Intel Corporation today announced that its fourth 300mm facility in Leixlip, Ireland had initiate the production of 90nm commercial products.

Fab 24 – Intel’s fourth 300 mm manufacturing facility – makes Intel the world’s leader in 300mm wafer manufacturing capacity. Additionally, Fab 24 is Intel’s third fab to manufacture semiconductors with circuitry of 90nm. Currently Intel primarily makes its Pentium 4 E and Celeron-D processors using 90nm fabrication process.

Intel said in mid-May that shipments of its 90nm Pentium 4 chips had increased 1 million units per week by late April, which was on-track with the company’s expectations to ramp up volume production of its 90nm products in the shortest time possible.

The larger 300mm wafers enable lower production costs, reducing the costs per individual component by approximately 30% percent according to Intel. Additionally, the new technology will use 40% less energy and water for each chip than previous generation technologies.

Intel has manufactured semiconductors in Ireland since 1990. Other Intel 300 mm fabs are located in Hillsboro, Oregon (D1C and D1D) and Rio Rancho, New Mexico (Fab 11X).