Intel's Chengdu plant reopens after China quake

SAN FRANCISCO, May 20 (Reuters) - Intel Corp (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it has reopened its chip assembly and test facility in Chengdu, China, a site 55 miles (89 kilometers) from the epicenter of the massive earthquake that rattled Sichuan province on May 12.

"We are ramping it up as fast as we can," Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy said, without giving an estimate on when the facility would return to full capacity.

Mulloy said the company started powering up the plant and checking its machinery on Friday and output resumed on Sunday.

The plant, which is used to package and test silicon components, suffered cosmetic damage in last week's quake, but seismic analysis revealed no structural damage, Mulloy said.

He added that none of the plant's 1,600 employees were hurt in the quake, which measured 7.9 at its epicenter and resulted in 70,000 people dead or missing. (Reporting by Amanda Beck, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)