Applied Materials Inc. announced it has opened its first facility in Asia for manufacturing its advanced semiconductor equipment. The new Singapore Operations Center, located in the Changi North Industrial Park, will serve as the hub for the company’s semiconductor equipment manufacturing around the world, as well as support its worldwide supply chain operations and other corporate functions. With more than 70 percent of its semiconductor business in Asia, it expects 50 percent of its global semiconductor equipment supply to flow through the new center over the next few years as it consolidates its manufacturing, global and pan-Asian support functions there, said the company. The company plans to double its workforce at the Center over the next few years to 800 employees. The Center recently received the Green Mark Platinum award—Singapore’s highest environmental honor—by the Singapore Building and Construction Authority. It features the largest thin film solar system in Singapore. For more information, visit: www.appliedmaterials.com