Kioxia Holdings Corporation has initiated the distribution of samples for its next-generation flash memory chips to major AI data center operators, aiming to capture market share in this lucrative sector.
The Tokyo-headquartered chipmaker's new high-density 3D flash memory is engineered specifically for AI data center requirements, offering enhanced storage density, accelerated data transfer speeds, and improved power efficiency.
In a statement released on Friday, Kioxia announced that this new storage product will be integrated into its data center solid-state drives and will be manufactured on a new production line at its Kitakami plant in Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan. The chip features a 332-layer stacking architecture, enabling greater data capacity per silicon wafer.
The new facility is expected to boost Kioxia's production capacity to meet the surging data storage demands from AI service providers. The plant will concurrently mass-produce both its cost-competitive ninth-generation lower-cost flash memory and the new tenth-generation product.
Kioxia's primary competitors in the data center and mobile flash memory markets include South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and SK Hynix Inc, as well as Micron Technology Inc based in Boise, Idaho, USA.
A recovery in the memory chip market has propelled this former Toshiba unit's market valuation to surpass that of Toyota Motor Corp and SoftBank Group Corp at times, making it Japan's most valuable company. However, as Kioxia and its peers continue to expand production, concerns over the sustainability of rising memory chip prices have led to significant volatility in the company's stock price.
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