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SoftBank and Intel join forces to revolutionise AI memory technology
Shares in both companies rose significantly following the announcement of the ZAM program
SoftBank subsidiary Saimemory has entered a major collaboration with American chip giant Intel to speed up the commercial release of next-generation memory technology
Announced on Tuesday, the partnership centres on the "Z-Angle Memory program," or ZAM.
This initiative is designed to meet the massive processing demands of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, which have currently outpaced the capabilities of standard hardware.
The project builds upon Intel’s previous work with the U.S. Department of Energy, focusing on making Dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) significantly more power-efficient.
Dr. Joshua Fryman, an Intel Fellow, noted that traditional memory architectures are failing to keep up with AI needs.
He stated that Intel has developed a new assembly approach that boosts performance while simultaneously lowering power consumption and production costs.
This focus on energy efficiency is particularly vital as the industry grapples with the enormous electricity requirements of modern AI data centres.
Investors responded enthusiastically to the news, with SoftBank shares climbing over 3% and Intel rising 5% in overnight trading.
While the technology promises to solve global supply chain shortages, the road to market remains a long-term play.
Prototypes are expected to surface by March 2028, with full commercialisation scheduled for the 2029 fiscal year.
Japanese IT firm Fujitsu is also reportedly involved in the venture, marking a significant cross-border effort to redefine the backbone of future computing.
