To expand its growing influence in the data center market, NVIDIA recently launched the NVLink Fusion program. This initiative enables select partners to integrate their custom-designed chips into the NVIDIA system framework. For example, a partner can connect its custom CPU to an NVIDIA GPU using the 900 GB/s NVLink-C2C interface. However, this collaboration comes with significant restrictions. Any custom chip must be connected to an NVIDIA product, and the company maintains firm control over the critical software that manages these connections. This means partners cannot create truly independent, mix-and-match systems. NVIDIA retains control over the essential communication controller and PHY layers in the NVLink Fusion, which initializes and manages these links. It also mandates a license for third-party hardware to use its NVLink Switch chips.

In response, a growing coalition of tech giants, including AMD, Google, and Intel, is championing an open-standard alternative. Their UALink Consortium released its 1.0 specification in April 2025, defining a public standard for linking up to 1,024 accelerators from any vendor. While NVIDIA currently offers superior raw bandwidth, UALink represents a move toward greater flexibility and cost efficiency. According to reports, eight companies expressed interest in NVLink Fusion. However, the frustration of working with a communication link with limited visibility results in designs that are not always optimal and efficient. NVIDIA sets these standards from the beginning, so any company willing to work with NVLink Fusion is aware of these limitations from the outset. Cloud hyperscalers, such as AWS, GCP, and Azure, have expressed interest among the reported eight customers, so they might swallow this pill and continue working with NVIDIA to gain access to the IP despite the limited information available.

Intel's presentation at the VLSI Symposium in Japan offered a detailed look at the upcoming Intel 18A process, which is set to enter mass production in the second half of 2025. This node combines Gate-All-Around transistors with the PowerVia backside power delivery network, resulting in a completely new metal stack architecture. By routing power through the rear of the die, Intel has been able to tighten interconnect pitches on critical layers while relaxing spacing on the top layer, improving yield and simplifying fabrication. In standardized power, performance, and area tests on an Arm core sub-block, Intel 18A demonstrated roughly 15% higher performance at the same power draw compared to Intel 3. When operating at 1.1 volts, clock speeds increase by up to 25% without incurring additional energy costs, and at around 0.75 volts, performance can rise by 18%, or power consumption can drop by nearly 40%.

Under the hood, the process features significant cell height reductions: performance‑tuned cells measure 180 nanometers tall, while high‑density designs sit at 160 nanometers, both smaller than their predecessors. The front‑side metal layers have been reduced from between 12 and 19 on Intel 3 to between 11 and 16 on Intel 18A, with three additional rear metal layers added for PowerVia support. Pitches on layers M1 through M10 have been tightened from as much as 60 nanometers down to 32 nanometers before easing again in the upper layers. Low-NA EUV exposure is used on layers M0 through M4, cutting the number of masks required by 44% and simplifying the manufacturing flow. Intel plans to debut 18A in its low‑power "Panther Lake" compute chiplet and the efficiency‑core‑only Clearwater Forest Xeon 7 family. A cost-optimized 17-layer variant, a balanced 21-layer option, and a performance-focused 22-layer configuration will address different market segments.

Valve has rolled out a significant upgrade to its in-game performance tools with the June 17 Beta client update. Instead of a simple FPS counter, Steam now offers a full Performance Monitor that tracks frame rate alongside CPU and GPU utilization, clock speeds, temperatures, and memory usage. Players can view real-time graphs for each metric or opt for a pared-down display showing only FPS. The overlay also flags when frame-generation features like DLSS or FSR are active, clearly separating true rendered frames from those created by upscaling technology. This clarity helps gamers understand whether a smooth experience results from extra generated frames or genuine improvements in rendering.

Competitive and detail-focused users will appreciate knowing both the true game-frame counts and upscaled FPS so they can fine-tune settings based on actual performance. If the monitor shows full GPU memory, reducing texture quality becomes an obvious fix, and if CPU usage is maxed out, dialing back physics or draw distance may be the answer. Currently, the Performance Monitor is only available to Steam Beta participants. Valve plans to roll out additional metrics over time and notes that not every feature will be compatible with every system from the start. Anyone curious to try the new tools should switch to the beta client and explore the updated overlay options. Once these features reach full release, millions of PC gamers will have powerful diagnostics at their fingertips, making it easier than ever to balance visual quality with smooth performance.

