Lam Research breaks ground on $3B Oregon lab for AI chips
- Lam Research breaks ground on a new 120,000-square-foot R&D facility in Tualatin, Oregon
- The project is part of a >$3 billion global lab network investment over five years
- Cleanroom space at the Tualatin center will increase by more than 50% by 2028
- Construction to create ~900 jobs and generate $500 million in economic output
*this image is generated using AI for illustrative purposes only.
Lam Research Corp. (NASDAQ: LRCX) broke ground on a new research facility in Tualatin, Oregon, marking the start of more than $3 billion planned investment in its global lab network over the next five years.
The project aims to accelerate breakthroughs for advanced AI chips by expanding cleanroom space and enabling closer collaboration with customers like Intel and Micron Technology.
Facility Details
The new 120,000-square-foot facility is located in the Silicon Forest, near key customers. Upon completion, expected in 2028, it will increase cleanroom lab space at the Lam Tualatin R&D center by more than 50%.
This expansion supports specialized capabilities in atomic-scale semiconductor manufacturing, including advanced deposition, etch process development, materials science, and hardware validation. Lam plans to make the new facility one of its most advanced labs in the world, increasing capacity and capabilities for side-by-side innovation with customers and compressing product development cycles across its global lab network. The lab will integrate into Lam’s global network to drive innovation in parallel across time zones.
Economic Impact
According to a third-party assessment using IMPLAN data, the three-year construction period is projected to create approximately 900 jobs and generate $500 million in economic output.
Once completed, the expansion represents Lam’s biggest investment in Oregon to date. It is expected to create more than 400 new Lam jobs, bringing the total number of jobs supported statewide to more than 11,000. The company’s annual economic contribution in Oregon is projected to rise to more than $1.8 billion.
Strategic Context
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Sesha Varadarajan stated that the expansion reflects a commitment to advancing the Silicon Forest as a leader in U.S. semiconductor innovation. The facility allows customers to work side-by-side with engineers from idea to deployment, compressing product development cycles.
Senior leaders from Intel Corporation and Micron Technology attended the ceremony, highlighting the collaborative nature of the R&D effort required for next-generation AI-driven computing.
How might this $3 billion global lab expansion impact Lam Research's R&D spending ratios and near-term profitability margins?
What specific competitive advantages does the new Tualatin facility offer against rivals like Applied Materials or ASML in the race for next-generation AI chip manufacturing equipment?
Could the deepened collaboration with Intel and Micron at this site signal a shift toward more exclusive supply chain partnerships in the semiconductor sector?
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