Magnitude-7.5 Earthquake in Northeastern Japan Threatens Kioxia NAND Output

Kioxia is a major global NAND flash manufacturer, and its Kitakami plant in Iwate Prefecture is a key memory supply-chain hub accounting for about 4% of global production capacity. NAND is widely used in smartphones, computers and data centers. A shutdown caused by the powerful earthquake could tighten supply, affect spot prices and alter downstream customers’ inventory strategies.

A magnitude-7.5 earthquake recently struck northeastern Japan, prompting immediate market scrutiny of equipment, personnel and production at Kioxia’s Iwate plant. Reports did not specify the exact date of the earthquake, the duration of any shutdown, financial losses or the extent of damage, and Kioxia has yet to disclose specific production-cut figures. The key issues now are the results of plant inspections and the timetable for restoring production lines.