COMPANY PROFILE / NANOTECHNOLOGY
Applied Materials
Not exposure but adding, removing, treating and measuring materials: tools that build nanosheets with atomic-level control. Revenue for April to July 2026 was a record $9.12 billion
Applied Materials, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is one of the world's largest semiconductor equipment makers. It appears in a nanotechnology series because it supplies tools for most of the steps that build circuit nanostructures other than lithography (exposure): deposition (ALD, epitaxy, CVD and PVD), etching, materials modification, and metrology and inspection. The company calls itself the leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every semiconductor in the world (its own statement). Its annual report names lithography as an example of a segment it does not serve. In recent results announcements it presented, for gate-all-around (GAA) transistors at 2nm and beyond, a treatment that smooths silicon nanosheets at the atomic level, ALD that wraps nanosheets in metal gate stacks, and ALD that changes the contact metal from tungsten to molybdenum. This profile takes a nanofabrication view (how deposition, etching, modification and measurement build nanosheet structures), is written fresh, and sets out what primary sources confirm and what they do not.
- Applied Materials in 30 seconds, and where it stands in nanotechnology
- The logo and how the name is written
- Where the company sits in the nanotechnology field
- Scale
- Resources committed to nanotechnology
- What it has done so far
- What comes next
- What the company is aiming for in nanotechnology
- Map of partnerships in nanotechnology
- Technologies, products and services
- The risks this company carries
- Glossary, references and claim-to-source audit
1. Applied Materials in 30 seconds, and where it stands in nanotechnology
Applied Materials is "a tool company that takes the patterns drawn by exposure and finishes them into three-dimensional nanostructures by adding, removing and conditioning materials" Our calculation. Its 10-K lists, among the factors that affect its revenue, the share of customers' capital spending that goes to segments it does not serve, such as lithography Sourced. In structures such as GAA, where nanosheets are stacked and wrapped, the accuracy of deposition, etching and modification goes straight into transistor performance, so its tools handle the "finishing" that follows exposure. But revenue for ALD, etch and other individual products is not disclosed, and numerical tool performance (film uniformity, etch profile control) is not in the primary documents reviewed Not yet confirmed.
2. The logo and how the name is written
We could not obtain a logo image from the company's official website (the site does not accept automated retrieval, and we could not check it in a browser). No logo image is shown, and the name is set in text.
A note on names: the company is Applied Materials, Inc., known as "Applied". Its service business is called Applied Global Services (AGS). It is a separate company from ASML and ASM International.
Official website: https://www.appliedmaterials.com/3. Where the company sits in the nanotechnology field
4. Scale
Applied Materials is a large company, so this profile gives company-wide figures briefly and concentrates on Semiconductor Systems, the segment that bears on nanofabrication. The fiscal year ends on the last Sunday in October and amounts are in U.S. dollars (U.S. GAAP).
| Measure ($ million) | Fiscal 2025 | Fiscal 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Net revenue (company-wide) | 28,368 | 27,176 |
| of which Semiconductor Systems | 20,798 | 19,911 |
| of which Applied Global Services (services and spares) | 6,385 | 6,225 |
| of which Corporate and Other (display equipment and others) | 1,185 | 1,040 |
| Semiconductor Systems operating income (margin) | 7,379 (35.5%) | 6,981 (35.1%) |
| Operating income (company-wide) | 8,289 | 7,867 |
| Net income | 6,998 | 7,177 |
| R&D (RD&E) | 3,570 | 3,233 |
| Capital expenditure | 2,260 | 1,190 |
| Backlog (26 October 2025) | 15,002 (Semiconductor Systems 7,105; services 7,141; other 756) | n/a |
By customer market, Semiconductor Systems revenue in fiscal 2025 was 67% foundry, logic and other, 26% DRAM and 7% NAND (flash). By region (company-wide), China was 30% ($8.53 billion; 37% the year before), Taiwan 24%, Korea 20%, Japan 8%, the United States 11% and Europe 3%. In fiscal 2025 two customers accounted for about 19% and 15% of revenue (names are not given) Sourced. For the first nine months of fiscal 2026 (27 October 2025 to 26 July 2026), revenue was $24.04 billion against $21.57 billion a year earlier (+11%; our calculation). Third-quarter revenue (27 April to 26 July 2026) was $9.12 billion (+25% year on year), of which Semiconductor Systems was $7.04 billion Sourced.
