Applied Materials and Intel have announced a strategic collaboration on AI chip manufacturing processes and equipment.

Applied Materials announced on October 6, 2026, a collaboration with Intel to accelerate chipmaking innovations for next-generation transistors, interconnects, and advanced packaging technologies for AI chips and systems.

The collaboration brings together capabilities at Applied Materials' EPIC Center in Silicon Valley and Intel's research and development campus in Hillsboro, Oregon. The companies said their work is intended to shorten the path from research to high-volume manufacturing for advanced semiconductor technologies.

Teams from Applied Materials and Intel are collaborating on materials, process technologies, and device architectures for advanced logic nodes targeting AI workloads. The work spans front-end and back-end-of-line developments, including interconnect scaling, and includes advanced packaging technologies for Intel's Foveros-based three-dimensional stacking.

The announcement follows Applied Materials' October 1, 2026, release on an expanded strategic partnership with BE Semiconductor Industries. Besi joined Applied Materials' EPIC Center as an innovation partner, with the collaboration covering hybrid bonding, thermo-compression bonding, additional chip-integration architectures, and photonics-enabled interconnect applications.