Founded in Boise, Idaho, Micron Technology is a producer of computer data storage and memory modules. Its products are sold under the Crucial brand. The company's headquarters are located in Boise.
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Founded in Boise, Idaho in 1978, Micron Technology, Inc. is a semiconductor manufacturer and developer of computer memory solutions. It produces NAND flash memory, which is used to store data for personal computers, digital cameras, mobile phones, laptops and other electronic devices. It also designs memory solutions for the enterprise and embedded markets.
Micron was started by three design engineers from Boise, Idaho. The company initially began as a consulting business, but eventually moved to chip manufacturing. It became a publicly held corporation in 1984. This move helped the company overcome a lack of financial backing. In addition to its founders, Micron also gained support from an investor named John R. Simplot. He was the largest supplier of potatoes to fast food giant McDonald's.
In 1982, Micron shipped more than one million chips. By the end of the year, the company was selling its chips for a list price of $3.40. The move was designed to increase the company's sales. However, the price reduction impinged on Micron's profitability.
In the mid-1980s, Japan dominated the semiconductor industry. With a large supply of cash, Japanese companies could implement price reductions as a long-term strategy. This helped them to drive American competitors out of the market. By the 1990s, the global semiconductor industry had grown to more than $20 billion. As a result, Japan was able to maintain a significant lead.
Although the semiconductor market was booming, the United States was not able to compete with Japan. By the early 1990s, American chip manufacturers had begun to retreat from the competition. This created a glut of memory chips that led to a price spiral. By the end of 1995, the prices of memory chips were soaring.
In response, Micron filed an antitrust lawsuit against six Japanese electronics companies. The lawsuit sought to prevent Japanese companies from monopolizing the US semiconductor market. The lawsuit also accused Japanese companies of forcing U.S. competitors to exit the memory chip market.
The lawsuit was settled by the signing of the Semiconductor Trade Agreement. This agreement established a fair price for Japanese memory chips. This allowed Micron to recover and enter the mid-1990s with a strong growth plan.
Business units
Currently, Micron has four major business units. These units are the Compute and Networking Business Unit (CNBU), the Storage Business Unit (SBU), the Embedded Business Unit (EBBU), and the International Food Strategic Business Unit (IFSBU).
The CNBU generates the most revenue and the most operating income. It includes memory products sold into the enterprise and cloud server markets. It also includes SSDs, other discrete storage products, and component-level solutions for enterprise storage.