Micron's new expanded facility means more jobs being created for people here, the company said yesterday during the launch of its latest semiconductor manufacturing extension in Woodlands.

The technology firm has already added 600 jobs this year with the new expansion.

It expects to add a further 1,500 jobs for its Singapore operations over the next few years.

The company, which is headquartered in the United States, has about 8,000 staff now.

One of these workers who has been upskilled to help with tasks in the new facility is Mr Muthu-kumaran Natarajan, 50, who started his career at Micron about a decade ago.

Back then, he was an engineer who helped with equipment maintenance. Now, he is a senior equipment engineer working in the new facility extension, dealing with new and advanced technologies and helping to train other workers in using these tools.

He also works on projects to improve the productivity and quality of the company's processes.

Mr Muthukumaran said: "I went through a lot of internal training to get to where I am. Micron sent me to the United States, and then to Japan, so I could learn and then teach others."

He now works with 3D Nand flash memory replacement gate technology, which is a component of the 3D Nand flash memory chips that Micron expanded its facility to produce.

3D Nand flash is a type of flash memory design in which memory cells are stacked vertically in multiple layers. This achieves higher densities at a lower cost per bit.

Micron's expanded facility added new cleanroom space to produce advanced 3D Nand flash memory chips, which are now used to produce solid state drives in smartphones, tablets and computers. Such drives are also being increasingly deployed in data centres.

Micron established its Singapore presence in 1998, and has invested more than US$15 billion (S$21 billion) here over the years.

The company's president and chief executive Sanjay Mehrotra said during a media session that Micron has made a "multi-billion-dollar investment" in Singapore. A portion of that went into the facility, while the rest will go into more developments in the future, depending on market trends.

The rapid pace at which technology is evolving also means that staff are constantly learning new things.

Mr Muthukumaran said: "All the way, I have been learning and then sharing with others what I have learnt. Every day here is a learning day."

He added that an important skill for him is adaptability, so he can develop himself and pick up new processes.

"I get satisfaction after I have learnt something new. I find I have more self-confidence after going through training," he said.

By: DocMemory
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