Intel's Fab 18 in Qiryat Gat opened in 1999 and now employs more than 2,000 people. Fab 18 manufactures processors using 0.18-micron technology. Built with a total investment of $1.6 billion ($1 billion invested by Intel and the rest by the government of Israel), this plant represents the largest single investment ever made in Israel by the private sector. The manufacturing plant includes a 9,000-square-meter, state-of-the-art clean room.

When construction began on Fab18 in 1996, Dr. Dov Frohman, general manager of Intel Israel and vice president of Intel Corporation, said, "The investment is good for Israel and good for Intel … it represents a leap on the part of Israeli industry into 21st-century competitiveness. The expansion of the manufacturing operation is based on the technological capability proven by Intel's operations in Israel over the last 22 years - operations that led to the development of future processors of the Intel® Pentium® processor family. The combination of the ability to design and develop future Intel processors and the ability of competitive manufacturing will change the map of development and manufacturing in Israel over the next 20 years."