Kioxia Ships Samples of Newest Flash Memory for AI Data Centers

What happened

Kioxia Holdings began shipping samples of its 10th-generation BiCS Flash memory to AI data center operators. A ceremony was held at its Kitakami fab, where it will mass-produce the memory jointly with SanDisk.

Context and impact

The growth of AI inference — not just training — has dramatically increased demand for high-capacity NAND memory. Kioxia claims to be 2 to 4 years ahead of rivals due to its wafer bonding technology. The company is a dramatic turnaround story: it once faced bankruptcy, and today its market cap exceeds Toyota Motor.

Details

• Generation: 10th-gen BiCS Flash (332-layer)
• Capacity: 59% more than 8th-gen
• Production: Kitakami fab, jointly with SanDisk
• Technology: wafer bonding — 2 to 4 years ahead of rivals
• Market cap: more than $250B (exceeds Toyota)
• Share surge: more than 7x in 2026