Made In Arizona: Intel's presence in the Valley dates back decades

CHANDLER, Ariz. (FOX 10) -- They are known for their computers and servers, but Intel is shifting focus on even more projects, and the tech giant has a campus in the Valley.

In fact, Intel's presence in the Valley dates back decades.

Intel's microprocessors are used around the world, but the company does so much more, and the company is building and testing self-driving cars in Chandler.

"We have an autonomous vehicle lab here in Chandler," said Theresa Niemeyer, Community Engagement Manager with Intel in Arizona. "Our business units are comprised of everything from our autonomous vehicle group to our manufacturing group. We have finance groups."

Intel moved into Arizona in 1979, opening in Chandler the following year. Now, the company has more than 10,000 employees, and counting.

"We're expanding our Fab 42, which will employ more than 3,000 tech positions, and create 7,000 additional jobs in the area," said Niemeyer.

Just as the company takes in employees, it gives back in a big way. Niemeyer says in 2018, employees logged 1 million community service hours globally. Locally, Intel supports an initiative in Chandler schools called "Project Lead The Way".

"K-12 students are learning basic engineering skills, how to think like an engineer, engineering design thinking, and that's embedded right in the Chandler School District with their classes," said Niemeyer.

Intel prides itself on being innovative and always on the cutting edge of technology. A major part of that is inspiring Arizona's youth.

"We need to build the pipeline," said Niemeyer. "We need to make sure that were creating future innovators that continue to propel us forward on building our tech that will power the world of tomorrow."