A
new flash memory fabrication facility by Micron
Technology broke ground in Singapore yesterday.
The 165,000
square-metre facility will be built adjacent to Micron's existing manufacturing
complex at North Coast Drive. The new facility will add new cleanroom
space to enable continued 3D NAND technology transitions and expand research
and development (R&D) capabilities adjacent to its existing NAND manufacturing
complex.
The
company reached an agreement with the Singapore Economic Development Board
(EDB) to invest in new facilities space providing Micron with the flexibility
to meet future 3D NAND manufacturing requirements.
“Micron’s
latest investment builds upon its existing base of operations in Singapore, and
leverages advanced manufacturing technologies to develop and produce
best-in-class NAND Flash memory products. This is yet another important
milestone in our longstanding partnership with Micron,” said Dr Beh Swan Gin,
Chairman, EDB.
According to Dr Beh, this
investment, alongside others from industry leaders over the past year,
underscores the global competitiveness of Singapore’s electronics industry.
The
cleanroom expansion is expected to occur in phases to closely align with future
3D NAND technology node manufacturing and market requirements. This facility
will provide space for the company to continue technology transitions for its
existing 3D NAND wafer capacity. At the moment, the focus is on technology
transitions to meet Micron’s growth requirement, no new wafer capacity is planned
at this time.
Construction
of the new cleanroom facility is expected to be complete in mid-2019 with
initial wafer output expected in the fourth quarter of 2019. Micron’s focus is
on technology transitions to meet its bit growth requirements and no new wafer
capacity is planned at this time.
“The
decision to expand fab cleanroom space adjacent to our existing NAND Center of
Excellence provides us with the best opportunity to successfully implement
advanced 3D NAND technology node transitions, while leveraging the
infrastructure and manufacturing expertise we have established in Singapore,”
said Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra.
An
expected multibillion-dollar investment, the facility will be equipped over the
next five-plus years and will create over 1,000 new jobs to its existing
workforce of 7,500 in Singapore.
As
part of this plan, Micron will also broaden its Singapore R&D capabilities.
This initiative is in line with the company’s global Technology Development
expansion strategy, as it continues to enable both near term node transitions
and longer-term development projects.
“This
facility takes Micron to the next level in terms of our ability to bring future
flash memory technologies to the world,” said Mr Mehrotra.
Singapore is Micron’s primary manufacturing
location for leading-edge NAND technology nodes. It is also home to the company’s largest
manufacturing footprint with three fabrication facilities, a test and assembly
facility, and a technology centre supporting innovation across the company.