Micron Technology, Inc. is an industry leader in memory and storage solutions.
With a relentless focus on the company’s customers, technology leadership, and manufacturing and operational excellence, Micron delivers a rich portfolio of high-performance DRAM, NAND, and NOR memory and storage products through the company’s Micron and Crucial brands. Every day, the innovations that the company’s people create fuel the data economy, enabling advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and compute-inte...
Micron Technology, Inc. is an industry leader in memory and storage solutions.
With a relentless focus on the company’s customers, technology leadership, and manufacturing and operational excellence, Micron delivers a rich portfolio of high-performance DRAM, NAND, and NOR memory and storage products through the company’s Micron and Crucial brands. Every day, the innovations that the company’s people create fuel the data economy, enabling advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and compute-intensive applications that unleash opportunities — from the data center to the intelligent edge and across the client and mobile user experience.
The company manufactures its products at wholly-owned facilities and also utilize subcontractors for certain manufacturing processes. The company’s global network of manufacturing centers of excellence not only allows the company to benefit from scale while streamlining processes and operations, but it also brings together some of the world’s brightest talent to work on the most advanced memory technology. Centers of excellence bring expertise together in one location, providing an efficient support structure for end-to-end manufacturing, with quicker cycle times, in partnership with teams, such as research and development (‘R&D’), product development, human resources, procurement, and supply chain. For the company’s locations in Singapore and Taiwan, this is also a combination of bringing fabrication and back-end manufacturing together. The company makes significant investments to develop proprietary product and process technology, which generally increases bit density per wafer and reduces per-bit manufacturing costs of each generation of product. The company continues to introduce new generations of products that offer improved performance characteristics, including higher data transfer rates, advanced packaging solutions, lower power consumption, improved read/write reliability, and increased memory density.
Products, Market, and Sales
Product Technologies
The company’s product portfolio of memory and storage solutions, advanced solutions, and storage platforms is based on the company’s high-performance semiconductor memory and storage technologies, including DRAM, NAND, and NOR. The company sells its products through the company’s business units into various markets in numerous forms, including components, modules, SSDs, managed NAND, multi-chip packages, and wafers. Many of the company’s system-level solutions combine NAND, a controller, firmware, and in some cases DRAM.
DRAM: DRAM products are dynamic random access memory semiconductor devices with low latency that provide high-speed data retrieval with a variety of performance characteristics. DRAM products lose content when power is turned off (‘volatile’) and are most commonly used in the data center, client PC, graphics, industrial, and automotive markets.
In 2023, the company began shipping the industry’s first 1ß (1-beta) production node, which offers further improvements in power efficiency and bit density. The majority of the company’s DRAM bit production in 2024 was on leading-edge 1a (1-alpha) and 1ß nodes. The company expects volume shipments in 2025 of the company’s next generation of DRAM, the 1-gamma node, which will employ EUV lithography production.
Double Data Rate (‘DDR’): DDR memory transfers data twice per clock cycle resulting in improved speeds, power efficiency, and storage density. DDR5 is the fifth generation of this technology and offers the critical improvements in bandwidth and power efficiency necessary to meet the growing needs of high-performance computing, AI, and data-intensive applications.
High-Bandwidth Memory (‘HBM’): A 3D stacked DRAM architecture that utilizes through-silicon via (‘TSV’) connections for a more efficient communication between each stack giving it the ability to achieve a higher bandwidth while consuming less power compared to other memory types. This makes it ideal for applications that require high data throughput and energy efficiency, such as AI applications and high-performance computing.
Graphics DRAM (‘GDDR’): High performance memory solution designed for graphics cards, gaming consoles, and high-performance computing applications. GDDR memory is optimized for high-bandwidth workloads encountered by graphics processing units, offering faster data rates and efficient data processing capabilities.
Low-Power DRAM (‘LPDDR’): Engineered for mobile devices and applications requiring low power consumption. LPDDR products generally operate at a lower voltage than standard DRAM products and are beneficial to any power conscious application. The benefits of LPDDR memory are being realized by many market segments, including mobile, PC, automotive, and data center.
NAND: NAND products are non-volatile, re-writeable semiconductor storage devices that provide high-capacity storage with a variety of performance characteristics. NAND is used in SSDs for the data center, client PC, consumer, and automotive markets and in removable storage markets. Managed NAND is used in smartphones and other mobile devices, and in consumer, automotive, and embedded markets. Low-density NAND is ideal for applications like automotive, surveillance, machine-to-machine, automation, printer, and home networking.
