Intel, Softbank Announce Z-Angle Memory to Compete with HBM

Intel and SoftBank unveil collaboration on Z-angle memory, a new memory technology aiming to get to commercialized by 2030.

On February 2, 2026, Intel and SoftBank subsidiary SAIMEMORY announced collaboration in a new memory technology, Z-angle memory (ZAM), targeting high capacity, high bandwidth, and low power consumption. SAIMEMORY will develop it toward commercialization, whilst Intel will focus on initial development and standards validation. The company plans to prototype by 2028 and commercialize in 2030.

Z-angle describes a stacked DRAM architecture that exceeds current high-bandwidth memory (HBM) performance. It derives from Intel's Next Generation DRAM Bonding (NGDB) initiative, part of the Advanced Memory Technology (AMT) program of the US Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration. Development was at Sandia, Lawrence Livermore, and Los Alamos National Laboratories.

Z-angle implies stacking orthogonally to the substrate, in the Z-direction, but announcements have provided no technical details. We believe the company is pursuing both horizontal and vertical stacking, at least initially.