General Conference Information

Industry Tour Information

Thursday Keynote: Jeff Binford

Social Event Information

2025 Conference Rates

Industry Tour 1 | Micron Technology 

Wednesday, September 24 from 1:00-3:00pm

This tour requires a security screening prior to the event. Information will be collected in early September to satisfy this requirement. Onsite, attendees will need to present government issued identification (i.e. driver’s license, passport, US military ID.)

In 2022, Micron announced our historic investment plans to bring leading-edge memory manufacturing to Idaho. The Department of Commerce awarded Micron up to $6.165B in direct funding under the CHIPS Act to support planned leading-edge memory manufacturing in Idaho and New York. The grants will support Micron’s plans to invest approximately $50 billion in gross capex for U.S. domestic leading-edge memory manufacturing through 2030. The CHIPS grants and additional state and local incentives will support the construction of one leading-edge memory manufacturing fab to be co-located with our existing leading-edge R&D facility in Boise, Idaho and the construction of two leading-edge memory fabs in Clay, New York. These planned investments represent the first step toward Micron’s vision of both a leading-edge R&D and manufacturing center in Boise and a four-fab manufacturing complex in Clay to be built over the next 20-plus years with potential investment totaling up to $125 billion.

Micron’s planned state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing facilities are expected to create approximately 75,000 domestic jobs over the next 20-plus years and strengthen U.S. economic and national security, furthering American innovation and competition for years to come. In Idaho, this includes 2,000 Micron jobs, 4,500 construction jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs.

Micron initiated construction on its Boise fab in October of calendar year 2023, with meaningful DRAM output projected in 2027. The fab will be co-located with Micron’s world-class R&D center to enhance operational efficiency, accelerate technology deployment and improve time to market for leading-edge products.

https://www.micron.com/manufacturing-expansion/boise

Industry Tour 2 | UI Center for Ecohydraulics Research (CER)

Wednesday, September 24 from 3:30-4:45pm

This tour requires attendees to wear closed-toe shoes.

The Center for Ecohydraulics Research (CER) is located in the Idaho Water Center in downtown Boise, Idaho. It is a graduate education and research program dedicated to studying links between physical processes and aquatic ecosystems. 

The StreamLab features a large-scale sediment flume to allow fundamental and applied research of processes in headwater streams and mountain rivers with a unique combination of scale, instrumentation, and computer-control.

The flume is 20 meters long, 2 meters wide and 1.2 meters deep. The maximum water discharge is 1.1 cubic meters per second (or 40 cubic feet per second); maximum slope of the flume is 10 percent. A distinguishing feature is the ability to feed sand and gravel in an open circuit (non- recirculating) mode. The flume is designed to be environmentally sensitive. For example, water is recirculated through a large sump and the pumps are lubricated by water rather than oil.

Instrumentation for the flume includes stereoscopic PIV, ADV, optical and acoustic cameras, an optical bed mapping system, and a real-time ultrasonic bed mapping system. Instrumentation may be located anywhere in the flume by a three-axis computer-controlled platform.

https://www.uidaho.edu/engr/research/cer

Jeff Binford
Micron Technology

Thursday Keynote Speaker

Jeff Binford

Senior Director of US Expansion Planning at Micron Technology

Jeff has over 23 years of knowledge and experience in planning, operations, and industrial engineering in both high-volume manufacturing and technology development settings. After starting his career as an Industrial Engineer in Micron's Boise factory Jeff worked in Japan, Virginia, Utah and Singapore before returning to Idaho.

After the CHIPs Act was announced, Jeff moved into a new role where he is responsible for setting the strategy and building a comprehensive plan for Micron's $200B US expansion in both Idaho and New York.

Jeff was born and raised in Boise, Idaho and received a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from Arizona State University. He loves to be able to work and live with his family in Idaho.

The Social Event - Thursday Evening 

Get ready to let loose and dance the night away with Guilty Pleasure, the ultimate party band! A dynamic seven-piece band from Boise, Idaho, we've been wowing audiences since 2017 with top-flight performances of the greatest dance hits from the 1960s to today. Led by our unparalleled vocal talent, the fabulous Mary Houston, we serve up delicious, danceable soul, funk, rock and disco – guaranteed to get everyone moving!

Whether you're looking for a cover band to rock your wedding reception, a dance band to liven up your next corporate event, or a soulful ensemble to set the mood