Sonja Pierer has been appointed the new director of chipmaker Intel in Germany, the company said in Munich on Friday.
Pierer, a 46-year-old computer scientist, succeeds Christin Eisenschmid who left the company in March for personal reasons.
“Intel will continue to make an important contribution to the continued digitalization of the German and European economy in the coming years,” said Pierer.
American chip manufacturer Intel plans to produce state-of-the-art chips in two new mega-factories in the eastern German city of Magdeburg.
The German government approved financing of about $10 billion for the project last year.
Once the European Commission approves the move, construction could begin as soon as next year, after Intel initially planned a start date of 2024.
The company expects to start work on the first factory four to five years after financing is approved.
Pierer said that Intel is sending a strong signal to Europe with the factories in Magdeburg. The US chipmaker plans to spend more than 30 billion euros on the site, making it “one of the largest single investments in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany,” she said.
Pierer will be responsible for landing orders for the new ‘Silicon Junction’ project, which will produce semiconductors not only for Intel itself, but also for other semiconductor suppliers.
Customers will have to be patient, however, as Intel estimates it will take between two and four years to develop the microprocessors needed for Magdeburg’s manufacturing processes.
