- Companies to work together at Applied's EPIC Center in Silicon Valley to accelerate development of advanced DRAM, high-bandwidth memory and NAND storage for future AI applications
- Joint R&D efforts to leverage engineering teams across California and Idaho to strengthen U.S. leadership in semiconductor innovation
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Applied Materials, Inc. today announced it is working with Micron Technology to develop next-generation DRAM, high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and NAND solutions that increase the energy-efficient performance of AI systems, bringing together advanced R&D capabilities from Applied's EPIC Center in Silicon Valley and Micron's state-of-the-art innovation center in Boise, Idaho to strengthen the semiconductor innovation pipeline in the United States.
"Applied Materials and Micron have a long-standing partnership focused on driving higher performance and more energy-efficient advanced memory chips by pushing the boundaries of materials engineering and manufacturing innovation," said Gary Dickerson, President and CEO of Applied Materials. "We are excited to deepen our collaboration with Micron as a founding partner at the EPIC Center as next-generation memory technologies play an increasingly vital role in the future of AI systems."
"Memory and storage are essential enablers of AI, and sustained innovation in these technologies is critical to unlocking AI's full potential," said Sanjay Mehrotra, Chairman, President and CEO of Micron Technology. "Micron has collaborated with Applied Materials for decades to deliver materials engineering innovations for new memory and storage devices, and we are pleased to extend this partnership to Applied's new EPIC Center in Silicon Valley. Combined with Micron's U.S.-based R&D and manufacturing hubs, this partnership creates a unique lab-to-fab pipeline to advance American memory innovation."
Teams from Applied Materials and Micron are collaborating on the development of next-generation materials, process technologies and architectures for advanced DRAM, HBM, and NAND for AI applications. The partnership also includes development on advanced packaging to enable high-bandwidth, low-power memory solutions for power-intensive AI workloads.
"As memory scaling becomes more complex, advances in chipmaking equipment are essential to enable energy-efficient, high-performance devices," said Dr. Prabu Raja, President of the Semiconductor Products Group at Applied Materials. "Our collaboration with Micron at the EPIC Center will bring together deep expertise to accelerate materials innovation into production-ready solutions for next-generation memory."
"Our technology leadership position is strengthened by ecosystem collaborations that help move new ideas into production faster," said Scott DeBoer, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology and Products Officer at Micron Technology. "Our EPIC Center engagement with Applied Materials goes beyond the next node - it's about driving advances in disruptive tools, materials and processes that enable future memory and storage architectures, technologies and the extreme scaling needed to deliver higher performance and energy efficiency for our customers."
Applied's new, $5 billion* EPIC (Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization) Center in Silicon Valley represents the largest-ever U.S. investment in advanced semiconductor equipment R&D. Opening this year, 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. For chipmakers, the EPIC Center will provide earlier access to Applied's R&D portfolio, faster cycles of learning and accelerated transfer of next-generation technologies into high-volume manufacturing. In addition, the co-innovation programs at the EPIC Center will provide Applied with greater multi-node visibility to guide R&D investments while increasing R&D productivity and value sharing.
- Capital spending is expected to scale over time to approximately $5 billion as customer projects commence.
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, the anticipated benefits of a collaboration between Applied and Micron, 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.
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