Revenue and unit shipments for ALD, epitaxy, etch, CVD, and metrology and inspection are not disclosed in the 10-K or 10-Q. What is disclosed is revenue by segment (Semiconductor Systems, services, other) and the share by customer market (foundry and logic, DRAM, NAND). We do not estimate revenue by product Not yet confirmed.
5. Resources committed to nanotechnology
| Resource | What primary sources confirm | Status |
|---|---|---|
| People | About 36,500 regular full-time employees (26 October 2025; 25 countries; 46% Asia-Pacific, 42% North America, 12% Europe and the Middle East). Product development, engineering and process support are mainly in the United States, India and Israel; customer demonstrations mainly in the United States, China, Taiwan, Israel and South Korea. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 it approved a workforce reduction plan affecting about 4% of employees ($181 million of charges), to be completed in fiscal 2026. Headcount for nanofabrication alone is not disclosed | Sourced / partly undisclosed |
| Money (R&D and capital expenditure) | R&D was $3.57 billion in fiscal 2025 (12.6% of revenue) and $3.06 billion in the first nine months of fiscal 2026 (12.7%). Capital expenditure was $2.26 billion in fiscal 2025 (from $1.19 billion), mostly real property and improvements and demonstration and test equipment, and about $2.0 billion in the first nine months of fiscal 2026. In August 2026 it announced a new $500 million Tampines Campus in Singapore that more than doubles its advanced cleanroom capacity there. R&D and capex for nanofabrication alone are not disclosed | Sourced / partly undisclosed |
| Acquisitions, investments, joint ventures, divestments | In May 2026 it announced an agreement to acquire the NEXX business (deposition equipment for large-area advanced packaging) from ASMPT Limited (completion could not be confirmed in the documents reviewed). Net cash paid for acquisitions in the first nine months of fiscal 2026 was $262 million (the target is not identified in the documents reviewed). Strategic equity investments had a fair value of $2.48 billion at 26 October 2025 (publicly traded $2.11 billion; privately held $0.37 billion) | Sourced / partly not confirmed |
| Universities, research institutes, public funding | At the EPIC Center in Silicon Valley (an effort to shorten the time from research to volume manufacturing), partners include Samsung Electronics, TSMC, SK hynix, Micron, Broadcom, SCREEN SPE and Advantest among companies, and Arizona State University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley among universities. As of August 2026 there were 11 engagements. It also collaborates with Synopsys and NVIDIA on AI and quantum-chemistry materials modeling. Public support includes the investment tax credit under the U.S. CHIPS Act (at 26 October 2025 it reduced current income taxes payable by $233 million and future income taxes payable by $548 million). The size and opening date of the EPIC Center could not be confirmed | Sourced / partly not confirmed |
Status of key products and facilities
| Product / facility | Content (company statements) | Stage | Date / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viva (modification) | A pure radical treatment that smooths GAA silicon nanosheets with atomic-level precision to raise transistor performance | Announced (in the first-quarter fiscal 2026 results; customer adoption could not be confirmed) | 12 February 2026 (Reference 5) |
| Sym3 Z Magnum (etch) | A conductor etch system that controls three-dimensional trench profiles at angstrom level to raise silicon nanosheet uniformity | Announced | 12 February 2026 (Reference 5) |
| Spectral (ALD) | An ALD system that replaces tungsten transistor contacts with molybdenum, which lowers electrical resistance | Announced | 12 February 2026 (Reference 5) |
| Trillium (ALD) and Precision Selective Nitride (PECVD) | Trillium wraps silicon nanosheets in complex metal gate stacks. Precision protects shallow trench isolation (STI) and reduces parasitic capacitance | Announced (second quarter of fiscal 2026) | 14 May 2026 (Reference 4) |
| Centris Spectral SiN (ALD), Producer Selectra Mo Etch and Centura Prime Epi | SiN ALD deposits uniform silicon nitride in difficult 3D structures using microwave plasma. Selectra selectively removes molybdenum for wordline separation in 3D NAND. Centura Prime Epi selectively grows doped SiGe and Si:P in transistor source/drain regions (for DRAM and HBM) | Announced (third quarter of fiscal 2026) | 13 August 2026 (Reference 3) |
| VeritySEM 7AP (metrology) | An eBeam critical-dimension (CD) tool. The company says it measures with sub-10nm sensitivity, orders of magnitude better than optical tools, on thick or warped substrates (measurement conditions not given) | Announced | 13 August 2026 (Reference 3) |
| Tampines Campus in Singapore | More than doubles advanced cleanroom capacity there. Investment of $500 million | Expansion announced (start of operation could not be confirmed) | 13 August 2026 (Reference 3) |
6. What it has done so far
| When | What happened | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Incorporated as a Delaware corporation (10-K) | An equipment maker that dates from the early days of semiconductors |
| November 2011 | Acquired Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. (stated in the executive biographies in the 10-K; the CEO, Gary Dickerson, headed Varian at the time) | Broadened its range of tools by acquisition |
