Micron will open a state-of-the-art memory design center in Atlanta as it looks to expand its reach into the southeastern United States, as the world continues to feel the pain from an ongoing semiconductor chip shortage.
The 93,000 square foot facility will open for business in January 2022 and includes offices, a data center and research and development operations. It is expected to create up to 500 jobs across various STEM disciplines, including memory and storage research and development, computer hardware, electrical and electronic engineering, modeling and simulation development, and business support roles.
Micron plans to build partnerships with local institutions, including Emory University, Georgia Tech, Morehouse College, Spelman College and University of Georgia.
The chipmaker, which is headquartered in Boise, Idaho, has US offices in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Texas and Virginia and a global manufacturing and research and development network that spans 17 countries.
Micron is planning to invest $150 billion in memory manufacturing, research and development over the next decade. Research and development in the world will cost around $3 billion a year.
Memory and storage are a fundamental part of everything that is changing our lives from cloud to smartphones to autonomous vehicles, according to Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrota, who spoke to The Claman Countdown in October. It is already 30% of the semiconductor industry and is growing fast. Mehrota told FOX Business that the investment could include a potential U.S. fab expansion, but emphasized that it would be dependent on economics. Micron estimates that memory manufacturing costs in the U.S. run up to 45% higher than in lower-cost markets with established semiconductor ecosystems.
Mehrota and other business leaders have expressed concern that the supply chain issues caused by the chip shortage could possibly stretch into 2023, although most believe that the problems will begin next year. Other companies that are investing to help alleviate chip shortage include Ford and GlobalFoundries, Intel, and Samsung.