AMAT

Applied Materials Inc /de

A maker of the machines that build microchips, Applied Materials engineers the equipment and software used to fabricate nearly every chip in the world, from smartphone processors to memory chips, selling to foundries and memory makers. Founded in 1967 by Michael McNeilly, it began by supplying the specialized tools that chipmakers once built for themselves, and its name reflects its original job of "applying" chemical materials to silicon wafers—even its early logo featured a flask. Based in Santa Clara, it is one of the world's largest semiconductor equipment companies, with its tools supporting everything from transistors to advanced packaging.