SDG-Related Topics

Here, we will introduce specific examples that show how the KIOXIA Group’s business has contributed to solving social issues and achieving the SDGs.

Urban areas where populations are concentrating need to enable lifestyles that are safe, highly convenient, and allow people to maintain a high quality of life. The spread of flash memory and SSDs has helped provide people with internet access that is available anytime and anywhere. For example, it has made it possible to access news updates via the internet using a tablet while on a train and communicate with people all over the world from the home or office using a PC or tablet. In addition, recording technologies such as image authentication and dashboard cameras have led to safer lifestyles. By manufacturing flash memories and SSDs at even lower cost and increasing their capacity and performance, the KIOXIA Group will help more people improve their lives.

Due to the global spread of COVID-19, we have been forced to make major changes to our daily lives. As commercial activity and movement are being greatly restricted worldwide, online communication has become a means to connect people and things. An environment in which the internet is accessible anytime and anywhere also contributes to remote work, online classes at home, and other alternatives that help realize a new way of life.

Treating various illnesses such as Alzheimer’s requires research on the human brain deploying state-of-the-art science. One of the ways to analyze the human brain is through neuron research. The neurons in the human brain are said to have a total capacity of 3 zettabytes, which means that state-of-the-art computing systems and storage technology that can conduct high-speed processing are essential when researching them.

KIOXIA collaborated with the MIT Media Lab and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) to successfully develop technology that visualizes the neurons in a mouse’s brain in real-time with a high-resolution 8K display and a VR headset. By using our CM5 SSDs, which meet high-speed specifications, we were able to display an enormous amount of 3D image data (5 to 10 TB) in real-time.
We will continue to further advance the development of SSD technology to contribute to the development of cutting-edge science and medical technology.

At KIOXIA’s Yokkaichi Plant, a large amount of hydrofluoric acid is used in wafer cleaning and etching processes, resulting in the generation of high-concentration hydrofluoric acid waste liquid and low-concentration hydrofluoric acid wastewater.
Fluorine in wastewater was traditionally removed using the coagulation-sedimentation method. This method was problematic in that it made recycling and reuse difficult due to the large amounts of impurities such as silica as well as the excessive moisture.
In 2013, we partnered with Organo Corporation and AGC Inc. to develop technology allowing high-concentration hydrofluoric acid waste liquid to be recycled as high-purity calcium fluoride (artificial fluorite). Using Organo Corporation’s artificial fluorite production equipment, hydrofluoric acid waste liquid is treated with a crystallizer, extracted from the crystallizer as a slurry containing calcium fluoride crystals, dehydrated, and recycled as high-purity calcium fluoride (artificial fluorite). Manufacturers of fluorine-based products use hydrofluoric acid production equipment to purify it together with natural fluorite by causing it to react with sulfuric acid, and the hydrofluoric acid produced is then sold commercially or used as raw material for fluorine products. Gypsum generated as a by-product of hydrofluoric acid production is also sold commercially.

Through this kind of recycling, we have reduced the amount of sludge containing hydrofluoric acid by roughly 30%. In addition, manufacturers of fluorine-based products use the recycled calcium fluoride (artificial fluorite) to produce fluorine-based materials such as hydrofluoric acid. This recycling reduces the use of fluorite, which is an imported natural resource.
We received an award for this technology along with Organo Corporation and AGC Inc.

In 2020, under its new administration, Japan set a new course toward full-scale decarbonization.
Going forward, administrative bodies, NPOs and companies will all pursue more activities than ever before aimed at reaching the Japanese government’s new goal of “reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.” The KIOXIA Group has been pursuing cross-organizational energy conservation activities centered on its plants. Furthermore, we plan to reduce CO₂ emissions by introducing renewable energy group-wide.

As a long-term goal, we aim to use 100% renewable energy by 2040. To achieve this goal, we are pursuing collaboration with other companies and the government through industry groups and others. In addition, as the first step to achieving this long-term goal, we plan to introduce electricity derived from renewable energy at sites such as development and test centers, and take measures such as installing solar panels on plant premises.
In order to meet the expectations of the international community, we will accelerate efforts geared toward decarbonization by introducing renewable energy in line with regional and national government policies.

Through efforts to increase the power efficiency of the flash memory and SSDs that the KIOXIA Group supplies, we believe that we can contribute to achieving a low-carbon society by supplying products with high capacity and low power consumption.

In particular, we are working to reduce the amount of electricity and materials per storage capacity output, and to improve the energy consumption efficiency for processing one gigabyte of products when they are in use.