TOKYO — Japan is accelerating efforts to expand production of advanced high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips as the government and industry respond to surging global demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure, with new investments and public support aimed at strengthening the country's role in the semiconductor supply chain.
The latest step came as U.S. memory chipmaker Micron Technology broke ground on a new production facility at its Hiroshima site, where the company plans to manufacture next-generation HBM devices used in AI accelerators. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has approved subsidies of up to 500 billion yen ($3.4 billion) to support the expansion, according to government officials.
Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa, who attended the groundbreaking ceremony, said maintaining a stable supply of advanced semiconductors was "extremely important" and indicated the government would continue supporting strategic investments in the sector. According to the ministry and Micron, mass production of next-generation HBM is expected to begin around 2028.
The investment forms part of a broader strategy by Japan to rebuild its semiconductor manufacturing base after decades of declining global market share. Policymakers have identified advanced memory technologies as a critical component of AI computing, where demand has risen sharply as cloud providers and technology companies expand data-center capacity.
Japan-based Kioxia has also accelerated development of memory products aimed at AI applications. The company recently began shipping samples of its latest-generation 332-layer BiCS flash memory chips for AI data centers and plans mass production at its Kitakami manufacturing complex, highlighting growing domestic investment across multiple memory technologies.
The global AI boom has intensified competition among memory manufacturers, with HBM becoming an essential component for graphics processors used to train and deploy large AI models. Analysts say demand continues to outpace supply, prompting manufacturers in Japan, South Korea and the United States to expand production capacity while governments increase support for strategic semiconductor investments.
Micron's Hiroshima expansion is expected to complement similar investments at facilities in the United States as the company seeks to address sustained AI-driven demand. Japanese officials have said continued cooperation with international chipmakers is intended to improve supply-chain resilience while reinforcing the country's position in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
