Chinese DRAM maker CXMT (ChangXin Memory Technologies) plans to set up a NAND flash memory research and development production line at a new plant in Beijing, Reuters reported on September 18, 2026. The company is also in talks with customers interested in buying NAND, suggesting it may expand from its current DRAM business into semiconductors for data storage. However, it is unclear when the line will begin operating, or whether CXMT intends to move to large-scale commercial production. To gauge the impact on supply competition, it is necessary to distinguish between an R&D plan and products that actually reach customers.
A Beijing R&D line and customer talks
Reuters' Japanese-language report, citing three people with knowledge of the matter, said CXMT is preparing to enter the flash memory market. The plan centers on a new plant in Beijing, where the company is said to be setting up an R&D production line for NAND. CXMT did not respond to Reuters' request for comment, and the plan has not been formally announced by the company.
The customer discussions reportedly include a startup that intends to buy CXMT's NAND chips for storage products used in AI systems and supercomputers. Beyond the equipment plan, the report points to a prospective customer for the chips, and even indicates the intended use. That gives some insight into where the business may be heading.
Still, interest in buying cannot be equated with a signed supply contract or the start of shipments. Reuters said the timing of the R&D line's startup is unknown, so it is unclear when customers could get the chips. Confirming the start of commercial supply will require CXMT to provide a concrete schedule or explain its shipments.
The official lineup is DRAM; NAND would broaden its uses
On its official website, CXMT describes itself as a company that designs, manufactures, and sells DRAM, and conducts R&D. Its English-language product list includes DDR5 and its modules, along with low-power lines such as LPDDR6, LPDDR5/5X, and LPDDR4X. The business supplies DRAM for servers and PCs as well as smartphones.
As of September 18, 2026, CXMT's official product pages list no NAND products. This is based on a check of the English-language product list and descriptions, and does not mean that no unannounced R&D exists. Comparing the officially listed products with the plan now reported shows that NAND would be an expansion into a new product area, not simply an increase in existing production.
NAND is memory that retains data even when the power is off. According to Kioxia's technical explainer, each memory cell, the smallest unit for storing data, contains a charge-storage layer surrounded by insulators, and information is written by moving electrons in and out of it. Because the electrons stay stored even when the voltage is removed, the memory can hold things such as smartphone photos and music. NAND uses a structure in which cells are connected in series and arranged at high density.
This storage role ties in with the customer talks Reuters described. The startup is considering buying NAND chips for storage products such as AI systems. If CXMT can bring NAND to market, it could add data-storage semiconductors to its current DRAM lineup and widen the range of products it offers customers.
That said, this describes NAND memory in general and does not indicate the structure or manufacturing processes CXMT would adopt. No specifications have been disclosed for this plan that would allow the chips' capacity, performance, or production scale to be verified, and it is impossible to judge how much of its existing DRAM manufacturing equipment could be used.
Commercial supply will determine the competitive impact
Reuters reports that CXMT's move could lead to competition not only with overseas companies such as Samsung but also with China's own YMTC (Yangtze Memory Technologies). If CXMT, a DRAM specialist, expands into NAND, the product areas in which it competes could change. But it is too early to read the plan for an R&D line as evidence of any effect on competitors' market share or pricing.
Broken down by stage of business progress, the report looks like this:
| Stage | What Reuters reported on September 18 | What can't yet be determined |
|---|---|---|
| R&D facility | Plan to set up a NAND R&D production line at a new Beijing plant | When the line will start operating |
| Customer contact | Talks with customers, including a company interested in buying for storage products | Whether supply contracts or deliveries will begin |
| Commercial supply | Unclear whether CXMT intends to move to large-scale commercial production | Volume and timing of any market release |
With the equipment plan and the customer talks now side by side, it is beginning to come into view what CXMT aims to make and which uses it hopes to sell into. But increasing the market's supply would require a decision to move to commercial production, and the current information gives little basis for expecting a near-term easing of shortages or lower prices. Having prospective customers is a clue that the business could materialize, but it is not proof of supply capacity.
If CXMT sets a startup date for the line and firms up its commercial production policy and the volumes it will deliver to customers, the effect on competition will be easier to assess. Should the R&D plan lead to sustained shipments, CXMT could become a new NAND source for companies building AI storage.