Kioxia Starts 10th-Generation 3D NAND Production for AI Storage

Kioxia and SanDisk jointly develop 3D NAND technology, adding memory layers to increase capacity, improve performance and lower costs per bit. The shift is gaining importance as generative AI drives demand for high-speed data-center storage, while on-device AI requires faster and more power-efficient flash memory. A successful transition to the 10th-generation process will shape both companies’ product competitiveness and profitability in the expanding AI storage market.

Kioxia has begun mass production of its 10th-generation 3D NAND at its Kitakami plant in Japan. The technology is intended for enterprise SSDs supporting PCIe 6.0 and mobile storage products based on UFS 5.0, targeting data centers and on-device AI applications. However, higher costs incurred while improving yields on the new process were a major reason the latest forecasts from Kioxia and SanDisk fell short of market expectations.