Kioxia and U.S.-based SanDisk announced a joint investment totaling ¥5 trillion in Japan. Centered on the construction of a new building at the Kitakami Plant, known as K3, the plan targets the start of operations in fiscal 2029 and includes capacity expansion at the Yokkaichi Plant and an extension of the joint venture agreement.
The heads of semiconductor memory leaders Kioxia and U.S.-based SanDisk visited the Prime Minister's Office on 27 August and reported plans to make a large-scale joint investment totaling approximately ¥5 trillion in Japan over six years, with government support assumed. The companies aim to ensure a stable supply of next-generation flash memory and strengthen their production capacity to meet growing AI demand. Building on more than 25 years of cooperation and cumulative capital investment of ¥9 trillion to date, they plan to establish a long-term operating framework.
The centerpiece of the investment is K3, a new manufacturing building at the Kitakami Plant in Iwate Prefecture. Approximately ¥1.8 trillion of the investment will be allocated to the building, with operations targeted to begin during fiscal 2029. Capacity expansion will also proceed at the Yokkaichi Plant in Mie Prefecture, based on an assessment of market conditions, and the joint venture agreement for the plant has been extended through December 2034. The companies are expected to maintain a long-term stable supply framework through cooperation between Japan and the United States.