- Research partnerships with Arizona State University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Stanford University accelerate the U.S. lab-to-fab innovation pipeline by combining academic insights with commercial equipment and process expertise
- Located in Silicon Valley, Applied's EPIC Center provides a shared, industry-scale R&D environment with access to cutting-edge chipmaking equipment that enables rapid co-innovation and faster commercialization
SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Applied Materials, Inc. today announced that Arizona State University (ASU), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Stanford University will join the company's EPIC Center in Silicon Valley as inaugural research partners. Through close collaboration with Applied's scientists and engineers, university teams will engage in high-velocity research programs across advanced materials, novel process and device technologies, and chip architecture inflections – leveraging the synergy of academia and industry to accelerate energy-efficient innovations for next-generation AI chips.
"The EPIC Center is designed to bring together the best minds from industry and academia in a high-velocity, manufacturing-relevant environment to dramatically accelerate the development and commercialization of next-generation semiconductor technologies that are foundational to AI computing," said Gary Dickerson, President and CEO of Applied Materials. "Welcoming ASU, RPI and Stanford as research partners at EPIC strengthens the U.S. lab-to-fab innovation pipeline and creates a powerful platform for developing future semiconductor talent."
Research universities, which produce valuable ideas for future semiconductor materials and processes, benefit dramatically from access to leading-edge equipment and the ability to test whether new materials can be successfully integrated with others used by leading global manufacturers. Applied's EPIC Center offers university researchers a rare opportunity to pursue manufacturing-relevant research in an industry-scale environment, enabling rapid iteration, faster validation, and smoother transition from discovery to deployment. Working alongside Applied scientists and engineers, academic teams gain access to cutting-edge equipment and process integration that can shave years off the traditional new materials development cycle. Building on decades of collaboration with top engineering schools, these new partnerships aim to advance high-velocity innovation while equipping students with the practical experience and systems-level perspective needed to strengthen the future semiconductor workforce.
"Applied Materials has a long history of working closely with the world's top universities, and we are excited to take our collaborations to the next level with the EPIC Center," said Dr. Prabu Raja, President of the Semiconductor Products Group at Applied Materials. "We are thrilled to have ASU, RPI and Stanford as inaugural research partners at EPIC, and we look forward to bringing the best of industry and academia together in a shared environment to accelerate the discovery and commercialization of technology breakthroughs for the semiconductor industry."
"With the largest engineering school in the country, ASU is driven by our commitment to be of service to industry and to create partnerships that accelerate defining breakthroughs for future semiconductor technology," said Arizona State University President Michael Crow. "We value our strong working relationship with Applied Materials and are excited to be among its inaugural university research partners of EPIC Center. Being a part of a high-velocity, high-creativity environment with the brightest minds in the industry builds upon the work we do with Applied Materials in our shared Materials-to-Fab Center at ASU, creating a seamless network for driving semiconductor excellence in America."
"The EPIC Center gives our students and researchers the opportunity to move beyond traditional academic research and contribute directly to industry-scale innovation," said Martin Schmidt, President of RPI. "Collaborating with Applied Materials and its ecosystem partners enables faster lab-to-fab breakthroughs in semiconductor materials, devices, and 3D integration, while preparing students with hands-on, manufacturing-relevant experience to contribute immediately and lead future advances in the industry. This builds upon our long history of working with many industry partners across the U.S. to drive materials development for the semiconductor industry."
"The explosive growth of AI is pushing semiconductor technology researchers to discover new materials and invent new devices, demanding faster cycles of innovation and closer collaboration across the ecosystem," said H.S. Philip Wong, Willard R. and Inez Kerr Bell Professor in the School of Engineering at Stanford University and founding faculty co-director of the Stanford SystemX Alliance. "The EPIC Center enables our students and researchers to engage directly with industry-scale tools and experts, accelerating discovery while gaining the industry-relevant experience needed to lead future advances in semiconductor manufacturing."
Applied's new EPIC (Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization) Center in Silicon Valley represents the largest-ever U.S. investment in advanced semiconductor equipment R&D. The center is designed from the ground up to dramatically reduce the time it takes to commercialize breakthrough technologies from early-stage research to full-scale manufacturing. The facility is on track to become operational in 2026.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including those regarding Applied's investment and growth strategies, the development of new materials and technologies, industry outlook and technology requirements, the plans and expectations for the EPIC Center, and other statements that are not historical facts. These statements and their underlying assumptions are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements include, without limitation: the demand for semiconductors and customers' technology requirements; the ability to develop new and innovative technologies; the ability to obtain and protect intellectual property rights in key technologies; the ability to achieve the objectives of the EPIC Center; and other risks and uncertainties described in Applied's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Applied's most recent Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. All forward-looking statements are based on management's current estimates, projections and assumptions, and Applied assumes no obligation to update them.
About Applied Materials
Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) is the leader in materials engineering solutions that are at the foundation of virtually every new semiconductor and advanced display in the world. The technology we create is essential to advancing AI and accelerating the commercialization of next-generation chips. At Applied, we push the boundaries of science and engineering to deliver material innovation that changes the world. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.
Contact:
Ricky Gradwohl (editorial/media) 408.235.4676
Mike Sullivan (financial community) 408.986.7977
