Applied Materials’ New Sunnyvale EPIC Hub

Applied Materials’ new EPIC Center in Sunnyvale is taking shape as a shared chip-development hub, with Samsung, SK hynix, Micron and Advantest signing on before the site opens in 2026. (appliedmaterials.com 1) (appliedmaterials.com 2) Applied says EPIC stands for Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization, and the company describes it as the world’s largest semiconductor process and equipment research facility. The company first announced the Silicon Valley project on May 22, 2023. (appliedmaterials.com) (marketchameleon.com) The pitch is simple: instead of chipmakers waiting for tools to be finished and shipped, engineers from customers and suppliers work side by side on the same research line. Applied says that setup can cut the time from lab work to high-volume manufacturing by several years. (appliedmaterials.com) (ir.appliedmaterials.com) Samsung Electronics became the first founding member announced on February 11, 2026. Applied said the joint programs will target new materials and process steps for advanced logic and memory chips, including patterning, etch and deposition. (financialcontent.com) On March 10, 2026, Applied added SK hynix and Micron to separate long-term memory partnerships tied to the same site. SK hynix will work on next-generation dynamic random-access memory and high-bandwidth memory, while Micron’s program covers dynamic random-access memory, high-bandwidth memory and NAND storage. (3dincites.com) (ir.appliedmaterials.com) Those memory projects are aimed at one bottleneck in artificial intelligence systems: moving data fast enough between processors and memory without blowing out power use. Applied and SK hynix said their first programs will focus on materials, process integration and 3D advanced packaging for future memory designs. (3dincites.com) Advantest joined on April 21, 2026, becoming the first automated test-equipment partner on the platform. The Japanese company said it will open an Innovation Center on Applied’s Silicon Valley campus to connect manufacturing research with final chip testing. (appliedmaterials.com) (advantest.com) Applied now pegs EPIC as a $5 billion project, larger than the “up to $4 billion” figure attached to the original 2023 announcement. The company says the center is the largest-ever U.S. investment in semiconductor equipment research and development. (appliedmaterials.com) (marketchameleon.com) The Korean angle is central because Samsung and SK hynix are two of the world’s biggest memory makers, and both are now tying future chip roadmaps to a U.S. equipment research base. That gives Silicon Valley a larger role in early-stage work on AI memory and packaging, not just chip design. (financialcontent.com) (3dincites.com) If Applied’s model works, Sunnyvale becomes less a single company campus than a shared proving ground where toolmakers, chipmakers and test companies try to shorten the distance between an idea and a production chip. (appliedmaterials.com) (ir.appliedmaterials.com)