Intel Corp. plans to add one more facility to its growing crop of buildings in Chandler, Ariz. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based manufacturer announced that construction is already underway on a new $300-million research and development facility at the Chandler Blvd. campus.
The new building will be used to expand Intel’s packaging operations. “The innovation set to take place within the walls of this new research center will influence technology trends for years to come, and we’re delighted to bring that distinction to the community of Chandler and the State of Arizona,” says Babak Sabi, Intel vice president and director of assembly and test technology development, in a statement.
In June, crews began excavating up to 16,000 cu yds of dirt for the two-story, 285,000-sq-ft facility. Other construction activity will include pouring 22,000 cu yds of concrete with 3,300 tons of rebar, erecting 4,200 tons of structural steel and installing 20 miles of electrical conduit. Construction expected to be completed in the second half of 2013. Company officials pledge to source many of the materials locally in Arizona.
The new building is designed to attain LEED certification. Last year, Intel attained LEED certification for the existing buildings at the campus, including all three generations of wafer-fabrication plants, support buildings and offices.
The facility is expected to create nearly a thousand construction jobs on top of the thousands of workers currently finishing up Intel’s $5-billion Fab 42 manufacturing facility in Chandler, last year's largest project start in the Southwest. The massive high-volume semiconductor manufacturing facility, constructed by Portland, Ore.-based Hoffman Construction, is scheduled for completion in 2013.
