Micron has begun construction of a new facility in Singapore for advanced wafer fabrication that could, in theory, help alleviate some of the global memory supply problems. Unfortunately, Micron won’t begin production until the second half of 2028, and its full capacity may not be realized for another eight years, as Micron pledges to invest $24 billion over the next decade.
Customers of memory makers SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron would love for them to increase production, but those firms have been slow to announce production line expansions, often converting some of what they already have to more profitable standards like HBM and LPDDR.
However, increased pressure from a range of quarters, including the Trump administration, to bring memory manufacturing to the US, has prompted Micron and others to announce a number of investments. Earlier this month, Micron announced a $100 billion “Megafab” in New York, which it claims will handle up to 40% of its DRAM output in the US by the 2040s.
US politicians at a recent groundbreaking ceremony in New York. (Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Its new facility in Singapore will eventually offer 700,000 square feet of cleanroom space and focus on NAND production. It will join the existing NAND Center of Excellence, as well as a new HBM advanced packaging facility set for 2027.
Last week, meanwhile, Micron acquired Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation’s fabrication site in Taiwan for $1.8 billion; the deal is expected to close in Q2.
Recommended by Our Editors
Samsung is also reported to be investing 10s of billions of dollars in new DRAM and HBM fabrication facilities, while SK Hynix is investing $13 billion in new packaging facilities in Korea.
One of the arguments against expanding memory fabrication at these companies was that they had done so previously during demand surges in the pandemic, only for that demand to dry up after the fact. With concerns that an AI bubble could burst in the near future, some are clearly concerned that the current memory demand rush might also expire with it. Those fears appear to have evaporated for now. However, the long lead times for new facilities to come online suggests the memory shortage for consumer hardware will continue for some time.
Get Our Best Stories!
Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy
Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
About Our Expert
Jon Martindale
Contributor
Experience
Jon Martindale is a tech journalist from the UK, with 20 years of experience covering all manner of PC components and associated gadgets. He’s written for a range of publications, including ExtremeTech, Digital Trends, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, and Lifewire, among others. When not writing, he’s a big board gamer and reader, with a particular habit of speed-reading through long manga sagas.
Jon covers the latest PC components, as well as how-to guides on everything from how to take a screenshot to how to set up your cryptocurrency wallet. He particularly enjoys the battles between the top tech giants in CPUs and GPUs, and tries his best not to take sides.
Jon’s gaming PC is built around the iconic 7950X3D CPU, with a 7900XTX backing it up. That’s all the power he needs to play lightweight indie and casual games, as well as more demanding sim titles like Kerbal Space Program. He uses a pair of Jabra Active 8 earbuds and a SteelSeries Arctis Pro wireless headset, and types all day on a Logitech G915 mechanical keyboard.
Read Full Bio
