Via tomshardware.com
Micron invests $10B in US memory research lab over 10 years
The chipmaker joins a public-private partnership to build North America's first publicly owned High NA EUV lithography center in Albany, New York
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.
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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 company has committed over $100 billion for US manufacturing as part of an even broader $250 billion investment plan through 2035.
Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra has described the Albany center as instrumental for advancing the company’s memory technology and enhancing its production capabilities domestically.
The project is expected to create at least 700 direct jobs, along with thousands of indirect and construction positions. Governor Hochul’s office has highlighted workforce development partnerships with SUNY institutions designed to train the specialized labor force that advanced chip fabrication demands.
The facility also falls under New York’s Green CHIPS program, which ties semiconductor investment to sustainability goals. That alignment could unlock additional federal CHIPS Act funding. The CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law in 2022, allocated $52.7 billion to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research.