Semiconductor memory company Kioxia Holdings and Western Digital (WD) announced on February 6 that they will jointly invest 729 billion yen in mass production of cutting-edge semiconductor memory products. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced on the 6th that it will provide subsidies for this investment, up to 243 billion yen. The product is conceived for generative AI (artificial intelligence), etc.
Kioxia and Western Digital will mass-produce cutting-edge memory at the Yokkaichi Plant in Mie Prefecture and the Kitakami Plant in Iwate Prefecture. The Yokkaichi plant produces 60,000 units per month and the Kitakami plant produces 25,000 units per month, both of which are expected to start supplying the first plant in September 2025. The total investment for the production of cutting-edge products at the two plants is about 450 billion yen, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will subsidize up to 150 billion yen.
The state-of-the-art memory that will be mass-produced is called the "8th generation" and "9th generation". It is characterized by fast data read and write speeds and low power consumption. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) believes that there is a growing demand for memory for generative AI and autonomous driving on a global scale. Publish a collection of dragon cards to share millions of cash
The Yokkaichi and Kitakami plants are expected to employ about 9,000 people in mass production of cutting-edge products. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is also looking forward to boosting local economic development.
Kioxia and Western Digital originally planned to mass-produce the "6th generation" at the Yokkaichi plant. The total investment between the two sides will reach 729 billion yen, with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry providing a maximum subsidy of 243 billion yen.
From the perspective of economic security, the unification of Japan and the United States is of great significance. Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ken Saito said at a press conference on the 6th that "Japan and the United States should share the responsibility for the memory needed by the world."