In 2022, the company began volume production of 232-layer NAND (‘Micron G8 NAND’), the industry’s first eighth-generation NAND. It features higher areal density and delivers higher capacity and improved energy efficiency over previous generations of the company’s NAND. In 2024, the company began volume production of Micron G9 NAND, representative of the industry's ninth-generation 3D NAND node. Micron G8 and G9 NAND nodes are ramping in high volume and will become an increasing portion of the company’s mix through 2025.
The company’s NAND Flash includes triple-level cell (‘TLC’) and quad-level cell (‘QLC’), each with varying levels of storage density, performance, and endurance. In 2024, the company announced shipments of its densest OEM production QLC NAND, built on this technology, with improved storage density and access times.
In 2024, the company also began shipping Micron G9 TLC based NAND in SSDs designed to deliver the transfer rates required to meet the low-latency and high-throughput needs of data-centric workloads from AI training and machine learning to unstructured databases, self-driving cars, and cloud computing.
Solid State Drives (‘SSDs’): SSD storage products incorporate NAND, a controller, and firmware to offer significant performance and features over hard disk drives, including smaller form factors, faster read and write speeds, higher reliability, and lower power consumption needed to address the growing demands of data-centric workloads, ever-increasing expectations of client users, and the stringent requirements of automotive and industrial applications.
Managed NAND: Managed NAND combines NAND flash with a sophisticated controller and firmware in a single package. This integration allows the memory to manage itself, handling tasks like wear leveling, bad block management, and error correction internally, freeing the host system from these tasks. Products such as embedded MultiMediaCards (‘eMMC’) and universal flash storage (‘UFS’) offer solutions that are compact and reliable making them widely used across the mobile, automotive, and industrial markets.
Multi-Chip Packages (‘MCPs’): Designed to provide high-performance, compact, and efficient memory solutions by integrating multiple types of memory, generally LPDRAM, into a single package. MCPs are used in embedded internet of things (‘IoT’) applications, automotive systems, mobile devices, and industrial devices where space and power efficiency are critical.
NOR: NOR products are non-volatile, re-writable semiconductor memory devices that provide fast read speeds. NOR is most commonly used for reliable code storage (e.g., boot, application, operating system, and execute-in-place code in an embedded system) and for frequently changing small data storage and is ideal for automotive, industrial, and consumer applications.
Products by Business Unit and Market
Compute and Networking Business Unit (‘CNBU’)
CNBU includes memory products and solutions sold into the data center, PC, graphics, and networking markets including HBM, DDR, LPDRAM and GDDR, as well as some emerging memory technologies like compute express link (‘CXL’) and multi-ranked dual in-line memory module (‘MRDIMM’).
Data Center: CNBU sales to the data center end market were driven primarily by server demand across the cloud and enterprise markets and solutions offered to the networking market.
Overall cloud growth continues to be driven by the shift of both infrastructure and workloads from on-premises to the cloud. Cloud-native workloads are drivers of growth through use-cases like intelligent edge devices capable of AI and augmented reality that store and access data in the cloud or rely on the cloud for compute capability. Cloud servers supporting AI and data-centric workloads require significantly increasing quantities of DRAM, including HBM, and NAND as the task of turning data into insight becomes increasingly memory-centric.
In 2024, the company began volume production of its 8-high 24GB HBM3E with increased bandwidth and superior power efficiency enabled by the company’s advanced 1ß process node. This enhanced version of the third generation of HBM delivers faster data rates, improved thermal response, and a higher monolithic die density within the same package footprint as previous generations. The company has also started shipments of production-capable HBM3E 12-high 36GB units to enable qualifications across the AI ecosystem.
As modern servers pack more processing cores into central processing units (‘CPUs’), the memory bandwidth per CPU core has been decreasing. The company’s DDR5 alleviates this bottleneck by providing higher bandwidth compared to previous generations, enabling improved performance and scaling. In 2024, the company qualified and began shipping its 128GB DDR5 server module, built on a monolithic 32Gb DRAM die and powered by the company’s 1ß node. This innovative product provides an industry alternative to existing 3D TSV-based solutions to address the rigorous speed and capacity demands of memory-intensive generative AI applications. The company is leveraging its solutions to pioneer the adoption of LPDDR for servers in the data center. Additionally, the company also announced its 256GB MRDIMM module, which further enhances performance and increases DRAM content per server.
