Memory chip companies Kioxia and Sandisk plan to invest more than $31bn in Japan through 2032.
Through the investment, subject to continued government support, the companies aim to “deliver leading technology to support the growing demands of an AI and a data-driven world”.
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The investment will be used to support further infrastructure development at Kioxia’s Yokkaichi and Kitakami plants, as well as related technology and production capacity.
The spending is aimed at boosting output growth over multiple years and maintaining stable supply as demand rises for advanced flash memory.
Kioxia and Sandisk’s plan builds on their manufacturing partnership that has run for more than 25 years and has already led to more than $50bn of investment in Japan, according to the statement.
In January, they extended their joint venture framework at Yokkaichi through December 2034.
The plant was established in 1992 as a semiconductor memory manufacturing base and began operations in 1993 with DRAM production. It added NAND flash output in 1999.
In 2002, Toshiba’s memory business moved FlashVision, its NAND flash joint venture with SanDisk, from Virginia to Yokkaichi, making the site the core of their collaboration.
Since then, the complex has expanded through multiple fabs, including 300mm wafer lines, and became a mass-production base for 3D flash memory in 2016.
Kioxia president and CEO Hiroo Ota said: “This joint investment further strengthens our longstanding partnership with Sandisk and underscores Kioxia’s strong commitment to contributing to the advancement of an AI-driven society.
“Kioxia will continue to meet growing demand for high-capacity, high-performance, and power-efficient flash memory, which is essential to the growth of an AI-driven society.”
Sandisk chairman and CEO David Goeckeler said “For decades, Sandisk and Kioxia have jointly developed world-class NAND flash memory technology. In line with our business strategy and financial guidance, these planned investments will ensure our ability to support our customer’s increasing demands for our technology, while providing new economic opportunities for the communities we operate in and serving as a premier example of US-Japan economic collaboration.”
The announcement comes as governments seek to expand domestic semiconductor manufacturing and secure supply chains for advanced chips and memory.
The companies said the investment aligns with Japanese economic policy priorities aimed at strengthening advanced semiconductor production and global competitiveness.
