Kepler aims to launch energy-saving replacement for HBM in 2027. Kepler targets 2027 production for 3D ferroelectric memory promising 5-10x better bandwidth per watt than HBM. Kepler Computing, founded in 2018, aims to start production of memories that address HBM and SRAM "bottlenecks" in AI chips by next year, company executives told EE Times. The company is ready to work with industry partners to enter large-scale manufacturing, according to Intel Capital, an investor in Kepler. The company, which has partnered with GlobalFoundries for production, has built its own fab to ramp up its proprietary 3D and ferroelectric memory technology. The company believes a small Kepler fablet beside a customer's legacy fab can help leapfrog to leading nodes by multiple generations at one tenth of the investment compared to a new advanced node. Kepler said it expects to make AI chips with partners such as GlobalFoundries without depending on EUV to reach advanced nodes. "We look just like Micron, or SK Hynix, or Samsung," Kepler CEO Debo Olaosebikan told EE Times. "Customers just buy a memory module from us, and then they integrate it with their chip." Partner Content

Kepler Computing emerges to build HBM alternative using FeRAM. Thursday, September 10th 2026 After seven years of operating in stealth mode, a new startup called Kepler Computing has emerged to address the memory crisis using a custom memory technology. The startup claims to have developed an alternative to HBM using a new 3D stacking technique and novel materials, all without relying on cutting-edge semiconductor nodes. Kepler reportedly plans to use ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM). This use of FeRAM is said to allow Kepler to maintain the standard HBM capacity while significantly reducing manufacturing costs. The company has reportedly overcome many challenges in scaling production and has undergone 35 iterations of composites before settling on a single scalable design. While modern memory production typically requires EUV lithography, Kepler intends to use existing mature nodes to manufacture HBM and SRAM using FeRAM. In early collaborations with GlobalFoundries, Kepler managed to convert a standard 28 nm manufacturing facility into a memory fab in just eight months, which is significantly faster than the typical 24-month lead time for traditional DRAM. Currently, the company has processed about 2,000 wafers of the new DRAM technology, with the first HBM samples expected to arrive later this year. For full-scale volume manufacturing, the company aims to begin production runs at GlobalFoundries' Singapore facility next year, with manufacturing in the United States slated to start in 2028. The company has also raised significant funds, securing about $468 million in funding over the past few years from GlobalFoundries, as well as two silicon giants, Intel Capital and AMD Ventures, who are likely to be future customers. Some skepticism remains, as many memory startups have emerged but struggled to achieve yield and technology viability. If Kepler has truly overcome these technical challenges, Techpowerup hope to see the first HBM-like chips and their density, bandwidth, and other specifications soon. What will they do with all that DRAM-Capacity that they are building up right now, after the circular financing scam known as the "AI-Bubble" will pop? And that will eventually happen, sooner or later!