Micron to invest $15 billion on memory chip plant in Boise | AP News
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Micron will invest $15 billion though the end of the decade on a new semiconductor plant in its hometown that the chipmaker said will create 17,000 American jobs.
Sanjay Mehrotra, president and CEO of Boise, Idaho-based Micron, said his company's investment was made possible by last month's passage of the CHIPS and Science ACT of 2022, a $280 billion bill aimed at bolstering U.S. competitiveness against China and avoiding another chip shortage like the one that derailed the auto and tech industries during the pandemic.
The CHIPS law sets aside $52 billion to bolster the semiconductor industry, which due to COVID-related supply chain constraints beginning in 2020, has struggled to manufacture the diminutive chips that power everything from smartphones to computers to automobiles.
"Our new leading-edge memory manufacturing fab will fuel U.S. technology leadership, ensuring a reliable domestic supply of semiconductors that is critical to economic and national security," Mehrotra said.
Micron said locating the manufacturing plant at the company's operational headquarter will improve efficiency and help get products to market faster.
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said the partnership will help the city's economy grow and attract and diverse workforce.
"This is a once in a generation investment in Boise from a home-grown company that is critical to the economic vitality of our community, our state and our nation," McLean wrote on Twitter.
McLean and Mehrotra last month attended President Biden's bill signing ceremony for the CHIPS and Science Act. Idaho's entire congressional delegation, all Republicans, voted against it.
Biden called the Micron announcement "another big win for America."
Micron is one of Idaho's largest employers. The company has several chip manufacturing plants around the world, including in Singapore and Taiwan.
Last week, the chipmaker Intel Corp. announced that it would break ground Sept. 9 on its planned $20 billion Ohio semiconductor facilities. The factories, known as fabs, are expected to open in 2025. President Biden is scheduled to attend the groundbreaking.
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Wonder if and how many of those chips will eventually wind up in China?
Yes, these stories are good news. But we can't allow ourselves to backslide into complacency once the headlines fade. We need to change our thinking about free trade to protect these investments into the future.
TSMC (Taiwan) is building a $12 billion dollar plant in Phoenix.
What will the effects be on the environment? Does anyone care how much water and energy are required for these plants and how much toxic waste is released?
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Based on water usage alone Arizona should be the last place to build a chip plant.
I agree.
There is no end to the contempt that I feel for whomever is approving chip plants (and other infrastructure) without first factoring in the environmental impact.
Semiconductor plants are very expensive to build. They also take a long time to build. So the jobs created by such an investment are likely to stick around for quite some time.
That is true but building one or more in AZ is simply ignoring the fact that AZ is in a drought and has been for years. The farmers are letting thousands of acres fallow since they do not have the water to grow crops and it's going to get worse when the 7 states can't reach an agreement on sharing Colorado river water the feds are going to do it for them and AZ is going to take a huge hit.
I seem to be missing something here. This story says they are building a plant in Boise. Isn't that in Idaho?
Are you saying that AZ gets its water from Idaho?