Japanese memory manufacturer Kioxia (Kioxia) sees quarterly profit surge to 596.8 billion yen, preparing to list in the United States

Benefiting from strong demand driven by artificial intelligence (AI), Japanese memory chipmaker Kioxia Holdings Corp. (Kioxia) showed in its latest financial report that its profit for the period ended at the end of March reached 596.8 billion yen, setting a record high. The company also disclosed that it has invested more than 15 billion Taiwan dollars to take an equity stake in Taiwan’s memory heavyweight Nanya Technology (2408). Kioxia has already announced plans to list in the United States, but the timeline, U.S. exchange, and related details have not yet been confirmed.

AI infrastructure boosts memory demand; Kioxia’s profit hits a new high last quarter

As global large data center operators actively build AI infrastructure, the global shortage of NAND Flash memory has emerged, pushing chip prices to repeatedly set new highs. According to Kioxia’s 2026 Q1 financial report released today, operating profit surged 92.7% to 870.4 billion yen, far exceeding market expectations. Profit for the January to March quarter alone also set a record high of 596.8 billion yen. Looking ahead to the April to June period, Kioxia expects quarterly operating profit and revenue to reach as high as 1.3 trillion yen (about $8.2B). The implied annualized revenue would be up to 5 trillion yen, well above market expectations.

Accountng for 4% of global NAND capacity, Kioxia plans to list in the U.S. to expand funding

Memory industry is highly capital-intensive and is also easily affected by price cycle fluctuations. As of April 2026, global NAND Flash memory capacity is about 1.34M wafers per month. Among them, Kioxia’s Fab 1 plant in Japan’s Iwate Prefecture has monthly capacity of about 55k wafers, accounting for roughly 4% of global total production capacity. To cover massive plant-building and R&D spending, Kioxia announced that it is preparing to list on a U.S. securities exchange to expand overseas investment and make full preparations for subsequent capacity expansion.

(This is a 7.5-strong earthquake in Japan’s Tohoku region! Kioxia’s Iwate plant accounts for 4% of global NAND capacity; memory supply on alert)

This year’s stock price has skyrocketed more than threefold; Kioxia’s market cap surpasses Sony and Uniqlo’s parent company

According to Reuters, since Kioxia was listed in Tokyo at the end of 2024, the company has gradually moved out of the operational turmoil it previously faced after being spun off from Toshiba under the leadership of Bain Capital. This year to date, its share price has surged about 300%, and its market cap has surpassed SONY and Uniqlo parent company Fast Retailing. In the future, it may even challenge Toyota Motor, becoming the most profitable company in all of Japan.

Kioxia invests more than 15 billion Taiwan dollars to acquire a stake in Taiwan’s Nanya Technology (2408)

In the post-period events disclosed in Kioxia’s latest financial report, the company revealed that on April 8, 2026, it obtained ordinary shares of Taiwan memory chipmaker Nanya Technology (Nanya Technology). The total amount of this equity acquisition reached 156.73 billion New Taiwan dollars (about 782.08 billion yen). This move not only shifts the layout of the global memory industry, but also highlights Taiwan’s strategic position as indispensable in the global semiconductor and AI supply chain.

This article Japan memory chipmaker Kioxia’s single-quarter profit soars to 596.8 billion yen, preparing to list in the U.S. first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.