Toshiba Chip business performance may be lower than expected

Toshiba Corp., the world's second-largest flash-memory maker, warned in Wednesday that the profits of the company's chip business could not be expected due to the weak PC market, continued volatility in the US and Europe, and a strong yen, Sina Technology News said in Beijing August 10 evening.　　Toshiba's Semiconductor division head, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, said that while the company is still working, it is unlikely to be able to meet expectations of a 55 billion yen (about $712 million trillion) operating profit for the semiconductor business in April-September this year.　　Kiyoshi Kobayashi told analysts and reporters that the demand for NAND flash chips is on the rise, but may occur later this year.　　Kiyoshi Kobayashi also said that although the overall situation of the NAND market is depressed, but Toshiba has a number of major customers, so sales remain stable. The operating profit of Toshiba Chip business in the first quarter (April-June) was 1.6 billion yen (about $20.88 million), down more than 90% from a year earlier. (Puma)