Construction trades at the New Albany fab
Intel Ohio One has hundreds to about a thousand trades workers now, with much bigger numbers projected at peak.
~1,000 to 1,600Trades workers, 2026 reports
7,000+Peak projection, recruiter blog
Trades workers at Intel Ohio One
March 2026, trades official
close to 1,000
End of 2026, IBEW op-ed
expected 1,600
Peak, recruiter blog
7,000+
Peak, union-linked estimate
8,000 to 10,000
The first two are reports; the last two are projections.
Who is building
- Intel’s site manager said several hundred trade workers were on site, in coverage about eight months old.
- A central Ohio building trades official said in March 2026 that close to 1,000 members were on site with Bechtel planning to add about 600. An August 2026 IBEW op-ed says over 1,000, expected to reach 1,600 by the end of the year.
- Bechtel, the site’s construction firm, posted openings in early 2026 for managers, welders and electricians. A September 2026 analysis says electricians and pipefitters are under the most strain.
- Peak projections run from more than 7,000 (a recruiter blog) to 8,000 to 10,000 (a union-linked estimate). These are projections, not current counts.
- Intel’s completion targets moved to 2030 for the first module and 2031 for the second, per one report.
What it means
Fab construction pulls in electricians, pipefitters, millwrights, welders and laborers. Counts below move fast and come from mixed sources, so read them as a picture of scale, not a headcount.
Not covered: a single verified headcount for today. The most direct on-site counts were reported at different times.