The acquisition will create a broader industry transition from traditional 300mm silicon wafers to larger panel formats, reaching up to 510 x 515 mm
Applied Materials has signed an agreement to acquire the NEXX business from ASMPT Limited. The deal is aimed at expanding its capabilities in advanced semiconductor packaging, an area seeing rapid growth as demand for AI-driven chips continues to climb.
NEXX’s panel-level electrochemical deposition technology plays a key role in enabling fine-pitch input-output connections within semiconductor packages. This is becoming increasingly important as the industry shifts toward chiplet-based designs—where multiple components like GPUs, high-bandwidth memory, and I/O chips are combined into a single, highly integrated package.
The acquisition will create a broader industry transition from traditional 300mm silicon wafers to larger panel formats, reaching up to 510 x 515 mm. These larger panels make it easier to handle the growing complexity of AI accelerators and to support more advanced packaging approaches such as 2.5D and 3D chiplet stacking.
Applied Materials has made a huge name in this portfolio. It offers technologies such as digital lithography, various deposition systems, etching tools, and eBeam metrology. Through this acquisition the company expects to spread its reach and achieve new opportunities in the advanced packaging market.
Dr. Prabu Raja, who leads Applied Materials’ Semiconductor Products Group, said the acquisition strengthens the company’s position in panel-based processing technologies. Meanwhile, Jarek Pisera, President of ASMPT NEXX, highlighted that bringing the two teams together should help speed up the adoption of large-format packaging solutions across the computing industry.
According to sources, the deal will be closed in the coming month. It will not require any regulatory approval. After completion of this deal, the NEXX team will become part of Applied Materials’ Semiconductor Products Group, while continuing to operate from Billerica, Massachusetts. Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