In 2024, networking demand was driven by AI and DDR5 platform deployments in data center networking and increasing data transfer requirements across multiple industries.
PC: The company’s products sold to the client PC market support both commercial and consumer PC unit growth. The next generation PCs that have been announced contain high-performance neural processing chipsets, as well as AI. The company expects these devices will have significantly more DRAM content than today’s average PC.
As AI use cases proliferate to PCs, performance of the memory subsystem becomes more critical. In 2024, the company announced the low-power compression-attached memory module to deliver the required performance to process AI workloads on PCs and provide the potential to scale to applications needing a high performance and low power solution in a compact and modular form factor.
Graphics: The graphics market is driven by the need for high-performance and HBM solutions. The company’s GDDR6 and GDDR6X DRAM graphics products are incorporated into gaming consoles, PC graphics cards, and graphics processing unit-based data center solutions, which are the driving force behind applications such as AI, virtual and augmented reality, 4K and 8K gaming, and professional design.
In 2024, the company announced its next generation GDDR7 graphics memory which delivers high-performance memory in a power-optimized design. Built on the company’s 1ß node, GDDR7 is the next generation of GDDR memory to advance user experience in graphics and gaming. The addition of GDDR7 completes the company’s industry-leading product portfolio for AI inference applications on CPUs, neural processing units, and graphics processing units.
CNBU sales to the data center, PC, and graphics markets in 2024 primarily consisted of the company’s HBM, DDR5 and DDR4, LPDDR5, and GDDR6 DRAM products.
Mobile Business Unit (‘MBU’)
MBU includes memory and storage products sold into the smartphone and other mobile-device markets, including discrete NAND, DRAM, and managed NAND products. MBU offers a comprehensive portfolio of MCPs and managed NAND, including products which combine eMMC/UFS solutions with LPDRAM, along with a suite of unique firmware features designed for next-generation smartphones and to accelerate AI applications in the mobile market.
The proliferation of smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices continues to increase the demand for memory chips. These devices require high-performance memory to support various applications, from gaming to productivity. Smartphones offer tremendous potential for personalized AI capabilities that offer greater security and responsiveness when executed on the device. Enabling these on-device AI capabilities is driving increased memory and storage capacity needs and increasing demand for new value-add solutions.
In 2024, the company announced its second generation of NAND UFS 4.0 devices, which offer a more compact package size and increased power efficiency to provide design manufacturers more room and power needed for next generation smartphone designs. The company also began sampling its next generation of low power smartphone DRAM, built on the company’s 1ß node. The LPDDR5X provides peak bandwidth data transfer that is critical for enabling AI at the intelligent edge. This advanced memory technology is designed for high-end and flagship smartphones where its high bandwidth and power efficiency are crucial for delivering top-tier performance.
MBU sales to the mobile market in 2024 primarily consisted of LPDDR5 and LPDDR4 DRAM and managed NAND solutions.
Embedded Business Unit (‘EBU’)
EBU includes memory and storage products and solutions sold into the intelligent edge through the automotive, industrial, and consumer embedded markets including discrete and module DRAM, discrete NAND, managed NAND, SSDs, and NOR. The intelligent edge refers to the continually growing set of connected systems and devices where data is analyzed and aggregated closest to where it is captured. Intelligent devices, those using AI for inference at the edge, are now more self-contained and do not need to connect to the cloud to run their algorithms.
Automotive: Advancements in autonomous driving, advanced driver-assistance systems, and in-vehicle infotainment systems continue to increase the requirements for high-performing memory and storage products, with higher reliability requirements for leading-edge products. Automotive memory and storage products enable connected, advanced infotainment systems with increasingly larger and higher definition displays and support improved voice and gesture control. Adoption of Level 2+ advanced driver-assistance systems capabilities continue to gain momentum, further expanding content per vehicle. The company’s products enable increasingly advanced vision and sensor based automated systems to support driver assistance solutions and vehicle safety. In 2024, the company qualified its automotive LPDDR5X, UFS 3.1, and NOR flash storage solutions for a comprehensive set of cloud-connected platforms designed for power data-rich, intelligent automotive services.
Industrial: The demand for industrial memory is being fueled by the increasing adoption of IoT devices, automation in manufacturing, machine-to-machine communication, transportation, surveillance, retail, and smart infrastructure. The need for reliable and high-performance memory solutions in these applications is critical.
