Applied Materials of Santa Clara, Calif., specializing in Nanomanufacturing Technology solutions, held a groundbreaking for an expansion project of its Tainan Manufacturing Center. This expansion, with a total investment estimated at around $17 million, will increase the company’s ability to meet the demand for both its AKT flat panel display equipment and SunFab Thin Film Solar manufacturing equipment. The new facility is expected to be completed by the middle of next year. The Applied Materials Tainan Manufacturing Center will supplement existing operations for display and solar in the United States and Germany. The expansion will add 7,200 square meters of new production area, bringing the total manufacturing area in Tainan to 14,000 square meters. When complete, the campus will have about 150 employees.