Toshiba's Electronic Devices segment has suffered a material deterioration in business performance since the financial crisis accelerated in autumn 2008. During this time, the market for NAND flash memory, the company's mainstay product, deteriorated, and demand for system LSIs designed to be installed in digital home appliances and automobiles declined sharply. As a result, company sales plunged to levels insufficient to cover fixed costs. The Social Infrastructure segment, which handles power generation and industrial systems, has secured steady profits over the past 12 months, but these were insufficient to make up for the drop in profits from the Electronic Devices segment. The Digital Products and Home Appliances segments also suffered net losses in fiscal 2008 (ended March 2009), due to
