Apple and other computer makers are likely to see their SSD costs increase due to contamination issues at Western Digital and Kioxia’s NAND production facilities. (via TrendForce)
WDC recently announced it has lost 6.5 exabytes worth of BiCS 3D NAND flash storage due to contamination in late January at NAND Flash production lines in Yokkaichi and Kitakami, Japan which are joint ventures with Kioxia, according to TrendForce’s investigations. The cause of the contamination or when production could resume has yet to be announced.
Western Digital and Kioxia’s joint production amounting to around 30% of the entire NAND flash market mean the companies are among the world’s leading SSD suppliers. TrendForce says its market research indicates that the price of NAND, which is the main component of SSDs, could leap by up to 10% starting in the second quarter of 2022.
Recent iFixit teardowns have shown that Kioxia NAND chips are used in many Apple products, including the iPhone 13, the iPad Pro, and the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro. At this point, it is uncertain if any of these Apple devices will face a recall.
Even if Apple devices are not directly impacted by the contamination issues, it is still likely that the Cupertino firm will see a tightening of supply, pushing prices higher. The main question is whether Apple will absorb the increased costs or pass them on for consumers to pay.
(Image via AppleInsider)