Major semiconductor manufacturer Kioxia has begun shipping its state-of-the-art '10th generation' 3D flash memory from the second manufacturing building (K2 building) of its Kitakami Plant in Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture. In connection with this, a celebratory party gathering relevant parties was held on July 3. The move aims to meet the surge in demand for semiconductors for data centers driven by the rapid spread of artificial intelligence (AI).
At the celebration, Yasuo Ota, President of Kioxia Holdings, revealed plans to invest an average of 4700 billion yen annually in capital expenditure over the next three years starting from this fiscal year. Due to the spread of generative AI, the volume of data processing is surging globally, making the securing of high-performance memory an urgent issue. Kioxia aims for full-scale mass production of the next-generation product, which started shipping this time, in about a year, and intends to establish its position in the growing market and strengthen its supply system.
Nにおいて= in / at / onNについて= about ~ / regarding ~
Learning Notes
Grammar Patterns
Pattern
Meaning
Nに伴い
along with ~ / associated with ~
Nにおいて
in / at / on
Nについて
about ~ / regarding ~
Vocabulary
Word
Reading
Level
Meaning
出荷
しゅっか
N2
shipping; shipment
最先端
さいせんたん
N1
state-of-the-art; cutting-edge
普及
ふきゅう
N1
diffusion; spread; popularization
急増
きゅうぞう
N1
rapid increase; sharp rise; surge
急務
きゅうむ
N1
urgent business; pressing task
Language Insights
•Kioxia, formerly known as Toshiba Memory, is one of the world's largest flash memory manufacturers. Its Kitakami Plant in Iwate Prefecture is a vital hub for producing state-of-the-art NAND flash memory, competing globally with Samsung and SK Hynix.
•The term '3次元フラッシュメモリー' (3D flash memory) refers to the vertical stacking of memory cells. Stacking vertically allows for higher density and capacity, which is crucial for modern AI and data center applications.
•Notice the use of compound words like '設備投資' (capital investment) and '供給体制' (supply system). These are standard business and economic terms frequently found in NHK news articles and JLPT N1 reading sections.