US-based memorychip supplier Micron Technology Inc on Friday said that it would start producing its most advanced DRAM exclusively in Taiwan in 2025.
Micron said that it would mass produce chips using its advanced 1-gamma process node DRAM in Taiwan, ahead of any other production site worldwide.
The company installed cutting-edge extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography production equipment in its A3 fab in Taichung last year.
Photo: Reuters
The 1-gamma process — its third-generation 10 nanometer-class node — was jointly developed by Micron’s research and development (R&D) teams in Taiwan and Japan.
Micron on Thursday said it would invest up to US$3.6 billion in Japan.
A Ministry of Economic Affairs official said that Micron had informed the ministry of its investment plan in Japan before it was announced.
Micron’s R&D program in Taiwan remains unchanged and would continue as planned, the official said.
The statements from Micron and the ministry apparently aim to ease concerns over the company’s future in Taiwan.
Micron announced its Japanese investment plan after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with executives from seven semiconductor companies, including Micron and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電). The others were Applied Materials Inc, IBM Corp, Samsung Electronics Co, Intel Corp and Belgian semiconductor research group Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre.
The plan would include additional investment over the next few years in Micron’s factory in Hiroshima Prefecture, the company said.
According to a report from Nikkei Asia, the Hiroshima plant produces advanced DRAM chips and the US chipmaker plans to install a state-of-the-art production line there, with Tokyo’s backing.
That could include EUV lithography production equipment, needed for the mass production of the 1-gamma process, which Micron said it would install in Japan, without specifying whether it would be used at the Hiroshima facility.
EUV refers to a soft X-ray technology, which has a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers.
Micron is the largest foreign employer and foreign direct investor in Taiwan, with more than 10,000 workers in its fabs in Taichung and Taoyuan.
Micron has said it would continue to recruit highly skilled personnel in the years ahead.
The Taoyuan factory is from Micron’s acquisition of Taiwanese DRAM maker Inotera Memories Inc (華亞科技) in 2016, while the Taichung factory is from the acquisition of another local DRAM maker, Rexchip Electronics Corp (瑞晶電子), in 2012.
RUN IT BACK: A succesful first project working with hyperscalers to design chips encouraged MediaTek to start a second project, aiming to hit stride in 2028 MediaTek Inc (聯發科), the world’s biggest smartphone chip supplier, yesterday said it is engaging a second hyperscaler to help design artificial intelligence (AI) accelerators used in data centers following a similar project expected to generate revenue streams soon. The first AI accelerator project is to bring in US$1 billion revenue next year and several billion US dollars more in 2027, MediaTek chief executive officer Rick Tsai (蔡力行) told a virtual investor conference yesterday. The second AI accelerator project is expected to contribute to revenue beginning in 2028, Tsai said. MediaTek yesterday raised its revenue forecast for the global AI accelerator used
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has secured three construction permits for its plan to build a state-of-the-art A14 wafer fab in Taichung, and is likely to start construction soon, the Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau said yesterday. Speaking with CNA, Wang Chun-chieh (王俊傑), deputy director general of the science park bureau, said the world’s largest contract chipmaker has received three construction permits — one to build a fab to roll out sophisticated chips, another to build a central utility plant to provide water and electricity for the facility and the other to build three office buildings. With the three permits, TSMC
The DBS Foundation yesterday announced the launch of two flagship programs, “Silver Motion” and “Happier Caregiver, Healthier Seniors,” in partnership with CCILU Ltd, Hondao Senior Citizens’ Welfare Foundation and the Garden of Hope Foundation to help Taiwan face the challenges of a rapidly aging population. The foundation said it would invest S$4.91 million (US$3.8 million) over three years to foster inclusion and resilience in an aging society. “Aging may bring challenges, but it also brings opportunities. With many Asian markets rapidly becoming super-aged, the DBS Foundation is working with a regional ecosystem of like-minded partners across the private, public and people sectors
BREAKTHROUGH TECH: Powertech expects its fan-out PLP system to become mainstream, saying it can offer three-times greater production throughput Chip packaging service provider Powertech Technology Inc (力成科技) plans to more than double its capital expenditures next year to more than NT$40 billion (US$1.31 billion) as demand for its new panel-level packaging (PLP) technology, primarily used in chips for artificial intelligence (AI) applications, has greatly exceeded what it can supply. A significant portion of the budget, about US$1 billion, would be earmarked for fan-out PLP technology, Powertech told investors yesterday. Its heavy investment in fan-out PLP technology over the past 10 years is expected to bear fruit in 2027 after the technology enters volume production, it said, adding that the tech would
RSS