Intel’s 916,000-pound shipment is a “cold box,” a self-standing air-processor structure that facilitates the cryogenic technology needed to fabricate semiconductors. The box is 23 feet tall, 20 feet wide, and 280 feet long, nearly the length of a football field. The immense scale of the cold box necessitates a transit process that moves at a “parade pace” of 5-10 miles per hour. Intel is taking over southern Ohio’s roads for the next several weeks and months as it builds its new Ohio One Campus, a $28 billion project to create a 1,000-acre campus with two chip factories and room for more. Calling it the new “Silicon Heartland,” the project will be the first leading-edge semiconductor fab in the American Midwest, and once operational, will get to work on the “Angstrom era” of Intel processes, 20A and beyond.
I don’t know why, but I’ve never thought of the transport logistics involved in building a semiconductor fabrication plant.
Is Intel paying the state or country for this abuse of the logistics network? This feels like freeloading on a publicly funded piece of infrastructure.
I’m assuming the transport accommodations are part of the perk package (for lack of a better way to put it)
I have no insight into this particular plant, but in most big investments like this, the company is usually in talks with several locations negotiating for the best tax breaks, permitting accommodations, etc under the promise that it will bring skilled jobs to the area.
Basically, it’s seen as an investment both from the company and the location’s points-of-view.
Road closures for oversize loads always cost money, sometimes on a per minute basis
Intel will be paying people to build and work at the factory. Highly skilled labor that can’t be shipped overseas easily. It will also likely bring other companies to the area because of access to those highly skilled workers. The state will likely make more a lot more back in taxes and economic growth than the cost of the transports.
That’s a nice thought but what we’ve seen throughout history is the polar opposite.
Yup.
Without checking, I’m betting that Ohio gave them incredibly tax breaks that are nearly without end, meaning none of the money goes back into the local economy whatsoever
My states done it so many times now, and we don’t have income tax, so none of the money goes back into the local economy on the executive side, only on the workers side, putting all the issues it causes on workers! Woo!
Intel also works with local community colleges to offer semiconductor specific training to be a manufacturing technician, and it’s not a huge jump to be a maintenance/repair tech or jump to IT within the fab and in my experience all those roles from technician to IT pay fairly good wages high 20’s to mid 30’s/hr and up depending on experience.
I hope truckers, pilot car drivers and dispatchers will be making crazy money off this parade as well. Ohio exists, might as well make the best of it. XD