CINCINNATI — Although Intel establishes a campus 145 miles away, Cincinnati educators and business leaders hope the region can benefit from the ripple effect of the project when it opens in 2025.
What You Need To Know
Cincinnati hopes Intel brings a network of high-tech manufacturers to the region The city is developing its infrastructure and workforce to attract the businesses The Port has earmarked potential sites for manufacturers UC is training its students in microelectronics, hoping Intel brings a pipeline for employment The university is part of a network of institutions partnering to expand microelectronic manufacturing
With Intel’s arrival in the Midwest, they expect other high-tech manufacturers along the industry’s supply chain to follow suit, so Cincinnati is investing in developing its workforce, infrastructure, and recruiting to lead these companies to Queen City. To see also : FACT PAGE: CHIPS and SCIENCE Act Will Lower Costs, Create Jobs, Strengthen Supply Chains, and Counter China..
According to Kimm Lauterbach, president and CEO of REDI Cincinnati, attracting advanced manufacturers has been one of the city’s long-term goals for years, but with Intel building its newest manufacturing facility less than two hours away, she said. which is a unique opportunity to attract companies to be part of a potential new network of manufacturers.
“For us, what that means is the opportunity to produce so much more in STEM talent and research, the ability to really become that HUB,” she said.
In its most recent capital budget, Cincinnati set aside $7 million for REDI Cincinnati and Porto to identify potential industrial sites in the area that could serve a potential company looking to supply equipment to Intel or work with the chips and wafers. of silicon from manufacturing facilities. will produce.
“We’ve been thinking about site preparation, what we need a water and sewage capacity for and how to ensure our roads help ensure that we can also transport products,” Lauterbach said.
In addition to a place to start, Lauterbach said companies are looking for a strong local workforce, and she believes this is one of Cincinnati’s strongest selling points.
“We have a rich heritage in manufacturing,” she said. “If you are a freshman at Ohio State or UC, Miami, NKU, you will have a pipeline for a job at Intel or one of their vendors in 2026 when you graduate.”
The University of Cincinnati is one of 11 institutions in the Midwest, and one of eight in Ohio, that have partnered to establish the Midwest Regional Network to Meet National Needs in Semiconductors and Microelectronics.
Following the announcement of the Intel project, schools formed the network to capitalize on the industry’s growth in the Midwest and serve as a source for ongoing research and development.
According with the doctor. Rashmi Jha, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at UC, many of his graduates already have the skills and experience that these types of industries look for. They rarely get a chance to apply them in their home state.
“Many of our students at the University of Cincinnati are working at various Intel locations,” she said. “So the fact that Intel wasn’t in Ohio, they had to take these jobs where they were getting these opportunities.”
UC already runs a cleanroom facility where students learn to make and work with silicon wafers, with the Intel project opening around the time many of its students will graduate, Jha said he is looking to expand what this program offers. and put even more students on the path to a career in microchip manufacturing.
“We’re going to release a lot of small modules for targeted training,” she said. “All these things are extremely critical to training the next generation of the semiconductor workforce and we can do that in our clean room.”
In the years leading up to Intel’s opening, Jha said he was confident the project will have a far-reaching impact not just in the region but the country as a whole, and said he plans to do what he can to ensure his students have the skills to thrive in the growing field of microelectronics.
“We’ll be ready,” she said.
