[News] U.S. Commerce Secretary Lutnick Reportedly to Attend Micron’s $100B Clay Fab Groundbreaking

With Micron setting its groundbreaking for the massive Clay, New York, chipmaking complex on January 16, syracuse.com reports that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick—whose department will oversee up to $20 billion in federal subsidies—is slated to attend the ceremony, alongside Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra and politicians.

Lutnick’s attendance highlights the stakes: as the report explains, federal support for Micron comes via the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. Last summer, a Trump-era budget bill boosted tax credits for the two Clay fabs from about $12 billion to $17 billion, and the project also qualifies for roughly $3 billion in CHIPS Act grants, the report adds.

Adding to the momentum, syracuse.com notes that the Clay Planning Board unanimously approved Micron’s semiconductor plant plan on Wednesday night—just two days before the groundbreaking of the $100 billion project. As the report reveals, the U.S. memory giant has been eager to begin site preparation for the first two fabrication facilities in New York, with tree removal scheduled before the end of March to avoid interfering with the nesting season of the endangered Indiana bat.

Micron says that with up to four fabs, the Clay complex will become the largest semiconductor facility in the U.S. According to syracuse.com, the total investment of $100 billion will fund a phased rollout: the first factory is slated to open in 2030, the second in 2033, and the fourth by 2045, ultimately supporting 9,000 jobs when fully completed.

However, Micron’s Idaho fab will come online before the Clay facilities, with the first Idaho plant having reached key construction milestones and DRAM production scheduled for 2027, while the second Idaho fab is expected to start operations ahead of the first New York site.

While Micron’s HBM production is currently concentrated in Asia, the Idaho and Clay fabs are set to bring full-scale HBM manufacturing to the U.S., aiming to meet the surge in AI-driven demand.

Read more

• [News] Micron Reportedly Sees Memory Crunch Through 2028; OEMs Keep Consumer Reach Despite Crucial Exit
• [News] Micron to Break Ground on U.S.’s Largest Chip Plant in New York on Jan. 16 After Years of Delays

(Photo credit: Micron)