Intel’s decision to postpone for two years the construction of a pair of plants in eastern Germany in Magdeburg predictably became the subject of discussion at the highest level, so German officials considered it possible to publicly comment on it. The head of the German government, Olaf Scholz, is convinced that Intel will return to the issue of building enterprises in Germany.
Image Source: Intel
During his visit to Kazakhstan, as noted by Reuters, Scholz commented on Intel’s decision as follows: “The decision to postpone the project in Germany for two years implies that the company adheres to its previous intentions.” He also noted that it is important for the German authorities to take advantage of these intentions from Intel to further expand the country’s already serious capabilities for producing chips.
Economy Minister Robert Habeck found it necessary to emphasize that Intel’s decision is purely business in nature and has nothing to do with corporate policy. This official insists on reforming the country’s budget principles in order to increase external debt. Now its value is limited at the level of the constitution, and Finance Minister Christian Lindner is among the supporters of the idea of u200bu200bthe inviolability of this principle.
Lindner himself, according to Bloomberg, believes that it would be reasonable to use the funds currently unclaimed by Intel to resolve other “open financial issues.” Otherwise, the government’s actions would appear “politically irresponsible,” Lindner added. He has supporters in the country’s expert community who propose using subsidies intended for Intel to support other manufacturers wishing to develop business in Germany. Let us recall that Intel was supposed to receive 10 billion euros for the construction of its two enterprises with a total cost of 30 billion euros. Some panelists are now proposing to use these funds to provide tax deductions to other investors in German industry.
Polish Minister of Digital Technologies Krzysztof Gawkowski also found it necessary to comment on Intel’s decision to postpone the construction of a $4.6 billion chip packaging and testing facility in this country. Local authorities were ready to cover slightly less than half of this amount with their subsidies. The Polish official said: “This experience allows us to effectively implement similar projects, and we will work on this in the future.” Intel’s decision, according to Gavkowski, is due to the global financial problems of the company itself.