Micron technology announced its exit from the consumer memory business as the company shifts its focus toward the cutting-edge memory chips used in artificial intelligence data centers amid a semiconductor supply shortage worldwide.
Micron shares declined to 2.6% in afternoon trading after the major announcement.
The US-based manufacturer of memory will stop sales of its Crucial-branded consumer products via retailers, e-tailers, and distributors globally, though shipments will continue for the next two months till February 2026.
According to the few credible analysts, the consumer unit has not been a major contributor to Micron’s overall revenue.
Micron’s decision comes as memory supply chains experience tight constraints, from flash chips used in smartphones to high-bandwidth memory (HBM) essential for AI workloads.
HBM is now considered one the most competitive segments among the world’s top memory suppliers, including Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung, due to increasing demand from data centres.
Sumit Sadana, Micron’s chief business officer, said AI-driven growth has sharply increased the need for memory and storage, prompting the company to refocus on strategic customers in evolving markets.
HBM, a form of DRAM built by vertically stacking chips to improve efficiency and processing performance, commands higher prices and margins than consumer memory.
In September, the company’s CEO Sanjay Mehrotra revealed that Micron’s HBM revenue exponentially rose to $2 billion in the August quarter, indicating an annual run rate of nearly $8 billion.
