Kioxia has begun sampling its BiCS 10 3D NAND flash memory. The sampling is aimed at capturing growing demand for SSDs driven by AI workloads. It also reflects a strategic shift to gradually reduce the company's dependence on the smartphone NAND business, including its supply to Apple.
The Nikkei 225 fell 1,741 points (2.47%) to close at 68,733, driven by sharp declines in AI and semiconductor stocks. Kioxia plunged as much as 14.8% intraday, nearly 30% below its recent high, while Tokyo Electron and Advantest also weakened. The sell-off was triggered by a 6.2% drop in the US Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX), spreading bearish sentiment. Beyond profit-taking, the market is increasingly questioning the sustainability of massive AI investments.
A retweeted post listed rough, back-of-envelope planned fab investment figures for several semiconductor companies. The list included CMXT ($0.00T), Kioxia ($0.01T), Rapidus ($0.03T), and a trailing entry (possibly TSMC) at $0.03T, suggesting tens of billions of dollars. No official sources or further context were provided, and the full data was cut off. The estimates appear to compare capital expenditure plans in the chip manufacturing sector.
A tweet reports that shares of Kioxia, Fujikura, Advantest, and Lasertec are continuing their downward trend. The author questions whether the sell-off has ended. The post does not provide specific price declines or reasons for the drop.
Japanese X user dkmr0610 shared an investment outlook suggesting 2026 could become a year of mass wealth creation. The post identifies seven Japanese stock sectors poised to win: semiconductor equipment (Tokyo Electron), physical AI (Fanuc), defense infrastructure (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries), optical communications (Fujikura), semiconductor materials (Shin-Etsu Chemical), sensors and controls (Keyence), and banking (Mitsubishi UFJ). Driving themes include unstoppable AI-related demand, the era of thinking robots, normalizing geopolitical risks, essential optical fiber for AI data centers, and a rising interest rate environment favoring banks. The user urges investors to see market panic as an opportunity to quietly accumulate positions.
Lasertec (6920) stock has fallen out of favor after its 11-year streak of record profits ended; the company forecasts revenue and profit declines for the fiscal year ending June 2026, with orders plunging 61.4% year-on-year. However, the slump reflects a pause in major customers' investment cycles rather than a loss of demand, and the company maintains an order backlog of over ¥300 billion. Lasertec holds a 100% global share in EUV mask blank inspection equipment, an essential step for advanced semiconductor production, and boasts an operating margin of around 50%. The next growth wave is expected as High-NA EUV lithography rolls out, driving large-scale inspection tool upgrades from 2027 onward. Near-term unpopularity may present a buying opportunity if quarterly order momentum recovers, no significant competitive threat emerges, and short-seller allegations are resolved.