Hello friends! We are absolutely thrilled to share that our game, Spray Paint Simulator, is out now on Steam! It's been a long journey from forming our studio, to the initial idea for Spray Paint Simulator, and now, its release, and we couldn't be more proud. After months of creating a game that we had loads of fun making, we're very excited to be able to share it with the world.

In the past, we've always made games for other people, so creating something ourselves has been both exciting and a little scary. When you launch a title, there's always a mixture of sheer joy and nerves after putting it out there. We're grateful for the support from our publisher and the many players who have helped us shape the game into something we're eager for people to play. We've done our best to listen to player feedback and create a game we hope will be enjoyed by many. We can't wait to see what players come up with during their time with the game. We hope that you enjoy it!

When we were kids, a pile of dirt and a couple of toy trucks were all we needed to build entire worlds. We'd dig roads, push little vehicles around, make up stories of construction sites and rebuilding adventures. Today, that spirit is back... with RoadCraft! Storms have passed, fires are out and now it's time to bring life back to broken regions. You'll restore roads, clear debris, reconnect towns, and rebuild industry across eight massive maps, from green forests to dry highlands and desert heat.

But here's the thing: there's no one way to do it. You decide how to fix things in RoadCraft. Want to lay down a straight road or build a roundabout? It's your call. You've got 40+ machines to help: cranes, haulers, bulldozers, scouts, roadwork and logging gear and more! And you're not alone. Bring friends. Up to 4 players, with crossplay, voice chat, and shared progression. Everyone builds, everyone counts.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day, celebrated annually on the third Thursday of May, is dedicated to recognizing and raising awareness about the importance of accessibility. With billions of people playing video games in the world, including nearly 450 million players with some form of disability, our mission at Xbox is to create welcoming and accessible experiences so as many people as possible can enjoy the community and fun of gaming.

We recognize that every player can have different accessibility needs or preferences to support their play. This is why it's critical we partner with members of the disability community to help inform the hardware, platform experiences, and games we create.

Hi everyone! I'm Fawad Asghar, one of the developers at Playdew, a small indie studio based in Pakistan. I'm thrilled to share that the co-op demo for Lost Twins 2 is now live on Xbox Series X|S, Windows Store, and Steam. Whether you're a seasoned puzzle pro or someone who just wants to hang out and explore a cozy game with a friend, the co-op mode in Lost Twins 2 was designed with you in mind.

Play Together, Your Way
In Lost Twins 2, players guide separated siblings Abi and Ben through a whimsical, shifting world. But in co-op, it's not just about solving puzzles—it's about solving them together. While making the co-op mode, the focus was on the flexibility for all skill levels. One player can take the lead while the other supports, or both can play equally—it's up to you. There's no pressure, no fail states, and no "wrong" way to play. The design encourages collaboration without frustration, making it perfect for partners, siblings, or friends of any age.

OKI Circuit Technology, the OKI Group printed circuit board (PCB) company, has successfully developed 124-layer PCB technology for wafer inspection equipment designed for next-generation high bandwidth memory, such as HBM mounted on AI semiconductors. This is a roughly 15% increase in the number of layers over conventional 108-layer designs. OTC is seeking to establish mass production technology by October 2025 at its Joetsu Plant in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, which has a proven track record and advanced development and production capabilities in the field of high multilayer, high-precision, large-format PCBs for semiconductor inspection equipment.

AI processing requires the transmission of vast data volumes between graphics processing unit (GPU) semiconductors and memory. As semiconductor performance increases, the memory installed is also required to have high-speed, high-frequency, and high-density data transfer capabilities. HBM features a stacked DRAM structure, requiring technology capable of fabricating wafers even more thinly and precisely. This configuration also requires that the PCBs used in inspection equipment meet even higher levels of performance and quality.

PlayStation 5 Pro console—the most innovative PlayStation console to date—elevates gaming experiences to the next level with features like upgraded GPU, advanced ray tracing, and PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) - an AI-driven upscaling that delivers super sharp image clarity with high framerate gameplay. Today we're providing a closer look at the console's internal architecture, as Sony Interactive Entertainment engineers Shinya Tsuchida, PS5 Pro Mechanical Design Lead and Shinya Hiromitsu, PS5 Pro Electrical Design Lead, provide a deep-dive into the console's innovative technology and design philosophy.

Note: in this article, we refer to the PlayStation 5 model released in 2020 as the "original PS5," the PS5 released in 2023 as the "current PS5," and the PS5 Pro released in 2024 as the "PS5 Pro." Do not try this at home. Risk of fires, and exposure to electric shock or other injuries. Disassembling your console will invalidate your manufacturer's guarantee.

