The largest memory chip manufacturer in the United States, Micron said on Wednesday local time that as governments around the world scramble to bring important semiconductor production to the country, it will invest $150 billion in chip manufacturing and research and development in the next ten years.

According to the Nikkei Asian Review, Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said in a statement that memory is at the forefront of semiconductor manufacturing and can power feature-rich 5G smartphones and cloud computing that supports artificial intelligence. Micron looks forward to cooperating with governments around the world, including the United States.

Micron also pointed out that financial support, including tax credits, will be a key factor in deciding where to invest. Manufacturing costs in the United States are 35-45% higher than those in countries with mature chip supply chains.

It is understood that Micron has manufacturing bases in the United States, Taiwan, Japan, and Singapore, and has chip packaging plants in mainland China and Malaysia. The company’s most important DRAM production base is in Taiwan, and its most important flash memory production base is in Singapore. Both DRAM and flash memory chips are necessary for smartphones, data centers, computers, automobiles, and countless other products.

Recently, it was reported that Micron plans to invest 800 billion yen (approximately US$7 billion) due to its optimistic view of mid-to-long-term demand, to build a new advanced DRAM factory near its factory in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It is expected to start mass production in 2024.

In response to the news, Micron said that we are evaluating the location of the factory and contacting governments in many countries around the world, and will provide the latest information. However, we have not yet finalized any investment plans, including investments speculated by the media.