In order to overcome the physical limitations of existing HBM (High Bandwidth Memory), IntelAnnounceWith SoftBank subsidiariesSAIMEMORYThe two parties signed a cooperation agreement to jointly promote a new memory technology called "Z-Angle Memory" (ZAM Project), with the goal of creating a next-generation memory standard that is more powerful and energy-efficient than the existing HBM in the fields of AI and high-performance computing (HPC).
What is Z-Angle Memory?
SAIMEMORY, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, focuses on developing a novel stacked DRAM architecture.
Currently, HBM, the mainstream architecture used in AI servers, offers high bandwidth, but still faces bottlenecks in packaging complexity and power consumption. SAIMEMORY's new architecture boasts performance exceeding existing HBM standards, significantly increasing memory capacity, reducing power consumption, and improving packaging capabilities, thus mitigating the memory wall problem encountered by AI systems during expansion.
In this collaboration, Intel will serve as a technology, innovation, and standardization partner, leveraging its process and packaging advantages to assist in development; while SAIMEMORY will be responsible for providing technological innovation and leading the subsequent commercialization of ZAM technology.
With national-level technology backing, prototype design is expected to launch in 2027.
This technology did not emerge out of thin air; its foundation lies in the Advanced Memory Technology (AMT) research and development program initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). This program was jointly promoted by three major national laboratories: Sandia, Lawrence Livermore, and Los Alamos.
Intel had previously conducted research on Next Generation DRAM Bonding (NGDB) with funding from this program, and has verified the feasibility of stacked DRAM with low latency and low power consumption.
Intel Fellow Joshua Fryman stated bluntly, "Standard memory architecture can no longer meet the needs of AI." He believes that the NGDB project defines a completely new approach that can optimize memory costs and improve performance.
The timeline for the collaboration between Intel and SAIMEMORY is as follows:
• First quarter of 2026:Officially launched for operation.
• 2027:Introducing the prototype of Z-Angle Memory.
• 2030:To achieve commercial mass production.
Analysis of viewpoints
This collaboration reflects two important industry trends: "HBM's anxiety" and "the deepening of the US-Japan technology alliance".
First, the current AI memory market is almost entirely dominated by SK Hynix and Samsung, with HBM's production capacity and yield directly controlling the shipment of AI accelerators. Intel's collaboration with SoftBank is clearly an attempt to bypass the existing HBM battlefield and directly bet on next-generation 3D DRAM stacking technology.
However, the commercialization target of 2030 seems rather long. With AI developing at such a rapid pace, the memory market four years from now may have already evolved new standards. The biggest challenge for the ZAM project will be whether it can outperform the mature HBM ecosystem in terms of cost and yield.