Consumer embedded: Embedded memory and storage solutions are used in a diverse set of consumer products, including service provider and IP set-top boxes, digital home assistants, digital still and video cameras, home networking, ultra-high-definition televisions, augmented reality and virtual reality headsets, and many more applications. The company’s embedded memory and storage solutions enable intelligent edge devices in the consumer products market to store, connect, and transform information in the IoT.
EBU sales to the automotive, industrial, and consumer embedded markets in 2024 primarily consisted of LPDDR5 and LPDDR4 DRAM, DDR4 and DDR3 DRAM, and managed NAND.
Storage Business Unit (‘SBU’)
SBU includes SSDs and component-level storage solutions sold into the data center, PC, and consumer markets. The data center market includes enterprise and cloud SSDs and enterprise NAND components while the PC market consists of client SSDs. Additionally, SBU sales include NAND components and the company’s Crucial-branded SSDs sold to the consumer market.
Data Center: The growing use of cloud computing and big data analytics is fueling the demand for high performance storage in data centers. Applications such as machine learning servers require fast access to data with low latency, predictable performance, and high storage capacities. The company’s 6500 30TB SSDs features high performance, reliability, and endurance for AI data lake applications. In 2024, the company began sampling its 9550 series SSD to meet the growing demands of AI, high-performance computing, and many other workloads. This fully integrated solution enables improved performance, power efficiency, and security features for data center operators.
PC: The next generation PCs contain high-performance neural processing chipsets as well as AI capabilities and require higher performance and higher average capacity SSDs than traditional PCs. The company’s client SSDs, targeted for leading personal computer OEMs, have mostly replaced hard disk drives used in notebooks, desktops, workstations, and other consumer applications, and deliver high performance, power efficiency, security, and capacity. In 2024, the company expanded its technology portfolio with the 3500 NVMe SSD, the company’s first performance client SSD built on Micron G8 NAND. This original SSD will help the company’s customers handle demanding workloads for business applications, scientific computing, gaming, and content creation.
SBU sales to the data center SSD and PC markets in 2024 primarily consisted of the company’s 2400, 5400, 6500 ION, 7450, 7500, and 9400 series SSDs, as well as component NAND sales of QLC and TLC.
Marketing and Customers
The company seeks to build collaborative relationships with the company’s customers to understand their unique opportunities and challenges. By engaging with the company’s customers early in the product life-cycle to identify and design features and performance characteristics into the company’s products, the company is able to manufacture products that anticipate and address the company’s customers’ changing needs. Collaborating with the company’s customers on their design needs in changing end markets and meeting their timelines for qualifying new products allows the company to differentiate its memory and storage solutions, which provides greater value to the company’s customers.
The company’s semiconductor memory and storage products are offered under the company’s Micron and Crucial brand names and through private labels. The company markets its semiconductor memory and storage products primarily through the company’s own direct sales force and maintain sales or representative offices to support the company’s worldwide customer base. The company’s products are also offered through distributors, retailers, and independent sales representatives. The company’s distributors carry its products in inventory and typically sell a variety of other semiconductor products, including the company’s competitors’ products. The company’s independent sales representatives obtain orders, subject to final acceptance by the company, and the company then makes shipments against these orders directly to customers or through the company’s distributors. The company sells its Crucial-branded products through a web-based customer-direct sales channel as well as through channel and distribution partners. The company maintains inventory at locations in close proximity to certain key customers to facilitate rapid delivery of products.
Competition
The company faces intense competition in the semiconductor memory and storage markets from a number of companies, including Kioxia Holdings Corporation; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; SK hynix Inc.; and Western Digital Corporation.
In particular, the company faces the threat of increasing competition as a result of significant investment in the semiconductor industry by the Chinese government and various state-owned or affiliated entities, in companies such as Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., Ltd. (‘YMTC’) and ChangXin Memory Technologies, Inc. (‘CXMT’).
Patents and Licenses
As of August 29, 2024, the company owned approximately 14,500 active U.S. patents and 7,000 active foreign patents. In addition, the company has thousands of U.S. and foreign patent applications pending. The company’s patents have various terms expiring through 2043.
Government Regulations
Sales of the company’s memory and storage products, and the transfer of related technical information and know-how, including support, are subject to laws and regulations governing international trade, including, but not limited to, export control, customs, and sanctions regulations administered by U.S. government agencies such as the Bureau of Industry and Security (‘BIS’) of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Office of Foreign Asset Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Other jurisdictions, such as the European Union or China, also maintain, or may implement, similar laws and regulations with which the company must comply.
History
Micron Technology, Inc. was founded in 1978. The company was incorporated in 1984.
