Applied Materials and Micron to advance AI memory development
Applied Materials and Micron Technology are teaming up to develop next-generation memory technologies for AI systems. The work will take place at Applied Materials’ EPIC Center in Silicon Valley and Micron’s research facility in Boise, Idaho.
The companies will focus on developing advanced DRAM, high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and NAND storage technologies aimed at improving the energy efficiency and performance of AI systems.
Engineering teams from both companies will collaborate on new materials, process technologies and device architectures. The partnership will also include work on advanced packaging aimed at enabling high-bandwidth, low-power memory solutions for increasingly demanding AI workloads.
Gary Dickerson, President and CEO of Applied Materials, said in a press release that the two companies have a long-standing partnership focused on improving performance and energy efficiency in advanced memory chips.
Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said that continued innovation in memory and storage technologies is critical for unlocking the full potential of AI.
“Micron has collaborated with Applied Materials for decades to deliver materials engineering innovations for new memory and storage devices, and we are pleased to extend this partnership to Applied’s new EPIC Center in Silicon Valley. Combined with Micron’s US-based R&D and manufacturing hubs, this partnership creates a unique lab-to-fab pipeline to advance American memory innovation,” Mehrotra continued.
The collaboration will involve research activities at Applied Materials’ new EPIC Center in Silicon Valley, which the company describes as the largest US investment in advanced semiconductor equipment R&D, with a total investment of approximately USD 5 billion.
According to Applied Materials, the facility is designed to accelerate the transition from early-stage research to high-volume manufacturing by enabling closer collaboration between chipmakers and equipment suppliers.