[Yangtze Memory Technologies' Wuhan Fab3 Begins Large-Scale Equipment Connection, Set to Start Production by Year-End, Now Ranked Third Globally in NAND] According to a report by Jinse Finance on September 15, citing South Korea's etnews, China's largest NAND flash memory manufacturer, Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC), has initiated equipment connection at its third wafer fab, FAB3, in Wuhan. The production preparation has entered its final stages, with plans for initial operations by the end of the year. Once at full capacity, the 12-inch wafer fab is expected to achieve a monthly production capacity of approximately 100,000 wafers. A subsidiary contractor under China Electronics Corporation has begun selecting construction companies for the secondary pipeline gas segment of the FAB3 project, with bidding companies required to have prior experience with YMTC or ChangXin Memory Technologies projects. According to Counterpoint data, YMTC accounted for 14% of global NAND shipments in the second quarter of this year, surpassing Kioxia to become the third-largest globally, trailing only Samsung (25%) and SK Hynix (22%). The report noted that despite facing U.S. export restrictions on advanced semiconductor equipment, YMTC has continued to expand production by increasing the proportion of domestically produced equipment. Industry insiders believe this is unlikely to immediately lead to an oversupply of NAND but could pose a medium- to long-term competitive challenge for existing manufacturers.