Intel will invest 30 billion ringgit, a little over $7 billion, in a cutting-edge semiconductor packaging facility in Penang, a northwest state of Malaysia, the country’s authorities said on Monday. The investment will add to the company’s advanced chip packaging capabilities already on the island state. More details on the deal are expected at Wednesday’s Kuala Lumpur airport press briefing involving Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger along with Malaysia’s trade minister, Azmin Ali, and the CEO of the Malaysian Development Authority, Arham Abdul Rahman. While the investment is touted to position the country as a critical manufacturing hub, the packaging capabilities will supplement Intel’s existing operations and support its global service center. The announcement is happening at the same time U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is making his first visit to Southeast Asia. A pandemic-related increase in computing equipment sales has contributed to high demand for semiconductor chips, with global …