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CASE STUDY: MICRON

by Ron Starner

Micron HQ and fab in Boise, Idaho.
Photos courtesy of Micron Technology Inc.

Micron Pushes All Chips in On Workforce Development

Across its global network of semiconductor manufacturing investments, Boise, Idaho-based Micron Technology Inc. is making substantial investments into workforce development — and many of these investments go well beyond the cleanroom.

For example, on May 21, 2024, the memory chip maker announced that it would partner with GlobalFoundries, the U.S. National Science Foundation and other leaders in industry, government and education to expand access to opportunities and meet the increasing demanding for semiconductor workers in America.

The ceremonial signing of this agreement took place in Atlanta, Georgia, where Micron officially launched its Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Semiconductor Network, a unique partnership with 15 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) and Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander-serving institutions (AANAPISIs) to train the next generation of STEM workers.

Micron and the Micron Foundation have long supported these institutions through such initiatives as the Micron-Norfolk State University Nanofabrication Cleanroom, creating the Micron Academy of Inclusive Leadership programs at Spelman College and backing experiential learning programs at Northern Arizona University and Howard University. This is just one reason why Micron has been named as a Top Supporter of HBCU Engineering Schools for five consecutive years.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently applauded Micron for its ongoing investment in Virginia HBCUs to bolster STEM education among minority students. “Micron has been a valuable corporate partner to Virginia’s education system, with a long history of investing in Virginia’s HBCUs, including their support of the Micron-Norfolk State University Nanofabrication Cleanroom,” Youngkin said. “Private sector leadership is critical to bringing STEM opportunities and innovation to our higher education institutions, and Micron’s latest announcement is another demonstration of its commitment to expanding opportunity, increasing access and embracing innovation in Virginia.”

Serving Hampton Roads & Beyond
The NSU Cleanroom in Norfolk is a 6,000-sq.-ft. facility housed in the Marie V. McDemmond Center for Applied Research (MCAR) building on campus in southeast Virginia. It is a Class 100 certified cleanroom facility that offers unique processing capabilities to researchers at NSU and throughout the Hampton Roads area. It will also act as an incubator for entrepreneurial enterprises that support economic development throughout the region and the country.

The facility provides critical workforce training in nanotechnology and other aspects of semiconductor research, development and manufacturing. It also offers specialized tool sets and technical support for people who work in the industry. NSU faculty, post-doctoral research fellows, graduate and undergraduate students at NSU, and researchers at NASA Langley and Jefferson National Laboratory also have access to these facilities.

Students and other adults trained at these facilities will have opportunities to work at new Micron cleanroom operations in Virginia. Micron is in the middle of an ongoing $3 billion investment to expand its chipmaking capabilities in Manassas in Northern Virginia. Upon completion, the company will have created 100,000 sq. ft. of additional space and added 1,100 new high-skilled, high-wage jobs at its Manassas plant.

Senior executives at Micron have told Site Selection magazine that they are committed to supporting these and other workforce development initiatives as part of their long-term strategy to staff the large investments they are making into new fabrication facilities in New York, Idaho and Virginia. In the Syracuse area of Upstate New York, Micron is building a $100 billion semiconductor manufacturing complex that will become the largest such fab campus in the world. The company is also expanding its flagship Boise campus with an additional investment of $15 billion.

In an extended 2023 conversation with Site Selection Editor in Chief Adam Bruns, Scott Gatzemeier, corporate vice president of front-end U.S. expansion for Micron, said: “We’ve looked at our New York investment as an opportunity to rewrite the playbook on how the public sector and the private sector can partner with early childhood, K-12 and higher education institutions, community organizations and government leaders to build a successful project that brings multiple benefits to a community. The Community Investment Framework defines the shared values Micron and Empire State Development have identified as priorities for ensuring we build and prepare the workforce of the future … This is an historic $500 million investment focused on supporting workforce development, education, community assets and organizations, and affordable housing, as well as other initiatives that ensure the Central New York workforce will have the advanced skills needed to sustain leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing.”

Micron campus in Manassas, Virginia.

Photo courtesy of NSU

Child Care Center Meets a Need
Micron is also committing substantial dollars to establish a child care center at its new plant in Boise to further help its workforce meet contemporary challenges. Micron broke ground in May 2023 on the center located next to its corporate headquarters and future memory fab in Boise. The Treasure Valley Family YMCA will run the child care center and provide STEM-based programming.

“I am proud of Micron’s comprehensive approach to workforce development and our work to make child care accessible and affordable for our employees,” said April Arnzen, senior vice president, chief people officer and president of the Micron Foundation, at the groundbreaking of the new child care center. “We recognize that there are systemic barriers to workforce entry and re-entry, including child care services, which is why we are focused on providing child care options that support and expand the workforce and benefit the broader community.”

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin
Photo courtesy of Virginia Governor’s Office

Arnzen says it’s important for Micron to support such initiatives not just for Micron’s sake, but for the communities the company serves. “Micron’s investments in U.S. expansion are about much more than building fabs,” she said in May 2024 while announcing the MSI Semiconductor Network. “We’re investing in people and in partnerships to expose learners from every background to opportunities they may not otherwise have without support. We are honored to see initiatives like Micron’s MSI Semiconductor Network, which are at the forefront of our industry’s efforts to prepare the semiconductor workforce and research ecosystem to meet the growing demand for talent, recognized by government leaders in the U.S. and globally.”