BOISE — Boise’s local tech behemoth Micron has announced an addition to its current plans for expansion, meaning more jobs for the community as well as more work for the city.

Micron announced plans Thursday for a $10 billion investment into Micron Research Labs, a research institution that will focus on semiconductor manufacturing and artificial intelligence. A site is still to be identified but construction is slated to begin in 2027 and will be anchored in Boise.

“The decisions we make today will determine who leads the AI economy of tomorrow, and America’s AI future will be built on American-made memory,” CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said in a Thursday press release. “With a planned $10 billion investment in Micron Research Labs, we are looking around the corner to the memory and compute systems the future will demand, bringing together the best minds across academia, government, startups and industry.”

According to the release, the research labs will connect Micron researchers to experts in Europe, Japan, India, Singapore and Taiwan. This announcement comes after a slew of other large developments by Micron.

“This builds on the more than $250 billion we have separately committed to manufacturing and (research and development) across the United States,” Mehrotra said in the Thursday release. “Because as the only U.S.-based manufacturer of memory, we have long believed in the future that AI is now making real.”

In 2024, the company broke ground on a $15 billion project to construct a new fabrication plant that is still under construction. The 14-acre microchip manufacturing facility will serve as an addition to Micron’s Boise campus.

Idaho was once a major hub of microchip manufacturing, according to previous Idaho Press reports, but Micron moved most of its manufacturing operations overseas over the years. This new Boise fab will be Micron’s first U.S. plant in 20 years.

In the summer of 2025, Micron announced plans for a second fab with a price tag of $30 billion. The two fabs are anticipated to create over 17,000 indirect jobs and 2,000 permanent positions. Micron employed 6,000 Boise workers as of 2024.

IMPACT ON BOISE

As the multibillion-dollar projects proceed, the city of Boise is navigating its role as the middle man.

Building official Jason Blais has worked in Planning and Development Services for 27 years. Reflecting on his lengthy tenure, Blais said Micron’s current projects are the largest he has ever tackled.

On Aug. 11, Boise City Council approved Micron’s request to annex nearly 240 acres of land. This is on top of 875 acres Micron has annexed in the past five years.

The added workload of applications, permits and site evaluations has led the city to lean on third-party contractors and introduce a new firm to the fold.

Blais said the use of third-party help isn’t unusual as some roles, like structural engineers, are not staffed. However, the size of Micron’s projects have been especially demanding.

Staff within the department have been dedicated as points of contact specifically for Micron, including a project manager. A new mechanical inspector is also slated to join the city in the next fiscal year’s budget.

“It’s a mix of adding people as needed, and then also using third parties to help,” Blais said. “It really creates a good partnership that way.”

Shifts in their staffing and hours dedicated to Micron’s developments may cost the city, but Micron is buying in as well. From January 2023 to May 2026, Micron paid over $25 million in permitting fees to the city. According to Blais, the city recently made a request to Micron for $3 million to support the growing workload.

“They’re high-valuation, and they’re very, very complex, right?” Blais said about Micron’s projects. “Some of the most complex projects you can review.”

Projects begin with a planning process where developers work to get all their ducks in a row. This includes getting their big-picture plans approved through the Boise Planning and Zoning Commission and Boise City Council.

Onto construction, developers have plans reviewed for things like plumbing and electrical. These building permit plans go through multiple departments for review. Through this process, a permit tech team helps developers navigate fees, permit readiness, scheduling inspections and more.

“It routes to all kinds of different disciplines and agencies to approve the plans,” Blais said.

Taking this process and multiplying it on a massive scale has its challenges. Not only is Micron’s first fab massive, the facility also serves a unique purpose.

Blais said the project has needed special expertise to tackle details that don’t come up with an everyday build, like hazardous chemicals and exit routes needed for a fab.

“There’s a lot of complexities as these fabs — they need a lot of supporting infrastructure, a lot of supporting buildings — to make them run,” Blais said.

The secret to success so far: communication.

“It’s really key to have good relationships and communication with not only Micron but with their design team and their general contractors,” Blais said.

As for a potential timeline on the Micron Research Labs construction, Blais said it is too early to tell. At this stage the city is close to permitting remaining areas inside the first fab and starting on permitting for the second fab.

“It’s just a great company for our area,” Blais said. “And so it’s just really important that we partner with them and work together to move through these developments.”