SoftBank and Intel Join Forces on Next-Generation Memory Technology

TOKYO, Feb 03 (News On Japan) - A new Japan–US collaboration on next-generation semiconductors is set to get underway, as SAIMEMORY, a semiconductor memory startup established by SoftBank, has signed an agreement with US chipmaker Intel to jointly pursue the commercialization of next-generation memory, TV Tokyo has learned.

The agreement was concluded by February 2nd, with an official announcement expected as early as February 3rd. SAIMEMORY aims to establish technology for a next-generation memory known as “ZAM,” which is characterized by high capacity, wide bandwidth, and low power consumption.

The company plans to complete a prototype by fiscal 2027 and achieve commercial deployment by fiscal 2029. Development costs through fiscal 2027 are estimated at around 8 billion yen, with SoftBank investing 3 billion yen.

Riken and Fujitsu are also expected to participate in the development, and discussions are underway for the two organizations to jointly invest a total of 1 billion yen in the project.

Source: テレ東BIZ

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