Applied Materials Breaks Ground for Taiwanese Manufacturing Center Expansion

TAINAN, Taiwan--(Business Wire)--
Today, Applied Materials held a groundbreaking for an expansion
project of its Tainan Manufacturing Center. This expansion, with a
total investment estimated at around US$17 million, will increase the
company's ability to meet the demand for both its AKT flat panel
display equipment and SunFab(TM) Thin Film Solar manufacturing
equipment. The new facility is expected to be completed by the middle
of next year.

"This year's strong demand for flat panel equipment and the added
requirements to support our fast growing SunFab business in Asia have
created a need to increase our capability in Asia," said Gilad Almogy,
group vice president and general manager of Applied Materials' Display
and Thin Film Solar Products Group. "Having greater manufacturing and
supply chain capabilities close to our customers will enable a faster
response and provide additional value to customers."

The Applied Materials Tainan Manufacturing Center will supplement
existing operations for display and solar in the United States and
Germany. The expansion will add 7,200 square meters of new production
area, bringing the total manufacturing area in Tainan to 14,000 square
meters. When complete, the campus will have about 150 employees.

"We are pleased that Applied Materials, the world leader in
nanomanufacturing technology, has chosen to expand their operations in
Taiwan," said Dr. Lou-Chuang Lee, Minister of the Taiwan National
Science Council. "Here in Tainan they will be able to take advantage
of a number of Taiwan's manufacturing advantages, including our strong
talent pool, extensive local flat panel display customer and supplier
base, and favorable location."

Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) is the global leader in
Nanomanufacturing Technology(TM) solutions with a broad portfolio of
innovative equipment, services 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. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.

Applied Materials, Inc.
David Miller, 408-563-9582 (editorial/media)
Linda Heller, 408-986-7977 (financial community)

Copyright Business Wire 2008