Igor's Lab has run independent testing and thermal analysis of NVIDIA's latest GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards, including the add-in card partner design RTX 5080, 5070 Ti, and 5060 Ti, which are now attracting attention for surprising thermal "hotspots" on the back of their PCBs. These hotspots are just the areas on PCB that get hot under load, and not the "Hot Spot" sensor NVIDIA removed with RTX 50 series. Infrared tests have shown temperatures climbing above 100°C in the power delivery region, even though the GPU die stays below 80°C. This isn't a problem with the silicon but with concentrated heating in clusters of thin copper planes and via arrays. Card makers like Palit, PNY, and MSI have all seen the same issue since they closely follow NVIDIA's reference PCB layout and use similar cooler mounting. A big part of the trouble comes down to how PCB designers and cooler engineers work separately.

NVIDIA's Thermal Design Guide gives AIC partners detailed power-loss budgets, listing worst-case dissipation for the GPU, memory, NVVDD and FBVDDQ rails, inductors, MOSFETs, and other components, and it recommends ideal thermal interface materials and mounting pressures. The guide assumes that even heat is spreading and that there is perfect airflow in a wind tunnel, but actual consumer PCs don't match those conditions. Multi-layer PCBs force high currents through 35 to 70 µm copper layers, which join at tight via clusters under the VRMs. Without dedicated thermal bridges or reinforced vias, these areas become bottlenecks where heat builds up, and the standard backplate plus heat-pipe layout can't pull it away fast enough.

With the launch of Days Gone Remastered—for PlayStation 5 and PC—just around the corner, we're excited to spotlight our expanded suite of accessibility features. Taking the foundation of our baseline list from Days Gone in 2019, we made it a priority to evolve and improve accessibility to make the player's experience more accessible and customizable when hitting the Broken Road on April 25. Let's dive right in!

Visual features
Subtitle customization is now vaster than ever before in Days Gone. We added a total of 11 subtitle colors for you to choose based on your preference, which can also be used for the speaker's name. Want to mix and match? No problem! Choose the subtitle text to be one color and the speaker's name to be another color. On top of color customization, we also expanded the options for subtitle background. Originally, this could only be toggled on or off. Now, you can select between default (transparent), darkened, light, and black.

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is coming to Steam in Early Access this summer, and aspiring adventurers can wishlist it now to be alerted when it releases. The new installment in the turn-based strategy series takes place in the vibrant fantasy world of Enroth, where players will recruit heroes to explore the continent of Jadame and raise armies to battle in the struggle to determine its future. Olden Era features six unique factions, a single-player campaign, and several multiplayer modes allowing you to venture alongside or clash with other players, including Hotseat mode for local multiplayer fun. Furthermore, players can set out into the unknown on randomly generated maps, and take advantage of the map editor to create worlds of their own—or experience those created by other players.

Olden Era returns to the world of Enroth and the origins of the legendary saga, inviting both veterans and new players to go on a new strategic quest on Jadame, a mysterious continent in turmoil, mentioned but never explored in the previous games, with its unique factions, biomes and creatures. Traverse a vibrant and living fantasy world full of wonders and dangers, build magnificent castles, raise massive armies and clash in epic and highly tactical battles of heroes and mythical creatures. Play solo with a new campaign, explore single and limitless randomly generated maps, or engage in battle of wits and magic with other players in multiplayer mode. Or even build your own Heroes of Might & Magic stories with the in-game map and campaign editor.

ADLINK Technology Inc., a global leader in edge computing, proudly announces that its newly released EMP-520 Series industrial compact box PC has been recognized for its excellence, securing the Best-in-Show award in the Computer Boards, Systems, Components & Peripherals category at embedded world 2025. It was selected for its innovative design, user-centric features, and exceptional performance in industrial environments.

Smart, Reliable, and Efficient Industrial Computing Solution
Designed to meet the needs of modern industrial applications, the EMP-520 Series delivers high computing performance with minimal maintenance, helping businesses maximize productivity and reduce downtime. Powered by Intel 14th Gen Core processors, it ensures energy-efficient operation, making it ideal for high-demand environments that require continuous, reliable computing. Supporting four simultaneous 4K video outputs and EDID emulation, users can achieve seamless visual performance. The compact design enables easy integration into space-constrained environments while ensuring reliable operation in mission-critical applications.

