American semiconductor designer and manufacturer Micron Technology announced that its new US$ 100 billion fabrication plant in Clay, New York, is more than a quarter ahead of the original plan as it begins vertical construction. This milestone comes less than six months after the company broke ground at the site.
During that time, the company has directed approximately US$ 675 million to contractors, suppliers, and subcontractors in New York state, according to a press release. The company said that it expects to spend US$ 250 billion through 2035 to accelerate its fab and technology capabilities in the US.
“This milestone in Central New York shows Micron’s US manufacturing strategy moving from planning to meaningful local impact,” said Manish Bhatia, Micron Executive Vice President of Global Operations. “What we are building here will contribute to a thriving semiconductor hub in Central New York, complementing Micron’s existing sites in Idaho and Virginia.”
The company also reports that progress on its facility in Idaho is moving along swiftly. The first wafers from the first facility are expected to be produced in mid-2027 with wafers from the second facility expected in late 2028. The New York fab is expected to start production in 2030.
At the same time, the company said in a press release it would invest up to US$ 3 billion into strengthening the semiconductor supply-chain ecosystem in the US. This investment would be directed toward securing a reliable supply of critical manufacturing materials, enhancing supply assurance, and improving long-term planning flexibility. The goal is to assist the US market to meet the demand for next-generation memory and storage solutions driven by AI and other data-intensive workloads.
US$ 500 million of that up-to-US$ 3 billion sum will go to GlobalWafers as strategic financing to advance its 300mm raw silicon wafer facility in Sherman, Texas, under a proposed deal that also carries a 10-year wafer-supply agreement.
“Securing a reliable supply of critical input materials is essential to supporting Micron’s long-term growth and technology roadmap,” said Ben Tessone, Micron’s Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer.
Micron is the third-largest company in the next generation memory market with SK Hynix and Samsung in second and first place, respectively, according to data from Mordor Intelligence. While Micron’s investment into the US market is substantial, it comes just weeks after South Korea’s government announced three megaprojects to shore up the country’s AI data center, semiconductor, and physical AI markets. The country, together with the private sector is expected to invest at least US$ 880 billion on these megaprojects. SK Group, SK Hynix’s parent company, put its own total commitment at about KRW 1,100 trillion (US$ 716.8 billion) across new memory fabs and AI data centers.