NEW ALBANY, Ohio (WCMH) — Intel announced it will need to get external customers for its manufacturing division, or it may need to stop all work in Ohio.
Last week, Intel announced it is further slowing construction at its $28 billion manufacturing site in Licking County. Intel also said if it is unable to find external customers for a new manufacturing technology, it will likely have to stop all work in Ohio. The technology is called 14A and won’t debut until 2027, so Intel will have some time to try and acquire the customers it needs. See previous coverage of Intel’s slowed construction in the video player above.
Why is 14A such a big deal to Ohio?
To understand 14A’s importance, it’s crucial to first understand how Intel works. Intel is largely split into two divisions: Intel Products and Intel Foundry. Products is in charge of inventing and marketing physical goods, and Foundry is in charge of manufacturing those goods. Intel largely looks at them as two separate companies that both play a role in making semiconductors.
Semiconductors are small, about the size of your fingernail, and incredibly difficult to manufacture. Intel Foundry is tasked with figuring out the best methods, called process nodes, of making them. Nodes are like recipes that detail thousands of steps and precise ingredients that Intel will use to manufacture a semiconductor chip.
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Nodes are evaluated based on power, performance and how much area is needed for silicon. The best node will use less power and area while maximizing performance at a low cost. 14A is Intel’s newest node and is still in development, but the company has high hopes for it…