Intel’s massive Ohio One campus in New Albany is officially on a slower track, with the chip giant now telling state officials it expects the first fabrication building to be finished in 2030, production to kick in sometime between 2030 and 2031, and a second fab building to wrap up construction in 2031 and ease into operations in 2032. The fresh timeline signals Intel still plans to be in Ohio for the long haul even as it taps the brakes on parts of the project. Local officials say the update keeps the multibillion-dollar build moving, while also pushing the arrival of permanent manufacturing jobs further toward the end of the decade.
State report lays out firmer dates
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Intel’s new schedule landed in a routine filing with Ohio regulators and is pitched as a way to sync factory start-up dates with the market’s appetite for chips. Intel’s own construction memo, dated Feb. 28, 2025, spelled out the same basic plan, with Mod 1 reaching completion in 2030 and Mod 2 in 2031, and emphasized that the company wants the option to move faster if enough customer demand shows up, per the Intel Newsroom. That company document remains the most detailed public timeline Intel has offered since it pushed its original 2025 production goals into the next decade.
Ohio incentives and the jobs clock
The updated schedule also puts a spotlight back on the state’s financial deal with Intel. Ohio signed off on roughly $2 billion in incentives for the project and has already sent out a $600 million onshoring grant that includes a Dec. 31, 2028, performance benchmark, according to Axios Columbus. National coverage has tied Intel’s decision to push production into 2030 and 2031 to the company’s effort to line up its heavy capital spending with actual customer orders and shifting market conditions, per AP. For central Ohio, that translates into plenty of construction and supplier work in the near term, with the bulk of permanent fab jobs arriving later.
Big-name partners, fresh cash and new leadership
Intel’s financial footing and strategy have evolved since last year, helped along by major outside investments and political dealmaking. Reporting has highlighted a $2 billion equity infusion from SoftBank and a subsequent strategic stake and partnership from Nvidia that brought billions more into Intel’s coffers, as detailed by The Guardian and Fortune. The Washington Post has also chronicled an unusual equity arrangement involving the U.S. government that reshaped Intel’s funding mix. On the leadership side, Intel named Lip-Bu Tan as CEO in March 2025, and company statements under his tenure have stressed a more “judicious and disciplined” use of capital and a continued commitment to the Ohio project, according to the Intel Newsroom.
What residents and workers can expect on the ground
For people living around the site, Intel says work is not grinding to a halt. The company plans to keep site preparation and construction moving, even as it slows some pieces of the project and leaves itself room to speed back up if customers line up. Local reporting describes a busy, if recalibrated, construction zone with active hiring for trades and supplier roles. WOSU and the Ohio Manufacturers' Association report that contractors are still bringing on workers and that a significant share of the project’s early economic punch will flow through construction activity and local suppliers long before the fabs hit steady-state manufacturing. City leaders in New Albany say they will continue to track Intel’s filings and keep tabs on community impacts as the buildout unfolds.
For now, the latest state report offers central Ohio its sharpest look yet at how Ohio One is likely to roll out: a marquee chip project on a longer timeline. Read The Columbus Dispatch for the filing details and earlier coverage from the Intel Newsroom for the company’s construction memo and related statements.
