Sunnyvale Chip Hub Boosts US-Korea Trade Ties

Applied Materials is turning its new EPIC Center in Silicon Valley into a U.S.-Korea semiconductor hub, with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix signing on in early 2026. (appliedmaterials.com 1) (appliedmaterials.com 2) (appliedmaterials.com 3) The center is a $5 billion project that Applied Materials calls the largest-ever U.S. investment in advanced semiconductor equipment research and development. The company said the facility will open in 2026 at its Silicon Valley campus. (appliedmaterials.com 1) (appliedmaterials.com 2) Samsung Electronics became a founding member on February 11, 2026. Applied Materials said the companies will run joint research on materials engineering, advanced-node scaling, future memory architectures and “extreme 3D integration.” (appliedmaterials.com) SK hynix followed on March 10, 2026, with a long-term collaboration focused on next-generation dynamic random-access memory and high-bandwidth memory for artificial intelligence systems. Applied Materials said engineers from both companies will work side by side on materials, process integration and 3D advanced packaging. (appliedmaterials.com) Semiconductor equipment research is the work of building the machines and process steps that make chips possible, from depositing thin films to etching patterns a few atoms wide. Applied Materials says the EPIC model is meant to cut the time from lab research to factory production by several years through faster joint testing. (appliedmaterials.com) (appliedmaterials.com) That matters for memory used in artificial intelligence servers, where processors can outrun the chips that feed them data. SK hynix said one of the main bottlenecks in AI progress is the gap between memory speeds and processor advances. (appliedmaterials.com) Applied Materials is also using the Sunnyvale-area site to anchor a wider partner network. Its EPIC materials list now includes Samsung, SK hynix, Micron and Advantest among the companies tied to the platform. (appliedmaterials.com) (appliedmaterials.com) The Korea Economic Institute of America included the EPIC tie-ups in its Q1 2026 U.S.-Korea trade and diplomacy ledger, alongside court rulings on tariffs, new Section 301 pressure and more than $20 billion in approved South Korean investment commitments. (keia.org) That puts the Sunnyvale project in a broader shift: U.S.-Korea economic ties in 2026 are being shaped at the same time by trade friction and by deeper co-investment in chips and artificial intelligence. The EPIC Center is one of the clearest examples of both countries betting that more research will happen inside the United States, with Korean memory leaders in the room. (keia.org) (appliedmaterials.com) (appliedmaterials.com)