COLUMBUS – The groundbreaking for Intel’s multibillion-dollar computer chip manufacturing facility planned for New Albany is on hold due to legislation that is bogged down on Capitol Hill.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the $20 billion semiconductor plant, which the company and the state says will employ about 3,000 permanent workers and create 7,000 construction jobs, has been delayed indefinitely as lawmakers look to work out differences between two versions of legislation, known as the CHIPS Act, which would provide up to $2 billion to computer chip manufacturers to remake the domestic chip manufacturing sector.
“Every day we waste by not passing the CHIPS Act funding is another day we fall further behind in our competition with China,” said Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Youngstown), the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Rob Portman.
“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,” Ryan said.
The U.S. only makes 12 percent of the world’s chips, down from nearly 40 percent back in the 1990s. Reliance on chips manufactured overseas created a shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic that affected many sectors of the economy, from cell phones to autos.