Introducing My Team 2.0: as mentioned as part of our Reveal, My Team is having its biggest overhaul since it was introduced in F1 2020. If you've played My Team in one of our previous F1 games, you'll be familiar with taking on the role of driver/owner, a single character that not only runs the day-to-day activities behind the scenes, but also jumps into the cockpit for the on-track action. For F1 25 however, we're shaking things up, as My Team 2.0 sees you take on a more authentic, management-focused role in that of a team owner.

In addition to handling day-to-day running of the critical facilities that make an F1 team tick such as Engineering, Personnel and Corporate, you'll be responsible for recruiting and managing a pair of drivers to represent your team. Then, during race weekends, you'll be given the choice as to which driver you'd like to take to the track. By managing the competing concerns of two drivers instead of just a single teammate, you'll discover what kind of owner you'd like to be. We believe this refreshed approach allows you to craft a My Team story that's unique to you, unlocking new avenues of decision-making for you to explore.

It's time to move out, soldiers. Commandos: Origins has been deployed! The latest installment in the legendary real-time stealth tactics series is available now with Xbox Game Pass for console and PC, and on Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. After years of hard work, dedication, and invaluable feedback from the community, the elite unit has returned to tell its origin story. "Mission accomplished," said Jürgen Reusswig, Studio Director at Claymore Game Studios. "With the release of Commandos: Origins, we're taking players back to where it all began, and let them experience firsthand how this special unit was formed and grew into the band of brothers we remember from the old games. Working on this legendary franchise has been a journey of passion, and now, we're very excited to let fans step into the boots of the six original Commandos. The adventure starts here, and we're eager for players to relive the origins of this legendary unit while further improving the game with the feedback of the community."

Commandos: Origins continues the legacy of the legendary real-time stealth tactics series. Step into the boots of the original Commandos squad, a group of highly skilled soldiers forged in the heat of battle during World War II. Thomas "the Sapper" Hancock is entrusted by the top military brass to assemble a team of fearless soldiers, the Commandos. In 14 missions, the game delves into their early engagements, highlighting the challenges they faced and the bond they formed as an elite fighting force. With tactical gameplay and strategic decisions, players guide the Commandos through perilous operations, each one shaping the foundation of what would become one of the most iconic military units in history. Prepare for a deep dive into the origins of a legendary squad.

Monster Energy Supercross 25 - The Official Video Game—available as Dirt Master Edition or and Special Edition—is out now in early access for Xbox Series X|S, and the Standard Edition will be available for everyone on April 10, 2025—on Steam, Epic Games Store, and PlayStation 5. I can't wait to see all of you take the route for the Supercross elite in this new and completely improved game. Today, I want to talk to you about one of the most ambitious and challenging aspects of the game, which made us sweat but filled us with pride once the results started to arrive: Neural AI.

We started using our Neural AI, A.N.N.A (Artificial Neural Network Agent), in our games starting from 2019, but research began before then. Neural AI is a specific kind of AI that can simulate realistic behavior. To do that, it must train and test the tracks to learn the best trajectories to become as fast as possible. Over the years in Milestone we have seen incredible results, with AI capable of controlling vehicles in a realistic manner. But up to this Supercross chapter, A.N.N.A. has only been on tarmac surfaces.

Hello, Creators. We have seen concerns in the community about the "short break" mentioned in my recent letter of gratitude to players. To be clear, the inZOI team's "short break" was just two days of vacation. We apologize for causing worry with our vague wording. We are aware of the wide range of feedback and improvement requests you have shared. Additional hotfix patches are scheduled for this week, and we are continuing to monitor feedback and develop builds. We are prioritizing fixing various bugs and issues that disrupt gameplay. But to reassure you about our dedication to making inZOI a better game, we would like to share our future update plans and how we will communicate them.

Short-Term Update Plans
As explained in our online showcase, we originally planned content updates for inZOI about once every two months during Early Access. However, given the spirit of Early Access—completing the game together with you—we intend to quickly apply fixes for reported issues through hotfixes during April. These short-term updates are smaller in scale compared to major updates, but we expect that rolling out content faster and incorporating feedback more promptly will have a more positive effect on your gameplay experience. Additionally, whenever we identify critical issues, we plan to keep addressing them through hotfixes. As mentioned, we want to stay true to our words about not taking advantage of the term "Early Access," and show gratitude to those who purchased the game by continuing to release updates and maintain open communication. We will continue to wait for and welcome your feedback.

