Someone asked recently what I thought I know about these pistons that GM and Mahle didn't.
Actually, I think we both know the same thing. Cutting a chamber into the top of piston requires the piston to contain the explosion radially (outward) as well as in the downward direction. The forces are not unlike throwing a fire-cracker into a paper cup.
I know they knew because they embedded two steel rings into the castings to help retain the force. One is the steel fire ring grove, the other is just below the oil gallery. Without these rings, the pistons would crack on a regular basis even in a stock configuration.