Applied Materials acquires NEXX business from ASMPT
US semiconductor equipment maker Applied Materials has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the NEXX business from ASMPT, adding panel-level electrochemical deposition technology to its advanced packaging lineup.
The addition of the NEXX team and products will broaden Applied’s portfolio of panel-level advanced packaging technologies, which are designed to enable chipmakers and systems companies to build larger-body AI accelerators for higher energy-efficient performance.
The transaction addresses the growing demand for larger chiplet-based designs that integrate multiple GPUs, high-bandwidth memory stacks and I/O chips into single packages. The industry is transitioning from 300-millimetre wafers to panel form factors as large as 510 by 515 millimetres to accommodate larger AI chip packages with 2.5D and 3D chiplet stacking architectures.
Applied Materials already holds positions across the advanced packaging equipment stack — including PVD, CVD, etch and eBeam technologies. The addition of NEXX's panel-level electrochemical deposition (ECD) technology fills a gap in that lineup, particularly for fine-pitch I/O wiring in panel-level applications.
The NEXX team will be integrated into Applied's Semiconductor Products Group and will continue to operate from its base in Billerica, Massachusetts. The transaction is expected to close within several months and requires no regulatory approvals. Financial terms were not disclosed in the press release.
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