During the livestream reveal of Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt, we discussed several things in the Q&A that we'd like to provide some further clarification on. In today's news post we'd like to start with additional information about Map Portals in Dawn of the Hunt! We'd like to clarify the situation with having to use portals each time you die. The concern raised during the Q&A was that you would be consuming portals to have to store items in your stash or trade with players. With so few portals, as low as one, you would not be able to leave the map and return.

Map Portals
We have made the following change to address this problem: you will now be able to enter and exit your Maps as much as you like as long as you haven't died. The number of portals is now representative of the number of revives you have during the Map, so if you are able to survive you can come and go as you please. We also wanted to clarify that when returning to a map after dying you will return to the last checkpoint, so if you forgot to make a portal you won't have to run through too much of an empty map to get back to where you died. We're also currently making a change which hopefully will make it for release, otherwise shortly after. This change is that when you die in a Map then revive, assuming you have any revives remaining, you will be instantly placed at the last checkpoint without any loading screens, so you don't need to return to your hideout and re-enter the map every time. We'll continue to provide further updates to topics discussed during the Q&A in the lead up to launch, so keep an eye on our announcements!

Introducing Wildgate—a crew-based shooter featuring out-of-this-world spaceship combat! In Wildgate, players ("Prospectors") team up in crews of four to venture into a hostile, unpredictable, and mysterious region of space ("The Reach") in search of an ancient relic known as the Artifact. While in pursuit of the Artifact, players must work together to pilot their spacecraft, plunder wreckage, and discover forgotten loot. To win, crews must successfully find and escape with the Artifact...or they can go for a domination victory, destroying all rival ships in the Reach by whatever means necessary.

NEW ADVENTURES, EVERY MATCH
Stay one step ahead as you and your crew navigate the Reach—a vast, procedurally-generated map with randomized encounters, rewards, and more that change with every game. EXPLORE THE REACH: the Reach is a wild place, filled with deadly hazards and treasure beyond your wildest dreams. Navigate through cosmic storms, battle space vermin, and plunder alien outposts for loot. Just be sure to beat other Prospectors to the punch, or risk flying away empty-handed.

Technology and its impact on interactive entertainment experiences is nothing short of remarkable. AI and machine learning are allowing our creators to explore new ways to test games, build worlds, and create deeper, more immersive experiences at a faster rate without sacrificing quality. Our artists are empowered to create more realistic, dynamic animations and visuals at a greater scale, delivering more cinematic moments that draw us in and leave us stunned. Or completely immersed in the most enthralling environments possible, surrounded by and interacting with authentic, high-fidelity characters.

Above all, these advancements connect and offer millions of EA's players and fans around the globe new ways to play, create, watch, and connect in and beyond our games like never before. At the recently concluded Game Developers Conference (GDC), EA's brilliant minds showcased some of these technological innovations, highlighting how they empower our developers to craft extraordinary interactive entertainment experiences. Their talks provided insight into the cutting-edge tools and techniques driving the future of game development at EA, and the positive impact this will have on our developers, players and fans across the globe.

At Xbox, our goal is to empower as many people as possible to play the games they want, with the people they want, anywhere they want, in a way that works for them. This includes the more than 429 million players with some form of disability, who may rely on a variety of accessibility hardware - such as the recently launched Xbox Adaptive Joystick—and features to get the most from their gaming. For many players, it can be a challenge not having a common and consistent language to describe the accessibility features within different video games. To help solve this, Xbox introduced its Game Accessibility Feature Tags back in November 2021.

But we want to do more; at Game Developers Conference (GDC), Xbox proudly joined forces with Electronic Arts, Google, Nintendo of America, Ubisoft and other gaming companies to announce that it is a member of the new Accessible Games Initiative. This initiative, helmed by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), strives to provide players with clear information about the accessibility features in video games through a set of "tags" that players can use to identify the features available in a specific game, before they make a purchase.

It's been nearly one month since the release of Monster Hunter Wilds on PC and modern consoles! Thank you to all hunters around the world for your incredible support. Whether you're a series veteran with many hunts under your belt, or started your hunting journey with Wilds, we hope you've been enjoying making your way through the game and putting in many hours of hunts in High Rank, long after the credits have rolled. Today, we're excited to share what's next for Monster Hunter Wilds by taking the wraps off of the game's first Free Title Update.

