Kioxia and Western Digital celebrate the start of production of Fab 7
About half a year ago, Kioxia announced that it had reached an agreement with Western Digital to jointly invest in the Fab 7 factory in Yokkaichi. Both Kioxia and Western Digital are very satisfied with this cooperation and consider it another important milestone in their 20-year strategic joint venture partnership.
Image: kioxia
Recently, Kioxia issued an announcement to celebrate the start of production of the Fab 7 factory at the Yokkaichi Plant in Mie Prefecture, Japan together with Western Digital. Over time, capacity will be ramped up at Fab 7, Kioxia’s state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing facility. The total investment in the first phase of the Fab 7 factory is about 1 trillion yen, and the government will subsidize part of the funds to ensure the stable production of Japan’s cutting-edge semiconductor production facilities.
The first phase of Fab 7 will produce a 3D NAND flash, including 112-layer and 162-layer products and a range of future nodes. The partnership between Kioxia and Western Digital will add a sixth flash memory production facility to strengthen its position as the world’s largest flash memory production base. It is understood that the 162-layer 3D NAND flash memory is planned to start shipping in early 2023.
Nobuo Hayasaka, President, and CEO of Kioxia Corporation said, “Fab7 is the latest and most technologically advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility in Japan and will be indispensable for Kioxia’s future. Long-term global demand for memory products is expected to increase as the world consumes more data across a variety of connected devices. We will continue to invest for the future and respond to market needs, in turn helping to build a digital society that enriches people’s lives.”
Nobuo Hayasaka, President, and CEO of Kioxia Corporation said, “Fab7 is the latest and most technologically advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility in Japan and will be indispensable for Kioxia’s future. Long-term global demand for memory products is expected to increase as the world consumes more data across a variety of connected devices. We will continue to invest for the future and respond to market needs, in turn helping to build a digital society that enriches people’s lives.”
With the recent rise in costs due to inflation, a sluggish consumer market, and high inventory levels, Kioxia announced that it will cut about 30% of its 3D NAND flash memory capacity, but that doesn’t seem to affect Kioxia’s investment plans for future capacity.
