MALTA — Advanced Micro Devices Executive Chairman Hector Ruiz says he expects to announce by the end of the year whether or not his company will build a computer chip factory in the Luther Forest Technology Campus.

Town, Saratoga County and state officials have worked with the local business community to prepare the technology campus site off Route 9 to accommodate what is expected to be a $3.5 billion computer chip factory that would generate 1,465 new jobs for the region.

Ruiz drove around the area Wednesday with retired state senator Joseph Bruno and Assemblyman Roy McDonald, R-Saratoga, to see the businesses that now exist and the preparations for what would be the largest tenant.

Michael Relyea, executive director of the Luther Forest Technology Campus Economic Development Corp., which owns and is developing the site, said more than five miles of trails have been cleared for roads that will be completed by next summer.

Before the tour, Relyea told Ruiz, “A lot of what’s going on has been coordinated in daily talks with your team.”

He said 1,380 acres of land is being dedicated to the chip plant plan and of those, 700 acres will remain green with public trails.

While touring the site that is being prepared to AMD’s specifications, Ruiz said his company is restructuring the way it does business to strengthen its competitiveness.

Ruiz was questioned about his company’s economic declines in recent quarterly reports and about whether AMD will be in a position to fulfill its commitment if it decides to build here.

AMD has racked up more than $4 billion in losses over the past year and a half as competition from Intel intensifies and AMD struggles to recover from its own product delays.

Ruiz said the company has sold some of its small holdings and will be selling more in the coming months.

“We are in the process of repositioning the company for future success,” he said.

AMD Public Relations Manager Travis Bullard said the company’s $5.6 billion acquisition of graphics chip maker ATI Technologies Inc. nearly two years ago has resulted in big changes for both manufacturing operations.

He said ATI used to design chips and contract the manufacturing to outside companies. AMD is doing both jobs now that it owns ATI.

“It’s blending two different manufacturing styles,” he said, adding that much of what is done by the company is not shared with the outside world.

“It seems like a lot of cloak and dagger, but we’re competing against Intel and there are competitive reasons to be relatively secretive,” Bullard said.

“This [Malta chip plant] is a big piece of the manufacturing strategy.”

On Wednesday morning, Ruiz met with leaders at several Albany area universities and colleges to talk about the skills and knowledge future workers will need to work at the chip plant.

He said he was very satisfied with what he heard from leaders in higher education.

He said the Capital Region has one of the highest densities of universities in the country, which was a “critical factor” in his company’s decision to commit to a new plant in Malta.

“After meeting with college presidents this morning, my enthusiasm is actually higher than it was before,” he said.

He said he did not know how much his company has invested in the Luther Forest site to date.

“It is modest at this point,” he said.