IEEE-USA President Gordon Day praises Intel for its decision to spend $7 billion over the next two years to build advanced manufacturing facilities in the United States.
Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini made the announcement in Washington on Tuesday. It represents Intel's largest investment in a new manufacturing process.
"We commend Intel for its unprecedented investment in U.S. manufacturing," Day said. "The United States continues to lead the world in technological innovation and this will help to ensure that U.S. citizens benefit from this advanced engineering. Our economy will also benefit from having these high-wage, high-skill jobs in the United States."
Intel said the investment will be made at existing facilities in Oregon, Arizona and New Mexico and is expected to support approximately 7,000 local jobs. The company added that although about 75 percent of its sales are overseas, about the same percentage of its semiconductor manufacturing is performed in the United States. In addition, roughly three-fourths of its research & development spending and capital investments are in this country.
"We're investing in America to keep Intel and our nation at the forefront of innovation," Otellini said in a news release (http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20090210corp.htm). "These manufacturing facilities will produce the most advanced computing technology in the world. … The chips they produce will become the basic building blocks of the digital world, generating economic returns far beyond our industry."
Intel is co-chair of Engineers Week 2009 (15-21 February), an annual effort in which IEEE-USA actively participates.
IEEE-USA advances the public good and promotes the careers and public policy interests of more than 215,000 engineers, scientists and allied professionals who are U.S. members of the IEEE. IEEE-USA is part of the IEEE, the world's largest technical professional society with 375,000 members in 160 countries. See http://www.ieeeusa.org.