Qianhe Yibang Unveils World's First 4-Layer 3D DRAM In-Memory Computing Chip

The chip adopts Qianhe Yibang's proprietary 3D integrated native computing architecture and 3D DRAM stacking technology, achieving high-density vertical integration of four chip layers for the first time globally. By deeply fusing computing and storage units in three-dimensional space, it fundamentally breaks the memory wall bottleneck caused by the separation of computing and storage in traditional planar architectures. The 4+1 three-dimensional stacking architecture, with a logic layer at the base and four DRAM layers stacked on top, pushes vertical scaling to a new height. Vertical scaling is the key determinant of memory access bandwidth and storage capacity limits for in-memory computing chips: more stacked layers provide more ample bandwidth and capacity for large-scale parallel computing and high-concurrency data stream processing. However, each additional layer multiplies technical challenges in yield, reliability, and thermal management, with inter-layer alignment precision, vertical interconnect consistency, and stack heat dissipation testing the limits of design and process technologies.

With the new architecture, the chip achieves order-of-magnitude performance improvements across the board. According to the company, data memory access bandwidth is increased by an order of magnitude compared to traditional solutions, memory access power consumption and latency are reduced by an order of magnitude, data processing throughput per unit time is increased by an order of magnitude, and cost per data processing operation is reduced by an order of magnitude. These systematic breakthroughs provide a new hardware acceleration paradigm for large-scale parallel computing and high-concurrency data stream processing scenarios, such as cloud gaming.

Qianhe Yibang was established in January 2024 and incubated by NetEase. It is the earliest Chinese chip company focused on 3D in-memory computing, 3D integrated native chip architecture, and cloud gaming application acceleration. The core team began developing the world's first 3D DRAM in-memory computing architecture chip in 2018, when in-memory computing was still at an academic discussion stage. After six years of first-mover accumulation, multiple tape-outs, and several generations of architecture iteration, the company has built a rare technical barrier in the chip industry. The company has now joined forces with domestic industry chain partners to complete a full-process closed loop from architecture definition, front-end and back-end design to advanced 3D packaging and wafer manufacturing, achieving core technology self-reliance. Recently, the company completed a Series B financing of over 2 billion yuan. NetEase Youdao and China Mobile's chain-long fund, as long-term shareholders and partners, are deeply coordinated in business operations, providing solid demand entry points and validation scenarios for the chip's large-scale deployment. Looking ahead, Qianhe Yibang will continue to delve into 3D in-memory computing technology to empower more application scenarios with high-performance chips.