Kioxia, the Japanese NAND flash giant, has told its sales team to stop pushing for large price increases with data center customers. CEO Nobuo Ota said in a September 9 interview that memory prices have risen enough, making Kioxia the first storage chipmaker to voluntarily slow the pricing surge in this cycle.
Ota noted that NAND average prices jumped 70% quarter‑on‑quarter in Q1 2026. Further increases would erode market share and long‑term growth, and such a pace is unlikely to repeat. The company's strategy now is to hold current high prices steady rather than push them higher.
Ota also dismissed the possibility of deepening manufacturing cooperation with SK Hynix, a shareholder and competitor. While SK Group Chairman Chey Tae‑won had suggested collaboration was possible, Ota cited antitrust constraints and the difficulty of coordinating shared production lines with SanDisk. No joint‑production talks are underway.
Analysts view the move as a rational, health‑driven decision – not a bearish signal on AI‑driven storage demand. After prices doubled, suppliers are choosing to stabilize and protect margins rather than risk demand destruction.
ICgoodFind Takeaway:
Kioxia's decision signals the NAND price rally is entering a new phase – suppliers are prioritizing stability over aggressive hikes. For buyers, this could mean easing procurement pressure ahead.
