(JNi.Media) Intel further solidifies its strong connection with Israel with the announcement that it will open a new chip manufacturing plant in Kiryat Gat.
This follows Intel’s acquisition of Israeli company Mobileye in the spring for $15 billion, an outstanding takeover premium. Intel’s takeover of the maker of chips for cameras and driver-assistance technology set the stage for the opening of the new plant which will make delivery of chips more convenient. Production at the new plant is expected to begin by 2018.
The Kiryat Gat plant follows a trend of Intel expanding its operations in Israel. The world’s largest chipmaker already has a plant in Kiryat Gat that was built in 2005, costs $4 billion to build and employed 2,000 workers. In 2015, Intel refurbished this plant to prepare it to manufacture the newest generation of chips.
In a time of debates over Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS, Intel’s robust presence in Israel is reassuring, since it is unlikely those who oppose Israel could boycott the world’s leading chipmaker for its Israeli chip factories, even if they wanted to. Intel is currently Israel’s largest tech employer; the Startup Nation has created over a billion chips for Intel and the new factory will keep production running.