Applied Materials and SK Hynix signed a long-term R&D partnership to develop next-generation DRAM and HBM. The two companies said on Tuesday they signed a comprehensive technology development agreement to develop memory technology for AI and high-performance computing.

Under the partnership, they will build and operate the Applied EPIC (Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization) Center in Silicon Valley this year. SK Hynix will join as a founding partner, and engineers from both companies plan to work together on site.

The initial joint innovation programme will focus on exploring new materials, integrating complex processes and implementing HBM-class advanced packaging. The companies plan to jointly address technical challenges across materials innovation, process integration and 3D advanced packaging as memory architecture shifts from current mass-production processes to next-generation nodes. SK Hynix will also use Applied's advanced packaging R&D capabilities in Singapore to respond in the field of heterogeneous integration.

The partnership is based on the EPIC Center's "high-velocity co-innovation" model. Chipmakers can access Applied's R&D portfolio from an early stage to secure fast learning cycles and accelerate the transition of next-generation technologies to mass production. Cha Sun-yong (차선용), head of Future Technology Research at SK Hynix and its CTO, said the joint innovation programme with Applied Materials plans to focus on new materials, process integration and thermal management technologies across device engineering and advanced packaging. Working with Applied engineers at the EPIC Center will accelerate development of next-generation AI memory through faster learning cycles and production-level technology verification, he added.

The EPIC Center is the largest-ever advanced semiconductor equipment R&D investment in the United States and is expected to expand gradually to $5 billion depending on the start of customer projects. It is designed to shorten the commercialisation period from the initial research stage to large-scale mass production, and major industry companies are continuing to join ahead of its official launch this year.

Gary Dickerson, chairman and CEO of Applied Materials, said Applied Materials and SK Hynix share a long history of cooperation in improving the energy efficiency performance of advanced memory chips through materials engineering innovation. He added he was pleased to welcome SK Hynix as a founding partner of the EPIC Center and looked forward to creating meaningful innovation together to accelerate commercialisation of next-generation DRAM and HBM technologies for the AI era.

Kwak Noh-jung (곽노정), CEO of SK Hynix, said the continued expansion of AI systems is creating unprecedented demand for energy-efficient memory technology. He added the biggest challenge for AI development is the widening gap between memory speed and processor performance.

He added SK Hynix's advanced memory technology is enabling faster and more energy-efficient data processing to overcome those limitations. He said he hopes cooperation with Applied Materials at the new EPIC Center can present an innovation roadmap to implement AI-optimised next-generation memory solutions.