Applied Materials Honored as a 2014 World's Most Ethical Company by the Ethisphere Institute

Third consecutive year recognized for ethical business practices

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 20, 2014 - Applied Materials, Inc. today announced that it was named a 2014 World's Most Ethical Company® by the Ethisphere Institute, an independent center of research promoting best practices in corporate ethics and governance.

"Ethical business practices are foundational to Applied Materials' success," said Tom Larkins, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Applied Materials.  "We recognize that ethics are a shared responsibility and would like to thank our employees for their continued commitment."

This is the third consecutive year Applied Materials has received the annual award, which recognizes organizations that continue to demonstrate ethical leadership and corporate behavior.

"The entire community of World's Most Ethical Companies believe that customers, employees, investors and regulators place a high premium on trust and that ethics and good governance are key in earning it," said Ethisphere's Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich.

Now in its eighth year, the World's Most Ethical Company List is derived from the Ethics Quotient(TM) framework developed by the Ethisphere Institute, which provides a means to assess an organization's performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies, rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics. The Ethics Quotient framework and methodology was determined, vetted and refined by the expert advice and insights gleaned from Ethisphere's network of thought leaders and from the World's Most Ethical Company Methodology Advisory Panel. Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (25%), reputation, leadership and innovation (20%), governance (10%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (25%) and culture of ethics (20%).

This year, Ethisphere's 2014 World's Most Ethical Company list featured more than 144 companies spanning 41 industries, 22 countries and 5 continents. To view the complete list, visit www.ethisphere.com/worlds-most-ethical/wme-honorees/.

For additional information on Applied Materials' ethical business conduct, visit www.appliedmaterials.com/about/cr.

About Applied Materials
Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) is the global leader in providing innovative equipment, services and software to enable the manufacture of advanced semiconductor, flat panel display and solar photovoltaic products. Our technologies help make innovations like smartphones, flat screen TVs and solar panels more affordable and accessible to consumers and businesses around the world. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.

About the Ethisphere Institute
The Ethisphere® Institute is an independent center of research, best practices and thought leadership that promotes best practices in corporate ethics and governance and enables organizations to improve compliance, mitigate risk, and enhance relationships with employees, business partners, investors and the broad regulatory community. Ethisphere evaluates and benchmarks compliance and governance programs, honors superior achievement through its World's Most Ethical Companies® recognition program and publishes Ethisphere Magazine. Ethisphere is also the leading provider of independent verification of corporate ethics and compliance programs that include: Ethics Inside® Certification, Compliance Leader Verification(TM) and Anti-Corruption Program Verification(TM). More information about Ethisphere can be found at: www.ethisphere.com.

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CONTACT:
For Applied Materials
Kevin Winston (editorial/media) 408.235.4498
Michael Sullivan (financial community) 408.986.7977

For Ethisphere
Clea Nabozny 408.397.2658