Disclosed herein are microelectronic assemblies including direct bonding, as well as related structures and techniques. For example, in some embodiments, a microelectronic assembly may include a first microelectronic component and a second microelectronic component coupled to the first microelectronic component by a direct bonding region including metal contacts that are distributed non-uniformly. In some embodiments, a microelectronic assembly may include a first microelectronic component and a second microelectronic component coupled to the first microelectronic component by a direct bonding region, wherein the direct bonding region includes a first metal contact and a second metal contact, the first metal contact has a larger area than the second metal contact.