Toshiba Corporation (Tokyo:6502) today announced that it will demolish
the No. 2 semiconductor fabrication facility (Fab 2) at Yokkaichi
Operations, the company’s NAND Flash memory plant in Mie prefecture,
Japan, and replace it with a new fab on the same site. Toshiba also
entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding with SanDisk
Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) to invest jointly in the new facility. The
primary purpose of the new wafer fab is to secure space for converting
existing Toshiba and SanDisk 2D NAND capacity to 3D NAND beginning in
2016.
Demolition work on the current Fab 2 will start in May with construction
beginning in September 2014, with a target completion date of Summer
2015. The clean room within the new fab will be built in phases to align
the clean room investment with the timing of conversion of 2D NAND
capacity to 3D NAND. Construction of the initial cleanroom will be
complete in time for 2016 output. Decisions on capacity conversion ramp
and equipment investment, the start of production, and production levels
in the new fab will reflect market trends.
The new fab will provide a supplementary facility for processes mainly
dedicated to 3D NAND memory production, and work in close cooperation
with Yokkaichi’s other facilities. Toshiba and SanDisk will support 3D
memory production with leading-edge manufacturing equipment for
lithography, deposition and etching through joint ventures.
Yasuo Naruke, Corporate Senior Vice President of Toshiba Corporation and
President and CEO of Semiconductor & Storage Products Company, said,
“Our determination to develop advanced technologies underlines our
commitment to respond to continued demand of NAND flash memory. We are
confident that our joint venture with SanDisk will allow us to produce
cost competitive next generation memories at Yokkaichi. ”
Sanjay Mehrotra, President and Chief Executive Officer of SanDisk, said:
“We are pleased to continue our long-standing collaboration with Toshiba
in this new wafer fab, which will advance our leadership in memory
technology into the 3D NAND era.”
The new fab will have a quake absorbing structure and an environmentally
friendly design that includes LED lighting throughout the building. It
will also be equipped with the latest energy saving manufacturing
equipment, which will secure productivity advances while lowering power
consumption. Highly efficient use of waste heat will help to lower fuel
consumption and cut CO2 emissions by 15% compared to Fab 5,
currently the most advanced fab on the Yokkaichi site.
Toshiba and SanDisk will, through joint ventures, maximize investment
efficiency in the transition to 3D NAND by making full use of the
Yokkaichi site. Going forward, the companies will continue to jointly
develop advanced process technology, and make investments to meet market
requirements.
About Toshiba
Toshiba is a world-leading diversified manufacturer, solutions provider
and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products and systems.
Toshiba Group brings innovation and imagination to a wide range of
businesses: digital products, including LCD TVs, notebook PCs, retail
solutions and MFPs; electronic devices, including semiconductors,
storage products and materials; industrial and social infrastructure
systems, including power generation systems, smart community solutions,
medical systems and escalators & elevators; and home appliances.
Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more
than 590 consolidated companies, with 206,000 employees worldwide and
annual sales surpassing 5.8 trillion yen (US$61 billion). Visit
Toshiba's web site at www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm
About SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, is
a global leader in flash storage solutions. For more than 25 years,
SanDisk has expanded the possibilities of storage, providing trusted and
innovative products that have transformed the electronics industry.
Today, SanDisk’s quality, state-of-the-art solutions are at the heart of
many of the world's largest data centers, and embedded in advanced smart
phones, tablets and PCs. SanDisk’s consumer products are available at
hundreds of thousands of retail stores worldwide. For more information,
visit www.sandisk.com.
SanDisk Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including
statements about demolition and construction schedules, our timing
expectations for first wafer outs, expected production focus at the new
clean room, development of new technologies and products and leadership
in NAND memory. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that may
cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate including, among
others: general business and economic conditions; the ability to ramp
the new production lines and realize expected manufacturing yields,
efficiencies and cost-effectiveness; construction and manufacturing
difficulties or delays; the failure to reach definitive agreements or
the other risks detailed from time-to-time in our Securities and
Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to,
our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q. We do not intend to
update the information contained in this release.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140513007013/en/
Copyright Business Wire 2014