Micron to establish a center for DRAM in Taiwan

The acquisition includes the cleanroom and tools that are adjacent to Micron's existing Taichung fab, bringing the company's fabrication and back-end together in one location. The new site will be focused on establishing a centralised back-end operation, the company says in a press release. "This marks a significant step in our plan to create a center of excellence for leading-edge DRAM in Taiwan," said Wayne Allan, VP, Global Manufacturing. "Bringing fabrication and back-end together, all in one location, builds an efficient support structure for end-to-end manufacturing with quicker cycle times that benefit our business and customers." The new back-end site is expected to begin production in August, and the new integrated center of excellence is expected to bring greater operational cost efficiency that will benefit Micron's DRAM business on a global scale. These cost efficiencies are part of the overall USD 500 million of ongoing operational enhancement opportunities cited at the company's 2017 analyst conference. The acquisition, with a winning bid of USD 89.2 million, also highlights Micron's goal to grow its presence in Taiwan from its current wafer manufacturing function to a broader center of expertise in the global memory industry. The back-end site will further enhance the company's strong presence on the island, which already includes 300mm wafer fabrication facilities in Taichung and Taoyuan, as well as sales and technical support offices in Taipei.