Lam Research expands AI chip lab with $3B

Lam Research has broken ground on a new research and development center in Tualatin, Oregon. This facility is part of a planned $3 billion, five-year investment in the company's global lab network for creating advanced AI chips.

The new 120,000-square-foot facility is located close to key customers. According to a company news release, it is expected to increase cleanroom lab space at the Lam Tualatin R&D center by more than 50% when completed. The lab is scheduled to open in 2028.

Lam Research stated the new lab will be one of its most advanced. It will increase manufacturing capacity and the ability to collaborate with customers. The company also said it will compress product development cycles.

Facility and Economic Impact

This new Oregon facility is part of a planned multibuilding expansion at the company's Tualatin campus. It represents Lam Research's largest investment in Oregon. The project is expected to create more than 400 jobs.

This increase will bring the total number of jobs the company supports in the state to more than 11,000. The investment is also expected to increase Lam's annual economic contribution in Oregon to more than $1.8 billion.

Washington County, where Tualatin is located, recently approved a strategic investment program with Lam Research. Under this program, the company pledges to invest $1.7 billion in Tualatin through 2041. The proposed agreement includes payments to the county and city partners in lieu of property taxes to support community-wide services. This agreement must still be approved by the Oregon Business Development Commission.

Technical Focus and Customer Collaboration

The lab will support advanced deposition and etch process development. It will also focus on materials science and hardware validation. Engineers will be able to work with customers on-site on all phases of product development, from ideation to deployment.

Customers will include Intel, Micron Technology and others. This close collaboration is a key part of the facility's design, reflecting trends in modern manufacturing fixtures that emphasize integrated development.

"Intel has enjoyed close collaboration with Lam in Oregon and around the world for decades," said Naga Chandrasekaran, executive vice president and chief technology and operations officer of Intel Foundry. "With this new lab facility, we look forward to working even more closely together to accelerate process development at chip scale, quickly evaluate new technologies, and deliver the breakthroughs required for the next generation of AI-driven computing."

Broader Industry and Expansion Context

The announcement comes during a period of rapid expansion in the U.S. semiconductor industry. For example, Arizona is set to host two of the country's largest semiconductor manufacturing campuses. TSMC made another $100 billion U.S. investment, and Texas A&M broke ground on a $226 million R&D facility.

There have also been several large semiconductor deals in recent months. These include Onsemi's purchase of Synaptics and Apple's addition of four semiconductor companies to its American Manufacturing Program, indicating a competitive landscape where standings among top manufacturers are constantly shifting.

The Tualatin lab is part of a larger $3 billion multisite expansion. According to a separate company news release, this expansion is expected to increase experiment capacity by more than 50%. Lam Research has facilities in the United States, Asia, and Europe.

Combined, these facilities support more than 1 million experiments annually. They share tools, data, and expertise across the global network. "Lam's R&D approach combines specialized labs worldwide, each purpose-built to accelerate a distinct step of the innovation cycle, with deep customer collaboration that includes locations near customer facilities," the company stated.