HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- Intel Corp. inaugurated its largest chip assembly and testing factory Friday, part of a $1 billion investment in Vietnam that the company says will create several thousand skilled manufacturing jobs.
Located in the country's commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City, Intel said the factory began production of chipsets for laptops and mobile devices several months ago and once fully operational will produce significant export revenue.
Fast-growing Vietnam is seen by multinational corporations as an alternative to China as a base for low-cost manufacturing though it still grapples with frequent strikes, bouts of high inflation and low education standards.
Intel said the plant, encompassing offices and clean-room manufacturing space, is about the size of five and a half football fields. The facility has the capability to produce advanced microprocessors in the future
Assembly and testing is the final stage of manufacturing silicon chips.
