Intel is expected to massively expand its Oregon fabrication facilities to develop future process nodes, likely 7nm EUV. Following up from Intel’s promise to expand in Oregon, Ireland, and Israel, sources close to the company believe Intel is planning to spend billions on a massive expansion to its D1X research factory.

Expected to spend 18 months in construction from June onward, the planned expansion to Intel’s D1X factory will reportedly bear the brunt of Intel’s technical advancement in the semiconductor field. The existing D1X facility was built back in 2010, swiftly becoming Intel’s largest manufacturing facility globally. The new factory capacity is expected to aid in future 7nm EUV process nodes, which are reportedly still on track despite the horrendous delays to the precedent 10nm node.

EUV, or extreme ultraviolet lithography, is a lithographic fabrication technology that allows for denser process nodes while minimising complexity. Essentially, the denser the node, the more masks, multi-patterning, and extra steps required to manufacture it, and so a new technology is required to keep Moore’s Law happily ticking over.