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Applied Materials secures wire saw order from GCL-Poly

GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd. has ordered wire saws representing over 2.5 gigawatts of wafering capacity from Applied Materials. The order value was not disclosed.

GCL-Poly has ordered HCT B5 wire saws representing 2.5 gigawatts of wafering capacity. Image: Applied Materials.

Under the agreement, the U.S. company will begin shipping the HCT B5 wire saws to GCL-Poly's production facilities in Suzhou, Changzhou and Taicang, China, in the current quarter of this year.

The Chinese polysilicon and wafer supplier has also purchased Applied E3 automation software and extended maintenance support. According to Applied, this contract represents "one of the most significant combined investments in equipment automation software and support services by any crystalline silicon solar manufacturer to date".

"GCL-Poly continues to execute on its manufacturing capacity plans in order to meet the increasing demand for high quality polysilicon wafers," said Zhu Gong Shan, executive director, chairman and CEO of GCL-Poly. "We are pleased to have Applied Materials join us in our efforts to help our customers bring down the cost-per-watt of solar cells."

Mark Pinto, executive vice president and general manager of Applied's Energy and Environmental Solutions Group added: "This important order adds to the growing momentum of the HCT B5 system in the marketplace and validates the unique differentiation of our proven wire saw technology."