Applied Materials launches massive EPIC Center to accelerate AI chip research

Applied Materials unveiled the EPIC Center, a 600,000-square-foot research campus in Silicon Valley designed to fast-track AI semiconductor advances. The facility, described as the world’s largest semiconductor equipment and process R&D site, houses concrete volumes comparable to 34 Olympic-size swimming pools and steel enough for two Eiffel Towers. Founding partners TSMC, Intel, Samsung, Micron and SK Hynix, together with Broadcom and academic groups from Arizona State, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Stanford, UC Berkeley and UCLA Samueli, will collaborate under one roof.

CEO Gary Dickerson said the center aims to cut the development cycle by at least 30 percent, boosting time-to-market for new chips. He highlighted the broader impact on sectors such as healthcare, education and consumer electronics, noting that faster breakthroughs could enable devices beyond today’s smartphones. The initiative also seeks to reduce friction in the global chip supply chain, a strategic factor in the ongoing US-China AI competition.