Kioxia to Expand 3D Flash Memory Production Capacity

Kioxia Corporation will begin construction of a fabrication facility (Fab7) at Yokkaichi Plant in Mie Prefecture, Japan to expand production of its proprietary 3D flash memory BiCS flash.

The construction of Kioxia Corporation’s Fab7 facility is expected to commence in the spring of 2021.

Due to technological innovation, the amount of data being generated, stored and used around the world has increased exponentially. Furthermore, the flash memory market expects further growth driven by cloud services, 5G, IoT, AI and automated driving. As a result, the production in Kioxia’s Fab7 facility will continue to meet the demand for memory around the world.

The Fab7 facility will be built on the north side of Yokkaichi Plant, where land development is underway. In order to secure optimal production of advanced flash memory products, the construction of Fab7 will be divided into 2 phases, with the first phase of construction scheduled to be completed by the spring of 2022. Kioxia plans to fund the capital investments for the construction of Fab7 from its operating cash flow.

Consistent with Kioxia’s 20-year partnership with Western Digital Corp., the 2 companies collaborate on facility operation. Accordingly, the two companiesl expect to continue their joint venture investments for the Fab7 facility.

The Fab7 facility will have an earthquake absorbing structure and an environmentally friendly design that includes saving manufacturing equipment. Located in Yokkaichi Plant, which offers the world’s largest flash memory production capacity, the Fab7 facility will boost Kioxia’s production capacity by introducing an advanced manufacturing system that utilizes AI.