Lam Research breaks ground on new Oregon lab to accelerate AI semiconductor R&D

Lam Research, a global semiconductor equipment company, broke ground Wednesday (local time) on a new laboratory at its research and development center in Tualatin, Oregon, formally launching efforts to advance AI semiconductor innovation.

The new facility, spanning approximately 11,000 square meters, will be built within Silicon Forest, Oregon's semiconductor cluster. Set to open in 2028, it will bolster the company's specialized capabilities in advanced deposition and etch process development, materials science and hardware validation.

Upon completion, the clean-room research space at Lam Research's Tualatin R&D center will expand by more than 50 percent. The company expects the addition to strengthen its research and development capacity and shorten product development cycles across its global R&D network.

As with the existing facility, customers will be able to work closely with Lam Research engineers at the new site throughout the entire process — from initial product conception through to fab implementation.

The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Lam Research President and CEO Tim Archer and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Sesha Varadarajan, along with US Sen. Jeff Merkley, US Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read, executives from Intel and Micron, and representatives from government, community and nonprofit organizations.

The new laboratory is the first project under Lam Research's plan to expand its global laboratory network with an investment of more than $3 billion over the next five years.

"The new Oregon advanced laboratory will deepen our collaboration with customers while strengthening the expertise and reach of our global laboratory network," Varadarajan said. "This expansion reflects Lam Research's commitment to bolstering Silicon Forest's competitiveness as a hub of American semiconductor innovation."

The investment is the largest Lam Research has ever made in Oregon. It is expected to create more than 11,000 direct and indirect jobs across the state, lifting the company's annual economic contribution to Oregon to more than $1.8 billion.