Chipzilla and Micron Technology have opened a US$3 billion factory to make NAND flash memory in Singapore.

The pair delayed their original plans for the factory because of the global financial crisis. However they started work on the plan in 2010. The factory went online a month ahead of the schedule set last year.

The plan is to make a few thousand wafers per week at first, rising to around 25,000 wafers per week within a year or two. Intel will make 18 percent of the chips at the Singapore plant, compared to Micron's 82 percent.  The pair hope to make a killing as more outfits need Flash memory for mobile gear.