Kioxia

Kioxia Holdings Corporation

Company type	Public KK
Industry	Computer memory manufacturing
Predecessor	Toshiba Memory Corporation
Founded	June 2018 (2018-06)
Headquarters	Minato, Tokyo , Japan
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Nobuo Hayasaka (President and CEO)
Products	Flash memory, solid-state drives
Owner	Bain Capital (51.1%), Toshiba (30.5%), Hoya (3%)
Number of employees	15,300 (2023)

Kioxia Holdings Corporation () is a global Japanese enterprise specializing in computer memory manufacturing, with its main office located in Tokyo, Japan. Originating as a division of the Toshiba group, it was separated in June 2018 and officially took on the name Kioxia in October 2019. The majority ownership lies with Bain Capital at 51.1%, while Toshiba retains 30.5%, and Hoya holds 3%.

Tracing its roots back to Toshiba’s pioneering work in the early 1980s, Kioxia is recognized for the invention of flash memory. By the second quarter of 2021, the firm commanded approximately 18.3% of the global revenue share in NAND flash solid-state drive markets, highlighting its influential presence in memory technology.

For the fiscal year 2021, Kioxia recorded revenues of , and as of 2023, it employs around 15,300 staff members. The company’s offerings primarily include flash memory and solid-state drives, catering to a global electronics clientele. Leadership is under President and CEO Nobuo Hayasaka, who directs operations from the headquarters situated in Minato, Tokyo.

Name

The name Kioxia is derived from a combination of the Japanese term kioku meaning memory, and the Greek word axia which translates to value.

History

Flash memory was invented in 1980 by Fujio Masuoka, an engineer working at Toshiba, Kioxia’s predecessor, who later introduced NOR flash technology in 1984.

In January 2014, Toshiba expanded its footprint by acquiring OCZ Storage Solutions, which was subsequently rebranded as OCZ under Toshiba’s umbrella.

Following significant financial setbacks linked to Westinghouse’s bankruptcy, Toshiba Memory Corporation was spun off on June 1, 2018, with Toshiba maintaining a 40.2% share. This entity consolidated all memory-related operations from Toshiba and became part of Toshiba Memory Holdings Corporation on March 1, 2019.

A major power failure occurred in June 2019 at Kioxia’s Yokkaichi plant, resulting in the loss of no less than 6 exabytes of flash memory; some reports suggested losses up to 15 exabytes. Western Digital also relies on Kioxia’s production facilities for manufacturing flash memory.

On August 30, 2019, Toshiba Memory Holdings reached an agreement to purchase the SSD division of Taiwanese electronics firm Lite-On for , with the transaction completing on July 1, 2020.

Toshiba Memory Holdings announced on July 18, 2019, that it would adopt the new brand name Kioxia starting October 1, 2019. This rebranding included changing Toshiba Memory Corporation to Kioxia Corporation and updating related SSD brands such as OCZ.

In February 2022, contamination problems were reported by Kioxia and Western Digital at their joint flash memory manufacturing sites in Japan. This issue affected production capacity by at least 6.5 exabytes and caused shutdowns at both Kiakami and Yokkaichi locations.

Corporate structure

As of July 4, 2025, the ownership breakdown of Kioxia is as follows:

• Bain Capital Private Equity holds 51.11%
• Toshiba retains 30.50%
• Hoya Corporation possesses 3.00%

Subsidiaries

Kioxia Holdings Corporation functions as the parent entity for Kioxia Corporation, which manages its subsidiaries such as Kioxia Systems Company, Kioxia Advanced Package Corporation, Kioxia America, and Kioxia Europe.