An aerial view of the Intel operations in Leixlip. Image: Intel
Around $13.9bn has been invested in Intel’s Irish operations since 1989.
As news emerges that Intel has been granted planning permission for a manufacturing site in Kildare, a new infographic reveals the extent of the company’s investment in Ireland.
While planning permission has been granted, it is really a bet on the future and no investment has yet been confirmed.
Intel Ireland needs the planning permission in advance of competing against other Intel locations around the world for future investments from its parent in Silicon Valley.
Competition between locations for coveted responsibilities as chips scale below 14nm (in accordance with Moore’s Law) is fierce.
And, as the new infographic produced by Intel in Ireland demonstrates, the local operations more than hold their own in these global battles.
When Intel came to Ireland in 1989, it opened its first office in a used-car showroom in Palmerstown, Dublin, before kick-starting one of the biggest capital investment programmes ever seen in Ireland since the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric dam in the late 1920s, in terms of size and scale.
In addition to the 4,900 people currently working for Intel in Ireland full-time, it is estimated that 7,550 full-time equivalent jobs have been supported during the various phases of construction.
If the expansion plan just approved by An Bord Pleanála gets the green light from Intel headquarters in Silicon Valley, about 3,000 construction jobs will be created, with the potential for 850 full-time jobs once completed.
The infographic below shows that Intel has supported more than 756 Irish suppliers in the last 10 years and the company has spent €3.9bn on Irish labour since 1989.
It shows that €921m is contributed to the Irish economy every year by Intel, including €1.3m to various education programmes. In the past five years, more than €3m has been donated to communities.
According to Intel, achieving planning permission in advance is just regular business. As such, the proposed expansion (if it ever proceeds) could be years away – but it is a tantalising prospect nevertheless.
Intel investment in Ireland
Infographic: Intel
Updated, 8.33am, 12 October 2017: This article was updated to clarify that Intel first commenced operations in Ireland in a car dealership in Palmerstown, Dublin, not on the Naas Road.
