Costa Rica Campus

About the Campus

Get to know the Costa Rica campus

The first stone was placed on April 26th, 1997. Immediately after, the talent of 950 Costa Ricans started the operation of the company in our country where Intel started microprocessor Assembly and Test operations in March 1998 until late 2014, when manufacturing operations ceased, and the site transformed into a Research & Development facility and a specialized center of Global Services. Several years later in late 2020, the Intel Corporation announced its plans to reopen microprocessor assembly and test operations in Costa Rica, with an investment plan above $600 M over a span of about 3 years.

Currently, and after more than 25 years in Costa Rica, Intel runs three centers of excellence: (1) the biggest R&D center in the country, dedicated to design, prototyping, test and validation of integrated circuits and semiconductor platforms, employing nearly 50% of the existing workforce; (2) one of the most diverse and complex global service centers which design, execute, transform and innovate multifunctional business processes in the areas of finance, human resources, sales & marketing and supply chain using about 25% of the local workforce, and (3) an state of the art assembly and test factory focused on products for servers. Nearly 3500 employees are employed directly by Intel, plus nearly 4400 contractors all of which boost the creation of technology that generates a global transformation that is aimed to improve the life of every person in the planet, in alignment with the Company’s vision.

Intel Costa Rica is highly regarded as a valuable asset to the community, a big contributor to the academia and recognized as one of the most environmentally responsible companies in the country.

Environmental Information

Water

Waste

Energy

Air

0.00

Cubic Meters

Water Conserved

Amount of Water Conserved during the previous year

544

Metric Tonnes

Total Waste Generated

Amount of waste generated during the previous quarter, including hazardous and non-hazardous wastes

21,787,636

kWh

Electricity Saved (kWh)

Cumulative electricity (kWh) savings towards 2030 corporate energy conservation goal since 2020

1,619

MTCO2e

Global Warming Gas (GWG) Emissions

Amount of CO2 Equivalents from scope 1 emission sources, including process gases (fluorinated greenhouse gases (GHGs) and N2O), combustion of fossil fuels (including natural gas, fuel oil, and LPG), and other misc. GHG emissions during the previous year

129,916

Cubic Meters

Water Used

Amount of Water Used (fresh water withdrawals) during the previous quarter

1.00

Percent Total Waste to Landfill

Percent of waste landfilled during the previous quarter

41,154,820

kWh

kWh Used

Amount of energy (electricity, natural gas and fuel oil) used during the previous quarter (all fuels converted to kWh for aggregation).

N/A

Metric Tonnes

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)

Amount of VOCs emitted during the previous quarter

MTCO2e

CO2 Saved

Amount of Electricity Saved in CO2 Equivalent since 2012

N/A

Metric Tonnes

Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs)

Amount of HAPs emitted during the previous quarter

N/A

Metric Tonnes

Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx)

Amount of Oxides of Nitrogen emitted during the previous quarter

N/A

Metric Tonnes

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Amount of Carbon Monoxide emitted during the previous quarter

Photos

Costa Rica Site

Intel operations in Costa Rica are developed inside the 107-acre Free Trade Zone Industrial Park located in the county of Belén, Heredia province. The three main buildings host the manufacturing operations (CR1), the state-of-the-art R&D Center (CR3) and a modern distribution center (CR2) from where our microprocessors are exported all over the world. Additional infrastructure includes office spaces, parking areas, as well as facilities and support services.
About 50% of the property is without any construction, and fully dedicated to landscape areas, aquifer protection zones, and recreational areas. Nearly 20% of the estates is covered by forestry.

Operational Support Systems

On-site support systems help ensure the proper operation of Intel Costa Rica’s buildings to maintain the optimal conditions for the employees and operations, including illumination, ventilation, temperature, water & electricity supply, particles control, humidity, etc., and offer controls to prevent environmental impacts. These systems include electrical substations, water pumps, cooling towers, wastewater treatment plants, drinking and fire systems water storage tanks, ultrapure water systems, emergency generators, air emissions abatement systems, air conditioning systems, storm water retention pond, nitrogen production, amongst others.

Wellness Center and Recreational area

In the north side of the property, Intel located the recreational & sports facilities. In 2011, Intel completed construction of a Wellness Center which offers employees fitness equipment and services including nutritional education, personal training, physical therapy, massage and even dance classes. As Costa Rica’s first green building to obtain the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification, this facility uses fewer natural resources using solar panels, skylights, natural ventilation and water efficient systems. In 2022, the open basketball court was converted into a nice basketball gym. The area also holds a variety of walking/running trails through a breathtaking forest area, which is part of the aquifer protection zones set by the CR water & forestry regulations to secure water supply to the Belen County.

Intel Costa Rica's Wellness Center is the first certified Green Building in Costa Rica

Wellness Center: water reuse treatment system

Wellness Center: motion activated sinks and towel free restrooms

Usage of natural light and ventilation in the Wellness Center

Intel in the Community

Intel believes being an asset to the community is part of corporate responsibility. Approximately 6 out of 10 Intel Costa Rica employees participate in volunteer projects and programs related to education, environment and technology.

World Water Day Volunteering Event: Tree Planting at a local park

International Volunteer Day 2011 in Sarapiqui

Intel Volunteering Event: Employee volunteers share entrepreneurial concepts with local school students

Intel Volunteering Event: Children and Youth Committee

Intel Volunteering Event: Setting up a recycling center and developing reuse materials projects in Belen High School

Intel Volunteering Event: Writing and reading workshops in Belen elementary schools

Semiconductor Operations

Intel’s Costa Rica facility hosts a state-of-the-art R&D Center. In 2014, Intel officially expanded the Costa Rica site by adding a unique product testing laboratory. The new so called “mega lab,” is responsible for conducting quality control testing on Intel products in development before they move on to high volume manufacturing. Starting in 2021, a process to relaunch manufacturing operations in CR was initiated, first with Testing and then Assembly operations were added with a focus in products intended for servers.

Multiple Sustainability Efforts

In addition to having green buildings and efficient waste water systems, the Intel’s Costa Rica facility has strived to implement a variety of sustainability projects aimed to reduce energy and water consumption, improve recycling, reduce carbon footprint, promote carpooling, prevent storm water contamination – amongst others.