Inside Intel’s Bold $26 Billion U.S. Plan To Regain Chip Dominance

For decades, Intel was the leading maker of the world’s most advanced chips. Intel’s history is interwoven with that of Silicon Valley, credited with the invention of RAM and microprocessors, the building blocks of modern computing. Now Intel has fallen behind. But its new CEO, Pat Gelsinger, has a bold plan to catch up to Samsung and TSMC by 2025, by building new chip fabrication plants in the U.S., Europe and Israel totaling more than $44 billion. CNBC got an exclusive tour at the fab expansion outside Portland, Oregon, that’s set to open early next year. The world’s smallest and most-efficient chips are usually referred to as 5 nanometer, a nomenclature that once referred to the width of transistors on the chip. They power cutting-edge data processing and the latest generation of Apple iPhones. TSMC and Samsung make all of these 5-nanometer chips at fabs in Asia. “They took their eye off the ball,” said Stacy Rasgon, an analyst at Bernstein. “Once you fall off the treadmill, it’s really