Applied Materials

ABOUT THIS COMPANY:

Applied Materials leads a large niche of the semiconductor industry.  It prides itself on being the world’s largest purveyor of nanomanufacturing technology, which means that it sells the machines that other companies use to make semiconductor chips, solar modules and flat panel displays. When Applied Materials first came on the scene in the late 1960s, semiconductor machines were produced by the large companies that made the machines themselves, such as IBM and Texas Instruments.  By catering to this specific part of the market, Applied Materials has made itself a Silicon Valley mainstay, and the largest company of its kind.