Intel said on Feb. 10 it would invest seven billion dollars over the next two years to build advanced U.S. manufacturing plants using nanotechnology in the United States.

The investment, the company's largest to date for a new manufacturing process, will fund deployment of its 32-nanometer (nm) manufacturing technology "that will be used to build faster, smaller chips that consume less energy," Intel said.

"We're investing in America to keep Intel and our nation at the forefront of innovation," said Intel CEO Paul Otellini.

"These manufacturing facilities will produce the most advanced computing technology in the world. The capabilities of our 32nm factories are truly extraordinary, and the chips they produce will become the basic building blocks of the digital world, generating economic returns far beyond our industry."

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2009