Micron Breaks Ground in Hiroshima: 1.5 Trillion Yen for AI-Era Memory
- Micron Memory Japan held a groundbreaking for a new Hiroshima cleanroom
- Total Hiroshima investment including the new build reaches 1.5 trillion yen
- Equipment move-in is slated for the second half of 2028
- AI memory demand is the new engine of Japan's chip investment
The next pillar of Japan's semiconductor revival just broke ground in Hiroshima. Micron began construction of a new cleanroom to expand its plant for AI-driven memory demand, with equipment installation from late 2028 and total local investment of 1.5 trillion yen.
Hiroshima is one of Japan's only leading-edge DRAM sites, aimed at the HBM generations AI servers require—forming, with TSMC Kumamoto and Rapidus Hokkaido, the three pillars of Japan's chip map, all backed by METI subsidies. Regionally, expect a Kumamoto-style effect: construction demand, high-wage jobs, and rising land and housing prices around a new semiconductor castle town. For Taiwan's equipment and materials suppliers, Micron's buildout is direct order flow—and the 2028 move-in date lands squarely in the next memory supply-demand debate.