Intel is now installing production tools inside Fab 62 at its Ocotillo campus in Chandler. The company says the factory will be operational by end of 2028. It is the first time Intel has publicly committed to a firm timeline for the project. For East Valley residents, that means thousands of promised high-wage manufacturing jobs are roughly two years out.
If you live near Ocotillo, here is where things actually stand
The construction you see around the Price Road corridor is real and accelerating. Intel has finished the Fab 62 building shell. Now workers are installing the specialized production equipment inside. That step is what turns a large industrial building into a working chip factory.
But the high-wage manufacturing jobs are still more than two years away. Right now the area gets sustained construction-phase employment, heavy equipment traffic, and active supplier and vendor work. If you own or rent near Ocotillo, that activity supports local home values and rental demand today. The bigger economic wave — thousands of full-time, high-paying manufacturing positions — comes after the factory opens.
There is an honest tension worth naming. Intel and then-Governor Doug Ducey broke ground on Fab 52 and Fab 62 together on Sept. 24, 2021. At that ceremony the project carried a “production ready in 2024” promise. The current target is late 2028. That is a roughly four-year slip. East Valley residents and suppliers who planned around the original schedule deserve to see those two dates side by side.
What Intel Fab 62 is, and where it fits on the Ocotillo campus
Fab 62 will be the sixth high-volume manufacturing facility at Intel’s Ocotillo campus in Chandler. The fifth, Fab 52, is already operational. Fab 52 covers 2.9 million square feet and manufactures chips on Intel’s 18A process technology. Fab 62 adds a separate, dedicated factory to that campus footprint.
Intel has not officially assigned a specific process node to Fab 62. Based on Intel’s disclosed technology roadmap, it could potentially run Intel 18A, 18A-P, or 14A. Intel has not confirmed which one.
Fab 62 as it appeared in September 2026, with the building shell complete and construction equipment still active around the perimeter. (Intel / Tom’s Hardware)
From the 2021 groundbreaking to tool installation: the Fab 62 timeline
The Sept. 24, 2021, groundbreaking was a major public event. Then-CEO Pat Gelsinger called the combined investment the largest private investment in Arizona state history. Intel put the price tag for both new factories at $32 billion.
At that ceremony, both fabs were expected to be production-ready by 2024. Fab 52 reached operations first. Fab 62 now targets the end of 2028.
The person who confirmed that updated timeline was Naga Chandrasekaran, executive vice president and chief technology and operations officer of Intel Foundry. He published a company update on U.S. manufacturing investments on Oct. 22, 2026. That update was also the first time Intel publicly shared a firm construction timeline for Fab 62.
The Sept. 24, 2021, groundbreaking for Fab 52 and Fab 62 at the Ocotillo campus featured then-Governor Doug Ducey and then-CEO Pat Gelsinger. Gelsinger described the $32 billion two-fab commitment as the largest private investment in Arizona history. (City of Chandler)
Intel’s $32 billion investment and its $10.7 billion annual Arizona footprint
The $32 billion figure covers Fab 52 and Fab 62 together. Intel’s existing Arizona presence already produces $10.7 billion in estimated annual economic impact. Intel has been manufacturing in Arizona for nearly half a century, making the state its longtime production home.
That existing footprint explains why Fab 62 is an expansion rather than a gamble. Suppliers, workforce pipelines, and infrastructure are already in place around Chandler.
Jobs: what the commitment says and when residents should expect hiring
The 2021 groundbreaking came with specific job projections tied to both fabs. Intel committed to more than 3,000 new high-tech, high-wage jobs. It also committed to 3,000 construction jobs. The expansion was estimated to support about 15,000 additional indirect jobs in the broader community.
Construction jobs are active now. High-tech manufacturing roles tied to Fab 62 depend on the factory reaching operations. With the target at end of 2028, direct manufacturing hiring is still more than two years out. Suppliers and vendors serving the campus will likely see increased activity before then.
Active construction at the Ocotillo campus, with multiple cranes visible against the Phoenix metro skyline at sunset. The campus will eventually include 6 high-volume manufacturing facilities. (Intel)
End of 2028: what has to happen before Fab 62 starts running
Tool installation is underway. Semiconductor factories require precise equipment placement, calibration, and testing before a single chip can be made. Intel has not released a month-by-month schedule. End of 2028 is the most specific public target available.
Watch for continued heavy equipment activity around Ocotillo. Watch also for supplier contract announcements tied to the build-out. Intel has not publicly assigned a process node to Fab 62, so any update there would be significant.
Intel has not publicly tied a specific CHIPS and Science Act incentive dollar amount to Fab 62 alone. Arizona’s semiconductor ecosystem — anchored by Intel’s nearly fifty-year presence in Chandler — keeps drawing industry attention. For more on the Valley’s growing chip-industry footprint, see our guide to SEMICON West’s permanent move to Phoenix. You can also read our breakdown of TSMC’s Phoenix water use.
