Toilet maker Toto is here to help with the RAM crisis
Japanese toilet manufacturer Toto is expanding its role in the semiconductor industry through its advanced ceramics division, which produces critical components for NAND memory chips. The division has seen significant growth due to rising AI-driven demand, contributing more than half of the company's operating profit. Toto plans to invest 30 billion yen in expanding production and research as it becomes a key player in the global supply chain for chip manufacturing equipment.
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News Toilet maker Toto is here to help with the RAM crisis By Steve Dent May 1, 2026 6:44 am EST Denise Truscello/Getty Images If you think that companies should stick to their core expertise, Toto is here to flush away that notion. The Japanese company is best known for its bidet-style "Washlet" toilets, but it also has an advanced ceramics division that produces components used in NAND memory chips. That business gained 34 percent over last year thanks to AI chip demand, accounting for 55 percent of Toto's 53.8 billion yen ($343.5 million) operating profit so far this year. Toto expects that division to continue to grow rapidly, around 27 percent next year.
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