| Fiscal 2025 (to October 2025) | Record revenue of $28.37 billion. In the fourth quarter it approved a workforce reduction plan affecting about 4% of employees | Growth and efficiency at the same time |
| 11 February 2026 | Announced a settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), resolving allegations that certain shipments to China between November 2020 and July 2022 did not comply with export rules. About $252.5 million to be paid. The Department of Justice and the SEC closed their reviews without action | A milestone in the export-control compliance issue |
| 12 February 2026 | First-quarter fiscal 2026: Samsung joins the EPIC Center. Viva, Sym3 Z Magnum and Spectral announced for GAA | A product group for GAA at 2nm and beyond |
| 14 May 2026 | Second quarter: collaborations with TSMC, SK hynix, Micron, Advantest and universities (ASU, RPI, Stanford) at the EPIC Center. Trillium and Precision Selective Nitride announced. Agreement to acquire the NEXX business | Wider co-development, and stronger advanced packaging |
| 13 August 2026 | Third-quarter revenue of a record $9.12 billion. EPIC Center engagements reach 11. Six new systems for DRAM and advanced packaging, Centris Spectral SiN ALD and others announced. Tampines Campus announced. A long-term joint development agreement with EssilorLuxottica (AR eyewear) | Expanding on AI-driven demand |
7. What comes next
The primary sources also contain the following policies and plans Not yet confirmed.
- EPIC Center: an effort to shorten greatly the time to commercialize technology from early research to full-scale manufacturing, with more partnerships with chipmakers, universities and companies (11 engagements as of August 2026). The results and timing of individual projects are not given
- GAA, DRAM and advanced packaging: the results announcement says growth in the second half of 2026 will be led especially by DRAM, leading-edge foundry-logic and advanced packaging
- Acquisition of the NEXX business: an agreement with ASMPT was announced in May 2026 (the timing of completion and the price could not be confirmed in the documents reviewed)
- Workforce: the reduction decided in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 (about 4%) is expected to be completed during fiscal 2026
Revenue, unit shipments and R&D by product (ALD, etch, metrology and others) / numerical performance of the new products (film uniformity, accuracy of etch profile control, throughput) and customer adoption / the size, opening date and investment of the EPIC Center / the price and completion of the NEXX acquisition / the start of operation of the Tampines Campus / the logo image (it could not be obtained from the official website). Either the documents reviewed (the 10-K, the 10-Q, the results announcements and the release on the BIS settlement) do not state them, or we could not check the original text.
8. What the company is aiming for in nanotechnology
This section separates what the company says it aims for from what we read into it. Inference marks our interpretation of primary sources.
| What can be read | Primary basis | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Offer combinations of technologies, optimized together, not only tools for single steps | The 10-K says that, besides equipment for individual steps, it can combine, co-optimize and integrate its technologies to develop highly differentiated solutions for customers | Sourced (company description) |
| Control the surfaces, shapes and films of GAA nanosheets at the atomic level | The 2026 results announcements present Viva (smoothing nanosheet surfaces), Sym3 Z Magnum (etch profile control), Trillium ALD (a metal gate that wraps the nanosheets) and Spectral (molybdenum contacts) | Sourced (product announcements) |
| Develop technology with customers from before volume manufacturing at the EPIC Center | The EPIC Center is described as an effort to shorten greatly the time from early research to volume manufacturing. Samsung, TSMC, SK hynix, Micron and others take part | Sourced (company description) / Inference (what it is aiming at) |
| Extend to DRAM, HBM and advanced packaging as AI demand grows | The 2026 results announcements cite new systems for DRAM and advanced packaging (six of them) and the agreement to acquire the NEXX business | Sourced (announcements) |
The reading that "Applied Materials is increasingly co-developing materials and processes with customers at a stage before it sells volume tools" rests on the string of EPIC Center partnerships in the February to August 2026 results announcements. After Samsung joined in February 2026, collaborations with TSMC, SK hynix and Micron, joint research with universities (ASU, RPI, Stanford, UC Berkeley), and ties with Broadcom, SCREEN SPE and Advantest were announced one after another within about six months, reaching 11 engagements in August 2026 Sourced. The company says the EPIC Center is there to shorten greatly the time from early research to volume manufacturing Sourced. From this we read that, at large switches in materials and processes (GAA at 2nm and beyond, HBM and so on), it is putting more weight on developing jointly with customers before it sells volume tools. However, the content of individual joint projects, the rights to results and the amount invested are not stated in the documents reviewed Not yet confirmed.
