Micron Technology is expanding its manufacturing base in Singapore as global memory markets come under growing strain from AI-driven demand.
The US-based chipmaker said it will commit around $24 billion to expand wafer manufacturing at an existing NAND complex, adding capacity at a time when supply across several memory segments remains tight.
The investment will add about 700,000 square feet of cleanroom space to the site.
Cleanrooms are highly controlled environments used in semiconductor fabrication to minimise contamination risks.
Micron expects production of NAND memory at the expanded facility to begin in the second half of 2028, extending the company’s long-term manufacturing presence in Southeast Asia.
Pressure on memory supply
NAND memory is a core component in personal computers, servers, and smartphones, but demand has intensified as artificial intelligence and data-centric workloads scale rapidly.
AI training and inference require vast volumes of memory, increasing pressure across the supply chain and reshaping production priorities for chipmakers.
To manage these pressures, Micron and its competitors have been adjusting output strategies.
Memory producers, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, have also raised production in response to shortages.
Even so, supply has struggled to keep pace with demand, particularly as manufacturers prioritise advanced memory products tied to AI.
Micron’s manufacturing operations in Singapore form part of a broader Asian production network that also spans China, Taiwan, Japan, and Malaysia.
The latest expansion reinforces Singapore’s role as a central hub within that network, supporting both current output and longer-term capacity planning.
High-bandwidth memory focus
Alongside the NAND expansion, Micron is building a $7 billion advanced packaging facility in Singapore to produce high-bandwidth memory, a type of dynamic random-access memory used in AI applications.
The plant is located within the same manufacturing complex and is expected to contribute meaningfully to Micron’s HBM supply in 2027.
The industry-wide shift towards high-bandwidth memory has tightened supply elsewhere. As manufacturers allocate more capacity to HBM to serve AI customers, other memory products have faced shortages.
Some estimates suggest these shortfalls could persist through late 2027, underscoring the difficulty of balancing different memory lines within finite manufacturing capacity.
Micron has said that integrating HBM production into its Singapore footprint could create operational synergies between NAND and DRAM manufacturing.
At the same time, the company plans to manage the pace of expansion at the new facility based on market demand.
Jobs and ecosystem impact
The newly announced NAND expansion is expected to create around 1,600 jobs in fab engineering and operations.
These roles will incorporate AI, robotics, and smart manufacturing systems, reflecting the growing automation of semiconductor fabrication.
The hiring follows the addition of about 1,400 roles linked to the high-bandwidth memory plant already under development at the site.
Singapore has positioned itself as a key destination for advanced semiconductor manufacturing through incentives and long-term industrial policy.
Singapore Economic Development Board said the expansion would strengthen the local semiconductor ecosystem and further anchor the country as a critical node in the global chip supply chain.
Market response
Investors responded positively to Micron’s announcement.
Shares of the company rose more than 4% in premarket trading.
The Singapore investment highlights how memory manufacturers are recalibrating production strategies as AI reshapes the market.
While the additional capacity will not come online until 2028, the scale of Micron’s commitment signals confidence in sustained demand for memory technologies across data centres, consumer devices, and next-generation computing applications.
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