The $3.5 billion that Intel has earmarked for a manufacturing expansion in Rio Rancho is just the beginning in terms of investment in the future of New Mexico, according to the company's director of public affairs.
Erika Edgerly, born and raised in New Mexico, has spent her entire career at Intel. On Wednesday, she spoke at Economic Forum of Albuquerque held at the Marriott Pyramid North and updated attendees on Intel's plans.
Currently underway, the $3.5 billion construction project would equip the Rio Rancho plant to manufacture advanced semiconductor packaging technologies such as Foveros.
Foveros is an "advanced 3D packaging technology which enables Intel to build processors with compute tiles stacked vertically, rather than side-by-side." The benefits include greater performance in a smaller footprint, along with optimized cost and power efficiency.
Currently, Intel's Rio Rancho campus employs just over 1,900 people. That number is expected to expand as 700 jobs are added with the Foveros project. During the construction phase, 1,000 people are involved in the various aspects of getting this new manufacturing capacity up and running by early 2023.
When asked how current economic uncertainties might impact the project, Edgerly underscored the jobs numbers they are currently projecting. She further pointed to current job openings, representing areas of expertise like engineering and manufacturing technicians with numerous positions to fill.
What might that mean for further expansion here in New Mexico and other parts of the U.S.? “Over the past two years, the company has kept an eye on and weathered global macroeconomic challenges,” Edgerly said. “We are using the same philosophy today as we scope out the lay of the land, but it is hard to speculate on future investments.”
Supply chain disruption has led Intel to, in Edgerly’s words, “double down” on investment in chip manufacturing in the U.S. This includes increasing capacity not just here in Rio Rancho, but at facilities in Arizona and Oregon.
“If you’ve tried to buy a car in the past year, you know how imperative it is to gain more control over the semiconductor supply chain,” she said.
Beyond the current project, Intel has several other goals for its New Mexico operations.
In terms of sustainability, a major milestone has already been met.
Semiconductor manufacturing is a water-intensive process, which means operations in desert conditions found here in the Middle Rio Grande Valley need to be managed very carefully. Company-wide, Intel has a goal of being net positive in terms of water usage by the year 2030. In Rio Rancho operations, they are currently 103% net positive according to Edgerly. This is thanks to an outflow management process in conjunction with the Bernalillo Water Authority that puts clean outflow back into the Rio Grande.
Investments also take the form of community investments, such as encouraging students to pursue STEM-related fields or contributing $6.7 million to New Mexico school programs.