9. Map of partnerships in nanotechnology
The main Applied Materials partnerships that the documents reviewed confirm are the ties with chipmakers, universities and companies centered on the EPIC Center, a long-term joint development agreement with EssilorLuxottica, joint research with Synopsys and NVIDIA, and an agreement to acquire the NEXX business from ASMPT Sourced. The documents do not say whether the EPIC Center partnerships extend to lithography companies such as ASML or Canon. The results of individual partnerships (materials or processes developed jointly) could not be confirmed either Not yet confirmed.
10. Technologies, products and services
This profile concentrates on the steps that build nanostructures (deposition, etching, modification and metrology). Tools for advanced packaging, display and services are touched on only briefly. Performance numbers are the company's own statements, and conditions are given with them. Product-by-product performance values are hardly present in the primary documents reviewed.
| Category | What official material says | Conditions, scale, source |
|---|---|---|
| ALD (atomic layer deposition) | Spectral (molybdenum contacts), Trillium (metal gate stacks that wrap nanosheets) and Centris Spectral SiN (silicon nitride with microwave plasma) | Company statement (earnings releases). No film uniformity, throughput or similar figures given |
| Epitaxy (Epi) | Centura Prime Epi: selective growth of doped SiGe and Si:P in source/drain regions, with precise control of strain and doping to raise drive current (for DRAM and HBM) | Company statement (August 2026). No figures given |
| PECVD | Precision Selective Nitride (STI protection, lower parasitic capacitance) and Producer Avila 2 (stress-balanced films around TSVs, for stacking HBM) | Company statement (May and August 2026) |
| Etch and materials modification | Sym3 Z Magnum (conductor etch with angstrom-level control of 3D profiles), Producer Selectra Mo Etch (selective removal of molybdenum for wordline separation in 3D NAND) and Viva (a pure radical treatment that smooths nanosheets) | Company statement (February and August 2026). No figures given |
| Metrology and inspection | VeritySEM 7AP (eBeam CD measurement; sub-10nm sensitivity) and SEMVision G7AP (defect review and automatic classification) | Company statement (August 2026). Sub-10nm sensitivity is the manufacturer's stated value; measurement conditions are not given |
| Advanced packaging (not detailed here) | Opta Quad CMP, Nokota VMax 2 ECD and NEXX (agreement to acquire) | Company statement |
| Services and spares (AGS) | Servicing of installed tools, spares and factory automation software. Moving toward subscription agreements | $6.39 billion in fiscal 2025 (23% of company revenue); $7.14 billion of the backlog |
A GAA transistor stacks thin silicon nanosheets and surrounds each one all the way around with the gate (see our explainer on nanoscale transistors). Applied Materials' 2026 announcements line up products that address the materials and surfaces of this structure. Viva is described as a treatment that smooths nanosheet surfaces at the atomic level to raise transistor performance Sourced. A rough surface is generally said to scatter electrons and lower performance (a general physics explanation, not a figure from the company's documents). Sym3 Z Magnum is described as controlling the 3D trench profile after etching to raise nanosheet uniformity Sourced. Trillium ALD wraps the nanosheets in complex metal gate stacks Sourced. Because the film must reach evenly into gaps only a few nanometers wide, ALD's step coverage matters (a general explanation).
