‘No AI Without Memory’: Micron CEO Says the Chip Industry’s Old Boom-Bust Playbook Is Breaking

Anusuya Lahiri

Mon, August 24, 2026 at 1:01 PM GMT+3 5 min read

MU +2.29%

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Micron Technology, Inc. believes the memory market's violent boom-and-bust cycle is over—thanks to artificial intelligence.

CEO Sanjay Mehrotra says memory has officially shifted from a commodity to the "strategic infrastructure of the AI era," with data-center clients currently demanding 50% more supply than the chipmaker can produce.

To lock in long-term demand, Micron is expanding its U.S. manufacturing footprint while securing binding multi-year customer agreements.

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Mehrotra Says AI Has Changed Memory Demand

Mehrotra told Jim Cramer on "Mad Money" that artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed the value of memory because AI systems require larger amounts of faster and more power-efficient memory.

"Today there is no AI without memory. AI systems need more memory. They need higher performance memory. They need lower power memory," Mehrotra said.

He expects demand to spread beyond data centers into autonomous vehicles, robotics and AI-enabled consumer devices. Mehrotra described memory as the "strategic infrastructure of the AI era."

Micron Expands U.S. Manufacturing

Micron plans to invest $250 billion in U.S. manufacturing and research. Its Boise, Idaho, development will eventually include two semiconductor fabrication plants, with the first expected to begin wafer production in mid-2027.

The scale of the investment reflects Mehrotra's view that AI has created a more durable demand environment for memory.

Mehrotra said Micron currently cannot produce enough memory to meet customer demand. He said customers across end markets would purchase everything the company can manufacture, while data-center customers are seeking roughly 50% more supply than Micron can currently commit.

He also sees memory becoming more integrated into customers' product-development processes. Rather than treating memory as a commodity purchased primarily on price, customers increasingly work with Micron earlier to optimize memory alongside processors and complete systems.

Long-Term Agreements Improve Demand Visibility

Micron announced five-year strategic supply agreements with 16 customers during its June earnings call, and Mehrotra said the company has signed additional agreements since then.

He believes those commitments give Micron greater visibility into future demand and reduce its exposure to the short-term swings that historically shaped the memory market.

Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Buy rating with an average price forecast of $1525.00. Recent analyst moves include:

New Street Research: Upgraded to Buy (Forecast $1250.00) (Aug. 14)
Citigroup: Buy (Lowers Forecast to $1150.00) (Aug. 7)
Keybanc: Overweight (Raises Forecast to $1750.00) (July 14)

Top ETF Exposure

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Significance: Because MU carries such a heavy weight in these funds, any significant inflows or outflows for these ETFs will likely force automatic buying or selling of the stock.

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