Nintendo intends to double its planned production of the Switch during the upcoming financial year, which starts on April 1, 2017.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, that means the Japanese giant will manufacture 16 million consoles over the next 12 months, up from its initial plan of 8 million. 

The Journal says it heard the news from those "briefed on the plans," and suggested Nintendo is upping the ante due to strong consumer demand. 

If those additional units sell-through, the Switch would be on track to outsell the Wii U quickly, outstripping its predecessor's lifetime sales of 13.56 million units in just over a year. 

The Switch has been a strong seller for Nintendo since launching on March 3, with the console setting a new company record in the Americas for units sold in the first two days. 

Although no official sales figures have been released as of yet, the latest numbers from market intelligence outfit SuperData put worldwide Switch sales at 1.5 million units.