Toto, the Japanese company best known for its high-end toilets, is betting on semiconductors.
The company has pledged to invest more in its ceramics division, which makes components used in NAND memory production. This move comes as the memory industry grapples with a supply crunch that's driving up prices across the board.
The irony is hard to ignore: a toilet manufacturer is now a player in the chip supply chain. But the connection makes sense — Toto's ceramics expertise translates to the precision materials needed for memory manufacturing. As major chipmakers scramble to increase output, they're looking for every possible source of materials.
This is yet another sign of how the memory shortage is rippling through industries far from Silicon Valley. When a company that makes $5,000 toilets starts investing in chip materials, you know the crisis has gone mainstream.
The investment amount wasn't disclosed, but the company said it sees the memory market as a long-term growth opportunity. Given the current trajectory of the RAM crisis, that's likely a safe bet.