Japanese memory manufacturer Kioxia announced that it has started shipping samples of the 10th generation BiCS Flash NAND memories developed to meet the increasing demand for artificial intelligence technologies. The company produces these new generation storage assays, developed jointly with California-based Sandisk, at its Kitakami factory in Iwate, Japan.

Kioxia, which was once associated with calmness in the Japanese semiconductor industry, has achieved a remarkable growth momentum with the influence of investments in artificial intelligence. While the company’s shares gained more than seven times in value this year, its total market value exceeded $250 billion, leaving Toyota behind.

AI-driven market change

While DRAM manufacturers stood out with HBM analyzes in the early stages of the artificial intelligence branch, the focus has now shifted to inference processes where trained models answer queries. With this change, the need for high-capacity NAND storage solutions has also increased significantly.

NAND developments were left in the background as many manufacturers focused their investments on the DRAM side for a long time. Unlike competitors who cannot respond quickly to the current increase in demand, Kioxia strengthens its position in the segment with the orders it receives.

The company’s CEO, Hiroo Ota, stated that they aim to meet the growing market demand by increasing the production capacity at the Fab2 facility. IwaiCosmo Securities analyst Kazuyoshi Saito states that the wafer bonding technology used by Kioxia puts the company 2 to 4 years ahead of its competitors in terms of NAND performance and power consumption.

US stock market and future plans

Kioxia announced that it is considering the share split option in order to make its shares more accessible. The company plans to list on one of the US stock exchanges in the first periods of the fiscal year that will start in April 2027.

South Korean SK Hynix, which has gone through a similar process, continues its preparations for its public offering in the USA. SK Hynix aims to raise funds up to 29.4 billion dollars from this public offering, which it plans to realize with the aim of expanding its capital resources.

What do you think about Kioxia’s technological superiority and its rapid rise in market share?