Intel plans to hire more than 600 workers in Israel in 2012

Intel Corp., the world’s biggest maker of semiconductors, plans to hire more than 600 workers this year for its research and development and manufacturing centers in Israel.

Intel employed 7,782 people in the country at the end of 2011, and exported $2.2 billion of goods from Israel last year, Maxine Fassberg, Intel Israel’s general manager, said today at a news conference in Tel Aviv. This compares with exports of $2.7 billion in 2010.

Exports fell because a $3 billion upgrade at the company’s plant in Kiryat Gat caused a drop in production, Fassberg said. Intel, based in Santa Clara, California, revamped the plant to enable it to produce 22-nanometer technology for chips. The company plans to start production of the new chips this year, said Shmuel (Mooly) Eden, the new president of Intel Israel.

“The fact that they have decided to have both a president and a chief executive officer locally is a sign of recognition of the importance of Israel in Intel’s operations,” Eden said.

Since 1998 Intel has invested in 64 Israeli companies, ranking Israel behind only the U.S., India and China among countries with the most investment from Intel, he said.

“We will continue to invest in acquisitions in Israeli startups” Eden said.

Fassberg said Intel has made no decision about setting up an additional factory in Israel.

Intel has invested $9.4 billion in Israel since 1996, most of it in production facilities, and has received government grants totaling $1.3 billion, according to the chipmaker.

Intel employed about 100,100 worldwide as of Dec. 31.