Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of US semiconductor company Micron Technology, recently stated in a solo interview with Tokyo Television in Tokyo, Japan, that he will "strengthen research and development and production capabilities in Japan" for next-generation semiconductor memory for generative AI. This is the first time Micron has officially announced plans to expand its production of semiconductors for generative AI in Japan.

For generative AI development, HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) semiconductor memory, essential for high-speed, large-capacity data processing, is essential. Micron plans to expand HBM production in Japan to meet the growing demand for generative AI. Mehrotra said, "We have started designing at the research and development base in Sagamihara and production at the manufacturing plant in Hiroshima Prefecture," adding, "Production in 2024 is already fully booked, and almost all of the 2025 production has been allocated. We will strengthen our development and manufacturing capabilities in Japan. I am very much looking forward to it."

Micron announced last year that it plans to invest 500 billion yen in Japan for the production of next-generation semiconductor memory, but in this interview, it did not mention whether it would increase the investment amount. Instead, he hinted that additional support from the Japanese government could be a condition for further investment, saying, "Future investment requirements will definitely need strong government support. Otherwise, we will not be able to achieve global competitiveness." The Japanese government decided last year to provide up to 192 billion yen to support Micron's Hiroshima plant facility investment, but a government official said in response to Tokyo Television's reporting, "We will consider the support necessary to improve AI semiconductor memory production capacity in the future."

Micron's expansion of HBM production in Japan coincides with the Japanese government's active policy of fostering the semiconductor industry. The Japanese government has made the semiconductor industry a key pillar of its national growth strategy and is actively supporting investment to strengthen domestic production bases. In particular, it is working to expand domestic production of high-performance semiconductors essential for future growth industries such as AI, data centers, and automobiles, and Micron's investment is expected to bolster the Japanese government's policy.

Meanwhile, the US government passed the CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS Plus Act) in August 2022 to foster its domestic semiconductor industry. The law decided to invest approximately $200 billion in federal agency basic research and approximately $52.7 billion in strengthening domestic semiconductor manufacturing capabilities over the next five years. This is a long-term competition against China.

The US government aims to expand domestic semiconductor production, support related technology development, and strengthen the global semiconductor supply chain through the CHIPS program. The CHIPS program is expected to play a key role in strengthening the domestic semiconductor production base in the United States and securing US economic security.

Micron's expansion of HBM production in Japan, combined with semiconductor industry promotion policies by the US and Japanese governments, is highly likely to change the landscape of the semiconductor industry in the future. It remains to be seen how Micron's investment in Japan will proceed and what kind of support the Japanese government will provide.