Micron Technology has broken ground on the expansion of its manufacturing facility in Hiroshima Prefecture, marking a $9.3 billion investment that will significantly increase production of advanced memory chips.
The Idaho-based company plans to manufacture next-gen products, including high-bandwidth memory, a key component used in AI processors such as those powering Nvidia’s systems. Commercial shipments from the expanded facility are expected to begin around the summer of 2028. To support the project, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has committed up to $3.1 billion in subsidies.
The expansion forms part of a broader global push by leading memory chip manufacturers to expand capacity and meet rapidly rising demand fueled by AI, high-performance computing, and advanced data center infrastructure.
Boosting advanced memory capacity with new fabs in the US and Japan
Beyond its investment in Japan, Micron is expanding its manufacturing footprint in the United States with two leading-edge fabrication plants in Boise, Idaho. In January, the company also held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $100 billion semiconductor manufacturing campus outside Syracuse, New York, part of its long-term strategy to increase domestic DRAM production and strengthen the US memory chip supply chain.
The expansion comes as major memory manufacturers race to add capacity to meet surging demand from artificial intelligence applications, with South Korea’s SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics also investing heavily in new production facilities, the Japan Times reported.
According to Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, the company’s first high-bandwidth memory (HBM) production wafer, the advanced memory technology that powers AI processors, was manufactured at its Hiroshima facility. Mehrotra noted the project demonstrates the strength of combining American innovation with Japanese manufacturing expertise, arguing that the partnership delivers world-class semiconductor technology rather than a compromise between the two.
The Hiroshima expansion is expected to strengthen Micron’s ability to manufacture next-generation memory chips with higher power efficiency and faster data transfer speeds for AI systems and autonomous vehicles.
Japan aims to attract more overseas chipmakers
Japan’s Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa described the government’s support for Micron, now the country’s only domestic producer of DRAM memory chips, as having “invaluable worth”. Akazawa added that Japan is prepared to provide similar support to other international semiconductor companies looking to establish manufacturing operations in the country, emphasizing the government’s commitment to strengthening its chip industry and attracting further investment.
Japan has significantly expanded its support for the semiconductor and artificial intelligence industries since 2021, committing tens of billions of dollars to strengthen a sector it considers critical to national and economic security.
Building on that strategy, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last month unveiled a long-term roadmap aimed at mobilizing approximately $630 billion in combined public and private investment in semiconductors and AI through March 2041, although the government has not specified how much of that total will come from public funding.
Kota Nosaka, representative director of Micron Japan, pointed out that the Hiroshima facility’s competitive advantage lies in its ability to rapidly deliver high-performance memory products to customers, with the production of next-gen chips at the site playing a central role in the company’s long-term global strategy.
AloJapan.com