The graceful Leviathan Mizutsune makes its way to the Wilds
Equal parts dazzling and dangerous, Mizutsune moves almost as if it's dancing, and skillfully attacks foes with debilitating bubbles. Get your gear ready to take on this returning monster for the first time in Monster Hunter Wilds. Mizutsune also comes with stylish new armor sets to forge for your hunter and Palico. An eight-star Tempered Mizutsune will also appear. To start the Mizutsune hunt, talk to Kanya in the Scarlet Forest Base Camp at Hunter Rank (HR)21 or above.

Accessibility is a fundamental right for people with disabilities and makes technology easier for everyone. We see this reflected in how customers are using Microsoft technologies around the world. Copilot for Microsoft 365 is unlocking workplace productivity like never before, more than 10 million people use Edge each month to have the web Read Aloud, over 1 million people use Immersive Reader to make webpages easier to read and partners like Tobii Dynavox and Special Olympics are bringing AI to people with disabilities globally. And these are just some of the highlights of what we shared today! Here's a quick summary of the new accessibility products, features and programs announced at the 2025 Ability Summit.

What's new in 2025?
We announced that the Xbox Adaptive Joystick is now available for purchase exclusively at Microsoft Store. With more than 429 million players with disabilities worldwide, we know each player has unique needs and preferences for how they choose to play. The Xbox Adaptive Joystick is a singular, wired controller primarily designed to meet the needs of players with limited mobility. Its versatility helps players seamlessly incorporate it into their existing gaming setups. Built with the Gaming and Disability community who inform the development of Xbox products from the beginning. The joystick joins our family of adaptive accessories including the mouse, pen, adaptive kit and Xbox Adaptive Controller. For more details visit Xbox Support.

Assassin's Creed Shadows, launching on March 20, will continue the series' tradition of bringing players closer to history with a section of its database titled "Cultural Discovery." As part of the in-game Codex, this feature offers players carefully selected encyclopedic entries on the history, art, and culture of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. This cultural encyclopedia was written by historians and includes images from museums and institutions. Similar to the History of Baghdad feature in Assassin's Creed Mirage, Cultural Discovery will be integrated into the main game of Assassin's Creed Shadows, and is tied to player progression. Cultural Discovery contains almost two times as many entries as the History of Baghdad, with more than 125 entries at launch, and more to come.

As players visit sites that provide a historical and cultural exploration of 16th-century Japan, they will unlock articles on the economy, castles, military affairs, daily life, historical figures, and events. One notable cultural codex entry, shown above, features an exclusive replica of a Kabuto, or Japanese war helmet, that symbolizes the first contact between Japan and Spain. The original Kabuto is part of one of the oldest collections of Japanese armor in Europe, and is kept at the Royal Armory in Madrid. This Kabuto had been almost entirely damaged during the fire suffered by the Royal Armory on July 10, 1884. Ubisoft, Patrimonio Nacional, and Spanish company Factum Arte joined forces to recover what was left of this Feudal Japan relic, create a faithful physical reconstruction of it, and make it accessible to people around the world through its inclusion in Assassin's Creed Shadows. The physical replica from Factum Arte will become part of the Royal Armory of Madrid's collection.

Samsung aims to create 1,000-layer NAND by 2030 relying on its new "multi-BV" NAND design. The Bell reports that this plan involves stacking four wafers to overcome structural limits. Wafer bonding technology plays a crucial role in this progress and Samsung intends to use it to break the 1,000-layer barrier. Samsung Electronics DS division CTO, Song Jae-hyuk, pointed out that wafer bonding allows separate production of peripheral and cell wafers before joining them into one semiconductor. The Bell says this technology will likely appear first in Samsung's 10th-gen NAND (V10), while industry experts think a single wafer can hold about 500 NAND layers when implementing only cell structures. In the past, Samsung has used the COP (Cell on Peripheral) technique, a method that places the peripheral circuit on one wafer, with NAND cells stacked on top. However, as NAND layers grow, the lower peripheral parts face more pressure potentially affecting reliability.

Samsung's plan involves working with China's YMTC, which should offer a hybrid bonding patent for V10 NAND. ZDNet reports that the South Korean tech company will start making its V10 NAND in large quantities in the second half of 2025, with about 420-430 layers. Besides wafer bonding, Samsung adds other technologies to its NAND plan. The Bell points out that cold etching using molybdenum, and other new ideas will start with 400-layer NAND and play a key part in growing to 1,000 layers. Samsung isn't alone in trying to create ultra-high-layer NAND products. Japan's Kioxia also wants to reach this goal through its "multi-stack CBA" (CMOS Bonded to Array) technology. The company's plan is even bolder hoping to sell 1,000-layer 3D NAND by 2027.