Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT) announced that the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering will join its EPIC (Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization) Center in Silicon Valley as a research partner, according to a company press release dated Oct. 8, 2026.

The collaboration will focus on semiconductor materials and integration challenges, with research programs targeting 3D chip scaling, advanced packaging, and new materials for energy-efficient AI computing. UCLA researchers will have access to Applied Materials' chipmaking equipment at the facility to test and validate ideas in a commercial fabrication environment.

Applied Materials describes the EPIC Center as the largest U.S. investment in advanced semiconductor equipment research and development. The facility is on track to become operational in 2026.

UCLA Samueli brings expertise in semiconductor devices, materials, electronics, and computing. The school houses the Center for Heterogeneous Integration and Performance Scaling (CHIPS) Lab. Applied Materials had previously joined UCLA's Semiconductor Hub as a co-founding member earlier in 2026.

"As the industry races to bring new AI chip technologies to market, the EPIC Center will play a pivotal role by convening the industry's top innovators in a collaborative environment designed to accelerate the path from breakthrough research to full-scale manufacturing," said Dr. Prabu Raja, President of the Semiconductor Products Group at Applied Materials.

Ah-Hyung "Alissa" Park, Ronald and Valerie Sugar Dean of UCLA Samueli, said the collaboration "builds on that legacy by bringing together university research and industry expertise to advance the chip technologies that will define the future of computing."