Don't worry, says Intel. Unrest in the Middle East won't hamper the flow of Pentium 4s.
Intel spokesman Chuck Malloy dismissed a report in The Register last week that suggested that Intel's Fab 18 plant in Qiryat Gat, Israel, could become embroiled in "in any local unpleasantness."
"That report was totally wrong," Malloy said. "First, it's not just a Pentium 4 plant. It's a microprocessor plant. We produce Pentium 3s, Celerons, potentially Pentium 4s – but it's not strictly a Pentium 4 plant."
Moreover, Malloy said that the plant is not in a disputed territory, as the Register reported. "It's in the 'Gaza District,' not Gaza," he said, suggesting that it was unlikely that production at the plant will be hampered due to unrest.
After the Register's story ran last week, message boards dedicated to investing in Intel briefly buzzed with the news. Many who posted wondered whether the next-generation P4, whose release has already been pushed back a few times, will be further delayed.
One person posting on a Yahoo (YHOO) message board speculated on Intel's (INTC) decision to produce its chips in the troubled region.
"I do not understand how Intel management could be so stupid and build plant in Israel?" he said. "Geese!! And people invest in this stupid company!"
Others wondered whether Intel could produce its new chip elsewhere.
When asked about other production facilities for its chips, Malloy recited a list that spanned the globe, from Arizona to Ireland to Oregon.
But Malloy didn't say whether any of these plants could specifically produce P4s. Previous press reports, notably one in the Israel daily newspaper Haaretz, which relied on leaks from the Qiryat Gat plant, have noted that two machines required to produce the new chips are only at Qiryat Gat.
Malloy added that production in Israel is not a new thing for the company. "We've been in Israel for more than 20 years. We have development centers all over the region." The Qiryat Gat plant is five years old, and it complements another plant, Fab 8, which is in Jerusalem.
Malloy declined to comment on whether unrest in the area could prompt the company to shift chip production to other plants. He said that production was an internal matter, and that the company was monitoring the situation in Israel.
