Micron to build first US memory research lab, invest $10b over 10 years

US chipmaker Micron Technology will establish a large-scale memory research facility in Boise, Idaho, where the company is headquartered.

Micron said Thursday it will invest $10 billion over the next decade to build the "Micron Research Lab," a next-generation facility staffed by hundreds of researchers.

The lab will be the first dedicated memory research hub in the United States. Micron said it is pursuing the project to ease bottlenecks in high-volume data processing driven by rapid advances in AI and to push past the theoretical limits of next-generation semiconductor technology.

Key research areas will include next-generation memory technology, high-performance computing architecture, advanced semiconductor packaging and future chip manufacturing processes.

Micron plans to use the facility as a hub for building a broader collaboration network spanning customers, academia, government agencies and startups across the semiconductor ecosystem.

While based in Boise, the lab will actively connect with Micron's overseas technology networks in Europe, Japan, India, Singapore and Taiwan.

Micron expects to break ground on the facility next year.

The $10 billion research investment is separate from Micron's previously announced plan to invest $250 billion in US manufacturing.

"The decisions we make today will determine who leads the AI economy of tomorrow," Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said. "America's AI future will be built on American memory."

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also backed the move, saying memory chips are "a core element of American technological dominance" and that the first dedicated memory research lab and $10 billion investment "will strengthen innovation in the United States and create hundreds of high-quality jobs."

Apple CEO Tim Cook, whose company had recently been in a standoff with Micron over memory chip prices, also offered support. "Micron has been a critical partner in bringing innovation to Apple devices for over 20 years," Cook said. "We're excited to support Micron's expansion of cutting-edge manufacturing and R&D."

Micron's move to establish a dedicated memory research lab is seen as both a response to the Donald Trump administration's push to revive the US semiconductor industry as a national priority and a strategic technology bet aimed at closing the gap with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which currently lead in high-bandwidth memory.