Micron invests $10B in US memory research lab over 10 years

Micron Technology is pouring $10 billion into a next-generation semiconductor research facility in Albany, New York, as part of a sprawling public-private partnership that aims to keep the US competitive in the global chip race. The project, announced alongside New York Governor Kathy Hochul, pairs roughly $1 billion in state funding with $9 billion in private investment. The result will be North America’s first publicly owned High NA Extreme Ultraviolet lithography center, housed at the Albany NanoTech Complex. What’s actually being built The star of the show is an ASML Twinscan EXE:5200 tool. ASML, the Dutch company with a near-monopoly on the machines that print the most advanced chips, is the sole supplier of High NA EUV lithography equipment. To house the tool, the partnership will construct the NanoFab Reflection building, featuring over 50,000 square feet of cleanroom space. The facility is designed to enable advanced research and development on next-generation chips, with a particular focus on memory technologies. Micron isn’t going at this alone. IBM, Applied Materials, and Tokyo Electron are all key partners in the initiative. The bigger picture for US chipmaking The comp...