Intel puts $15 billion Israel plant expansion on hold amid unspecified concern

Intel has suspended plans to expand a semiconductor factory in Israel, a project that was expected to attract an additional investment of $15 billion. The decision comes amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, although Intel has not explicitly linked the halt to the war.

In late December, Intel announced its intention to expand the Kiryat Gat facility in southern Israel. This expansion was to be an addition to a factory first announced in early 2019 at a location where Intel already has operations.

Intel has been operating in Israel for fifty years, with a significant research center in Haifa. During the 2010s, Intel became the largest employer in Israel’s technology sector.

In 2017, the company acquired the Israeli startup Mobileye, specializing in autonomous driving and driver assistance technologies, for $15.3 billion. In October 2022, Intel took Mobileye public on the New York Stock Exchange but retained control of the company.

Israel is the third-largest country for Intel in terms of asset size, following the United States and Ireland, according to the company’s annual report. Intel's operations in Israel have been crucial to its global semiconductor and technology strategy.