NEW ALBANY, Ohio (WCMH) – Excitement is growing following the announcement Friday that tech giant Intel is planning to build a $20 billion semiconductor computer chip factory in central Ohio.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said Ohio is already feeling some of the effects of the announcement.
It’s only been two days since Intel and state leaders shared the news, and Husted said the phone has already been ringing with others now considering setting up in Ohio.
“It’s really an opportunity of a lifetime for our state,” Husted said. “I can tell you as a result of this announcement that our phones are ringing. People from across the country are going, ‘OK, Intel is in Ohio, maybe we need to be there too.”
Based on conversations he has had since Friday, Husted said people are excited about the possibilities Intel’s development will bring.
“If you put it in context of capital investment, the last 1,000 deals that JobsOhio has done is equivalent to this one deal,” he said.
The deal was announced late last week. The semiconductor plant planned for New Albany is the biggest private investment in Ohio history.
“We expect that Ohio will become one of the largest semiconductor manufacturing sites in the world over the next decade,” Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said Friday at an announcement event inside Newark’s Midland Theater.
According to Intel, the manufacturing campus will create 3,000 jobs with an average salary of $135,000 a year, 7,000 construction jobs, plus the potential for 10,000 support or supply chain jobs.
“This deal is so big, it will ripple positively through every community in our state,” Husted said.
There has been a widely reported shortage of computer chips, with officials saying the new site will be able to make millions a day.
Husted said Ohio does not have many people working in the semiconductor industry right now but hopes education and training develop as the site is being built.
“I hope mom and dads are looking at their children right now and having discussions over this weekend saying, ‘Hey, have you thought about what you’re going to do next? Let’s look at some of these opportunities,’” he said.
Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year, with the plant being completed by 2025.
“We have to be smart about it, there’s no doubt,” Husted said. “We want to maintain the integrity of what we love about Ohio, but also create opportunity.”
Husted said the state will soon announce educational and workforce opportunities related to the project.