Inside Intel's Hail Mary to Reclaim Chip Dominance

After four years of construction, Intel said on Thursday that its Fab 52 semiconductor plant in Chandler, Arizona is now turning out its first chips. The company also shared more details about the long-awaited CPUs that it will be producing in the facility using Intel’s brand new 18A process technology.

The announcement comes just six weeks after the Trump administration acquired a 9.9 percent stake in Intel in exchange for $8.9 billion in stock. The fab opening, while long in the works, is the first major opportunity for the struggling American chip maker to convince the broader tech industry that it can produce some of the world’s most advanced chips at scale—and that the White House’s investment might pay off.

Late last month, Intel invited dozens of analysts and business partners, along with a handful of journalists, to tour Fab 52. The tour offered ...