Applied Materials (AMAT) has partnered with Micron Technology (MU) to develop and build DRAM, high-bandwidth memory, and NAND solutions to increase the performance of artificial intelligence systems, the companies announced today.
They intend to bolster the semiconductor innovation pipeline in the U.S. by utilizing Applied Materials’ EPIC Center in Silicon Valley and Micron’s innovation center in Boise, Idaho.
“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.”
The partnership also includes development on advanced packaging to enable high-bandwidth, low-power memory solutions for power-intensive AI workloads.
“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,” said Scott DeBoer, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology and Products Officer at Micron Technology.
Applied Materials new $5B EPIC Center constitutes the largest U.S. investment in advanced semiconductor equipment R&D, the companies said.