US chip giant Intel Corp. may announce its plan to build a chip
manufacturing plant in China as soon as next Monday, The Wall
Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Intel plans a press conference for that day in Beijing, with
Paul Otellini, its chief executive officer, scheduled to discuss
the company's "commitment to China," the report quoted a person
close to the situation as saying.
Intel reportedly aims to build a 2.5-billion-dollar
manufacturing plant in Dalian, a northeastern port city in
China.
The company already has business operations in China. But a
manufacturing plant -- a much more costly type of factory that
builds chips on silicon wafers -- could be a major step forward for
China's chip-manufacturing capability. Intel now operates such
factories in the United States, Ireland and Israel.
Many electronics companies have chosen to locate facilities in
China, which represents a growing market for computers and other
devices, according to the report.
(Xinhua News Agency March 22, 2007)