Micron pledges US memory expansion after CHIPS Act passes
(2022/07/29)
- Reference: 1659114913
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/07/29/micron_pledges_us_memory_expansion/
- Source link:
Micron wants a piece of the $52 billion in chips subsidies approved by US Congress this week. The company Friday promised to ramp up domestic memory production over the next few years.
In a brief [1]statement , the US chipmaker commended President Joe Biden and his administration for pushing through the $280 billion [2]CHIPs and Science Act .
Micron is one of only a handful of US chipmakers operating foundries domestically. The company is a leading manufacturer of DRAM and NAND flash memory modules, and until recently was Intel's sole supplier of 3D XPoint memory used in its Optane SSDs and persistent memory modules. Gelsinger [3]axed the project this week.
[4]
"Today, only 2 percent of global memory supply is manufactured in the US, and all of that is produced by Micron," a statement read.
[5]
[6]
Micron aims to change that, with a vaguely worded promise to "grow domestic production of memory significantly in the years ahead."
“We look forward to sharing more details regarding our plans in the coming weeks,” the statement added.
[7]
What exactly Micron has planned remains to be seen. However it's a good bet it'll play into the chipmaker's [8]previously announced plans to invest $150 billion into semiconductor research, development and manufacturing.
[9]Why Intel killed its Optane memory business
[10]Congress finally passes $52b subsidies for chip fabs on US soil
[11]Micron's 232-layer NAND is a game changer for database workloads
[12]SK Group pledges $22b for US chip, battery manufacturing
“Micron’s leadership in both DRAM and NAND technologies and the strength of our roadmap enable us to invest more than $150 billion with confidence to extend our industry leading memory innovation into the next decade,” CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said in a [13]statement last October.
Despite the lofty promise, at the time, Micron wouldn’t commit to extending fab capacity, arguing that any investment on that scale would require government assistance in the form of the CHIPs and FABs Acts.
Micron’s plans come after nearly two years of debate over a chips funding bill that would subsidize the creation of new foundry capacity on US soil.
Interesting timing
However, Micron's timing could be better, according to recent reports, which show semiconductor demand [14]slowing . This is especially true in commodity markets like DRAM and NAND flash, where two reports by TrendForce project pricing to [15]plummet by as much as 13 percent over the next quarter.
If that weren't enough, the line for a piece of the $52 billion pie isn't getting any shorter. Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen Samsung and SK Group — two of Micron's largest competitors - step up their US manufacturing plans.
Samsung, which has already begun [16]production on a $17 billion fab in Texas, recently [17]teased a $200 billion expansion in the region — though the chipmaker has yet to commit to actually building any additional plans.
[18]
And this week SK Group — the parent company of memory vendor SK Hynix — said it would [19]spend $22 billion on semiconductor manufacturing, green energy, and bioscience research in the US.
Roughly $15 billion of that is aimed at semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and the creation of an advanced packaging facility.
It remains to be seen whether Micron's Boise, Idaho roots will give it a home-state advantage when it comes time to collect from Uncle Sam. ®
Get our [20]Tech Resources
[1] https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-intent-bring-leading-edge-memory-manufacturing
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/28/house_chips_act_passes/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/29/intel_optane_memory_dead/?td=rt-3a
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YuRYloWjphpLayQhKUlE5AAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
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[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YuRYloWjphpLayQhKUlE5AAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YuRYloWjphpLayQhKUlE5AAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/20/micron_investment_plan/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/29/intel_optane_memory_dead/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/28/house_chips_act_passes/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/27/micron_232layer_nand/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/27/skgroup_memory_battery/
[13] https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-over-150-billion-global-manufacturing-and-rd
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/27/semiconductor_market_gartner_report/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/19/nand_flash_decline/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/24/samsung_picks_taylor_texas_for_fab/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/21/samsung_texas_11_fabs_planned/
[18] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YuRYloWjphpLayQhKUlE5AAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/27/skgroup_memory_battery/
[20] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
In a brief [1]statement , the US chipmaker commended President Joe Biden and his administration for pushing through the $280 billion [2]CHIPs and Science Act .
Micron is one of only a handful of US chipmakers operating foundries domestically. The company is a leading manufacturer of DRAM and NAND flash memory modules, and until recently was Intel's sole supplier of 3D XPoint memory used in its Optane SSDs and persistent memory modules. Gelsinger [3]axed the project this week.
[4]
"Today, only 2 percent of global memory supply is manufactured in the US, and all of that is produced by Micron," a statement read.
[5]
[6]
Micron aims to change that, with a vaguely worded promise to "grow domestic production of memory significantly in the years ahead."
“We look forward to sharing more details regarding our plans in the coming weeks,” the statement added.
[7]
What exactly Micron has planned remains to be seen. However it's a good bet it'll play into the chipmaker's [8]previously announced plans to invest $150 billion into semiconductor research, development and manufacturing.
