Intel has broken ground in Dalian on its first 300mm wafer fabrication facility in Asia.

    The new factory, named Fab 68, is part of a US$2.5 billion project set to begin construction immediately and to be operational in 2010. Fab 68 will cover 163,000 square meters of factory space and host a 15,000 square meter clean room.

    "The scope and scale of our global manufacturing network gives Intel the ability to provide customers with leading-edge, energy-efficient products in high volume," said Craig Barrett, chairman of Intel Corporation. "Fab 68 will have world-class infrastructure and be an integral part of our global manufacturing network while bringing us closer to our customers and partners in China."

    Intel's investment in Fab 68 sets its total investment in China to close to US$4 billion. Intel has established two assembly and test plants in Shanghai and Chengdu, along with R&D centers and labs in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere in China.