Micron broke ground on a new fab Wednesday that will output 3D NAND memory for devices in 2020. The construction is on the Singapore Micron campus where the company has a significant footprint already. This is the third phase of expansion for Fab 10, with the first two already producing most of the company's 3D NAND wafers.
Phase 3 construction should be completed by Q2 2019, with the first wafers rolling off the lines by Q4 2019. Volume production will not start until 2020. The company will be far beyond the 64-layer memory in production today but did not say what process will come from the new facility.
IMFT (Intel Micron Flash Technology) produced 17.1% of global flash production in 2017, according to DRAMexchange. The numbers put IMFT in third place behind Toshiba/Western Digital (34.4%) and Samsung (36.9%). Following the next generation past 64L, Intel and Micron will part ways, leaving both companies trailing SK Hynix (11.6%). Samsung has already announced intentions of doubling output of 3D NAND wafers from China by 2020. Current production is estimated to be 110,000 300mm wafers. Toshiba/Western Digital also have plans to increase production with new manufacturing in Japan.
Micron hired around 7,500 people in Singapore with a projected growth of another 1,000 with the new fab and additional R&D investments.