[9]Why Intel killed its Optane memory business
[10]Congress finally passes $52b subsidies for chip fabs on US soil
[11]Micron's 232-layer NAND is a game changer for database workloads
[12]SK Group pledges $22b for US chip, battery manufacturing
“Micron’s leadership in both DRAM and NAND technologies and the strength of our roadmap enable us to invest more than $150 billion with confidence to extend our industry leading memory innovation into the next decade,” CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said in a [13]statement last October.
Despite the lofty promise, at the time, Micron wouldn’t commit to extending fab capacity, arguing that any investment on that scale would require government assistance in the form of the CHIPs and FABs Acts.
Micron’s plans come after nearly two years of debate over a chips funding bill that would subsidize the creation of new foundry capacity on US soil.
Interesting timing
However, Micron's timing could be better, according to recent reports, which show semiconductor demand [14]slowing . This is especially true in commodity markets like DRAM and NAND flash, where two reports by TrendForce project pricing to [15]plummet by as much as 13 percent over the next quarter.
If that weren't enough, the line for a piece of the $52 billion pie isn't getting any shorter. Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen Samsung and SK Group — two of Micron's largest competitors - step up their US manufacturing plans.
Samsung, which has already begun [16]production on a $17 billion fab in Texas, recently [17]teased a $200 billion expansion in the region — though the chipmaker has yet to commit to actually building any additional plans.
[18]
And this week SK Group — the parent company of memory vendor SK Hynix — said it would [19]spend $22 billion on semiconductor manufacturing, green energy, and bioscience research in the US.
Roughly $15 billion of that is aimed at semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and the creation of an advanced packaging facility.
It remains to be seen whether Micron's Boise, Idaho roots will give it a home-state advantage when it comes time to collect from Uncle Sam. ®
Get our [20]Tech Resources
[1] https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-intent-bring-leading-edge-memory-manufacturing
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/28/house_chips_act_passes/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/29/intel_optane_memory_dead/?td=rt-3a
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YuRYloWjphpLayQhKUlE5AAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YuRYloWjphpLayQhKUlE5AAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YuRYloWjphpLayQhKUlE5AAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YuRYloWjphpLayQhKUlE5AAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/20/micron_investment_plan/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/29/intel_optane_memory_dead/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/28/house_chips_act_passes/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/27/micron_232layer_nand/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/27/skgroup_memory_battery/
[13] https://investors.micron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/micron-announces-over-150-billion-global-manufacturing-and-rd
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/27/semiconductor_market_gartner_report/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/19/nand_flash_decline/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/24/samsung_picks_taylor_texas_for_fab/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/21/samsung_texas_11_fabs_planned/
[18] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YuRYloWjphpLayQhKUlE5AAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/27/skgroup_memory_battery/
[20] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Micron's other arm
PRR
While I applaud Micron's faith in US manufacturing, there's another branch of Micron which has not made the news.
For 23 years I have bought PC DRAM from Crucial.com, Micron's retail outlet. Fast, fresh, fits, and priced right. The mobo configurator made stick-picking easy and certain (I don't want to be a DRAM geek or keep returning won't-work sticks to sellers). My last order in 2018 shipped in 12 hours .
Sometime since then, Crucial has been took-over by Digital River. I got unclear confirmation emails and no action for nearly 12 business days .
At 12 days I called to cancel (can't cancel online). It was a terrible phone connection (echo-o-o-o) but I thought the agent said "initiated your cancellation". Later that day, it shipped!! Reverse logic or just bad algorithm? When it came I returned it ASAP. (You can do that online and get a return email with shipping info, but no RMA). After a day back in Idaho. I got a Credit Memo; however as of 4 days later my credit card has not been refunded.
Online I see a lot of complaints. Some are just dumb customers. Others seem to have been treated rudely, or "gamed" to let the 30-day return period expire. Not so much DRAM but Thinkpads and Virus software subscriptions. Just saying: look before you rely on past good experience with a vendor.
Kev99
"With $52 billion on the table, everyone wants their fair share". What about the poor taxpayers who have to subsidize these multi-billion dollar money machines?
Loot
With $52 billion on the table, everyone wants their fair share ...
Hmmm ....
With $52 billion on the table, everyone wants their fair share a part of the loot ...
There you go.
Read more like what it really is.
Loot.
Like I have said before:
Greedy bastards, extracting subsidies from the government/taxpayers while there are millions sleeping on the streets, suffering hunger, healthcare is in ruins and infrastructure is tattered.
Government should make them invest or tax them heavily on the money they have made for not doing so.
Or better yet ...
Want taxpayer money instead of spending your own moolha, ie: the countless billions you have made all these years while offshoring and paying dividends instead of reinvesting in newer, more up to date facilities because that way you made even more?
Then ...
Hand over the m*fucking shares!
O.