On the wiring side, Spectral ALD is described as replacing tungsten in transistor contacts with molybdenum, which has lower electrical resistance Sourced. The resistivity of molybdenum, whether a barrier film is needed, the precursor chemistry and the actual improvement in resistance are not in the documents reviewed. In 3D NAND, Producer Selectra Mo Etch selectively etches molybdenum for the wordlines Sourced. That the company has tools both to deposit and to remove the same metal (molybdenum) shows tools keeping pace with a change of material (our interpretation) Our calculation. This profile does not rank these tools against other companies' tools, since doing so would mean setting side by side figures given under different conditions.
11. The risks this company carries
| Risk | What it involves | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Customer concentration | In fiscal 2025 two customers accounted for about 19% and 15% of revenue, and in the first nine months of fiscal 2026 for about 20% and 14% | Sourced |
| China and export controls | China was 30% of revenue in fiscal 2025 (37% the year before) and 28% in the first nine months of fiscal 2026. U.S. export rules have limited shipments to China. On 11 February 2026 it settled with BIS and paid about $252.5 million (a matter under investigation since 2022. As a condition, it must audit its export-control compliance program and maintain training and reporting. There is a suspended denial order that will be waived three years later if the audits are completed on time). The U.S. government may add new rules | Sourced (stage: settled; order suspended) |
| The chip capital-spending cycle | The 10-K says the semiconductor industry is cyclical and demand can swing. Fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 revenue was down 3% year on year | Sourced |
| It does not make lithography tools | The 10-K lists the share of customers' capital spending that goes to segments it does not serve, such as lithography, as a factor affecting its revenue | Sourced |
| Competition and Chinese tool makers | The 10-K says competition from domestic equipment makers in China could grow because of local government incentives and U.S. export controls | Sourced (company's risk statement) |
| Burden of investment and use of capital | Capital expenditure was $2.26 billion in fiscal 2025 (about double the year before), and a $500 million campus in Singapore was announced. Equity investments have a fair value of $2.48 billion, so price changes show up in profit (the increase in interest and other income in fiscal 2025 came mainly from gains on equity investments) | Sourced |
| Hard to see the results of the EPIC Center | Partnerships are increasing, but the results, cost and rights to results of individual joint projects are not published | Not yet confirmed |
| Cutting and hiring staff | A reduction of about 4% (to be completed in fiscal 2026) and hiring to meet growing AI-driven demand are going on at the same time | Sourced / Inference (operational burden) |
12. Glossary
- GAA (gate-all-around)
- A transistor whose gate surrounds stacked nanosheet channels on all sides.
- Nanosheet
- A thin silicon sheet a few nanometers thick. It becomes the channel of a GAA transistor.
- ALD (atomic layer deposition)
- A method that builds a film one atomic layer at a time. See our explainer on atomic layer deposition.
- Epitaxy (Epi)
- Growing a crystalline film that follows the crystal underneath. Used for source and drain regions.
- PECVD
- Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, which deposits films.
- Etching
- Removing material to match a pattern. See our explainer on etching.
- Radical treatment
- Treating a surface with electrically neutral, highly reactive atoms or molecules. Used in Viva (company statement).
- Contact
- The metal connection that links a transistor to the wiring.
- STI (shallow trench isolation)
- Trenches that electrically separate transistors from one another.
- CD (critical dimension)
- An important dimension of a pattern, measured with a CD-SEM. See our explainer on nanometrology.
- HBM
- High-bandwidth memory. DRAM stacked in many layers, used for AI computing.
- BIS
- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, which administers export controls.
