Official: Idaho computer chip plant makes US more resilient

By KEITH RIDLER
Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says a $15 billion investment in a new semiconductor plant by Boise, Idaho-based chipmaker Micron in its hometown is a step in protecting the United States from the vulnerabilities of a globalized market made clear by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Granholm took part Monday in a ceremonial groundbreaking for what is expected to be the largest chipmaking cleanroom in the United States by the end of the decade, covering 600,000 square feet and creating 17,000 American jobs. It’s the largest ever private investment in the state, made possible by last month’s CHIPS and Science Act setting aside $52 billion for the industry.