Oregon governor uses new land use law to propose rural land for semiconductor facility

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is using a new land use law to propose a rural area for a semiconductor facility, as officials seek to lure more of the multibillion-dollar semiconductor industry to the state.

Kotek has proposed expanding the city boundaries of Hillsboro, a suburb west of Portland that's home to chip giant Intel, to incorporate half a square mile of new land for industrial development, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. The land would provide space for a major new research center.

Oregon, which has been a center of semiconductor research and production for decades, is competing against other states to host multibillion-dollar microchip factories.

The CHIPS and Science Act passed by Congress in 2022 provided $39 billion for companies building or expanding facilities that will manufacture semiconductors and those that will assemble, test and package the chips.