[News] Micron’s $100B Mega Fab Reportedly Delays Again, with Groundbreaking Pushed to Late 2025

After unveiling its $100 billion mega fab plan in 2022 and securing $6.1 billion in CHIPS Act funding in 2024, Micron’s long-anticipated chip plant in Clay, New York, is hitting pause once again. Citing syracuse.com, The daily orange reports that groundbreaking is now delayed to late November or December 2025—well behind the original June 2024 target.

Mega Fab, Mega Delays?

Notably, the reports indicate it would be the fourth delay for the fab, this time due to a holdup in the environmental review.

According to syracuse.com, County Executive Ryan McMahon said both the U.S. Commerce Department and Onondaga County’s development agency asked for more time to wrap up the review. Originally set for early June, the draft report is now set to go live on June 25, syracuse.com suggests.

As highlighted by the reports, the U.S. memory giant first unveiled plans for the massive chip fab in Clay, which will likely be the largest chip fab in U.S. history if completed, back in October 2022. The $100 billion project aims to span 20 years and could bring nearly 50,000 jobs to New York, according to Micron.

Micron says this move builds on the momentum of the CHIPS Act, following its $15 billion investment in advanced memory production in Boise and a recent expansion in Manassas, Virginia. In addition, this is part of the company’s strategy to gradually increase U.S. based-DRAM production to 40% of the company’s global output in the next decade.

U.S. Manufacturing Plan Hitting Snags

Micron has been advancing on cutting-edge DRAM technologies lately. On June 10, it announced the shipment of 36GB 12-high HBM4 samples to key customers—reportedly including NVIDIA and other major tech players. Another report from the Korean Economic Daily suggests that NVIDIA has tapped Micron to supply its next-gen SOCAMM modules — a compact, high-performance memory designed for AI servers in data centers.

However, as chipmakers race to boost U.S. production amid global tensions, the latest developments around Micron’s mega fab have cast a cloud over its ambitions. A June 2024 report from The Register said the company needs Army Corps approval to bulldoze White Pine Commerce Park—protected wetlands included—before it can break ground on its CHIPS-backed site.

Nevertheless, two endangered bat species were found in White Pine Commerce Park, Bloomberg reported. The company plans to buy or designate land elsewhere to relocate the winged residents, as per Bloomberg.

Read more

• [News] Micron Ships HBM4 Samples with 1ß Process to Multiple Customers, Reportedly Including NVIDIA
• [News] Micron’s 12hi HBM3e Could Top 8hi Shipments by August, Backed by Strong CSP Buzz

(Photo credit: Micron)