Taipei: Taiwan and the United States are set to enhance their global leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) chip technology, with significant support from U.S. memory maker Micron Technology Inc., as stated by President Lai Ching-te.
According to Focus Taiwan, President Lai welcomed Micron’s Chairman, President, and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra to the Presidential Office in Taipei, emphasizing the company’s long-standing presence in Taiwan. Over the past three decades, Micron has invested more than NT$1.2 trillion in Taiwan and has provided employment to tens of thousands of engineers. Lai highlighted Micron’s investment as a prime example of Taiwan-U.S. collaboration, contributing significantly to job creation and the strengthening of the semiconductor industry. The Taiwanese government plans to maintain its support for Micron, acknowledging the company’s pivotal role in the sector.
Micron recently received subsidies under the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ A+ Industrial Innovative R and D Program, aimed at boosting investment in Taiwan over the next three years. This funding will accelerate the development and production of high-bandwidth memory (HBM), an essential component in the AI era. President Lai noted that with Micron’s backing, Taiwan is poised to expand its advanced HBM production capabilities, solidifying the Taiwan-U.S. lead in AI chips.
President Lai expressed optimism about Micron’s future milestones in Taiwan, envisioning a partnership that will bolster critical memory technologies for AI infrastructure and enhance the resilience and competitiveness of the supply chain.
In related developments, Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (PSMC) recently signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Micron to sell its P5 fab in Tongluo, Miaoli County, for US$1.8 billion. This agreement includes a long-term foundry partnership for advanced DRAM packaging wafer manufacturing and aims to fortify PSMC’s specialty DRAM processes, positioning Micron to compete more directly with industry leaders Hynix and Samsung.
Micron’s presence in Taiwan has been further solidified through recent acquisitions of AUO Corp. production plants in Tainan and Taichung. However, industry analyst Wang Yu-chi from TrendForce noted that SK Hynix remains the leader in the HBM market. Despite Micron’s efforts, its smaller capacity may limit significant production shifts to HBM amid global memory shortages, suggesting that the market dynamics may remain stable in the near term.