Does Applied Materials, Inc. support Israel?

Acquired two Israeli semiconductor inspection/metrology companies for a combined $285 million in cash — Orbot Instruments for $110 million and Opal for $175 million (Opal's merger completed January 9, 1997). The deals created Applied Materials Israel, today the company's process diagnostics and control (PDC) division.

Announced a major expansion of its Rehovot site: 3,200 m² of added production space including a ~1,000 m² clean room raising production capability by 160%, plus 250 new hires. Annual revenues from Israeli operations were expected to exceed $1 billion for the first time, with roughly NIS 1 billion a year spent on Israeli suppliers.

After the October 7, 2023 attack, Applied Materials Israel rented an entire hotel in Rehovot's industrial zone to house families of employees from Gaza-border and other affected communities, provided financial aid to employees whose homes were damaged, and offered psychological support. Four employees were killed, and up to 300 employees (about 15% of the Israeli workforce) served in reserve duty while the company kept its Israeli operations running.

Inaugurated a new R&D center — a fourth building at its Rehovot Science Park campus — described by the company as part of 'hundreds of millions of dollars' in capital and operating investment in Israel over the preceding three years, with plans to recruit 300 additional employees in 2026.

Applied Materials Israel, headquartered in Rehovot's Science Park, is one of the company's most important R&D and manufacturing hubs and among the largest multinational tech employers in Israel: over 2,200 employees (up from ~1,800 in 2021, growth of more than 30% in five years) and more than $450 million a year in procurement from Israeli suppliers.