12 October 2026. Applied Materials opened its Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization (EPIC) Center in Silicon Valley on Oct. 12. The company bets $5 billion on the facility.
The EPIC Center is designed to bring Applied Materials engineers together with researchers and engineers from chipmakers, universities, and other equipment suppliers. It aims to develop future semiconductor technologies.
The investment reflects a shift in Applied Materials' relationship with the semiconductor industry, from supplying equipment for processes developed with customers toward participating earlier in decisions about materials, architectures, and manufacturing methods.
CEO Gary Dickerson said, "We're working four generations ahead of time. Whoever brings those innovations to market fastest is going to win." Dickerson cited hybrid bonding, high-bandwidth memory, backside power delivery, and vertically stacked transistor architectures as areas where manufacturing processes must evolve together.
Intel recently joined TSMC, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron as a founding partner. Broadcom has also joined the EPIC platform. The $5 billion commitment covers construction of the facility and installation of equipment, with additional annual investment expected as operations expand.
Source: EE Times
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