Applied Materials, the biggest maker of machinery used to manufacture semiconductors, topped earnings estimates and gave a rosy forecast in the latest sign that the chip boom is going strong.

Applied Materials gave a bullish forecast for the current quarter boosted by orders from chipmakers rushing to add capacity to meet a flood of demand for their products.

Top US chipmaking equipment supplier Applied Materials said Monday it has abandoned a $3.5 billion deal to acquire Japanese peer Kokusai Electric from investment firm KKR owing to regulatory hurdles.

Applied Materials on Thursday forecast second-quarter revenue above market expectations, as demand for its semiconductor manufacturing tools picked up during a global shortage of semiconductors.

Applied Materials has raised its offer for KKR & Co.-owned Kokusai Electric by 59%, citing higher valuations in a growing industry. It also extended the closing deadline by almost three months.

Applied Materials forecast fourth-quarter revenue above analysts' estimates on Thursday as demand rebounds for semiconductor equipment and services from the coronavirus-driven slump, and predicted sustained spending into 2021.

Applied Materials Inc, the Santa Clara, California-based maker of tools for making semiconductors, on Monday introduced a new technology aimed alleviating a speed bottleneck in computer chips.

The US company aims to purchase all of the former Hitachi group member from American private equity group KKR by the end of the year, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

China's chip equipment makers are seeing an uptick in domestic demand thanks to the trade war, giving them an opportunity to finally gain ground on global rivals like Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron.

Moore's Law is dead, long live AI. That's the semiconductor industry's new rallying cry, sounded at a daylong symposium sponsored by Applied Materials at Semicon West.

Nearly three years after Tokyo Electron's planned merger with Applied Materials collapsed over objections from US anti-trust regulators, the Japanese company finds itself in a surprising position: healthier profit margins.

Applied Materials reported better-than-expected quarterly results and gave a strong current-quarter forecast as the world's largest supplier of tools to make semiconductors enjoys strong demand in its chip and display businesses.

Applied Materials, the biggest maker of machinery used to produce chips and displays, predicted a jump in sales as customers spend on equipment needed to modernize production. The stock fell on concern that orders may have peaked.

Applied Materials on Thursday said orders reached another record high in its third quarter, following a 15-year high the previous three months, as profit surged, stirring hope for robust results in coming quarters.

Applied Materials has announced its next-generation e-beam inspection system is delivering the highest resolution and image quality at the fastest throughput to leading foundry, logic, DRAM and 3D NAND customers as they move to advanced nodes.

Apple watchers can add "OLED display" to the list of features we're expecting in the iPhone 7, as hinted by the CEO of Applied Materials.

Applied Materials said orders hit a 15-year high in its latest quarter, prompting the maker of semiconductor manufacturing tools to project a major rebound in its business later in 2016 as those transactions are completed.

Applied Materials, the largest maker of machinery used to produce computer chips, rose the most since August after giving a first-quarter forecast that may meet analysts' estimates as orders from chipmakers showed signs of improvement.

Applied Materials dropped to its lowest price since December 2013 after forecasting fiscal fourth-quarter sales that trailed analysts' estimates.

Applied Materials is using an industry trade show this week to try to persuade analysts that the company will be just as well off without merging with fellow tool-maker Tokyo Electron.

Applied Materials announced that its board of directors has elected Willem Roelandts as chairman effective immediately. Roelandts succeeds Michael Splinter, who has retired from the board.

The recent earnings season turned out to be largely good news for the companies that make semiconductor manufacturing gear. But investors haven't quite come around yet.

Cramer said competitors like Intel, Samsung, Qualcomm, ARM and Nvidia will fight the deal in Washington because it has the potential to crunch their gross margins by bringing up costs. He also pointed out that Washington has been relatively unfriendly to larger mergers this year.

Shares of chip equipment makers Applied Materials, KLA-Tencor, and Lam Research are all up in after-market trading, following a Q4 report from Intel in which it projected capital spending to be flat this year with last year's level.

Applied Materials has reported a 79% jump in its third-quarter profit, aided by solid demand for computer chips and the machines used to make them.

Applied Materials is benefiting from an increase in demand from companies such as TSMC that build semiconductors for other chipmakers, as they upgrade plants for new production processes.

Applied Materials has announced new technology systems for manufacturing large size and ultra-high definition (UHD) LCD and OLED displays that meet consumer demand for greater screen performance, clarity, color and brightness.

Applied Materials' board of directors has appointed Gary Dickerson as president and chief executive officer (CEO) and Michael Splinter as executive chairman of the board of directors, effective September 1, 2013.

"We are seeing a near-term slowdown in investment by our foundry customers as they focus on ramping (production using) new capacity installed over the past two quarters," said Applied CEO Michael Splinter.

Consumer demand for sophisticated mobile devices creates profitable growth opportunities for Applied's semiconductor and display equipment businesses.

Applied Materials has forecast fiscal fourth-quarter sales that may fall short of analysts' estimates as some customers rein in expansion plans.

Applied Materials has has signed an enhanced two-year contract with Globalfoundries to service all Applied Materials equipment at its Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany.

The company also revised its calendar year 2012 industry forecast for wafer fab equipment spending to US$30-33 billion, compared to its previous expectation of US$32-35 billion, in line with the market changes.

Applied Materials has advanced the state of the art in etch technology with the launch of the Applied Centura Avatar dielectric etch system. This breakthrough system is designed to solve one of the most demanding challenges in creating the 3D memory architectures that deliver the high-density, terabit storage capability required for tomorrow's data-intensive mobile devices.

Applied Materials investors cheered the appointment of a seasoned executive Wednesday.

May 10 (Reuters) - Applied Materials Inc will move its solar equipment plant to China from Europe to cut costs and tap into the growing appetite for clean energy in Asia. Asia is expected to overtake Europe as the largest solar power generation hub, aided by lower manufacturing costs, while falling subsidies and weak demand have hurt the industry in Europe.