DURING a press conference on Nov 30, it was announced by the Penang state government that Micron Technology, Inc. – an industry leader in memory and storage solutions – will be building a new centre of excellence for Solid State Drive (SSD) Assembly and Test at the Batu Kawan Industrial Park which is expected to provide 1,000 job opportunities.
Representing Micron at the investment announcement ceremony were its Senior Vice President for Global Back-End Operations Gursharan Singh and Singapore Legal director Amrinder Sidhu.
According to the company’s roadmap, Micron aims to break ground for the new facility costing RM1.5 billion in the first half of calendar 2019 and achieve full ramp-up in two years.
“We welcome Micron, a Fortune 500 company, to our family in Penang. This further reinforces the position of Penang as the Silicon Island of Asia. As a family member, we assure Micron of the state’s support and commitment to assist in its continued growth in Penang, where many E&E MNCs have successfully celebrated their 45th anniversaries,” Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said in his welcoming remarks.
“State agencies such as investPenang and Penang Development Corporation have also worked closely with Micron to facilitate their site selection process to establish their centre of excellence here in Penang,” he added.
This investment by Micron will serve to enhance local education through collaboration with universities for R&D in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics while sparking a passion in the next generation of scientists and engineers. Such activities will also contribute towards advancing skills and capabilities in applying new technology, industrial skills and professional know-how.
“Micron’s expansion in Malaysia (as Micron Memory Malaysia) supports our strategy to build a scalable, agile and well-positioned global capacity model in Malaysia and Singapore while ensuring a continued focus on better servicing customers and attracting and retaining the highest quality talent,” noted Gursharan.
Also present were state exco members Zairil Khir Johari, Phee Boon Poh, Jagdeep Singh and Yeoh Soon Hin, Penang Development Corporation general manager Datuk Rosli Jaafar, Special Investment Advisor to the Chief Minister and investPenang director Datuk Seri Lee Kah Choon and investPenang CEO Datuk Loo Lee Lian.
Story by Victor Seow
Pix by Law Suun Ting
Video by Alissala Thian