Overview

• Intel and SoftBank have launched Saimemory to create a stacked DRAM alternative to high-bandwidth memory for AI data centers, marking Intel’s return to the memory market.
• The venture secured roughly $70 million in funding, with SoftBank contributing about ¥3 billion and reserving priority access to any successful chips.
• Saimemory plans to complete a working prototype and assess mass-production viability by 2027, with commercialization targeted before the end of the decade.
• Company records show Saimemory was established through a late-2024 name change and will begin operations in July under a former Toshiba executive as CEO.
• The project supports Japan’s strategy to reclaim market share in memory chips long dominated by South Korean firms SK hynix and Samsung.