CyMemory, a subsidiary of a major multinational investment company Softbankhas signed a partnership agreement with an American chip manufacturer. Intel Corporation The companies made the announcement Tuesday to advance the commercialization of next-generation memory technology.
The partnership focuses on next-generation memory technologies that can support the growing demands of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. This effort is now known as the Z-Angle Memory program (ZAM).
According to SoftBank’s press release, the prototype is expected to be completed by the fiscal year ending March 31, 2028, and commercialization by fiscal 2029.
Following the announcement, SoftBank shares rose 3.13% and Intel shares rose 5% in overnight trading on Robinhood.
Founded in December 2024, Saimemory will leverage Intel’s memory technology and expertise, particularly its work as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Memory Technologies Program.
This program focused on developing core technologies for advanced memory. Intel’s involvement was specifically targeted at improving the performance and power efficiency of next-generation dynamic random access memory (DRAM) used in computers and servers.
“Standard memory architectures do not meet the needs of AI,” said Dr. Joshua Fryman, Intel Fellow and CTO of Intel Government Technologies, in a statement.
He added that Intel has developed new memory architectures and assembly approaches that improve DRAM performance while reducing power consumption and cost, allowing the technology to be more widely adopted over the next decade.
The partnership comes as demand for memory used in AI-related applications skyrockets. This demand significantly exceeds supply, causing shortages throughout the memory supply chain.
The ZAM program’s emphasis on energy efficiency also reflects growing concerns about the massive energy consumption required for AI computing.
The partnership between Intel and Softbank on next-generation memory technology was first reported in Nikkei Asia last year. Fujitsua Japanese multinational IT equipment and services company, is also reportedly involved in the project.
