BOISE, Idaho — A massive expansion at Boise-based Micron is helping cement Idaho as a leader in the technology section.
The $15 billion expansion at Micron's campus in the Southeast Boise desert was announced in 2022 and will bring memory chip manufacturing to the City of Trees.
The expansion is the largest private investment Idaho has ever seen.
"This really will ensure US leadership in semiconductor manufacturing," Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said. "I'm very proud that the world's most advanced memory technologies are developed right here in Boise."
Micron is the only US-based memory manufacturer. Their new memory manufacturing fab is under construction next to Micron's R&D fab at their Boise campus.
"Memory is absolutely key to everything electronic today," Mehrotra said.
Several government officials were invited for a tour of Micron's campus Monday morning to see progress on the expansion, including US Senator Mike Crapo.
"It's impressive to see this kind of expansion in the chip industry right here in Idaho," Senator Crapo said. "Micron is already a global leader, and what we're seeing today is they are just moving ahead full speed to keep not only Idaho - but America aggressively at the lead of technological development."
Mehrotra says that funding from the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act has played a critical role in bringing the manufacturing fab to Boise - as well as the 2,000 new Micron jobs coming with the expansion.
"What we're doing with the CHIPS and Science investment is making sure that we're cementing that leadership, and putting money into making sure that places like Boise also play a leadership role in making sure that America continues to be the leading technology provider all over the world," US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said.
The tour also came with an announcement that Micron is partnering with Clarity Credit Union through a $4 million deposit into a community development fund meant to help small businesses in underserved communities.
"This is an important aspect of Micron's vision of the future," Mehrotra said. "To bring leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing, build resilient supply chains here in the US, and have the communities benefit in parallel."
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