On the heels of completing a multi-billion investment in Oregon, Intel is again expanding its footprint here with a new $700 million lab at its Jones Farm campus.
The 200,000-square-foot lab will focus on data center sustainability research. It’s the latest move by the chip giant (Nasdaq: INTC) to expand its product development and the latest investment by the company in Oregon. Last month the company opened a $3 billion-plus expansion at its Ronler Acres manufacturing facility in Hillsboro.
Researchers in this lab will work on technology to address heating, cooling and water use by data centers, which are necessary in a connected world but use 1% of global electricity demand and account for 0.3% of global carbon emissions, according to Intel.
In addition to the lab, Intel unveiled open intellectual property for an immersion liquid cooling solution and reference design. The proof of concept for this was created in Taiwan, but the company hopes to bring this technology to the broader data center ecosystem.
“Intel’s dedication to its global partnerships is evident with these announcements today. The future of the data center and data center design is based on innovative and sustainable technologies and practices, and I’m proud of the work we’re doing every day to help make a sustainable future a reality,” said Sandra L. Rivera, executive vice president and general manager of the Datacenter and AI Group, in a written statement.
Construction is expected to start this year and the lab is slated to be open in late 2023. Intel is based in California, but the company has had a presence in Oregon since the 1970s. Oregon is the largest concentration of employees for the company and is the state’s largest private employer.
Oregon is Intel’s manufacturing research and development hub — where its engineers devise every new generation of smaller, more powerful chips. Those instructions are sent to Intel's global factory network for exact replication.
“We are proud to build on our legacy in Oregon, the heart of Intel’s research and development. This new lab is the most recent demonstration of the central role Oregon plays in creating the future, where Intel employees continue to drive innovation and develop technology that that will help toward sustainable technology practices,” said Courtney Martin, director of Oregon public affairs in a written statement.
Intel has more than 22,000 employees in Oregon across four campuses in Washington County. It’s beefed up investments in research and manufacturing are part of CEO Pat Gelsinger’s strategy to turn the company around and regain manufacturing leadership in the industry.
