And I’d expect more job opportunities to be made by Intel from this upgrade plan. Unlike Apple and Google who is making bed using their mountains of plundered cash, Intel sure is a shopaholic and big time spender. After spending nearly $8 billion to have McAfee under their group, now Intel is laying plans to upgrade the factories in Arizona and Oregon. Speculated cost would be between $6 billion and $8 billion, inclusive of a new fabrication plant in Oregon.

“Today’s announcement reflects the next tranche of the continued advancement of Moore’s Law and a further commitment to invest in the future of Intel and America,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. “The most immediate impact of our multi-billion-dollar investment will be the thousands of jobs associated with building a new fab and upgrading four others, and the high-wage, high-tech manufacturing jobs that follow.”

The PC industry is achieving a significant milestone this year with 1 million PCs shipping per day. The upgraded fabs create the capacity for the continued growth of the PC market segment and additional computing markets Intel is addressing, such as mobile and embedded computing.

The new investments reinforce Intel’s leadership in the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing in the world. Intel’s brand-new development fab in Oregon – to be called “D1X” – is scheduled for R&D startup in 2013. Upgrades are also planned for a total of four existing factories in Arizona (known as Fab 12 and Fab 32) and Oregon (known as D1C and D1D).

“Intel makes approximately 10 billion transistors per second. Our factories produce the most advanced computer technology in the world and these investments will create capacity for innovation we haven’t yet imagined,” said Brian Krzanich, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s Manufacturing and Supply Chain. “Intel and the world of technology lie at the heart of this future. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we can retain a vibrant manufacturing economy here in the United States by focusing on the industries of the future.”

The upgrade will allow Intel to move forward swiftly into 22-nanometer fabrication manufacturing process. As you can no doubt guess, the investment will also be quite a boon to both areas — Intel says that the upgrades, which will take place over “several years,” will create as many as 8,000 construction jobs and between 800 and 1,000 permanent jobs at the facilities.

SOURCE via Bloomberg