What’s New: Today, Intel celebrated Manufacturing Day, an annual event designed to showcase the positive impact of advanced manufacturing on communities across the United States. This year’s event comes as Intel makes major investments to expand its domestic manufacturing footprint in response to unprecedented demand for leading-edge chips. The company took the opportunity to educate policymakers on one of the most complex processes in the world: semiconductor manufacturing.
“At Intel, we like to say that we’ve put our chips on the table and are significantly expanding our U.S. manufacturing operations. These efforts are key to strong economic and national security, but more needs to be done to promote a robust chip manufacturing industry in the U.S. and maintain its technological leadership. A single, advanced manufacturing facility can cost upwards of $10 billion to build and operate in the U.S. Fully funding the grant program established in the CHIPS Act will encourage future domestic investment by helping American manufacturing companies compete with heavily subsidized foreign companies.”
Why It’s Important: Held annually on the first Friday in October, Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) kicks off a monthlong series of events. Companies and educational institutions across the country open their doors to community members and government leaders, inviting them to experience the marvels of modern manufacturing. 
Intel celebrated MFG Day by hosting a “virtual fab tour” for members of the Washington, D.C., policy community, giving them a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of the company’s Fab 42 operations in Chandler, Arizona – one of the world’s most advanced semiconductor factories. The fab is on Intel’s Ocotillo Campus, where last week the company broke ground on a $20 billion project to build two new leading-edge fabs.
In a demonstration of the bipartisan support for investing in U.S. semiconductor leadership, the virtual tour was introduced with remarks from U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui of California (D) and U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona (R).
“Semiconductors represent a strategically important industry for the U.S., with significant national security and economic implications,” Matsui said. “During the pandemic, supply chains were tested across the board, but the effect has been especially devastating for the global supply of semiconductors. That is what makes actions taken by industry leaders like Intel so important to bolster our domestic manufacturing and get us back on track as a global leader.”
“Intel’s continued investment in the East Valley is a driving force in growing and strengthening our communities,” Biggs said. “It’s no secret that a thriving economy is built of the back of innovation and job creation. And now, more than ever, Intel’s ingenuity and strong competitive workforce are helping Arizona to thrive in an unstable global economy. Through each of its new facilities in Arizona, Intel is ensuring America remains the worldwide leader in the semiconductor and chip manufacturing industry.”
How It Works: Squeezing billions of tiny transistors onto ever-smaller computer chips requires one of the most complex manufacturing processes humans have devised. A fully equipped new fab costs about $10 billion and takes 6,000 construction workers about three years to complete. Anchored by fabs in the United States and Europe, Intel’s manufacturing operations operate at a mega-scale worldwide, requiring a global supply chain that stretches across multiple continents.
To learn more about the complex factory network at the heart of Intel’s leadership products, see the Massive Factories Make Tiny Tech video.
More Context: US Competitiveness is at Stake for Chip Manufacturing (Bruce Andrews Editorial) | Massive Factories Make Tiny Tech (Video) | What Does It Take to Build a Fab? (Infographic) | Global Manufacturing at Intel (Press Kit)