Intel and Commerce Department close to finalizing roughly $8 billion CHIPS Act grant, source says

Chipmaker Intel and the CHIPS Act Office are close to finalizing a deal which would award the company a roughly $8 billion grant, according to a person familiar with the matter, as the Biden administration moves to dole out funds before President-elect Trump’s inauguration.

That $8 billion will go towards Intel’s factory-building efforts, said the person. The Commerce Department is expected to finalize the awards in the coming weeks, the person said.

Intel is also in line for a $3 billion contract to manufacture chips for the Department of Defense, a deal announced in September and a rare bright spot in the company’s struggling efforts to grow its fab business. The Commerce Department declined to comment on the matter. Intel did not immediately return a request for comment.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that the two sides were close to finalizing the grant.

But Intel’s struggles have intensified since the grant was initially announced. The New York Times, citing four people familiar with the matter, reported Sunday that the government had decided to decrease the grant by roughly $500 million due to uncertainties about Intel’s ability to execute on its investment commitment, and because of Intel’s shifting technology roadmap and customer demand.

The U.S. awarded Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company a $6.6 billion grant earlier this month, raising investor expectations that cash funding for Intel would come soon. Intel has benefited from CHIPS Act tax breaks but has not yet received cash awards, something which Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has expressed dissatisfaction with.

“We’re frustrated that hasn’t moved faster,” Gelsinger told CNBC in October, referring to the CHIPS Act grants. “They’ve been too bureaucratic in that process. We’re anxious to see those finished.”

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson had previously said he might look to repeal the bipartisan CHIPS Act, but he then walked back those comments. The Biden administration and grant awardees have touted the legislation as a job-creating machine.

Intel’s struggles have increased significantly this year. The company posted a nearly $17 billion loss last quarter and has been dialing back CEO Pat Gelsinger’s ambitious plans worldwide.

Intel announced earlier this year it would trim back 15,000 jobs via layoffs and voluntary buyouts. It has made moves to make its foundry business more easily separable from its legacy business, and has been working with advisors on activist defense and a broader strategic review, people familiar with the matter previously said. Intel is also seeking to raise cash via a minority stake in the Altera business, CNBC previously reported, and has been sounding out interested acquirers for weeks.

It may also be staring down a once-unthinkable prospect: a potential takeover bid from an ascending Qualcomm, which has a market cap that now dwarfs Intel’s.

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