Micron Technology (MU) has opened a new manufacturing facility in Xi'an.

"At Micron, we combine application-specialized products with value-added expertise and manufacturing process leadership to help our customers compete with confidence on a global scale," said Steve Appleton, Micron Chairman, CEO and President. "By opening this facility in Xi'an, we are enabling customers and partners to design applications with service, support and quality from Micron, and we are pleased to be a growing part of the China technology industry."

This is the company's first manufacturing facility in China, and it is designed for assembly and test operations for Micron's semiconductor products, including dynamic random access memory, NAND flash memory and CMOS image sensors.

Micron hosted a ceremony at the facility with company, government and community officials on hand. The facility is expected to be built-out by the end of 2008 at an investment of US$250 million and support up to 2,000 employees. The plant is Micron's second assembly and test facility in Asia, with its first being opened in Singapore in 1998. There is no word yet if the facility will utilize eco-friendly construction materials.

Micron first came to China in 2001 to service its growing customer base from an office in Xiamen. In 2004, Micron established Micron Semiconductor Shanghai in Shanghai with about 60 employees and branch offices in Beijing and Shenzhen to provide corporate, sales and marketing services throughout China.