Applied Materials (AMAT) and BE Semiconductor Industries have expanded their partnership, with the Netherlands-based firm joining Applied's Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization, or EPIC, Center as an innovation partner, the companies said Thursday.

The expanded collaboration will focus on next-generation 3D integrated circuit scaling, logic and memory integration, and photonics applications supporting AI infrastructure build-out, according to a statement.

The new $5 billion EPIC Center in Silicon Valley, California, which is expected to be ready for operations this year, is aimed at reducing the time it takes to commercialize breakthrough technologies from early-stage research to full-scale manufacturing, the companies said.