Applied Materials Honored as a 2016 World's Most Ethical Company

• Recognized for five consecutive years for ethical business practices by the Ethisphere Institute

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 7, 2016 - Applied Materials, Inc. today announced it has been recognized as a 2016 World's Most Ethical Company^® by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.

"We strive to maintain a high ethical standard in every interaction with employees, customers, suppliers, competitors and the public," said Steve Adams, vice president, Ethics and Compliance at Applied Materials. "It is an honor to be recognized for fostering a culture of ethics and transparency throughout the company for the fifth consecutive year."

Applied Materials is one of only six companies recognized in the Electronic Components & Semiconductors category, underscoring its commitment to leading ethical business standards and practices.

"We commend Applied Materials for consistently maintaining a strong ethics program that is engrained into the company's culture," said Ethisphere's Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. "Our data shows companies like Applied that demonstrate leadership in areas including citizenship, integrity and transparency create more value for their investors, communities, customers and employees."  

The World's Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute's Ethics Quotient(TM) (EQ) framework developed over years of research and vetted and refined by the expert advice from Ethisphere's World's Most Ethical Company Methodology Advisory Panel. The EQ offers a quantitative way to assess a company's performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way.

Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20%), culture of ethics (20%), governance (15%) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10%) and provided to all companies who participate in the process.

To view the full list of the 2016 World's Most Ethical Companies, visit http://worldsmostethicalcompanies.ethisphere.com/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 materials engineering solutions for the semiconductor, flat panel display and solar photovoltaic industries. 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 the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World's Most Ethical Companies^® recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with the publication of Ethisphere magazine. More information about Ethisphere can be found at: http://ethisphere.com.

# # #

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

Ethisphere Contact:
Clea Nabozny 480.397.2658