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Exclusive: Micron to announce memory chip manufacturing investment in Singapore

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U.S. memory chipmaker Micron Technology is set to announce a new investment to expand memory chip manufacturing capacity in Singapore, according to sources familiar with the matter. The move comes as global industries face an acute shortage of memory chips driven by rapid expansion in artificial intelligence infrastructure and growing demand from consumer electronics.

Sources said the announcement could come as soon as Tuesday, with at least part of the investment expected to focus on NAND flash memory. Micron already has a significant manufacturing presence in Singapore, where it produces nearly all of its flash memory chips. The company is also building a $7 billion advanced packaging plant for high-bandwidth memory used in AI chips, which is scheduled to begin production in 2027.

The investment reflects intensifying competition among major memory producers as supply struggles to keep pace with demand. Rivals including Samsung and SK Hynix have announced new production lines and accelerated factory timelines, yet analysts warn the global memory shortfall could persist until late 2027.

Micron has also been exploring ways to boost output elsewhere. The company recently said it was in talks to acquire a fabrication site in Taiwan to expand DRAM wafer production, underscoring the scale of investment required to stabilize the memory market amid the AI boom.

China’s CXMT eyes $4.2 billion Shanghai listing to fund DRAM expansion

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China’s leading dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) said on Tuesday it plans to raise 29.5 billion yuan ($4.22 billion) through an initial public offering in Shanghai, as it seeks to expand production and narrow the gap with global rivals.

According to its prospectus, CXMT will issue 10.6 billion shares, with proceeds earmarked primarily for upgrading production lines, improving manufacturing technologies and boosting research and development of advanced DRAM products. The listing follows the company’s unveiling last month of its latest DDR5 DRAM chips, directly challenging established competitors in South Korea and the United States.

Founded in 2016 with strong state backing, CXMT has become a cornerstone of China’s ambition to build a domestic memory chip industry. The global DRAM market is currently dominated by Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron Technology, which together control more than 90% of the market. CXMT held around a 4% global market share in the second quarter, according to data from Omdia cited in the prospectus.

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The company operates three 12-inch DRAM fabrication plants in Beijing and at its headquarters in Hefei, Anhui province. After nine funding rounds, CXMT counts major Chinese investors such as Alibaba and Xiaomi, and has developed four generations of DRAM technology.

CXMT is also investing heavily in high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a specialised form of DRAM essential for advanced processors such as Nvidia’s graphics processing units used in generative AI. The company plans to begin HBM production by the end of 2026 at a back-end packaging facility under construction in Shanghai.

Financially, CXMT expects strong growth. It projects revenue could rise by as much as 140% year-on-year in 2025, driven by higher memory prices and increased sales volumes since July. While the company has posted heavy losses in recent years, it said it could turn profitable as early as 2026, depending on wafer shipments and average selling prices. CXMT reported losses of 8.32 billion yuan in 2022, 16.3 billion yuan in 2023 and 7.1 billion yuan in 2024, and recorded a 2.3-billion-yuan loss in the first half of this year.

Samsung forecasts best profit in three years amid AI-driven chip boom

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Samsung Electronics said it expects its largest quarterly profit since 2022, as a global surge in demand for AI and memory chips pushes prices higher and tightens supply. The South Korean tech giant estimated an operating profit of 12.1 trillion won ($8.5 billion) for the July–September quarter, up 32% year-on-year and well above the 10.1 trillion won expected by analysts. This marks Samsung’s best performance in 13 quarters.

Analysts said the surprise earnings were powered by strong demand for commodity memory chips, used in data centre servers, which offset slower-than-expected progress in the company’s high bandwidth memory (HBM) chip sales to Nvidia. Despite slipping 0.5% in morning trade after an early rally, Samsung’s stock has risen around 75% this year, reflecting investor confidence in its chip rebound.

Experts noted that reduced inventories and stronger DRAM and NAND prices have given Samsung an edge. “Samsung is a big beneficiary of growing demand for commodity chips,” said Sohn In-joon from Heungkuk Securities. Meanwhile, narrower losses at its foundry unit helped ease cost pressures.

The company also expects revenue to hit a record 86 trillion won, up 8.7% year-on-year, aided by a weaker won. However, analysts warned that trade tensions between the U.S. and China, potential U.S. tariffs, and China’s export controls on rare earth materials could cloud future performance.

Samsung plans to release full quarterly results on October 30 and has reportedly introduced a stock-based incentive plan for all South Korean employees to align performance with company growth.