Toshiba Memory to Acquire Lite-On's SSD Business

[btarunr]

Toshiba Memory Holdings Corporation, which will rebrand as Kioxia Holdings Corporation on October 1, 2019, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement with LITE-ON Technology Corporation to acquire its Solid State Drive (SSD) business. The purchase price is 165 million US dollars; the transaction is expected to close by the first half of 2020 and is subject to customary closing adjustments and regulatory approval.

LITE-ON is a Taiwan-based supplier of optoelectronics, storage, semiconductors and other devices. Toshiba Memory and LITE-ON share a commitment to quality, innovation and manufacturing excellence. With cultural synergies and LITE-ON's proven experience in the SSD field for personal computers and data centers, Toshiba Memory sees this acquisition as a way to significantly strengthen its SSD business.



"LITE-ON's Solid State Drive business is a natural and strategic fit with Toshiba Memory and expands our focus in the SSD industry," said Nobuo Hayasaka, acting President and CEO of Toshiba Memory Holding Corporation. "This is an exciting acquisition for us, as it positions us to meet the projected growth in demand for SSDs in PCs and data centers being driven by the increased use of cloud services."

Toshiba Memory will leverage LITE-ON's leading innovations to enhance its leadership position in the SSD market.

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[TheLostSwede]

At least that suggest the Plextor brand might end up either stop being dragged in the dirt, or killed off...

 

[Ferrum Master]

At least that suggest the Plextor brand might end up either stop being dragged in the dirt, or killed off...

Ye, but the amount of old reptiles remembering it for best CD writers kinda dies off...

 

[Muser99]

Rebrand? This is a legal change in the corporations name, it is not re branding! Presuming they will continue with the Toshiba brand?

 

[TheLostSwede]

Ye, but the amount of old reptiles remembering it for best CD writers kinda dies off...

I've had a few of their drives over the years, along with Matsushita/Panasonic. Can't say I miss optical drives though...

Rebrand? This is a legal change in the corporations name, it is not re branding! Presuming they will continue with the Toshiba brand?

Toshiba Memory to Rebrand as "Kioxia" in October

Toshiba Memory Holdings Corporation announced today that it will officially change its name to Kioxia Holdings Corporation on October 1, 2019. The name Kioxia (kee-ox-ee-uh) will be adopted for the names of all Toshiba Memory companies, largely effective on the same date. Kioxia is a...

www.techpowerup.com

 

[1d10t]

After they took OCZ last breath, now they also taking Lite On too? Well technically, there still many notebook equipped with optical in it but still, who use it anyway rather than adding some weight?
It bothers me why Toshiba targeting OEM, not NAND controller makers like Silicon Motion or Phison as they already had their own flash chip ? Now this will pose a good threat to that Korean giant.

 

[TheLostSwede]

After they took OCZ last breath, now they also taking Lite On too? Well technically, there still many notebook equipped with optical in it but still, who use it anyway rather than adding some weight?
It bothers me why Toshiba targeting OEM, not NAND controller makers like Silicon Motion or Phison as they already had their own flash chip ? Now this will pose a good threat to that Korean giant.

Only the SSD business unit is being sold.
Lite-On makes a whole heap of other things, which it looks like they'll continue to be making, most likely including optical drives.

 

[Muser99]

I've had a few of their drives over the years, along with Matsushita/Panasonic. Can't say I miss optical drives though...

Toshiba Memory to Rebrand as "Kioxia" in October

Toshiba Memory Holdings Corporation announced today that it will officially change its name to Kioxia Holdings Corporation on October 1, 2019. The name Kioxia (kee-ox-ee-uh) will be adopted for the names of all Toshiba Memory companies, largely effective on the same date. Kioxia is a...

www.techpowerup.com

I'm unclear, is this just a company name change, with new corporate branding, or will the product branding change also?

 

[TheLostSwede]

I'm unclear, is this just a company name change, with new corporate branding, or will the product branding change also?

Everything will change, as Kioxia is a "new" company, as Toshiba's flash division was sold off and Toshiba won't let the new company use the Toshiba brand name.

 

[Muser99]

Everything will change, as Kioxia is a "new" company, as Toshiba's flash division was sold off and Toshiba won't let the new company use the Toshiba brand name.

So it's a full re-branding from corporate livery all the way the logo on SSD's! I stand correct.
Better than loosing a market player!

 

[timta2]

$165 Million seems like a lot for something so insignificant.

 

[TheLostSwede]

$165 Million seems like a lot for something so insignificant.

So staff, facilities and customers have no value?

 

[Ruru]

Didn't even know Liteon had SSDs, I know them only from optical drives and OEM PSUs.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Didn't even know Liteon had SSDs, I know them only from optical drives and OEM PSUs.

They make a lot of OEM SSDs, but they also own the Plextor brand for storage devices.

 

[Ruru]

They make a lot of OEM SSDs, but they also own the Plextor brand for storage devices.

Okay, thanks, now I'm a little wiser

 

[ssdpro]

I guess that finally answers that OCZ had no real engineers, no competent or useful program managers. Toshiba thought they bought this with OCZ Storage Solutions and got bumpkins. Hence why after buying OCZ they had to use 3rd party controllers as the OCZ engineers had nothing.

 

[TheLostSwede]

I guess that finally answers that OCZ had no real engineers, no competent or useful program managers. Toshiba thought they bought this with OCZ Storage Solutions and got bumpkins. Hence why after buying OCZ they had to use 3rd party controllers as the OCZ engineers had nothing.

Lite-On doesn't make SSD controllers either.