Japanese newspaper: Apple, Amazon and Google bid for Toshiba’s nand production

Google, Amazon and Apple have joined the ten bidders for the stake in Toshiba’s nand production. It is not known how much the well-known tech companies are willing to pay to get their hands on the business unit of the Japanese giant.

The fact that Google, Amazon and Apple have joined the bidding war for Toshiba’s nand production appeared in the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun Daily last weekend, but the newspaper did not report further details. Getting the nandflash production in-house would be important for Google and Amazon for data center operations, where flash storage is playing an increasingly important role.

Apple is already a major buyer of Toshiba’s nandflash. It would be a striking move for Apple, as the company produces few components itself and rarely makes major acquisitions. Among the ten remaining bidders for Toshiba’s business are Western Digital, SK hynix, Hon Hai and Broadcom. No Japanese companies would participate.

Toshiba splits its nand production into a separate company Toshiba Memory and sells part of it because it is in financial trouble after a series of financial setbacks. Last week, Westinghouse, Toshiba’s nuclear arm in the US, had to file for bankruptcy. After Samsung, Toshiba is currently the world’s largest nand memory manufacturer. Negotiations on the sale are expected to begin in April.