Micron Opens Its Second Taiwan HBM Plant as President Lai Urges “Sincere” Talks Ahead of a Possible Strike

Micron Technology has opened a second advanced packaging and test plant in Taiwan for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), the stacked memory chips used in AI servers. At the opening in Taichung on Thursday, 15 October 2026, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te called on Micron and its workers to negotiate “sincerely” ahead of a possible strike, Reuters reported.

The new plant

The plant is called Taichung Advanced Assembly and Test Taiwan 2 (AATT2) and sits in the Houli park of the Central Taiwan Science Park, Taiwan’s United Daily News (UDN) reported. Micron Taiwan chairman Donghui Lu said it is Micron’s second advanced packaging and test plant in Taiwan and will support HBM and AI-driven demand, according to UDN.

“We have already sold out all the capacity for 2027 that this factory will build and we expect high-bandwidth memory to grow faster than the rest of the DRAM industry all the way through 2028,” Micron president and chief operating officer Manish Bhatia said, according to Reuters. Reuters noted that Bhatia made no mention of a possible strike.

Lai’s call for talks

“We also hope both labour and management will uphold the spirit that fish need water and water needs fish, continuing to negotiate sincerely and in good faith to build the broadest possible consensus,” Lai said, according to Reuters. “Only by creating harmonious labour relations can both sides win.”

Lai also said Micron had secured government support for HBM research and development, Reuters reported.

The dispute

Micron employs about 15,000 people in Taiwan and has said it has invested more than T$1.6 trillion ($49.4 billion) there, according to Reuters. Two unions represent workers at its Taoyuan and Taichung operations, and both want the company to put forward a concrete profit-sharing proposal.

On 7 October, the Taoyuan union said “1,994 members, or 99% of those casting ballots, voted in favour of a strike,” Reuters reported. The union said details, including timing, were still being discussed. No strike has taken place. Mediation with the Taoyuan union ended without agreement in September, while the Taichung union is still negotiating. The Taichung union told Reuters it wants “more substantive dialogue and negotiations”.

The unions are encouraging members to take 19 October off to join a rally in Taipei, which they say will not be a strike. Neither Micron nor the Taoyuan union immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comment on Lai’s remarks.

What this means

• AI memory demand is strong. Micron says the plant’s 2027 capacity is already sold out.
• Labour risk is rising. A strike in Taiwan could add to concerns about a tight memory-chip market.
• The government wants a deal. Taiwan’s president is publicly pushing both sides to keep talking.

Sources

1. Reuters (via Investing.com), “Taiwan president calls for Micron, workers to negotiate ‘sincerely’ ahead of possible strike”, Yi-Chin Lee and Ann Wang, 15 October 2026. https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/taiwan-president-calls-for-micron-workers-to-negotiate-sincerely-ahead-of-possible-strike-4950532
2. Reuters (via Investing.com), “Micron Tech chipmaker union in Taiwan gets OK to strike”, Wen-Yee Lee, 7 October 2026. https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/microns-taoyuan-union-in-taiwan-secures-authorisation-to-strike-4935768
3. UDN, “美光中科先進封裝二廠啟用” (Micron opens second advanced packaging plant in Central Taiwan Science Park), 15 October 2026 (in Chinese; TSN’s translation). https://udn.com/news/story/7240/9816622

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