Applied Materials Expands TSMC Partnership to Speed Up AI Chip Development

By Connor Hart

Applied Materials said it would build on its partnership with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. with a new initiative that aims to accelerate the development and commercialization of semiconductor technologies needed for the next wave of artificial-intelligence computing.

The companies said Monday they will work together at Applied's Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization Center--or EPIC Center, located in Silicon Valley--to co-develop and advance materials engineering, equipment innovation, and process-integration technologies.

The collaboration will focus on process technologies for leading-edge logic chips, new materials and manufacturing equipment for increasingly complex 3D transistor and interconnect structures, and process-integration approaches designed to improve yield, variability control and reliability, Applied Materials said.

Chief Executive Gary Dickerson said the partnership would help accelerate the development of technologies needed to address growing complexity in semiconductor manufacturing.

The EPIC Center is expected to be operationally ready this year, and represents a planned $5 billion investment over time, making it the largest U.S. investment in advanced semiconductor equipment research and development, Applied Materials said.

At the center, TSMC will gain earlier access to Applied's engineering teams and next-generation equipment, helping accelerate the time from development to high-volume manufacturing, the company added.

Write to Connor Hart at connor.hart@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 11, 2026 09:58 ET (13:58 GMT)