Intel left with stockpile of chips as demand slumps

INTEL’S chief executive Craig Barrett hailed a new $2 billion factory in Leixlip, Co Kildare, as one of the best of its kind anywhere in the world when he opened the plant in June.

This was because it could churn out more than twice as many computer chips as older facilities.

Four months later, demand for Intel’s semiconductors from companies such as Dell has waned and Mr Barrett’s four-year, $26bn quest for faster output has saddled the Santa Clara, California-based company with a record stockpile of unsold chips.