Tokyo-based Kioxia Holdings, a memory chipmaker, has begun sending samples of its 332-layer 10th-generation 3D NAND flash chips to AI data center operators as it targets storage markets less dependent on smartphone demand.

Kioxia said the new chip delivers 59% higher bit density than its previous eighth-generation product.

The company will produce it at its second facility at the Kitakami plant in Iwate Prefecture, which began operating in September 2025.

Kioxia and SanDisk said the new generation can reach 4.8 Gb/s, about 33% faster than Kioxia’s eighth-generation product, while cutting power consumption by 10% for input and 34% for output.

Fab2 will ramp up production in stages, with significant output expected in the first half of 2026.

The chip would give Kioxia a higher announced layer count than SK hynix’s 321-layer NAND.

Market research firm Omdia said strong enterprise and data center demand should keep NAND supply tight through 2026.

🔗 Source: The Japan Times