Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger will no longer consider the UK as a potential site for establishing a chip factory following the nation’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU), with the chipmaker shifting focus to investment options covering bloc members instead.

Gelsinger told the BBC News the company has now set its eyes on EU countries and was receiving support from the bloc for a move which could see it invest $95 billion in the region in the next ten years, aimed at new and upgraded chip factories in Europe, alongside a push in its US operations.

Following Brexit, the company is said to have received about 70 proposals for sites from approximately ten countries in Europe.

Its chief told the BBC Intel hoped to seal an agreement for a site construction, alongside backing from the union, before year-end.

The move in Europe reportedly aims to reduce the semiconductor sector’s reliance on Asia in times of tension due to an ongoing global chip shortage.