Micron's new plant to add 1,000 new jobs in Singapore

They will be needed for its cleanroom space for 3D NAND tech transitions.

Industrial giant Micron Technology started the construction of its new “multibillion-dollar” cleanroom space in Singapore to continue its 3D NAND technology transitions and expand research capabilities for its existing NAND manufacturing complex.

According to an announcement, the facility will be equipped over the next five-plus years and will add more than 1,000 new team members to its existing workforce of 7,500 in Singapore. The existing Micron fabrication facility on North Coast Drive will be the site of this cleanroom expansion.

Micron signed an agreement with the Economic Development Board (EDB) to invest in new facilities space providing Micron with the flexibility to meet future 3D NAND manufacturing requirements.

Micron president and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said, “Micron has enjoyed a long and successful relationship with the Singapore government, with a common goal to grow and create opportunities for the strong local talent and promote a favourable semiconductor industry environment. We look forward to our continued partnership.”

The construction of the new cleanroom facility is expected to be complete in mid-2019 with initial wafer output expected in Q4 2019. “The cleanroom expansion is expected to occur in phases to closely align with future 3D NAND technology node manufacturing and market requirements,” Micron added.

Micron’s focus is on technology transitions to meet its bit growth requirements and no new wafer capacity is planned at this time, the company said.

EDB chairman Beh Swan Gin commented, “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.

Micron noted that future generations of these increasingly complex architectures will require more processing steps, and hence more cleanroom space, to deliver cost-effective and high capacity memory products. Singapore is Micron’s primary manufacturing location for NAND technology nodes and is “critical to driving the company’s success” in the expanding storage business.