To sum up:
- Intel is working with Saimemory to create Z-Angle Memory (ZAM), a new type of DRAM that stacks RAM chips vertically to boost memory density.
- According to PC World, prototypes should be ready by 2027, and the technology could be available for sale by 2030. ZAM may offer a high-bandwidth alternative to HBM for AI servers.
- The new technology builds on Intel’s Foveros chip stacking and is designed to reduce power consumption while keeping up with the rising memory demands of AI.
Intel has introduced the prototype of Z-Angle Memory (ZAM), which it is developing together with Saimemory, a SoftBank subsidiary.
According to WCCFT Tech, Intel did not have working samples at Intel Connection Japan 2026. However, the event focused on how ZAM could save energy and reduce heat compared to traditional high-bandwidth memory (HBM). It aimed to attract more investment and partners.
While many people look for affordable DDR memory, large data center companies have brought up most of the available HBMs. This change has led memory makers to focus more on HBMs, affecting the supply of consumer products such as DDR5, DiMMS, and NVMe/SSDs. Intel and Saimemory hope to change this in the future and create new revenue opportunities for Intel, which was a major memory manufacturer until the 1980s.
At the Japan event, Intel featured key leaders, including Joshua Fryman, CTO of Intel Government Technologies, and Makoto Onho, CEO of Intel Japan. Alongside Saimemory representatives, they represented the new ZAM prototype and explained how its design differs from traditional memory. The memory is stacked vertically and uses Z-Angle copper interconnects that run connections diagonally through the memory stack. This design is said to improve heat flow by creating a central thermal pillar in the chips.
ProWatch explains that ZAM is built to overcome the heat issues found in traditional flat memory designs. Thanks to its vertical stacking and thermal features, ZAM could offer higher capacity modules than HBM, use less power, and run cooler. It may also cost less to make, but that has not been proven yet.
Intel is mainly investing in the project, but ZAM will use Intel’s next-generation DRAM bonding (NGDB) technology. This should help ZAM combine the benefits of HBM and traditional DRAM with better energy efficiency. Intel says operations are targeted to begin in Q1 2026, with prototypes in 2027 and commercialization by 2030.
This step also shows Intel moving away from making only chips and becoming more involved in design. Its US factories want to bring in more third-party design and manufacturing work, and ZAM is another way for Intel to use its technology to create products for other companies.
All of this follows major layoffs under the new CEO, Lip Bu-Tan, who has managed an integrated relationship with the White House. The government eventually took a 10% stake in Intel.
Sources:Client Computing
Intel Shows Off Vertical ‘Z-Angle’ Memory, Promises Big Thermal Boost
