Japanese bathroom manufacturer Toto is expanding into the semiconductor materials industry with the demand for ceramic chips in AI tropical core devices.

Japanese sanitary ware manufacturer ToTo is expected to spend more than half of its total capital expenditure on chip-related businesses in the coming years, in order to tap into the new growth space driven by the artificial intelligence boom. The company, which produces heated toilet seats and intelligent toilet lids, is benefiting from the unexpected surge in demand from chip equipment manufacturers. The latter are seeking ToTo's expertise in ceramic materials, which are designed to resist dust particles, corrosive substances, and high temperatures. The global AI investment frenzy is driving sales growth of ToTo's electrostatic chuck and other chip manufacturing materials. Electrostatic chuck is used to secure silicon wafers during the chip manufacturing process. ToTo's Chief Technology Officer Ryosuke Hayashi stated in an interview that the company will create a production system that can "properly respond to demand." He said that with the completion of large-scale expansion plans in the United States and China, the proportion of capital expenditure for residential equipment business and new business areas will reverse. In the fiscal year ending in March of this year, semiconductor-related product expenditure accounted for 11% of capital expenditures for ToTo.