grateful for the support of Governor DeWine, the state government and all our partners in Ohio,” the company said in a statement. “As we said in our January announcement, the scope and pace of our expansion in Ohio will depend heavily on funding from the CHIPS Act.”
“Unfortunately, CHIPS Act funding has moved more slowly than we expected and we still don’t know when it will get done. It is time for Congress to act so we can move forward at the speed and scale we have long envisioned for Ohio and our other projects to help restore U.S. semiconductor manufacturing leadership and build a more resilient semiconductor supply chain.”
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
