Analog Devices (ADI), the world's leading semiconductor company, has announced a €630 million investment in a new 45,000 sq ft advanced R&D and manufacturing facility at its European regional headquarters in Raheen Business Park, Limerick, Ireland. The new facility will support ADI's development of next-generation signal processing innovations aimed at accelerating the digital transformation of industrial, automotive, medical and other industries.
The move is expected to triple ADI's wafer capacity in Europe and help the company achieve its goal of doubling its internal manufacturing capacity to enhance the resilience of the global supply chain and better meet customer demand. The investment is expected to result in 600 additional jobs in ADI's west central Ireland operations. ADI currently employs 1,500 people in Ireland and 3,100 across Europe.
The investment comes a year after ADI announced a €100 million investment in ADI Catalyst, a 100,000 sq ft innovation collaboration facility at its Limerick campus in Ireland. Ireland is also the main location of ADI Europe's research and development Center, which has been awarded over 1,000 patents since its inception, and has ADI research and development facilities in European countries such as Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Romania and Germany.
Vincent Roche, ADI's Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, said: "Ireland has been an important centre of innovation for ADI since 1976, thanks to its strong academic and research organisation, business ecosystem, and active government leadership. The next generation semiconductor manufacturing facility and the expanded R&D team will further expand the global reach of ADI Limerick's site. Through independent research and development, in close collaboration with our customers and eco-chain partners, we are working to solve some of the biggest challenges worldwide and build a more efficient, safer and sustainable future."
The investment is part of the IPCEI ME/CT initiative of the European Union's Priority Programme of Common Interest in Microelectronics and Communication Technologies (IPCEI ME/CT) and will support cross-border collaborative research. As Ireland's first application since the launch of the European Priorities Programme of Common Interest (IPCEI), ADI's IPCEI application is supported by the Irish Government through the Irish Investment Development Agency (IDA Ireland) and is currently subject to final approval by the European Commission.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said: "This announcement is significant for Limerick and the Mid-west region and marks the beginning of a new chapter in ADI's long relationship with Ireland. The huge investment of 630 million euros is good news for local employment, with the construction phase creating a large number of jobs, as well as 600 high-end graduate jobs. This can significantly scale up ADI's research, innovation and development, resulting in highly innovative new products. The investment is further evidence of the Irish government's commitment to creating jobs in the Midwest. Most of IDA's new jobs in recent years have been outside Dublin. Limerick, with its deep pool of talent, universities, airports and infrastructure, does this particularly well. The investment will also lead to a number of spin-off jobs and contracts for local smes and Irish companies. ADI's investment is part of Ireland's commitment to developing the European Priorities of Common Interest (IPCEI) and will contribute to widening the boundaries of the microelectronics industry in Europe. We are on the cusp of a digital future, and building it will require microchips. We are delighted that Ireland is able to play such an important role in the supply chain."
Simon Coveney, Ireland's Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said: "This announcement by ADI is welcome and underlines confidence in Limerick and the mid-west region. It is also worth mentioning that this is the latest in a series of major job announcements outside Dublin. The scale of the investment and the quality jobs it will create are unprecedented, and I'll be visiting ADI in Boston this week during my trade mission. We look forward to ADI's continued presence in Ireland in the future."
IDA Ireland Chief Executive Michael Lohan said: "The technology that ADI will develop at its Limerick site is at the forefront of innovation and has the potential to revolutionise the lives of billions of people around the world. ADI's investment is aimed at enhancing supply chain resilience in advanced semiconductor processes. We wish ADI continued success and look forward to our continued partnership. This is a transformational investment for Limerick, the Midwest and the Irish semiconductor industry. IDA Ireland is committed to supporting large-scale investments that have a positive impact on the European semiconductor industry."
