Micron's Hiroshima Plant: 1γ DRAM, HBM Chips by 2025

On December 13th, during the SEMICON Japan 2023 exhibition, Micron's Japan representative, Joshua Lee, announced a significant milestone for the company. Micron's Hiroshima facility is slated to commence production of cutting-edge "1γ (Gamma) DRAM" memory chips in 2025, positioning Micron as the pioneering semiconductor entity in Japan to incorporate EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography machines in its operations. This advanced manufacturing process using EUV lithography is anticipated for the production of 1γ DRAM.

Micron, a key player in the global DRAM market with manufacturing operations in Japan, China, and Taiwan, is expanding its Hiroshima facility to include the production of HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) storage chips tailored for AI applications. Joshua Lee underscored the pivotal role played by Japan's robust semiconductor ecosystem in driving Micron's strategic initiatives.

The announcement had a substantial impact on Micron's stock performance, witnessing a notable 2.11% increase, reaching a closing value of $79.81, marking a new high since March 29, 2022.

In a concurrent development, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry disclosed on December 10th a subsidy of up to 192 billion Japanese yen for Micron's Hiroshima facility. Micron, committed to ongoing investments in Japan, articulated plans to allocate a total investment of up to 500 billion Japanese yen in the country over the forthcoming years.