Apple · China · Meta · U.S. · Intel · Fortune Technology
Applied Materials’ $5 billion AI lab aims to cut chip development time in half—and restore Silicon Valley’s edge
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Silicon Valley has built some of the world’s most impressive and valuable companies, with names like Apple, Alphabet, and Meta, worth trillions of dollars apiece.
Key facts
- In August, the company reported $9.12 billion in quarterly revenue, up 25% year-over-year, and the company has said it has visibility into customer demand as far as 2030
- The $5 billion EPIC center was built in partnership with some of the world’s top chip industry players, including Intel, TSMC, Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung
- The news sent shares of both companies down roughly 7% and 10% respectively in South Korea
- Applied Materials described EPIC as the largest-ever U.S. investment in advanced semiconductor equipment R&D, with total capital investment expected to reach $5 billion when all is said
Summary
When it comes to building the actual facilities where chips, computers, and other game-changing innovations are created, however, America’s tech capital has much less to show. That makes what Applied Materials—the world’s largest chipmaking equipment producer—did on Monday so unusual. The massive 600,000-square-foot structure of glass, concrete, and steel (two Eiffel Towers’ worth of steel, according to the company), looms over its environment like a spaceship from another world. The idea behind the facility is equally bold.