Toshiba Responds to SanDisk's Call for International Arbitration

[btarunr]

Western Digital Corporation's subsidiary SanDisk LLC (SanDisk) and certain of its subsidiaries, through their attorneys, have notified Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO:6502)(Toshiba) and Toshiba Memory Corporation (TMC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Toshiba, that they have initiated arbitration regarding TMC's planned investments for additional BiCS capacity at TMC's Yokkaichi Operations, including at its Fab 6 building. Although Toshiba has not yet received a formal copy of the arbitration request, and is therefore not in a position to comment regarding its substance, Toshiba is disappointed by Western Digital's initiation of additional arbitration at this important time for the parties' collaboration.

As previously announced, production at Fab 6 will be entirely devoted to BiCS FLASH, Toshiba's premiere 3D Flash memory product. Phase-1 of the fab is scheduled for completion in summer 2018, and will be a unilateral investment by Toshiba following SanDisk's unwillingness to agree to reasonable commercial terms.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Baum]

This means for sandisk what? no more ssd's or what is going on...*confused*

 

[Gasaraki]

This means for sandisk what? no more ssd's or what is going on...*confused*

It's ok Baum, It's ok. WD is just being a dick. Ignore him.

 

[silentbogo]

This means for sandisk what? no more ssd's or what is going on...*confused*

It may follow with Toshiba over-saturating the market with BiCS 3D NAND to the point where it will be harder for SanDisk/WD to make their own memory at affordable prices, and they will be forced to buy chips from Toshiba.
BiCS was a joint project of these two companies, so I'm pretty sure that there were provisions for limiting manufacturing volume and sharing the market fairly.

It may not mean anything to the end-user in the short run, but it will hurt WD badly, and I just started to like their SSDs.

 

[StrayKAT]

It may follow with Toshiba over-saturating the market with BiCS 3D NAND to the point where it will be harder for SanDisk/WD to make their own memory at affordable prices, and they will be forced to buy chips from Toshiba.
BiCS was a joint project of these two companies, so I'm pretty sure that there were provisions for limiting manufacturing volume and sharing the market fairly.

It may not mean anything to the end-user in the short run, but it will hurt WD badly, and I just started to like their SSDs.

This is why I think they just need to invest in their own process.

But yeah, I was starting to like their SSDs too. And this won't win me over to Toshiba. Screw them. My Toshiba TV sucks anyway.

 

[Gasaraki]

It may follow with Toshiba over-saturating the market with BiCS 3D NAND to the point where it will be harder for SanDisk/WD to make their own memory at affordable prices, and they will be forced to buy chips from Toshiba.
BiCS was a joint project of these two companies, so I'm pretty sure that there were provisions for limiting manufacturing volume and sharing the market fairly.

It may not mean anything to the end-user in the short run, but it will hurt WD badly, and I just started to like their SSDs.

Over saturating? We are in a DRAM shortage. Companies can't make enough flash memory quick enough.

 

[silentbogo]

Over saturating? We are in a DRAM shortage. Companies can't make enough flash memory quick enough.

Shortage has nothing to do with it (it does, but not in that way). I mean their share of the total volume of memory produced with BiCS tech.
If Toshiba throws everything at 3D NAND production, they are showing the prospect of steady supply and lower prices to all kinds of OEMs, from phones and tablets, to desktops, laptops and whoever else uses solid state storage, and ensuring lower production cost for their own products. The more memory you make, the cheaper it is to manufacture. So, what WD is scared of is being unable to match Toshiba's price at lower volume and not making as many sales as they initially thought (or not making any money).

 

[StrayKAT]

Shortage has nothing to do with it (it does, but not in that way). I mean their share of the total volume of memory produced with BiCS tech.
If Toshiba throws everything at 3D NAND production, they are showing the prospect of steady supply and lower prices to all kinds of OEMs, from phones and tablets, to desktops, laptops and whoever else uses solid state storage, and ensuring lower production cost for their own products. The more memory you make, the cheaper it is to manufacture. So, what WD is scared of is being unable to match Toshiba's price at lower volume and not making as many sales as they initially thought (or not making any money).

I don't think they're scared so much as set back by it. They purchased Sandisk knowing it'd instantly make them one of the few "vertically integrated" storage/memory providers.

Now it won't be so instant. But this is this what they will do nonetheless.

 

[StrayKAT]

What is it that Sandisk/WD finds so attractive about Toshiba? Shorely not the manga-bility of ‘em Tojo-ites. You know, the kiddiness of their [“school”] uniforms and those bigge bluging [non-blue] eyes? Perhaps Sandisk/WD see their opportunity of “Jacking-Up ‘Em Prices” slipping away. Yes, that could be it!! If it is, perhaps some Sandisk/WD head-honchos would like to, “Come Up & See me Sometime!” Dem Stilettos being spikie and sharpie, blood will be drawn everytime. Knowz what Ah meanz, you bigge boyz, you!!

The modernday business model being Perpetual-Income, aka “Rental", based, instead of The Ownership based Business Model of Yore, shorely Dem Tojo-ites and their Robotico Finesse will tech ‘em Boardroom Toiletry Ownership-Issue jokers a thing or two. Shorely. After all, them Manga-fellows have given up on the idea of owning The Canteen Toilets for yonks, preferring to let them workers Running Riot in there during “Lunch Breaks”. How velly hee-hee, haw-haw.

Sandisk was already in a partnership with Toshiba, before WD bought them. Kind of like Intel/Micron, I think? Perhaps not that close of a partnership though.

The modern business model for some may be like that, but they're not leaders. They want to be like Samsung. Not Corsair...or Patriot.. or whoever.

 

[Static~Charge]

And this won't win me over to Toshiba. Screw them. My Toshiba TV sucks anyway.

What does your TV have to do with NAND manufacturing? Toshiba TVs might suck, but their flash memory doesn't.

You might be surprised to discover how many SSDs currently on the market are using Toshiba NAND.

 

[StrayKAT]

What does your TV have to do with NAND manufacturing? Toshiba TVs might suck, but their flash memory doesn't.

You might be surprised to discover how many SSDs currently on the market are using Toshiba NAND.

I wouldn't be surprised. There's only a handful doing it. As for my comment, it's just a loss of loyalty. The TV is merely a symbol. I'm just trying to be funny. I'm annoyed by them more for this deal with Sandisk (or lack of a deal rather).