Ddos 
At a time when AI computing demand is growing at an explosive pace, HBM (high-bandwidth memory) has effectively become an aristocratic bottleneck on the path of computational progress—prohibitively expensive and tightly controlled in terms of capacity by Korean manufacturers such as SK Hynix and Samsung. Determined to break this impasse, a Japanese semiconductor alliance led by SoftBank is now moving decisively.
According to Nikkei, Fujitsu has officially confirmed its participation in the “SAIMEMORY” next-generation memory development program, spearheaded by SoftBank with Intel also involved. The objective of the initiative is unambiguous: to create a viable successor to HBM that delivers superior performance at a lower cost.
At the heart of the SAIMEMORY project lies an ambition to develop a commercially scalable alternative to HBM. Based on the technical targets set by the project, the new memory technology is expected to offer several key advantages:
- Dramatically higher capacity: Two to three times that of current HBM.
- Significantly lower power consumption: Only 50 percent of today’s HBM.
- More attractive pricing: On par with, or potentially cheaper than, HBM.
If these benchmarks are achieved, the technology would present a compelling solution for AI servers currently constrained by the “memory wall” and excessive energy consumption.
The lineup of participants reads like a who’s who of transnational expertise, combining technological strengths from the United States, Japan, and Taiwan:
- Technical foundation: Intel’s vertical stacking technology integrated with academic research from the University of Tokyo in thermal management and data transmission.
- Semiconductor expertise: Fujitsu, newly on board, contributing decades of semiconductor experience and an extensive patent portfolio.
- Manufacturing and prototyping: Prototype design and fabrication will be jointly handled by Shinko Electric and Taiwan-based Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC). Notably, Fujitsu is itself a major shareholder in Shinko Electric.
In terms of funding, SAIMEMORY plans to invest a total of ¥8 billion by fiscal year 2027. SoftBank will contribute ¥3 billion, while Fujitsu and Japan’s RIKEN research institute will jointly invest ¥1 billion, providing the financial backbone needed to advance the project toward commercialization.
SAIMEMORY is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank, led by CEO Hideya Yamaguchi. The company is headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, and was originally established on December 17, 2024, before being renamed SAIMEMORY on May 7, 2025. In my view, the project reflects both Japan’s anxiety and its ambition to remain relevant in the AI era. The HBM market today is almost entirely dominated by Korean firms, with Micron trailing closely behind, leaving Japanese companies with little influence in this critical domain.
By courting Intel’s advanced packaging technologies, integrating the domestic R&D capabilities of Fujitsu and RIKEN, and leveraging Taiwan’s manufacturing support through PSMC, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son appears intent on overtaking the competition through sheer collective force.
In particular, SAIMEMORY’s emphasis on low power consumption directly addresses the energy crisis now confronting AI data centers. Should the project succeed in delivering a product that halves power usage by 2027, it could not only dismantle Korean dominance but also emerge as a standard component in the next generation of AI inference chips.
That said, ¥8 billion in R&D funding is, in the capital-intensive semiconductor world, a relatively modest sum. Whether this represents merely an initial probing effort remains an open question—and one well worth watching.
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