Micron’s approximately $200 billion broader U.S. expansion vision includes two leading-edge high-volume fabs in Idaho, up to four leading-edge high-volume fabs in New York, the expansion and modernization of its existing manufacturing fab in Virginia, advanced HBM packaging capabilities and R&D to drive American innovation and technology leadership. (Image from Micron Technology webpage)
SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — U.S. memory chipmaker Micron Technology is intensifying efforts to recruit South Korean semiconductor engineers, particularly from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, as competition in the fast-growing high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market heats up amid soaring demand driven by artificial intelligence.
According to industry sources on October 19, Micron has been contacting Korean engineers through LinkedIn and local headhunters to fill key positions at its Taichung fabrication plant in Taiwan — the company’s largest DRAM production site and a key hub for HBM manufacturing.
The recruitment drive includes offers for both technical and executive-level roles, with total annual compensation packages reportedly reaching up to 200 million won ($145,000), including bonuses. Micron has also approached employees from foreign semiconductor equipment companies and display manufacturers based in Korea.
The company’s aggressive hiring campaign follows a similar recruitment effort late last year, when it held in-person interviews for Korean engineers at hotels in Pangyo, south of Seoul, offering 10 to 20 percent salary increases, visa support, and housing assistance. Earlier this year, Micron also sought Korean talent for its facilities in Japan, Singapore, and the United States.
Micron began in 1978 as a four-person semiconductor design company in the basement of a Boise, Idaho dental office. (Image from Micron Technology webapge)
Analysts view the push as part of Micron’s bid to close the technology gap with Korean rivals in HBM — the advanced memory chips essential for powering AI systems such as Nvidia’s accelerators. Micron, currently the second supplier of HBM3E (fifth-generation HBM) to Nvidia after SK Hynix, is racing to expand its production capacity worldwide.
The company is ramping up HBM and DRAM manufacturing across its plants in Taiwan, Japan, the U.S., and Singapore, as high-margin HBM products become a central growth driver. Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said last month that the global HBM market is projected to reach $100 billion by 2030, outpacing growth in conventional DRAM.
“We’ve delivered customer samples of HBM4 with bandwidth up to 11 gigabits per second per pin, exceeding competitors’ performance,” Mehrotra said, adding that mass production and shipments of sixth-generation HBM4 are expected to begin in the second quarter of next year.
SK Hynix, which leads the global HBM market, is reportedly finalizing supply agreements with Nvidia for its HBM4 chips, while Samsung Electronics is entering the final stages of HBM3E certification and preparing for HBM4 production.
As the global AI hardware race accelerates, Micron’s recruitment of seasoned Korean talent underscores how the battle for high-end memory dominance has become as much about people as it is about technology.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
