Production of the most advanced products of microprocessors for PCs, laptops, servers and other computing devices officially began today inside of Intel Corporation's first high-volume 45 nanometer (nm) manufacturing factory in Kiryat Gat, Israel. Called "Fab 28," the $3.5 billion factory will use Intel's innovative 45nm process technology based on Intel's breakthrough in "reinventing" certain areas of the transistors inside its processors to reduce energy leakage.

Millions of these tiny 45nm transistors use a Hafnium-based high-k material will make up Intel's faster, more energy efficient lead- and halogen-free processors for PCs, laptops and servers, as well as ultra low-power processors for mobile Internet and consumer electronic devices, and low-cost PCs.

"The opening of Fab 28 in Kiryat Gat today is a testament to Intel's continued investment in our most strategic asset -- the most advanced, environmentally friendly manufacturing network in the world," said Maxine Fassberg, vice president and General Manager of Intel Israel who will also head the new plant with Oren Riess. "The magic of 45nm and our new transistor design allow us to deliver high-performance, energy-efficient processors to our customers across the entire spectrum of market segments, from the most powerful servers to a variety of mobile devices and everything in between."

Fab 28 is Intel's seventh 300mm wafer factory and its third factory to produce 45nm chips. Using 300mm wafers lowers the production cost per chip while diminishing overall use of resources.

With 20,000 square meters of clean room space, the completed Fab 28 structure measures 283 dunam. 770,000 meters of cables were put during the construction which is 1.7 times the length of the State of Israel. 350 tons of cables and other accessories were installed in the factory (equivalent of 2 Jumbo, 747 airplanes) as well as 45,000 lighting fixtures which produce 1.8 million watt, the equivalent of the lighting of 5 football stadiums.

Fab 28 will be among Intel's most environmentally friendly factories, incorporating a number of energy conservation measures and highly advanced systems for treating chemical waste and wastewater. Intel invested more than $20 million in a wastewater treatment facility that meets Israel's stringent wastewater treatment regulation.
Intel's industry-leading 45nm process results in a 15 percent-reduction in global warming emissions, and reduction of more than 40 percent of water consumption per product unit.

Various environmental elements were incorporated into all aspects of the factory, from reuse and recycling of construction water through the implementation of innovative systems for treatment and reduction of waste and air polluting emissions, to the infrastructure required for collecting and recycling the general waste of the production and office areas.