Applied Materials taps Advantest as EPIC innovation partner; new Silicon Valley test lab opens

Applied Materials said it has added Advantest as an innovation partner on its EPIC platform, a collaboration the companies say is intended to tighten the link between front-end chip manufacturing and back-end testing and packaging. The move includes a new Advantest Innovation Center on Applied’s research campus in Silicon Valley that is intended to connect with the EPIC Center and help bring new chip designs to market faster.

The partnership targets the growing complexity of semiconductors for artificial intelligence and high‑performance computing, where tighter coordination across the supply chain is increasingly important.

Applied said the collaboration will combine its materials engineering and process control expertise with Advantest’s test and measurement capabilities to improve integration across fabrication processes, in-line metrology and inspection, and final device testing.

“Applied Materials designed the EPIC platform to accelerate the commercialization of next-generation semiconductors by co-locating and co-innovating with customers and partners,” President and CEO Gary Dickerson said, adding that working side-by-side with Advantest aims to help chipmakers optimize end-to-end production flows.

Advantest Group CEO Doug Lefever said establishing the company’s Innovation Center alongside Applied’s EPIC Center will support faster collaboration and co-development of scalable, cost-effective testing methodologies for next-generation devices. Applied’s EPIC—short for Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization—Center in Silicon Valley is described by the company as the largest-ever U.S.

investment in advanced semiconductor equipment R&D. The facility is designed to shorten the path from early-stage research to high-volume manufacturing and is on track to become operational in 2026. Advantest’s new facility, independently located within a dedicated area of Applied’s campus, includes state-of-the-art labs and research spaces to support a range of R&D programs.

The companies said the setup is intended to allow engineering teams to work more closely on emerging industry requirements and develop integrated solutions for complex, next-generation semiconductors. Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857) is a leading supplier of semiconductor test equipment.

Applied Materials is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.