TOKYO - SoftBank has teamed up with Intel and the University of Tokyo to establish a new semiconductor memory development company in Japan focused on artificial intelligence applications. Named SAIMEMORY, the new firm aims to develop cutting-edge memory chips with enhanced performance and lower energy consumption.
According to those involved, the name "SAIMEMORY" draws on the Japanese character "sai," meaning both "talent" and a unit used in physics and other sciences. SoftBank has invested around 3 billion yen, making it the largest shareholder with a 67% stake at launch.
SAIMEMORY plans to develop next-generation memory that consumes significantly less power and costs less to produce while offering more than twice the storage capacity of current leading-edge memory chips. The company’s organizational structure reflects a strong collaborative effort: SoftBank will oversee financial operations as CFO, Intel will manage technology as CTO, and a University of Tokyo scientist will serve as CSO (Chief Science Officer). The CEO will be a former Toshiba executive, and operations are scheduled to begin in earnest from July 1st.
Semiconductors can broadly be categorized into processors like CPUs and GPUs, and memory chips that store information. For AI applications, both high-performance GPUs and large-capacity memory are essential. However, higher performance typically results in greater energy consumption, a key challenge for AI system designers.
SAIMEMORY seeks to address this with a hybrid approach combining innovations from both Intel and the University of Tokyo. Intel contributes a chip stacking technology developed in collaboration with DARPA, the U.S. Department of Defense’s advanced research agency, which significantly reduces power consumption. Meanwhile, the University of Tokyo provides a high-speed data transmission technology that increases data flow between memory and GPUs by widening the data channel, thereby boosting performance and reducing costs.
The company anticipates spending approximately 15 billion yen in its initial research and development phase. For mass production, it is considering outsourcing to semiconductor manufacturers in Taiwan. One potential future scenario is for Japan’s own next-generation chipmaker, Rapidus, to handle the production of SAIMEMORY’s new chips—an ecosystem that would consolidate Japan’s domestic semiconductor ambitions.
The Japanese government, which has enacted legislation allocating more than 10 trillion yen to support next-generation semiconductor and AI development, is expected to back SAIMEMORY’s production efforts as part of this broader policy push. This suggests that SAIMEMORY, like Rapidus before it, could become a future recipient of state support.
In an interview with TV Tokyo, SoftBank’s head of semiconductor development expressed confidence in the project, citing strong demand for low-power, low-cost memory solutions. When asked about potential collaboration with Rapidus, the spokesperson said it would depend on future technical developments but expressed optimism that the partnership could work.
As the global race to develop AI and quantum computing continues, SAIMEMORY’s emergence adds a new player to Japan’s strategic semiconductor landscape—one to watch closely in the years ahead.
Source: テレ東BIZ
