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Intel, a household name in chips, is reportedly a takeover target

Sep 23, 2024
The company is known for making a chip called a central processing unit, often referred to as the brain of a computer.
Intel has lost market share in microprocessors and hasn't made a complete pivot to graphics processing units, or GPUs, which are needed for artificial intelligence.
I-Hwa Cheng/AFP via Getty Images

How a small Kentucky town was 10 years ahead of the government

Aug 28, 2024
As the federal government tries to connect every home to high-speed internet by 2030, Kai Ryssdal visits a Kentucky town that already did that — 10 years ago.
An early transition toward high-speed fiber internet has transformed some American communities.
Andie Corban/Marketplace

Biden White House has a lot on its economic plate before term ends

Jul 26, 2024
Lindsay Owens of the Groundwork Collaborative points to relief from junk fees and medical debt as well as policy fights around taxes.
President Joe Biden speaking in Chicago about his "Bidenomics" economic agenda.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

What happens to Biden’s industrial policy initiatives now?

Companies have made big investments in response to those policies. That’s not easy to roll back, says Heather Long of The Washington Post.
President Joe Biden visits the groundbreaking of a new Intel semiconductor plant in Johnstown, Ohio. It will take decades to see his industrial policies play out.
Andrew Spear/Getty Images

New era of semiconductor manufacturing clashes with dated immigration laws

Jun 26, 2024
Much is being done to shore up U.S. production of semiconductors through the CHIPS and Science Act, which will require tens of thousands of workers. But many of the highly educated engineers taking those jobs face immigration restrictions, thanks to an increasingly overwhelmed and burdensome visa process.
For the 2025 fiscal year, the grant rate was less than 20%, according to a CATO Institute analysis of government data.
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The Golden Triangle: How the CHIPS Act is changing one Arizona neighborhood

May 29, 2024
The investment and growth spurred by government dollars are heightening competition among residents, business owners and local officials.
In the Phoenix area, development accelerated by CHIPS Act investment may disrupt rural lifestyles and transform parts of the desert. Above, developer Charles Eckert.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace

Chip factory growth boughs to native plants in Phoenix

Here's the story of one business at the intersection of conservation and growth amid Phoenix’s semiconductor boom.
“What we have been able to do with developers is make them understand that not only is there an environmental advantage to saving the trees ... there's also a monetary advantage,” says Rob Kater, owner of Native Resources.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace

For public good, not for profit.

$6.6 billion TSMC deal in Arizona the latest in the CHIPS Act's rollout

Apr 9, 2024
The CHIPS and Science Act was a 2022 law designed to restart the semiconductor industry in the U.S.
Recently announced funding for the TSMC, coupled with money the company is pledging to spend on expanding facilities in Arizona, represents a $65 billion investment altogether.
Annabelle Chih/Getty Images

With CHIPS Act money, the Biden administration bets an old plant can make new chips

Mar 26, 2024
A Vermont facility built in the 1950s is getting a shot at making semiconductors for smartphones and electric vehicles.
A 1950s-era facility built by IBM and now owned by GlobalFoundries is set to receive upgrades, funded partly by $125 million from the CHIPS Act.
Henry Epp/Marketplace

CHIPS Act to give Intel $8.5 billion in direct funding, plus loans

Mar 20, 2024
Biden's legislation aims to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, reducing reliance on foreign chipmakers.
President Biden speaks Wednesday at an Intel facility in Chandler, Arizona. The funding will enable Intel to build new plants in four states and expand operations in others.
Rebecca Noble/Getty Images