Sandisk starts operations at new Japanese plant, building flash memory for AI-driven storage demand

[Iwate Prefecture Morning Iwateyama]
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Sandisk (NASDAQ:SNDK [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SNDK]) and Kioxia have commenced operations at a new semiconductor fabrication facility at the Kitakami Plant in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, which will build flash memory to meet rising artificial intelligence-driven storage demand.

The facility, Fab2, has the resources to produce eighth-generation, 218-layer 3D flash memory, featuring the companies' revolutionary CBA (CMOS directly Bonded to Array) technology, and future advanced 3D flash memory nodes. Production will ramp up in stages, with meaningful shipments expected during the first half of 2026, the companies said.

"As AI advances, it is poised to transform industries, redefine careers, and reshape daily life in ways we're just beginning to imagine," said Maitreyee Mahajani, senior vice president of Flash Front End Operations at Sandisk. "Flash memory is at the very center of this transformation, unlocking the speed, efficiency and scalability needed for this next wave of innovations. We are proud of our long-standing partnership with Kioxia and the scale it provides to enable our customers to fully harness AI opportunities."

Sandisk has partnered with Kioxia for more than 20 years to develop flash memory solutions.

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