Kioxia Signals Intent to Mass-Produce 10th-Gen NAND Next Year, Chasing Samsung and SK Hynix

Japan's Kioxia has flagged next-generation NAND mass production as a key priority for next year. With Korean players such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix pushing back the commercialization timeline for their own next-gen NAND, the move is read as a strategy to rapidly close the technology gap.

According to industry sources on the 23rd, Kioxia is planning to begin mass production of 10th-generation (BiCS 10) NAND next year.

Kioxia is one of Japan's major NAND manufacturers. Per market research firm TrendForce, the company held a 14.1% share of the global NAND market in the fourth quarter of last year, ranking third—behind Samsung Electronics (28.0%) and SK Hynix (22.1%).

There is also a view that Kioxia is ramping up its technology at pace. In its most recent earnings release, the company identified "the launch of 10th-generation BiCS NAND" as one of its strategic priorities for fiscal year 2026 (April 2026–March 2027). Its capital expenditure in the latest quarter was likewise concentrated on 8th- and 10th-generation NAND.

NAND has evolved by vertically stacking ever more cells—the smallest unit of memory storage. Kioxia applies its proprietary cell-stacking technology, BiCS (Bit Cost Scalable). The 10th-generation BiCS stacks a total of 332 layers, increasing storage capacity per unit area by 59% and improving data transfer speed by 33% versus the prior generation (218 layers).

That said, just how much 10th-gen NAND Kioxia will actually mass-produce remains unclear. One semiconductor industry official noted, "Kioxia had originally planned to begin investing in 10th-gen NAND as early as the second half of last year, but there are still no confirmed orders," adding that "a clearer picture should emerge around the second half of this year."

Should Kioxia indeed move forward with mass-production investment in 10th-gen NAND, it is expected to be able to narrow the technology gap with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix more quickly. Korean firms are also developing 10th-gen NAND, but have yet to execute actual mass-production investment.

Samsung Electronics had originally planned to mass-produce its 430-layer-class 10th-gen NAND this year, but the plan has been pushed back to at least next year. The high technical difficulty of realizing 10th-gen NAND, along with market demand, are seen as contributing factors.

A source familiar with the matter said, "Samsung Electronics is deliberating over the timing of its 10th-gen NAND conversion investment and has not yet shared any concrete equipment-ordering plans," adding that "the situation is the same for SK Hynix."

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