SINGAPORE: US chipmaker Micron Technology is set to expand its Singapore presence with the addition of a new cleanroom space.
The multi-billion dollar facility expansion will be built on a 165,000 sq m land plot, adjacent to Micron’s existing manufacturing complex at North Coast Drive.
“This facility takes Micron to the next level in terms of our ability to bring future flash memory technologies to the world,” said Micron president and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra.
The company said it will add more than 1,000 jobs to its existing workforce of 7,500 over the next five years.
In their most recent regular hiring cycle, Micron’s vice-president and Singapore country manager Chen Kok Sing said that the company will take on about 600 fresh graduates.
Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S Iswaran, who was the guest of honour at the launch event, welcomed Micron’s expansion plans and also stressed the importance of reskilling workers.
Front (left to right): Chairman of EDB Beh Swan Gin; Micron Vice President and Country Manager Chen Kok Sing; Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S Iswaran; Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra; JTC CEO Ng Lang. (Photo: Micron Technology)
“As changes in technology increasingly disrupt business models and the nature of jobs, our people must also adapt, have the right skills and knowledge, and most importantly, be digitally confident to leverage these technologies fully,” he said.
There are no current plans to increase wafer capacity, but the new facility will facilitate the company’s 3D NAND technology transitions and enhance the company’s research and development capabilities. The Singapore North Coast facility is home to Micron’s NAND Centre of Excellence.
3D NAND is a type of flash memory where memory cells are stacked in multiple layers to achieve higher densities at a lower cost per bit. The technology is used in solid-state drives (SSDs) for products such as smartphones, laptops and servers.
In 2016, the company announced expansion plans for the same facility at a cost of around US$4 billion dollars (S$5.26 billion), which they said will be spread over a number of years. Micron has invested more than US$15 billion investment in Singapore over the last 20 years.
Construction of the new cleanroom facility is expected to be completed by the middle of 2019, and the initial wafer output is expected in the fourth quarter of 2019.
