Intel installs first major truss at Ohio chip factory, with operations years away

Intel’s Ohio chip factory was supposed to begin producing chips in 2025. Instead, the company has installed its first major structural truss, advancing construction while operations remain targeted for 2030 or 2031. The milestone in New Albany marks progress on a manufacturing project running at least five years behind its original schedule.

The truss installation begins the next stage of construction at the site northeast of Columbus, CNBC reported. Intel Foundry head Naga Chandrasekaran described the work as a step toward adding advanced U.S. chipmaking capacity.

Intel first announced the Ohio project in 2022. It now aims to finish construction of the first factory in 2030, ahead of the targeted start of operations. A second factory at the same site is planned for construction completion in 2031.

The delay reflects a more cautious approach to Intel’s business of manufacturing chips for other companies. After taking over as CEO in 2025, Lip-Bu Tan chose to wait for customer demand before pressing ahead with ambitious factory plans. That recalibrated the buildout begun under former CEO Pat Gelsinger.

That caution sits alongside intense competition for advanced chipmaking capacity as AI demand rises. Mizuho Securities analyst Jordan Klein told CNBC that even large customers such as Nvidia, AMD, Apple and Broadcom face fierce competition for space on TSMC’s factory lines.

TechInsights analyst Dan Hutcheson sees an opening for Intel as an alternative manufacturer. His assessment points to a competitive role beyond adding capacity: giving chip designers more leverage when negotiating with their existing supplier.

One reported possibility would bring memory-chip production to the Ohio project. CNBC noted that reports surfaced in September about SK Hynix potentially leasing some factory space from Intel. Neither company confirmed plans.