{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/applied-materials-and-intel-expand-ai-chipmaking-collaboration-at-epic","json":"https://digestai.news/story/applied-materials-and-intel-expand-ai-chipmaking-collaboration-at-epic.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/applied-materials-and-intel-expand-ai-chipmaking-collaboration-at-epic.md","slug":"applied-materials-and-intel-expand-ai-chipmaking-collaboration-at-epic","headline":"Applied Materials and Intel expand AI chipmaking collaboration at epic Center","summary":"**Applied Materials and Intel** announced on October 6, 2026, that they are deepening their partnership to accelerate AI chipmaking innovations. The collaboration ties Applied’s **EPIC Center** in Silicon Valley with Intel’s research campus in Hillsboro, Oregon, focusing on next-generation transistors, interconnects, and advanced packaging for AI workloads. Teams from both companies will work on materials, process technologies, and device architectures for advanced logic nodes, including **Foveros-based 3D stacking** to improve interconnect density, power delivery, and thermal performance for high-performance compute platforms.\n\nThe move builds on decades of collaboration between the two firms. Applied President and CEO **Gary Dickerson** called it a way to ‘shorten development cycles’ and bring AI-relevant technologies to market faster. Intel CEO **Lip-Bu Tan** emphasized the need for performance and power efficiency in AI computing, while **Dr. Prabu Raja** of Applied highlighted the complexity of modern chipmaking roadmaps. The **EPIC Center**, launched in 2023 with **$4 billion in capital investments** over seven years, was designed to reduce time-to-market for semiconductor innovations. It includes **180,000 square feet of cleanroom space** and aims to drive **$25 billion in R&D investments** over its first decade, with support from the **CHIPS and Science Act**. The center’s founding partners included **Intel, AMD, IBM, Micron, Nvidia, Samsung, TSMC, and Western Digital**.","keyPoints":["Applied Materials and Intel collaborate at EPIC Center to accelerate AI chipmaking innovations for transistors, interconnects, and advanced packaging","Focus on Foveros-based 3D stacking to improve interconnect density, power delivery, and thermal performance for AI workloads","EPIC Center, launched in 2023, includes $4B in capital investments and aims to drive $25B in R&D over 10 years"],"whyItMatters":"The partnership directly impacts AI hardware development by speeding up advancements in chip design and manufacturing, critical for next-gen AI computing performance and efficiency.","category":{"slug":"hardware","name":"Hardware & Compute","url":"https://digestai.news/category/hardware"},"entities":{"companies":["Applied Materials","Intel","AMD","IBM","Micron","Nvidia"],"models":[],"people":["Gary Dickerson","Lip-Bu Tan","Dr. Prabu Raja","Naga Chandrasekaran"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-06T13:21:05Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-06T13:21:05Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"Unite.AI","title":"Applied Materials and Intel Partner on AI Chipmaking at EPIC Center","url":"https://unite.ai/applied-materials-and-intel-partner-on-ai-chipmaking-at-epic-center","publishedAt":"2026-10-06T13:21:05Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Applied Materials and Intel expand AI chipmaking collaboration at epic Center\", 6 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/applied-materials-and-intel-expand-ai-chipmaking-collaboration-at-epic","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Applied Materials and Intel expand AI chipmaking collaboration at epic Center","datePublished":"2026-10-06T13:21:05Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/applied-materials-and-intel-expand-ai-chipmaking-collaboration-at-epic"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}