Micron looks to help ease global chip crisis - new $24 billion Singapore facility should boost NAND supply worldwide, but will it be enough?

• Micron commits long-term capital to expand global NAND manufacturing capacity
• New Singapore wafer output will not begin until the second half of 2028
• AI infrastructure demand continues to strain global memory supply chains

Micron has announced a $24 billion investment to expand memory manufacturing in Singapore, adding a large wafer fabrication facility intended to increase global NAND supply.

The project comes as the global chip crisis continues to affect multiple technology sectors, driven largely by sustained demand from AI infrastructure and data-intensive computing.

The company says the new plant will support rising NAND demand over the next decade, although production is not expected to begin until the second half of 2028.

A long-term expansion plan

The new wafer facility will add more than 700,000 square feet of cleanroom space at Micron’s existing Singapore manufacturing complex.

Wafer output is scheduled to begin several years from now, reflecting the long timelines involved in bringing advanced memory fabrication capacity online.

Micron already produces most of its flash memory chips in Singapore, making the country a central pillar of its global manufacturing strategy.

Alongside the NAND expansion, Micron is also constructing a $7 billion advanced packaging plant at the same site to support high-bandwidth memory production. That facility is expected to begin contributing to supply in 2027.

However, analysts expect tight memory supply conditions to persist through late 2027, even as manufacturers announce new capacity.

The push toward high-bandwidth memory has absorbed manufacturing resources that might otherwise support conventional NAND and DRAM output.

This shift has contributed to shortages across several memory categories, including those used in consumer electronics and enterprise storage.

Micron’s competitors are also accelerating capacity plans. Samsung and SK Hynix have both disclosed efforts to bring new production lines online earlier than previously planned.

Micron is also exploring additional expansion options, including talks to acquire a fabrication site in Taiwan that could increase DRAM wafer output.

The expanded Singapore complex is expected to create roughly 1,600 jobs linked to NAND fabrication, following earlier hiring tied to the high-bandwidth memory plant.

Micron has said the facility will incorporate automation, robotics, and smart manufacturing systems.

Singapore’s government has welcomed the investment as reinforcement of its role in the global semiconductor supply chain.

While Micron’s investment signals confidence in long-term demand, the delayed production start raises questions about how much relief it can provide in the near term.

The scale of industry-wide shortages suggests that no single facility, even one of this size, is likely to resolve supply constraints on its own.

Via Nikkei Asia

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