KIOXIA wins FMS award

This esteemed award recognises the KIOXIA engineering team—Hideaki Aochi, Ryota Katsumata, Masaru Kito, Masaru Kido, and Hiroyasu Tanaka—for their pioneering efforts in developing and commercialising 3D flash memory, a technology now integral to advanced smartphones, PCs, SSDs, data centres, AI, and industrial applications.

KIOXIA first introduced the concept of BiCS FLASHTM 3D flash memory technology at the VLSI Symposium in 2007. Following the prototype announcement, KIOXIA continued refining the technology for mass production, culminating in the release of the world's first 256 gigabit (Gb), 48-layer 3D flash memory in 2015.

"KIOXIA’s innovation in 3D flash memory has revolutionised data storage, transforming it from a mere advancement of existing technologies into a groundbreaking solution that meets the demands of modern computing," said Chuck Sobey, FMS General Chair. "We are delighted to showcase this important contribution and look forward to seeing what the future holds."

The BiCS FLASHTM 3D flash memory, with its 3D stacked structure, has significantly enhanced storage capacity and performance. This technology has enabled higher-density storage solutions while maintaining reliability and efficiency, greatly benefiting data centres, consumer electronics, and mobile devices. By leveraging vertical stacking, KIOXIA’s BiCS FLASHTM technology overcame the limitations of planar NAND flash, paving the way for future memory storage innovations and solidifying KIOXIA's status as an industry leader.

"KIOXIA’s technical innovation in 3D flash memory cannot be overstated,” said Atsushi Inoue, Vice President and Technology Executive for KIOXIA Corporation’s Memory Division. “Our technology has created a new paradigm in the industry, enabling flash memory to vastly increase storage density per cell, die and package. I am excited to see our achievements recognised and look forward to witnessing their continued influence in the years to come."

"My fellow KIOXIA engineers are an inspiration not only for their technological accomplishments but also for their commitment to advancing the field through continuous innovation and support for the technologists around them,” added Ryota Katsumata, senior fellow of the Advanced Memory Development Centre for KIOXIA Corporation. “Our contributions have not only made a reverberating impact but have also fostered a spirit of innovation and collaboration within the community. It is wonderful to see this leadership and vision be acknowledged.”

KIOXIA's 3D flash memory technology has also been honoured with the Imperial Invention Prize from the 2020 National Commendation for Invention in Japan, the 2023 Award for Science and Technology from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the 2021 IEEE Andrew S. Grove Award.