13. References
- Applied Materials Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 (year ended 26 October 2025; filed 12 December 2025). Business overview, segment and regional revenue, customer concentration, R&D, capital expenditure, headcount and export controls. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025056742/amat-20251026.htm
- Applied Materials Form 10-Q for the third quarter of fiscal 2026 (quarter ended 26 July 2026; filed 20 August 2026). Nine-month revenue and R&D, capital expenditure, the settlement with BIS, and investments. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026058235/amat-20260726.htm
- Applied Materials Earnings release attached to Form 8-K (third quarter of fiscal 2026; 13 August 2026). Third-quarter revenue, new products, EPIC Center partnerships, the new Singapore site, and the outlook for the next quarter. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026056699/exhibit991q32026earningsre.htm
- Applied Materials Earnings release attached to Form 8-K (second quarter of fiscal 2026; 14 May 2026). EPIC Center partnerships, new products for GAA, and the agreement to acquire the NEXX business. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026035071/exhibit991q22026earningsre.htm
- Applied Materials Earnings release attached to Form 8-K (first quarter of fiscal 2026; 12 February 2026). New GAA products (Viva, Sym3 Z Magnum, Spectral) and Samsung joining the EPIC Center. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026007661/exhibit991q12026earningsre.htm
- Applied Materials Earnings release attached to Form 8-K (fourth quarter and full year of fiscal 2025; 13 November 2025). Full-year revenue and operating income by segment. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025051998/exhibit991q42025earningsre.htm
- Applied Materials Press release attached to Form 8-K, "Applied Materials Reaches Resolution with the U.S. Department of Commerce" (11 February 2026). The settlement with BIS. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026007444/ex991pressrelease.htm
14. Claim-to-source audit
| Claim in the text | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Materials, Inc. is a Delaware corporation incorporated in 1967, headquartered in Santa Clara, listed on Nasdaq (AMAT). Its fiscal year ends on the last Sunday in October | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025056742/amat-20251026.htm Reference 3 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026056699/exhibit991q32026earningsre.htm |
| Fiscal 2025: revenue of $28,368 million (fiscal 2024: $27,176 million), Semiconductor Systems of $20,798 million ($19,911 million), services of $6,385 million ($6,225 million), other of $1,185 million ($1,040 million), operating income of $8,289 million ($7,867 million), net income of $6,998 million ($7,177 million), R&D of $3,570 million ($3,233 million), capital expenditure of $2,260 million ($1,190 million) | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025056742/amat-20251026.htm Reference 6 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025051998/exhibit991q42025earningsre.htm |
| Semiconductor Systems operating income of $7,379 million (35.5%); $6,981 million (35.1%) in fiscal 2024 | Sourced | Reference 6 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025051998/exhibit991q42025earningsre.htm |
| Backlog at 26 October 2025: $15,002 million in total (Semiconductor Systems $7,105 million, services $7,141 million, other $756 million) | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025056742/amat-20251026.htm |
| Semiconductor Systems revenue by market in fiscal 2025: foundry, logic and other 67%, DRAM 26%, NAND 7%. Company-wide by region: China 30% ($8.53 billion), Taiwan 24%, Korea 20%, Japan 8%, United States 11%, Europe 3%. Two customers at about 19% and 15% | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025056742/amat-20251026.htm |
| First nine months of fiscal 2026: revenue of $24,037 million ($21,568 million a year earlier), R&D of $3,055 million ($2,653 million), capital expenditure of about $2.0 billion, two customers at about 20% and 14%, China at 28% | Sourced | Reference 2 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026058235/amat-20260726.htm |
| Revenue growth of 11% in the first nine months of fiscal 2026, and R&D as a share of revenue (12.6% and 12.7%) | Our calculation | Our calculation. 24,037 ÷ 21,568 = 1.114; 3,570 ÷ 28,368 = 12.6%; 3,055 ÷ 24,037 = 12.7%. Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025056742/amat-20251026.htm Reference 2 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026058235/amat-20260726.htm |
| Third quarter (27 April to 26 July 2026): revenue of $9,115 million (+25%), Semiconductor Systems of $7,040 million ($5,564 million a year earlier), gross margin of 50.3%. Fourth-quarter outlook: revenue of $10,250 million (±$500 million), non-GAAP EPS of $4.02 (±$0.20) | Not yet confirmed | The fourth quarter is the company's outlook; the third quarter is actual. Reference 3 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026056699/exhibit991q32026earningsre.htm |
| Employees: about 36,500 (26 October 2025; 25 countries). In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 a plan affecting about 4% of employees, with $181 million of charges, to be completed in fiscal 2026 | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025056742/amat-20251026.htm |
| Descriptions of Viva, Sym3 Z Magnum and Spectral (smoothing nanosheets, 3D etch profiles, molybdenum contacts) | Sourced | Company announcement; no figures given. Reference 5 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026007661/exhibit991q12026earningsre.htm |
| Descriptions of Trillium and Precision Selective Nitride. The agreement to acquire the NEXX business (from ASMPT Limited). Collaborations with TSMC, SK hynix, Micron, ASU, RPI, Stanford and Advantest. Joint research with Synopsys and NVIDIA | Sourced | Company announcement. NEXX is at the agreement stage and completion could not be confirmed. Reference 4 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026035071/exhibit991q22026earningsre.htm |
