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Micron bets on a higher stake in domestic microchip supply
Since its earnings report, it has fallen 4.47% as of 13/07/26, correct at 16:41, but market observers point to its resurgence on Thursday. The recovery was directly after its public proclamation of a $3bn scheme to invest in the US semiconductor supply chain, notably GlobalWafers (up 10%).
Under the scheme, Micron promised a $5mn finance package to GlobalWafers to assist the semiconductor producer develop its advanced 300mm new silicon safer fabrication facility in Sherman, Texas. In return, GlobalWafers will provide a supply chain arrangement enduring 10 years, representing “long-term access to advanced wafer capacity needed to provide high-bandwidth memory and DRAM,” explained Christine Ji writing for MarketWatch.
The companies also intend to collaborate to explore “next-generation wafer technologies and process innovations to support future semiconductor manufacturing requirements,” Micron said in a statement.
GlobalWafers is at the moment the only approved vendor under the CHIPS for America Program with capacity to fabricate advanced 300mm wafers domestically. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer both publicly endorsed the collaboration which would “enhance America’s supply-chain resilience,” explained the MarketWatch reporter.
Also on Thursday Micron iterated its intention to increase spending by $250bn or more through 2035, up from a prior spending forecast of $200bn. The company confirmed its commitment to producing 40% of its DRAM in the US.
AI Explains what DRAM is.
A DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) microchip is a volatile semiconductor memory device used in computers to store temporary, working data.
It is the most popular volatile memory technology, due to its high density, symmetric read/write speeds, and cost efficiency.
Key Characteristics:
- Cell Architecture: 1-transistor and 1-capacitor (1T-1C)
- Capacitance: the capacitor holds a binary 1 or 0 depending on whether it is charged or discharged.
- Refresh Cycle: Must be refreshed thousands of times a millisecond.
MarketWatch cited Evercore analyst Amit Daryami, who wrote in a note on the day prior to the spending announcement that “Micron’s increased focus on long-term agreements and strategic customer agreements is likely to bring increased visibility and durability to revenues.”
The £250bn energy question July 10,2026
By PWC UK
Summarised findings of a recent report, ‘Powered Up or Priced Out’, suggested that to meet the energy demands of new AI processing capacity, the UK needed a price adjustment mechanism to normalise electricity prices in relation to G7 levels.
It says that, “For decades the UK has invested less across the economy than its G7 peers. Its investment share has lagged the G7 median by around 4-5% of GDP a year – about £150bn annually.
The International Energy Agency IEA forecast in ‘Electricity 2026’: “Looking ahead, annual demand growth over the next five years is set to be 50% higher on average compared with the average across the previous decade”
and that
“Global electricity demand is forecast to increase at a brisk average annual rate of 3.6% over the 2026-2030 forecast period, supported by rising consumption from industry, electric vehicles, air conditioning and data centres.”
PWC says,
“The warning signs are already here. The 2026 UK/PWC UK Executive Survey found that 72% of manufacturing firms see energy costs as a barrier to increasing investment.”
The government has taken measures to cut energy expenses for around 500 of energy-intensive industries under the Industrial Strategy, which is claims could save them up to £420mn pa.
This takes the form of a 90% discount on electricity network charges for businesses in sectors such as steel, cement, glass, and chemicals, up from the prior energy bill reduction of 60%.
This will affect around 400,000 employees in these sectors, a measure the government claims will “level the playing field for industry” relative to G7 pers, highlighting that:
“Some of these businesses currently pay the highest industrial electricity prices in the G7, making it harder to stay competitive on the international stage.”
As of 2027, the Industrial Strategy will expand to encompass more than 7,000 businesses in sectors such as aerospace, automotive and chemicals, in turn cutting their energy costs by 25%, to be “funded through reforms to the energy system.”
PWC in its own proprietary analysis found that “better efficiency and more flexible energy use could reduce the UK’s nearly £60bn annual commercial and industry spend by about 30%.”
The consulting firm stresses that smart money will move where risks are well managed and projects have realistic growth goals. Power costing is a core calculation for businesses looking to expand, and infrastructure must be resilient with awareness of grid constraints and potential bottlenecks in delivery of energy and within supply chains. It emphasises the need for appropriate skills training to inform provision of appropriate solutions.
Comment
Lawrence Jasper
Retiring Customs Compliance Consultant
11/07/26
UK is at the forefront of Wind farms as seen by Dogger bank phase 1 and phases 2 and 3. Great Glen hydro storage, 30 GWh seems to finally git the go ahead. We need Severn Estuary tidal to finally go ahead and quicker roll out of the T pylons. More use of Tine of Use tariffs. I use Octopus Agile and get paid to charge our EVs quite often. Glad to see Octopus teaming up with CATL.
Timothy King
Head of Data Protection at Remora – AI Governance – DORA – Cyber Security – Data Protection for Private Equity & Financial Services
11/07/26
We need innovation, collaboration and defined action to drive improvements within this sector. There’s so much being done in the back end but so little uptake in making the bold moves to drive us forward. Political leaders need to be braver in supporting this action and accept we can’t please everyone all the time but making our nation stronger in this sector will benefit all in the long term. Strategic leadership will naturally drive innovation.
John Pollard
Salesforce Developer | x6 Salesforce Certified | Einstein 1 Platform & Einstein GPT specialist | GenAI specialist
12/07/26
Europe will never be competitive on the world stage without cheap, abundant energy. Energy makes or breaks every industrial revolution. There is not enough clean energy to stay competitive with the other super powers. Become competitive, innovate, then reduce reliance with energy break throughs.
John Pollard
Salesforce Developer | x6 Salesforce Certified | Einstein 1 Platform & Einstein GPT specialist | GenAI specialist
12/07/26
Europe will never be competitive on the world stage without cheap, abundant energy. Energy makes or breaks every industrial revolution. There is not enough clean energy to stay competitive with the other super powers. Become competitive, innovate, then reduce reliance with energy break throughs.
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