Intel has started installing production tools at Fab 62, its new chip plant on the Ocotillo campus in Chandler, Arizona, and expects it to be operational before the end of 2028. The company announced it on October 21, 2026, alongside progress in Ohio, where workers have already placed the first major structural truss at the first New Albany fab. Both steps come as demand for AI data center processors is once again giving Intel reasons to expand capacity.
Intel’s Fab 62 and Ohio One in 30 seconds
- Intel is now installing production tools at Fab 62 in Arizona, which will be its sixth high-volume fab in Ocotillo.
- It expects the fab to come online before the end of 2028, without saying which node it will make.
- In Ohio it has placed the first major structural truss, but hasn’t updated the timeline for a $28 billion project.
- Intel says it has already brought High-NA EUV lithography into high-volume manufacturing.
The update was signed by Naga Chandrasekaran, Intel Foundry’s executive vice president and chief technology and operations officer, in a post that argues for a distinction between technology made in the United States and technology developed there from start to finish. Intel says its U.S. operations involve more than 4,500 suppliers across 49 states and over $29 billion in annual spending.
Fab 62: from finished building to a fab gearing up
Fab 62 was announced in 2021 alongside Fab 52, as part of a roughly $20 billion project for the Ocotillo campus. The building was already finished, and the arrival of production tools marks the shift to a fab preparing to manufacture. It will be Intel’s sixth high-volume plant in Ocotillo, alongside Fab 52, which has been producing chips on the Intel 18A node since October 2025.
Intel hasn’t said which process Fab 62 will use, its wafer capacity, or the exact investment. Based on its timeline it could make 18A, its 18A-P variant, or the future 14A, according to Tom’s Hardware, but the company hasn’t confirmed it. The decision is tied to landing outside customers: Intel has said it won’t fund high-volume 14A production without a major customer for its foundry business. According to its latest earnings presentation, reported by Tech Times, risk production of 14A for its own products is expected in the second half of 2027, with high-volume production in 2028. Revista Cloud already reported that Intel’s 14A node is drawing interest from Amazon, Apple, AMD, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm.
There’s also a tax incentive at play. The U.S. tax law passed in July 2025 raised the investment credit for advanced semiconductor manufacturing from 25% to 35% for projects that begin construction before December 31, 2026, according to Tech Times. Intel hasn’t publicly tied that deadline to Fab 62’s timeline.
Ohio One: visible construction, but no new dates
In Ohio, Intel reported that workers have installed the first major structural truss at the first New Albany fab, the first visible sign of construction on the ground. The company didn’t give an updated timeline. The roughly $28 billion project, for two fabs, was originally supposed to start production in 2025. In February 2025, Intel pushed back completion of the first plant to 2030, with production between 2030 and 2031, and the second to 2031, with operations in 2032.
The project has piled up delays and doubts. Revista Cloud already reported that Intel is looking beyond 14A and already working on its 10A and 7A nodes, and that SK hynix denied wanting to buy those fabs, after conversations between the two companies about the site were reported.
High-NA EUV and the rest of the U.S. network
Intel says it has already integrated ASML’s High-NA EUV lithography into its high-volume manufacturing. The company installed the first commercial scanner of this kind at its D1X fab in Hillsboro, Oregon, and has used it to produce some parts of its Panther Lake processors. Tech Times places High-NA’s use in high-volume production in 2028. Revista Cloud explained how Intel debuted High-NA EUV at Panther Lake.
The update also covers the rest of its U.S. network: Oregon as the main R&D hub for advanced logic and 3D interconnect, Arizona with R&D for advanced packaging, assembly, and testing, New Mexico with multi-chiplet processor production via EMIB, EMIB-T, and Foveros, and the start of construction on a photomask facility in Santa Clara, California.
Frequently asked questions
What is Intel’s Fab 62?
It’s a new chip fab on the Ocotillo campus in Chandler, Arizona. Intel has started installing its production tools and expects it to be operational before the end of 2028.
Which node will Fab 62 produce?
Intel hasn’t confirmed it. Based on the timeline it could make Intel 18A, 18A-P, or 14A, according to Tom’s Hardware.
When will Intel’s Ohio fab start production?
Intel hasn’t given a new timeline. Its last public forecast, from February 2025, put the first plant’s production between 2030 and 2031.
Is Intel already using High-NA EUV in production?
Intel says it has integrated it into its high-volume manufacturing and used it on some parts of Panther Lake, though its use at scale is set for 2028.
Sources:
- Tom’s Hardware: Intel installs production tools at Fab 62 in Arizona
- Mark LaPedus: Intel provides fab updates for Arizona, Ohio
- Tech Times: Intel begins tool move-in at Fab 62
- DIGITIMES: Intel begins Arizona Fab 62 equipment installation, advances Ohio project
- ENR: Intel delays completion of first Ohio plant to 2030
