Applied Materials Says Broadcom Will Join EPIC Platform for Advanced Chip Packaging

Applied Materials Inc. said Broadcom Inc. will join Applied’s EPIC platform as an innovation partner to develop advanced chip packaging technologies for next-generation AI systems. The move places Broadcom within Applied’s EPIC network centered on equipment and process innovation and commercialization.

Applied tied the collaboration to demand for high-performance, energy-efficient compute infrastructure and to chip designs that use advanced packaging techniques and heterogeneous integration. The company said the industry is working on packaging building blocks intended to increase interconnect density and bandwidth for future systems.

Under the EPIC approach, Broadcom will draw on R&D work happening across Applied’s global innovation centers. Applied also described its EPIC (Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization) Center in Silicon Valley as a facility designed to reduce the time from early-stage research to full-scale manufacturing. It said the center is on track to become operational in 2026.

The initiative includes the planned addition of EPIC Center capabilities through a new EPIC Center in Silicon Valley, along with co-development of advanced packaging capabilities for connecting multiple chips within a computing system. Applied said the platform would provide Broadcom early access to foundational innovations in materials and process equipment as part of R&D conducted across Applied’s innovation centers.

“The EPIC platform is designed to drive co-innovation across the ecosystem to change the way semiconductor technologies are developed and commercialized,” said Gary Dickerson, President and CEO of Applied Materials. “This new model gives leading system designers like Broadcom early access to foundational innovations in materials and process equipment, providing an opportunity for deep collaboration to accelerate the introduction of new advanced packaging technologies.”

“Close collaboration with partners throughout the supply chain is critical to delivering the next generation of high-performance AI systems,” said Charlie Kawwas, President of the Semiconductor Solutions Group at Broadcom. “By bringing together Applied’s expertise in materials engineering with Broadcom’s leading capabilities in semiconductor and system design, we can accelerate the time to market for new innovations in AI.”