The story of Intel in Ireland over the past 25 has been remarkable. From our humble beginnings in a used car dealership in Palmerstown to today's reality as one of the most advanced technology facilities in the world. A facility that today represents the largest industrial investment in the history of the Irish State.

When Intel first located in Ireland I simply could not have imagined what was to unfold over the coming 25 years. The initial focus was on the construction of a PC motherboards and systems factory. This was soon followed in the early '90s with the establishment of the first European wafer fabrication manufacturing facility (or FAB) called Fab10 - focused on the production of Pentium ® processors. Throughout the '90s Intel continued to invest in high volume advanced manufacturing at the campus, building a second facility called Fab 14. At the turn of the century, Intel Ireland secured further investment in Leixlip for Intel first 300mm manufacturing facility outside the USA resulting in the building and commissioning of Fab 24.

In January '11, I announced the beginning of upgrade works at our Leixlip campus and since then we have gone on to spend a further $5 billion, securing the 4,500 jobs that exist and creating a further 5,000 additional indirect jobs in planning and construction. This brings the cumulative capital invested in Ireland over the past 25 years to $12.5 billion.

I would like extend my sincere appreciation to the numerous stakeholders who have played an integral role in enabling an environment in which Intel could prosper. These include our local communities, Kildare County Council, the Industrial Development Authority and of course the Irish Government.

Most of all, I am very proud of the people at Intel Ireland who have made all of this possible. The people of Intel Ireland are courageous, capable and flexible and come to work every day with the sole desire to be world class at what they do.

To help mark the special occasion of our 25th Anniversary, I commissioned Price Waterhouse Coopers to complete a report of the economic impact of Intel in Ireland over the past 25 years - the outline of which follows. I hope you will agree that the resulting data makes for compelling reading.

I am truly excited about this current upgrade project which will prepare our Fabs in Ireland to produce the world's most advanced products. I am also very optimistic about the possibilities for what the next 25 years will hold for Intel in Ireland.

Eamonn Sinnott
General Manager, Intel Ireland
Vice President, Technology &
Manufacturing Group