Silicon Valley Applied Materials (AMAT)

Han Yang was asking me, 'Mei, I dont think Silicon Valley Applied Materials is a company'..I was like 'Ya ka?I thought it is?'...Guess many of us do not know that such company exists.

Applied Materials, Inc. (*Nasdaq: AMAT) is the global leader in nanomanufacturing technology solutions with a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service and software products for the fabrication of semiconductor chips, flat panel displays, solar photovoltaic cells, flexible electronics and energy efficient glass. At Applied Materials, we apply nanomanufacturing technology to improve the way people live.Founded in 1967, Applied Materials creates and commercializes the nanomanufacturing technology that helps produce virtually every semiconductor chip and flat panel displays in the world. The company recently entered the market for equipment to produce solar arrays and energy efficient glass.Applied Materials service products improve yield enhancement and increase nanomanufacturing productivity.

Applied Materials, a leader in chipmaking equipment, is ramping up on solar-panel machines and counting on European regulations for business. For 40 years, Applied Materials has been producing high-precision manufacturing gear for semiconductors and flat-panel displays; now it's racing to sell specialized machines that churn out solar panels more cheaply and in higher volumes than ever before. The immediate goal is to drive down the cost-per-watt of solar electricity by at least 25%—and eventually bring it to parity with conventional sources such as coal and natural gas. "Applied has a history of using technology and smart engineering to lower cost and grow markets," says Chief Executive Mike Splinter. AMAT see a real opportunity to change the cost equation for solar power through adoption of their existing technology and new innovation.