Shares of Intel Corporation rose 1.4% on Tuesday, outperforming a broadly weaker technology sector after the company announced a new collaboration with SoftBank Corp. subsidiary SAIMEMORY to commercialize next-generation memory technology.
The partnership, officially signed on February 2, 2026, focuses on the development of Z-Angle Memory (ZAM), an advanced memory architecture designed to deliver high capacity, increased bandwidth, and lower power consumption. The technology is expected to significantly improve performance in data centers and computing environments that support large-scale artificial intelligence training and inference workloads.
SAIMEMORY, which was founded in December 2024 as a wholly owned SoftBank subsidiary, will apply core technologies and engineering expertise validated through Intel’s Next Generation DRAM Bonding program. Under the agreement, the partners aim to produce working prototypes by fiscal year 2027, with full commercial deployment targeted for fiscal year 2029.
The collaboration marks a strategic step for Intel as it looks to reinforce its footprint in advanced memory solutions amid intensifying competition in the semiconductor space. For SoftBank, the project aligns with its broader push to develop next-generation digital infrastructure and strengthen Japan’s position in the global semiconductor industry.
The underlying technology draws on research conducted under the Advanced Memory Technology program, overseen by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration, with contributions from multiple U.S. national laboratories.
