Applied Materials adds UCLA to its EPIC Center

Applied Materials announced on October 8, 2026, that the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering will join its EPIC Center in Silicon Valley as a research partner. The collaborative initiative connects academic researchers with industrial chipmaking tools to speed up the transition of chip technologies from lab research to full-scale manufacturing.

Joint research and development programs will focus on key semiconductor challenges. These include 3D chip scaling, advanced packaging, and new materials designed to boost energy efficiency in artificial intelligence computing. UCLA researchers will test and validate concepts directly inside a commercial fab environment, utilizing expertise from the university's Center for Heterogeneous Integration and Performance Scaling Lab.

The collaboration expands on Applied Materials' role as a co-founding member of UCLA's Semiconductor Hub earlier in 2026. The company stated that its EPIC Center facility represents the largest U.S. investment in advanced semiconductor equipment research and development, with commercial operations on track to begin in 2026.