Hiring activity has increased at Intel's Ohio semiconductor fabrication site, a project that has faced multiple delays since its 2022 announcement. The company invested $28 billion in two leading-edge chip factories there, with initial production originally planned for 2025.
CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who took over in early 2025, recently made comments indicating greater success in engaging potential customers for the Intel 14A process compared to the Intel 18A process. "We are going big time into 14A. Stay tuned, we are going to see a lot of great momentum on the 14A in terms of yields [and] IP portfolio to serve the customer well," Tan said in an Intel News video on X.
The construction company responsible for building the Ohio facilities posted several new job openings related to the project. While some progress has occurred over the past three years, this hiring could signal that construction is ramping up.
Intel 18A, the process node currently ramping in Arizona and used for Intel's Panther Lake PC CPUs, experienced a difficult start with reported yield problems and limited external customer engagement. An analyst noted earlier this month that yields for Intel 18A have improved to over 60%, sufficient to support the Panther Lake launch. The same analyst reiterated that Apple was likely to use Intel for manufacturing some chips on Intel 18A while exploring Intel 14A for future chips.
Tan's recent statements contrast with his cautious remarks about the Intel 14A process in 2025. The current target date for the first Ohio fab to begin chip production is 2030, but Tan's comments about customer engagement for 14A, combined with the hiring activity, suggest Intel might accelerate the Ohio construction timeline to support the 14A launch. If chip production doesn't begin until 2030, that timing would likely be too late for the Intel 14A process.
Intel is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter results on Thursday after market close. While the company may not have immediate foundry-related announcements, a more aggressive Ohio construction timeline or disclosure of a major external foundry customer could impact the stock.
Throughout much of 2025, Intel's foundry business appeared to struggle with no major external customers and problematic yields. The situation has improved in 2026, with the Ohio hiring news and Tan's statements indicating potential for significant foundry announcements in the coming year.