KIOXIA (formerly Toshiba Memory) announced the expansion of its Kitakami plant in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. The reason given by the manufacturer is the intention to further increase the production of its 3D flash memory BiCS FLASH. Said extension is to be built on a site adjacent to the existing plant. There are a total of 136. 000 m² available to accommodate the new “K2” production facility in the future. The preparatory work will begin in spring 2021 and continue until spring 2022 be completed.

According to KIOXIA, the amount of data that is generated, stored and used worldwide has increased exponentially due to technological innovations. The manufacturer expects the flash memory market to grow further, driven by cloud services, 5G, IoT, AI and automated driving. The expansion of the production facility is intended to ensure that KIOXIA can continue to meet the increasing global demand for storage solutions.

KIOXIA is also making plans at the Yokkaichi plant in Mie Prefecture to build Fab 7 in spring 2021. An AI-supported manufacturing system is being introduced here to further expand production capacities. According to its own information, KIOXIA aims to further expand its position in the storage industry through capital investments and research and development based on market trends.