Analog Devices, the global semiconductor company, has announced a €630m investment at its European regional headquarters in the Raheen Business Park, Co Limerick. The investment enables the construction of a 45,000 sq-ft research and development and manufacturing facility.
The new facility will support ADI’s development of next-generation signal processing innovations designed to accelerate the digital transformation of industrial, automotive, healthcare, and other sectors.
Doubling its internal manufacturing capacity
It is expected to triple ADI’s European wafer production capacity and aligns with the company’s goal of doubling its internal manufacturing capacity to enhance the resiliency of its global supply chain and better serve customer needs.
This investment is expected to grow ADI’s employment footprint in the midwest region of Ireland by 600 new positions, a significant increase to ADI’s current 1,500 employees in Ireland and 3,100 employees in Europe as a whole.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD said: “This is a really significant announcement for Limerick and the midwest region, which marks a new chapter in the longstanding relationship between ADI and Ireland.
"This massive €630m investment is great news for local employment with lots of jobs being created during the construction phase, and 600 high-end graduate jobs.
New, highly innovative products
"It means a significant expansion in the size and scale of ADI’s research, innovation, and development, leading to new, highly innovative products.
"This investment is further evidence of the government’s commitment to bringing jobs to the Mid-West. Most IDA jobs created in recent years have been outside of Dublin, and Limerick has done particularly well with its deep talent pool, universities, airport, and infrastructure.
"This investment will also mean lots of spin-off jobs and contracts for local SMEs and Irish-owned businesses. ADI’s investment is part of Ireland’s commitment to develop Important Projects of Common European Interest, IPCEIs, and will contribute to Europe’s broader microelectronics sector. The future is digital. There can be no such future without microchips and it’s great that Ireland is such an important player in the supply chain.”
The announcement comes a year after ADI announced a separate investment of €100m in ADI Catalyst, its 100,000 sq-ft custom-built facility for innovation and collaboration at its Limerick campus. Ireland is also home to ADI’s main European Research and Development Center, which has generated more than 1,000 patents since its inception and has seeded ADI R&D sites throughout Europe in Spain, Italy, UK, Romania, and Germany.
“Since 1976, Ireland has been a critical innovation centre for ADI, thanks to its strong academic and research organisations, business ecosystem, and progressive government leadership,” said ADI CEO and chair Vincent Roche.
“This next-generation semiconductor manufacturing facility and expanded R&D team will further extend ADI Limerick’s global influence. Through organic R&D and close collaboration with our customers and ecosystem partners, we are striving to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges and enable a more efficient, safer, and sustainable future.”
The investment is planned as part of a collaboration within the European Union’s Important Projects of Common European Interest on Microelectronics and Communication Technologies (IPCEI ME/CT) initiative, and will support cross-border collaborative research. ADI’s IPCEI application – Ireland’s first since the inception of the Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) initiative – is subject to final approval from the European Commission, and is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.
'Great vote of confidence in Limerick'
Enterprise minister Simon Coveney said: “This is a much welcome announcement from Analog Devices and a great vote of confidence in Limerick and the midwest. It’s also noteworthy that it’s the latest in a series of major job announcements outside of Dublin.
"I’m struck not only by the scale of the investment, but also the high quality positions that will result. I’ll be visiting Analog Devices in Boston during a trade mission this week where we’ll be looking forward to many more years of doing business in Ireland.”
IDA Ireland CEO Michael Lohan said: “The technology that ADI will develop at this facility in Limerick is at the very forefront of innovation and has the potential to revolutionise the lives of billions of people across the world.
"This investment by ADI is intended to strengthen our supply chain resilience for advanced semiconductor processes. We wish continued success to ADI and look forward to our continued partnership.
"This is a transformational investment for the Limerick site, for the midwest region, and for the semiconductor industry in Ireland. IDA Ireland is committed to supporting investments of scale that impact positively on Europe’s semiconductor industry.”