[News] Kioxia Reportedly Exits 2D NAND Market, Phasing Out Floating Gate and BiCS FLASH Gen 3 in 2028

Shortly after its earlier announcement to discontinue thin small-outline package (TSOP) products in late May, Kioxia China, according to TechNews, issued another end-of-life notice to customers on March 31, stating that its certain floating gate and third-generation BiCS FLASH products will be phased out in 2028.

According to the notice cited by the report, the last time for customer final purchase forecasts and orders is set for September 30, 2026, while final shipments will be completed by December 31, 2028. This implies that by 2029, Kioxia will have fully exited the 2D NAND market, TechNews notes.

Kioxia’s latest notice is in line with its earlier move: as reported by TechNews, on March 19, Kioxia announced that it would discontinue TSOP-packaged products due to substrate phase-outs, shifting market demand, and production constraints. TSOP packaging is primarily used for low-capacity MLC NAND flash memory, the report adds.

As previously reported by The Elec, Samsung had already flagged in late February that it may halt 2D NAND production at Hwaseong Line 12 as early as March and converting the facility into a 1C DRAM end fab to ease production bottlenecks. Notably, the report suggested that this move officially closes Samsung’s 2D NAND chapter.

According to TrendForce, as major international NAND Flash producers reduce or halt MLC NAND Flash output and redirect their capital and R&D investments toward advanced process tech, the worldwide MLC NAND Flash capacity is expected to decrease by 41.7% YOY in 2026, leading to increased supply-demand discrepancies.

The significant decline in MLC NAND Flash supply, as per TrendForce, is mainly due to Samsung—formerly the largest supplier—announcing in March 2025 that its MLC NAND products would reach end of life, with final shipments in June 2026. Additionally, Kioxia, SK hynix, and Micron have limited their MLC production primarily to meet existing customer demand, with little motivation to increase capacity.

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(Photo credit: Kioxia)