| Centris Spectral SiN ALD, Producer Selectra Mo Etch, Centura Prime Epi, VeritySEM 7AP (sub-10nm sensitivity, manufacturer's stated value) and SEMVision G7AP. 11 EPIC Center engagements. Participation of Broadcom, UC Berkeley and SCREEN SPE. The Tampines Campus ($500 million). The joint development agreement with EssilorLuxottica (AR eyewear) | Sourced | Company announcement; measurement conditions not given. Reference 3 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026056699/exhibit991q32026earningsre.htm |
| Samsung Electronics joins the EPIC Center. The EPIC Center aims to shorten greatly the time to commercialize from early research to full-scale manufacturing | Sourced | Company statement. Reference 5 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026007661/exhibit991q12026earningsre.htm |
| The BIS settlement (11 February 2026): about $252.5 million paid; shipments to China between November 2020 and July 2022; the Department of Justice and the SEC closed their reviews. The 10-Q gives $253 million. The denial order is suspended and is waived three years after, if the audits are completed | Sourced | Reference 2 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026058235/amat-20260726.htm Reference 7 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026007444/ex991pressrelease.htm |
| CHIPS Act investment tax credit: at 26 October 2025 it reduced current income taxes payable by $233 million and future taxes payable by $548 million. At 26 July 2026 capital-expenditure-related incentives had reduced gross property, plant and equipment by $1.8 billion | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025056742/amat-20251026.htm Reference 2 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026058235/amat-20260726.htm |
| Fair value of strategic equity investments: $2,480 million (publicly traded $2,110 million; privately held $370 million). Cost of $1,630 million | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025056742/amat-20251026.htm |
| Net cash paid for acquisitions: $262 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2026 (target not confirmed) and $29 million in fiscal 2025 | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025056742/amat-20251026.htm Reference 2 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026058235/amat-20260726.htm |
| The 10-K lists the share of customers' capital spending going to segments it does not serve, such as lithography, as a factor affecting revenue. It also notes possible competition from Chinese domestic makers | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025056742/amat-20251026.htm |
| Revenue, unit shipments and R&D by product (ALD, etch, metrology and others); performance numbers for the new products; the size and investment of the EPIC Center; completion of the NEXX acquisition; start of operation of the Tampines Campus; the official logo | Not yet confirmed | Not stated in the documents reviewed, so not confirmed. We do not estimate them (outlook). |
| Outlook for 2026: "more than 30%" growth in semiconductor equipment in May and "raised further" in August. A strong 2027 expected. Manufacturing capacity added for demand through the end of the decade | Not yet confirmed | The company's outlook. Reference 4 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026035071/exhibit991q22026earningsre.htm Reference 3 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026056699/exhibit991q32026earningsre.htm |
| "A rough surface scatters electrons and lowers performance", "ALD's step coverage matters in gaps of a few nanometers", and the interpretation of having tools to both deposit and remove molybdenum | Our calculation | Commentary: a general explanation and this article's interpretation, not figures from the company's documents. |
| The four-type grouping and the example company names | Our calculation | Our own grouping. Company names are examples from companies covered in this series. |
| "Applied Materials is a tool company that finishes patterns drawn by exposure into three-dimensional nanostructures by adding, removing and conditioning materials" | Our calculation | Our own synthesis, from the business description in the 10-K (Reference 1). |
| The reading that Applied Materials is increasingly co-developing materials and processes with customers before it sells volume tools | Inference | Our interpretation of the run of EPIC Center announcements (February to August 2026). Reference 3 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026056699/exhibit991q32026earningsre.htm Reference 4 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026035071/exhibit991q22026earningsre.htm Reference 5 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026007661/exhibit991q12026earningsre.htm |
| The reading that cutting and hiring staff at the same time could become an operational burden | Inference | Our interpretation of the reduction plan (Reference 1) and the rise in AI-driven demand (Reference 3). Reference 1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828025056742/amat-20251026.htm Reference 3 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6951/000162828026056699/exhibit991q32026earningsre.htm |
Last updated 9 October 2026 / Troy Technical
Figures in this article come from Applied Materials' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K with its attached earnings releases). No research-firm estimates or press-based figures have been used. The tools' performance values are the company's announcements, and values given under different conditions are not set side by side to rank them. The company's outlooks and plans are its own statements and have not been independently verified. Passages marked "Inference" are this article's interpretation of primary sources, not statements made by the company. The company's website does not accept automated retrieval, so product pages were not checked.