Micron Technology to invest more than US$150 bln globally in manufacturing and R&D until 2030
05 Nov 2021
Micron Technology Inc, the only US-based manufacturer of memory and one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers, intends to invest more than US$150 billion (US$1=RM4.15) globally over the next decade in leading-edge memory manufacturing and research and development (R&D) including potential US fab expansion over the next decade.
Memory and storage are a growing portion of the global semiconductor industry, and today represent approximately 30 per cent of the semiconductor market.
Secular growth drivers like 5G and artificial intelligence will expand usage of memory and storage across the data centre and the intelligent edge, and in areas like automotive and a diversity of user devices.
President and chief executive officer Sanjay Mehrotra said the investment will address the increasing demand for memory that is essential to all computing.
“Micron’s leadership in both dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and NAND technologies and the strength of our roadmap enable us to invest more than US$150 billion with confidence to extend our industry-leading memory innovation into the next decade, and deliver differentiated products to our customers,” he said in a statement.
To date, Micron has a global manufacturing and R&D network that span over 13 countries and has over 47,000 patents.
He said the company is looking forward to working with governments around the world, including in the US where chips funding and the Facilitating American-Built Semiconductors (FABS) Act would open the door to new industry investments.
Meanwhile, executive vice-president (global operations) Manish Bhatia said the company is optimistic with investments in Malaysia, riding on the positive wave of the semiconductor sector and digital economy.
“We have extensive assembly and test operations in Muar, Perai and Batu Kawan, Penang; these areas received significant investments in the past and we are growing those investments to be able to make more advanced products,” he said.
“We are constantly hiring and increasing the number of talented engineers, operators and technicians; our workforce has now grown to more than 4,000 people in Malaysia with over 99 per cent of staff being locals.”
Bhatia said with robust demand in the memory and storage business, the company is optimistic with record revenue and healthy profit margins in 2022.
“The Malaysian market is certainly poised to recover well from the pandemic and we should see a good pick-up and demand for end-products like personal computers and mobile phones.
“We expect our NAND and DRAM business units to grow to meet high percentages year-on-year for the next several years and that will fuel our revenue moving forward,” he added.
Source: Bernama
