Samsung will double NAND production in China, Toshiba invests $1 billion in 3D NAND Fab

As we reported a few weeks ago, pressured by the Chinese government in an aim for market stability, Samsung now plans to double NAND production. Samsung will invest $7 billion in the next three years by adding a second production line in the Chinese city of Xi’an.

With this 'upgrade' Samsung could produce 220,000 wafers per month. At this time  NAND flash memory prices are going down. It was expected prices would go up again after a power-loss event in a Samsung Fab where 60,000 wafers were lost, reports myce.

Toshiba on their end also announced it will invest in the production of 3D NAND flash. The company will invest $1.31 billion in fab 6, located in Yokkaichi, Japan. The fab should boost the output of Toshiba’s 96-layer 3D NAND flash. 

"Toshiba has approved Toshiba Memory's proposed investment in production equipment for Fab 6 at its Yokkaichi operations in Mie (Japan), where Toshiba Memory will be making 3D flash memory chips.

Toshiba Memory will invest about JPY140 billion (US$1.31 billion) as a third investment in Fab 6 for the installation of additional manufacturing equipment including deposition and etching equipment, Toshiba said. Fab 6 is being constructed to boost the output of Toshiba Memory's 96-layer 3D flash products.

Toshiba Memory has seen robust 3D flash demand for enterprise SSDs for data centers and servers, Toshiba indicated. The Fab 6 is looking to satisfy the growing demand in 2018 and beyond."

Good times, as long term NAND definitely will get cheaper.