IBM and Siemens Collaborate on Research to Advance Nanostack Architecture

The collaboration includes developing virtual models to address fabrication challenges before chips are built.

Rhea-AI Summary

IBM (IBM) announced a research collaboration with Siemens to advance the design and manufacturing capabilities needed for its nanostack transistor architecture.

The companies aim to develop design, simulation and lithography techniques for current and future generations beyond the 7 angstrom node. IBM demonstrated the architecture's viability earlier this year, but additional advances are needed to prepare it for manufacturing and production at scale.

Key Figures

Transistor count: Nearly 100 billion transistors Node: 7 angstrom

Transistor count

Nearly 100 billion transistors

Nanostack architecture in a space the size of a fingernail

Node

7 angstrom

Nanostack's current node

Key Terms

electronic design automation, sram, lithography

3 terms

electronic design automation technical

"Siemens' expertise in electronic design automation (EDA)"

Electronic design automation (EDA) is the set of software tools engineers use to create, test and optimize electronic circuits and computer chips before anything is physically built. Think of it as a digital workshop and simulator that lets designers draw a blueprint, catch mistakes, and try performance tweaks quickly — which matters to investors because EDA reduces development time, manufacturing mistakes and costs, and directly affects the competitiveness and profitability of companies that make chips and electronic products.

sram technical

"These innovations power substantial leaps in energy efficiency, performance, and SRAM scaling."

Static random-access memory (SRAM) is a fast type of computer memory that stores data instantly and reliably while power is on, similar to a small, very quick notepad a processor keeps next to it. Investors care because SRAM influences product speed, power use, cost and production capacity for electronics and semiconductor companies, affecting profit margins, competitive positioning and supply-chain risk.

lithography technical

"process simulation, lithography optimization, and advanced manufacturing software"

Lithography is the manufacturing step that ‘prints’ the tiny circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers using light and specialized stencils, like using a projector and mask to draw a microscopic blueprint. It determines how small, fast, and power-efficient chips can be made, so changes in lithography technology or capacity directly affect production costs, product performance, and which suppliers and manufacturers gain or lose competitive advantage — key concerns for investors.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

See more from StockTitan in Google Search and AI answers. Adds StockTitan as a preferred source · opens Google

Add on Google Not now

Collaboration aims to accelerate development of the manufacturing and design capabilities needed for future nanostack generations

ALBANY, N.Y., Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IBM (NYSE: IBM), in collaboration with Siemens, announced new research aimed at advancing IBM's nanostack architecture, a new transistor architecture unveiled by IBM earlier this year. The collaboration will bring together IBM's leadership in semiconductor device innovation and Siemens' expertise in electronic design automation (EDA), process simulation, lithography optimization, and advanced manufacturing software to accelerate the development of nanostack.

Nanostack is the industry's first known three-dimensional, nanosheet-based design, vertically stacking and staggering transistors to pack more transistors onto a chip, with nearly 100 billion transistors in a space the size of a fingernail at its current 7 angstrom node. The design also unlocks the use of different material combinations within each stacked layer to optimize performance and power efficiency of each transistor independent of the other. These innovations power substantial leaps in energy efficiency, performance, and SRAM scaling.

Earlier this year, IBM demonstrated the viability of the nanostack architecture. Now, additional advances are needed to prepare the technology for manufacturing and production at scale.

Through this collaboration, IBM and Siemens will work to advance the design, simulation, and lithography techniques needed for this and future nanostack generations beyond the current 7 angstrom node. The collaboration includes developing advanced virtual models of nanostack in order to model performance, optimize designs, and address fabrication challenges before chips are built.

"Nanostack is a scalable transistor platform designed to shift device scaling from 2D to 3D, representing a new paradigm for the semiconductor industry and a path forward for the logic scaling needed to support AI and other emerging technologies over the coming decade," said Huiming Bu, Vice President of Silicon Technology R&D, IBM. "We are thrilled to work with Siemens as we continue to advance this technology and explore new approaches to extend angstrom-level scaling with nanostack."

"Scaling semiconductors into the angstrom era demands tightly coupled co-optimization between device physics, EDA design and manufacturing software, and manufacturing. As physical AI places extraordinary demands on silicon architecture, IBM's 3D nanostack design represents a pivotal leap forward," said Ankur Gupta, Executive Vice President, EDA IC Portfolio, Siemens. "Siemens' collaboration with IBM to advance virtual modeling, simulation, lithography, and design software optimizations needed to address physical limitations early and accelerate the development of these complex architectures is truly pioneering."

By combining IBM's semiconductor leadership with Siemens' advanced EDA software and simulation technologies, the companies aim to accelerate technology development cycles and advance the manufacturing foundation necessary for bringing nanostack toward production.

About IBM

IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

Media contact:

Willa Hahn
IBM Communications
willa.hahn@ibm.com 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-and-siemens-collaborate-on-research-to-advance-nanostack-architecture-302907603.html

SOURCE IBM

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What is IBM's nanostack research collaboration with Siemens intended to achieve?

IBM and Siemens aim to advance the design and manufacturing capabilities needed to bring nanostack toward production. Their research covers design, simulation and lithography techniques for the current architecture and future generations beyond the 7 angstrom node.