Micron invests 129 billion euros in memory development and production
Micron wants to invest more than 129 billion euros in the development of memory chips in the next ten years. This money should also be used to make new memory chips. The company is also considering building a new factory in the US.
With the investment of more than $150 billion, Micron says it wants to focus on “the rising demand for memory that is essential for all computing.” Growth markets such as 5G and artificial intelligence will further increase the demand for memory and storage, the company expects. Micron is looking at data centers, automotive ‘and various user devices’.
The company is also looking to expand its factories, possibly in the United States. Micron does say that the location of a new factory depends on, among other things, government support. “Making memory in the United States costs 35 to 45 percent more than in lower-cost markets,” the company writes. Financing and fiscally attractive investment conditions are therefore ‘critical’.
Micron says it now conducts research in 13 countries and invests billions in research every year. Most of this money would go to research in the US. Microns chief business officer Sumit Sadana told Reuters that memory chips now make up 30 percent of the global semiconductor market, but “only” two percent are made in the United States. Next year, the company plans to invest $15 billion, of which $3 billion in research.