Intel announced plans on Tuesday to pour about €30bn into boosting chip manufacturing in Europe, marking the launch of an expensive, taxpayer-backed bid to vault the continent to the forefront of advanced chip making.
The ambitious plan is designed to make the EU less dependent on Asian chipmakers, while supporting a new technology base in advanced chips to rival the US and Asia.
However, the effort has drawn complaints from some European chipmakers, who question whether it will produce chips that match the needs of European industry. They also balk at the prospect of a large slice of the €43bn in chip subsidies recently approved by the EU being spent on a glittering new plant from a US rival.