Applied Materials, BE Semiconductor Expand AI Chip Packaging Partnership

Applied Materials (AMAT) announced on Oct. 2, 2026, that BE Semiconductor Industries has joined its Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization (EPIC) Center as an innovation partner, expanding a strategic collaboration begun in 2020. The expanded scope covers next-generation 3D IC scaling, logic and memory integration for AI compute, die-to-wafer hybrid bonding platforms, thermal compression bonding, die-to-panel integration, and photonic interconnect for co-packaged optics. Engineers from both firms will co-develop these technologies at the EPIC Center, building on their existing Singapore Center of Excellence, which produced the Kinex integrated die-to-wafer hybrid bonding system. The move addresses rising demand for higher-density, higher-bandwidth chip-to-chip and chip-to-package interconnects as AI infrastructure buildout accelerates. Applied Materials CEO Gary Dickerson said the tie-up gives customers earlier access to co-optimized packaging solutions.