- The US chipmaker intends to increase its production capacities in Europe with the latest investment.
- ADI has sought funding for the proposed investment from the European Union’s important projects of common European interest in microelectronics and communication technologies initiative.
US chipmaker Analog Devices Inc announced its plans to invest $693.5 million (630 million euros) in a new research and development, and manufacturing facility in Ireland.
With the latest investment, Analog Devices is looking to triple its wafer production capacity at its European regional headquarters in the Raheen Business Park in Limerick, Ireland. The company said that the new 45,000-square-foot facility would create 600 jobs.
Irish prime minister (Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar said that this investment would significantly expand the size and scale of ADI’s research, innovation, and development, leading to new, highly innovative products. “Most IDA jobs created in recent years have been outside of Dublin, and Limerick has done particularly well with its deep talent pool, universities, airport, and infrastructure. This investment will also mean lots of spin-off jobs and contracts for local SMEs and Irish-owned businesses,” he said.
Analog Devices, with support from the Irish government, has sought the funding for the proposed investment, from the European Union’s important projects of common European interest on microelectronics and communication technologies (IPCEI ME/CT) initiative. IPCEI allows member states to support state-of-the-art innovation to support cross-border collaborative research. This is Ireland’s first application to the IPCEI initiative.
IDA Ireland CEO Michael Lohan said that the investment by ADI would strengthen Ireland’s supply chain resilience for advanced semiconductor processes. “This is a transformational investment for the Limerick site, for the midwest region, and for the semiconductor industry in Ireland. IDA Ireland is committed to supporting investments of scale that impact positively on Europe’s semiconductor industry,” he added.
The move follows a similar 100 million euro investment that ADI announced last year in a facility for innovation and collaboration.
