Mr Steven Appleton, Chairman, CEO and President of Micron Technology, Inc.

Mr Jay L. Hawkins,

Mr Jen Kwong Hwa,

Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

1.                  It is my pleasure to officiate this opening of Micron Semiconductor Asia’s Assembly and Test facility extension.  I am delighted that with this expanded facility, Singapore is now Micron’s largest assembly and test plant worldwide, conducting assembly and test for a significant portion of Micron’s advanced memory chips.

2.                  Singapore has more than 30 years of experience in the semiconductor industry. The semiconductor industry started here with the first chip assembly and test plant in 1969. Today, we host 20 chip assembly and test plants, 14 wafer fabrication facilities, including the world’s top three wafer foundry companies, the top three assembly and test sub-contract companies and four of the world’s top 10 IC design companies. With this strong foundation, Singapore has attained significant global market share, producing about 10% of the world’s wafer foundry output in 2004.

3.                  Over the years, we have developed numerous core competencies in the semiconductor industry. We have built a strong pool of managerial and technical talent. We offer a flexible, efficient and effective business environment conducive for semiconductor operations. Our excellent logistics infrastructure also enables semiconductor companies like Micron to produce in Singapore for the rest of the world. In addition, we host many operations in the semiconductor value chain, ranging from intellectual property management to global procurement, research and development, and regional or global HQ functions. We also have more than 300 suppliers here, ranging from those that manufacture equipment and provide raw materials, to those that provide clean-room and construction services. Singapore is therefore well positioned to support Micron’s global leadership position in advanced memory chips.

4.                  Indeed, this Bendemeer Road assembly & test facility bears witness to the significant progress that Singapore has made in the semiconductor industry. It was one of the earlier assembly & test facilities to be set up in Singapore, operating first as part of Texas Instruments and subsequently under Micron, after Micron acquired Texas Instruments’ memory business in 1998. While this building is a familiar landmark to many Singaporeans, the technological infrastructure that lies within has changed and advanced by leaps and bounds over the years, bringing Singapore to the cutting edge of the industry.

5.                  The memory chip is an important component in electronic devices such as PCs, laptops, servers and cell phones. Today’s memory chips are becoming increasingly complex, with faster processing speeds and higher memory capacity. The manufacture of such memory chips requires advanced packaging and testing capabilities. I am greatly encouraged that Micron, a leading global supplier of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) chips, has given Singapore’s manufacturing capabilities its vote of confidence by investing US$ 250 million for its expansion here.

6.                  We warmly welcome Micron’s expansion of its assembly and test operations in Singapore. Together with the other players in the semiconductor industry, we believe that greater synergies will arise, leading to many more years of steady growth in the industry. .

7.                  I congratulate the management and staff of Micron on the launch of your new extension facility, and wish you every success.

8.                  Thank you.