Yesterday, Toshiba Memory Corporation and Western Digital held a joint opening ceremony for their joint venture fab 6, announcing the formal operation of the plant. The fab is located in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan, and was built specifically for the production of 3D NAND Flash.

The plant started construction in February 2017. In addition to the 3D NANA Flash production facility, it also has a memory research and development center, which has been in operation since March of this year. Its main function is to develop 3D NAND Flash technology.

Western Digital CEO Steve Milligan said: "I am honored to be able to kick off the fab 6 and memory R&D center with our key partner Toshiba. We have been working together for the past 20 years, driving the growth of NAND Flash technology and Innovation."

“We are very pleased to have this opportunity to open up a broader market for a new generation of 3D NAND Flash. The fab 6 and memory R&D center will allow us to maintain our leading position in the 3D NAND Flash market, and we believe that the joint venture with Western Digital will assist the Yokkaichi factory to continue producing the most advanced products," said Toshiba Storage Director and CEO Yasuo Naruke.