Intel jobs announcement big news for region

News that Intel is to create 1,600 permanent hi-tech jobs at its Leixlip campus, has been hailed as a huge economic boost for Westmeath.

The jobs will be created by the tech giant, once it has completed the construction of a new chip manufacturing factory there.

The company has invested an additional $7bn in its manufacturing facilities in the Kildare campus over the past three years, with more still to be spent on the new infrastructure.

CEO Pat Gelsinger announced new plans for the company. "Since 1989, we have invested $15 billion in current manufacturing capacity in Europe, ensuring that Intel is one of the largest and most advanced semiconductor manufacturing operations in the region, but we’re not stopping there.

"In an effort to more than double Intel’s available manufacturing space in Ireland and Europe, we have invested an additional $7 billion from 2019 to 2021 in an ongoing expansion."