Rendering courtesy of Micron

Rendering of the proposed Boise facility.

The U.S. Department of Commerce and Micron Technology have signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) to provide up to approximately $6.14 billion in direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act to boost U.S. competitiveness in leading-edge memory semiconductor production. The proposed funding would support the construction of two leading-edge Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DRAM) fabs, one of which would be in built in Boise, Ida.

The proposed funding would unlock a $25 billion investment in a DRAM fab in Idaho, which will be co-located with Micron's R&D facilities in Boise and create approximately 6,500 facility and construction jobs. Together, these investments would advance the company's plans to onshore approximately 40 percent of their DRAM chip production over the next two decades.

"Leading-edge memory chips are foundational to all advanced technologies. America is rebuilding its capacity to produce these critical capabilities for the first time in almost two decades," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. "With this proposed investment, we are working to deliver on one of the core objectives of President Biden's CHIPS program — onshoring the development and production of the most advanced memory semiconductor technology, which is crucial for safeguarding our leadership on artificial intelligence and protecting our economic and national security. With these proposed investments, coupled with Micron's historic private investment of up to $125 billion in New York and Idaho over the next 20 years, President Biden is working to revitalize U.S. technological leadership and creating tens of thousands of good-paying jobs."

In Idaho, the plan is to develop a high-volume manufacturing (HVM) fab, with approximately 600,000 sq. ft. of cleanroom space focused on the production of leading-edge DRAM chips. The fab would be co-located with the company's R&D facility to improve efficiency across their R&D and manufacturing operations, reducing lags in technology transfer and cutting time-to-market for leading-edge memory products.

Micron is committing to spend $50 billion toward the development of their first three fabs over the next six years, spurring community revitalization and ecosystem development across the country. Over two decades, these projects are expected to create over 9,000 manufacturing and facility jobs and 4,500 construction jobs in New York, and over 2,000 manufacturing and facility jobs and 4,500 construction jobs in Idaho. Micron's projects will operate under Project Labor Agreements (PLA) in New York and Idaho. Both PLAs emphasize workforce training through registered apprenticeships and hiring veterans and local workers. For example, the New York PLA includes a partnership with a local pre-apprenticeship program, which will prepare a diverse workforce for entry into construction trades, and the Idaho PLA includes measures to increase construction work by underserved communities.

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