Micron Technology

In October 2024, Micron received $6.1 billion in grants from the US CHIPS and Science Act to support construction of semiconductor fabrication facilities in Clay, New York and Boise, Idaho. The New York facility represents up to $100 billion in investment over 20+ years and is expected to create over 70,000 jobs. The investment supports domestic semiconductor manufacturing and reduces dependence on foreign chip production.

Micron's planned Clay, New York fabrication plant would require 48 million gallons of water per day -- double initial estimates and exceeding the entire city of Syracuse's daily usage (40 million gallons). Requires a new 54-inch diameter pipeline costing potentially $100 million. Wastewater treatment plant estimated at $1.4-2.6 billion. Environmental review was 20,000 pages with only 45 days and one public hearing for comment.

In May 2023, China's Cyberspace Administration concluded a cybersecurity review and banned Micron products from being used in critical national infrastructure, citing 'serious network security risks.' The ban was widely seen as retaliation for US chip export controls on China. Micron estimated the ban could reduce its total revenue by mid-single-digit percentages.

In November 2018, the US DOJ indicted Chinese state-backed Fujian Jinhua and Taiwan's UMC for conspiring to steal trade secrets from Micron Technology worth up to $8.75 billion. UMC engineers recruited from Micron allegedly took DRAM manufacturing secrets. The US subsequently placed Fujian Jinhua on the Entity List, effectively cutting it off from US technology. Micron was the victim of state-sponsored industrial espionage.

Between July 1998 and June 2002, five DRAM manufacturers including Micron, Hynix, Infineon, Samsung, and Elpida participated in an international price-fixing conspiracy. Micron received immunity from the DOJ for being the whistleblower that exposed the cartel. Other participants paid hundreds of millions in fines and executives served prison time.