Micron Technology, Inc. is a multinational semiconductor company headquartered in Boise, Idaho, in the United States. Founded in 1978, it develops and manufactures memory and storage products, principally dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), NAND flash memory, and solid-state drives (SSDs). Its products serve markets ranging from personal computers and smartphones to data centers, automobiles, and industrial equipment. The company trades on Nasdaq under the symbol MU. (sec.gov)
History
Micron began in 1978 as a four-person semiconductor-design business operating from the basement of a dental office in Boise. Construction of its first fabrication plant began in 1980, and the company shipped its first 64-kilobit DRAM product in 1981. It became publicly traded in 1984, the same year it introduced a smaller-die 256-kilobit DRAM product. These early developments established its focus on memory manufacturing during the expansion of the personal-computer industry. (micron.com)
Acquisitions subsequently expanded Micron’s manufacturing footprint and technology portfolio:
- 1998: Micron purchased Texas Instruments’ worldwide memory operations, substantially enlarging its memory business. (micron.com)
- 2010: It completed the acquisition of Numonyx, adding a business with NOR flash and other nonvolatile-memory technologies. (sec.gov)
- 2013: It acquired Elpida Memory and purchased an additional stake in Rexchip Electronics. These transactions expanded its DRAM operations in Japan and Taiwan. (sec.gov)
Products and technologies
Micron’s portfolio spans working memory, persistent storage, and packages combining multiple memory devices. These products occupy different positions in a computer’s memory hierarchy rather than serving as interchangeable forms of storage. (micron.com)
DRAM
Dynamic random-access memory provides fast working storage for active programs and data. It is volatile: stored information is lost when power is removed. Micron supplies DRAM components and modules for servers, client computers, mobile devices, graphics systems, and automotive applications. Its portfolio includes DDR-family products and low-power DRAM. (micron.com)
High-bandwidth memory
High-bandwidth memory (HBM) is a specialized form of stacked DRAM. Multiple memory dies are vertically interconnected, including through-silicon vias, to provide a wide interface and high data-transfer bandwidth. The architecture is used in advanced computing systems, particularly alongside accelerators for artificial intelligence. Its construction requires precision stacking, interconnection, and packaging processes beyond those of conventional side-by-side memory arrangements. (micron.com)
HBM remains a type of working memory, not a replacement for persistent flash storage. Micron’s data-center portfolio also includes conventional server DRAM and SSDs, which serve distinct capacity, bandwidth, and persistence requirements. (micron.com)
Flash memory and solid-state drives
NAND flash memory retains information without continuous power and is used in SSDs and other storage devices. Micron produces NAND components, managed storage products, and solid-state drives for data-center and client-computing applications. It also supplies NOR flash and multichip packages. (micron.com)
An SSD is a complete storage system rather than simply a NAND chip. For some product families, Micron develops the NAND, controller, DRAM, and firmware within its own organization, integrating these elements into finished drives. (investors.micron.com)
Manufacturing and research
Micron combines product design, research and development, wafer fabrication, assembly, and testing. Its manufacturing network is international: its 2025 annual report identified wafer-fabrication operations in Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and the United States, together with assembly and testing operations in several other countries. Not every facility performs every stage of production. (investors.micron.com)
The company has undertaken major expansion projects in the United States. Its Idaho plans place new high-volume memory fabs alongside existing research operations in Boise; the first new fab’s DRAM output is scheduled to begin in 2027. In New York, Micron announced in January 2026 that environmental review and permit approvals had positioned its Clay project to begin ground preparation and construction. These are multiyear development programs, not descriptions of already-installed production capacity. (micron.com)
Customers and brands
Micron sells components, modules, and finished storage products into computing, mobile, automotive, and industrial markets. Its role therefore extends beyond products purchased directly by individual consumers: memory chips can reach users as parts of systems manufactured by other companies. (sec.gov)
Crucial was Micron’s consumer-facing brand for memory and storage upgrades. On December 3, 2025, Micron announced that it would exit the Crucial consumer business, with consumer-channel shipments continuing through February 2026. The announcement retained warranty service and support and stated that Micron-branded enterprise products would continue. The decision concerned the Crucial retail business, rather than the discontinuation of all Micron components used in consumer devices. (globenewswire.com)
Competition and business risks
Micron competes with other large memory manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Memory production requires substantial capital investment, continuing process development, and successful transitions to new product generations. Profitability is sensitive to selling prices, manufacturing costs, customer demand, and the balance between industry supply and demand. (sec.gov)
Its international supply chain also creates exposure to trade restrictions, regulatory decisions, and disruptions affecting production or customer access. On May 21, 2023, China’s Cyberspace Administration announced that Micron products had failed its cybersecurity review and directed operators of critical information infrastructure in China to stop purchasing them. The announced restriction applied to those operators; it was not a general prohibition on every sale of Micron products in China. (sec.gov)
References
- Micron Technology, Inc. Form 10-K for Fiscal 2025sec.gov
- Company timelinemicron.com
- Micron Technology Completes Acquisition of Numonyxsec.gov
- Micron and Elpida Announce Closing of Acquisitionsec.gov
- Productsmicron.com
- Data center memorymicron.com
- High-bandwidth memory (HBM)micron.com
- HBM4in.micron.com
- AI data centermicron.com