This temporary logo takeover heralds the arrival of God of War on PC this week
PC Gamer is supported by its audience. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
By published
A boost in chip production can’t come soon enough.
As the global semiconductor shortage rolls on, chipmakers are taking steps to expand their production capabilities. Intel in particular is currently undertaking an ambitious expansion operation. The company’s $7B Fab 34 construction project in Leixlip, Ireland has entered the tool outfitting stage which represents a significant milestone on the way to beginning production in 2023. 
Best graphics card: your perfect pixel-pusher awaits
Best SSD for gaming: get into the game ahead of the rest
The machine is the first of around 1200 machines to be installed, many of which cost millions of dollars apiece. The specific machine is known as a lithography resist track. It’s a part of Intel’s extreme ultraviolet (EUV) manufacturing and will be used to produce chips made with the Intel 4 production node (a rough equivalent to 7nm).
Work on Fab 34 has been underway since 2019 and the facility is set to go online in 2023. It’s just one part of Intel’s extremely aggressive expansion campaign. In addition to its Ireland expansion, the company is working on expanding production at its Oregon, New Mexico and Arizona facilities. That’s just the start. Intel is also planning a new $7B manufacturing facility in Penang, Malaysia and just days ago, it announced the construction of two $20B facilities in Ohio.
The ongoing chip shortage and concerns about over-reliance on Asian based manufacturing has prompted Intel to concentrate on US and EU based manufacturing. In fact, it’s become something of a national security issue. The US share of global semiconductor production has fallen from 37 percent to 12 percent over the last 30 years and it doesn’t want to cede even more to Asian manufacturers such as TSMC and Samsung. US companies including Intel, AMD and Nvidia among others are pushing for congress to approve funding for the CHIPS Act, which would put $52 billion toward domestic semiconductor production. 
Wouldn’t it be nice to walk into a store in a year or so and see shelves stacked with 14th Gen Meteor Lake CPUs, RTX 4080s and 7900XTs! Sorry, I was dreaming there for a second.
Chris’ gaming experiences go back to the mid-nineties when he conned his parents into buying an ‘educational PC’ that was conveniently overpowered to play Doom and Tie Fighter. He developed a love of extreme overclocking that destroyed his savings despite the cheaper hardware on offer via his job at a PC store. To afford more LN2 he began moonlighting as a reviewer for VR-Zone before jumping the fence to work for MSI Australia. Since then, he’s gone back to journalism, enthusiastically reviewing the latest and greatest components for PC & Tech Authority, PC Powerplay and currently Australian Personal Computer magazine and PC Gamer. Chris still puts far too many hours into Borderlands 3, always striving to become a more efficient killer.
Sign up to get the best content of the week, and great gaming deals, as picked by the editors.
Thank you for signing up to PC Gamer. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10036.
