Kioxia and Western Digital Corp. are on the cusp of finalizing their merger, anticipated to be agreed upon as early as this month, according to
Kyodo News. This union is poised to make the combined entity the world's largest maker of NAND flash memory.
The proposed ownership structure of the new conglomerate has been meticulously planned. Western Digital shareholders are projected to hold a majority stake, surpassing 50%, while the remaining ownership will be attributed to Kioxia shareholders, including a notable contribution from Toshiba Corp. Initially, the leadership and executive roles are expected to be dominated by Kioxia's team, but that is expected to change over time.
The strategic collaboration involves the formation of a holding company, integrating their expertise in NAND flash memory chip production, with a vision of listing the new conglomerate on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the U.S. Western Digital aims to own 51% of the new entity. The remaining 49% will be distributed among Kioxia’s shareholders, including Toshiba, which owns 40% of Kioxia. As a result, Toshiba is expected to own approximately 19.6% of the new entity.
In the competitive arena of NAND memory production, the merger signifies a monumental shift. Together, Kioxia and Western Digital are set to overshadow the current leader, Samsung Electronics, by commanding a formidable market share. Their combined prowess in NAND memories is anticipated to reach around 34.3%, a figure that eclipses Samsung’s 31.1% stake as of Q2 2023, according to
TrendForce. Meanwhile, the new entity will be significantly bigger than SK Hynix, which owns a stake in Kioxia. The South Korean company controlled 17.8% of the NAND market in the second quarter, so the formation of a bigger player might become a challenge for SK Hynix.
