Micron announced that it has started production of 1α (1-alpha) DRAM at its facility in Manassas, Virginia. This step enables the company to bring its most advanced DDR4 compatible manufacturing technology to US soil for the first time.

The investment, worth more than $2 billion, is supported by $275 million in CHIPS and Science Act funding. While the facility is aimed to quadruple its DDR4 plate production capacity, production is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Solution to the contraction in DDR4 supply

Micron is the sole memory manufacturer in the United States, and its Manassas facility primarily serves the automotive, defense, aerospace and industrial sectors. DDR4 supply is unexpectedly shrinking as other manufacturers in the industry shift their capacities to new generation technologies such as DDR5 and HBM.

As DDR4 memories reached the end of their useful life, industries with long work cycles were especially at risk. According to S&P Global Mobility information, it is claimed that automotive DRAM contract prices may increase by 70% to 100% in 2026 compared to 2025.

Production strategy and future plans

The 1α process offers approximately 40% higher bit density than the previous 1z node and stands out as the first DRAM technology to reach sub-15nm cell sizes. In this process, Micron prefers the DUV lithography method instead of the more costly EUV tools.

The plant in Virginia is part of the company’s $200 billion broader US investment plan. While the foundations of the new production complex in New York are being laid, the new facility in Idaho is planned to start production in mid-2027.

Micron aims to add HBM advanced packaging capabilities to its Virginia site once sufficient DRAM capacity is achieved at other US facilities. All these investments are expected to create a total of 90 thousand direct and indirect jobs.

Do you think this move by Micron will be enough to reduce the dependence on old generation memory technologies?