On November 27, 2025, Japanese media disclosed that memory behemoths Kioxia (a Japanese company) and U.S.-headquartered SanDisk are gearing up to collaborate on the construction of a NAND wafer plant in the United States. Encouragingly, they've already received positive signals of support from both the Japanese and U.S. governments. At present, the NAND wafer plants jointly operated by these two companies are primarily located in Yokkaichi and Kitakami, Japan. Notably, nearly 90% of the world's NAND production capacity is clustered in East Asia. It's worth mentioning that previous announcements regarding plant construction in the U.S. by companies like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron did not encompass NAND operations. This underscores the strategic significance of the Kioxia-SanDisk partnership.

Spurred by the burgeoning end-user demand for AI servers, AIPCs (AI Personal Computers), and smart vehicles, the NAND market is poised for robust growth. In 2025, NAND demand is projected to surge at a rate ranging from 13.8% to 20%. This, coupled with a gradually widening supply-demand gap, provides a compelling impetus for capacity expansion. Nevertheless, establishing a plant in the United States is fraught with challenges, including project management complexities and talent acquisition hurdles. The entire process, from site selection to equipment commissioning, is expected to span at least 3-5 years. Consequently, the plant's impact on the market is unlikely to be substantial in the near term.