January 26, 2022
Dear Fellow Shareholders:
On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are pleased to invite you to attend Applied
Materials 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which will be held on Thursday, March 10, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time. This years Annual Meeting will be conducted virtually due to the public health concerns resulting from
the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and to support the health and well-being of our shareholders, employees, and community. The Annual Meeting will be held online at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/AMAT2022 and
will provide shareholders with the opportunity to participate and submit questions as they would at an in-person meeting.
We encourage you to read this Proxy Statement because it contains important information for voting your shares and sets forth how the Board oversaw
your investment over the past year. This years Proxy Statement reflects our continued focus on our business strategy, an engaged and effective Board, sound corporate governance and executive compensation practices, our Environmental, Social,
and Governance strategy, and our regular dialogue with and responsiveness to our shareholders.
Financial Performance and Business
Strategy
In fiscal 2021, Applied Materials delivered the best financial performance in company history while navigating ongoing
challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our revenues increased 34% and earnings per share increased 63% year-over-year and we generated record annual cash flows from operations. We also continued to make
substantial progress towards our 10-year roadmap for environmental and social responsibility.
As we look ahead, we remain very positive about our long-term growth opportunities. The digital transformation of the global economy accelerated in
fiscal 2021, making semiconductors more strategically important to the world than at any other time in history. The Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and artificial intelligence (AI) are fueling increased demand for semiconductors and driving the
need for next-generation silicon technologies. At the same time, the industry is increasingly adopting a new playbook for driving improvements in chip power, performance, area, cost, and time-to-market (PPACt). With our broad portfolio of highly enabling solutions, Applied Materials is strongly positioned to deliver innovations that
accelerate our customers PPACt roadmaps and create significant value for our shareholders.
Shareholder Engagement and
Demonstrated Responsiveness
We are committed to effective corporate governance that is informed by our shareholders, promotes the
long-term interests of our company and its shareholders, and strengthens the Boards and managements accountability.
We have
a robust shareholder outreach program that focuses on issues of interest to our shareholders, particularly in the areas of governance, compensation, environmental sustainability, and human capital matters such as diversity and inclusion. Our
shareholder outreach program is a recurring, year-round effort, led by a cross-functional team that includes members of our Investor Relations, Global Rewards, ESG, and Legal functions, with participation of independent directors where appropriate.
Shareholder feedback continues to directly inform the Boards decision-making on a variety of important matters.
Thank you for
your continued investment in and support of Applied Materials.
Sincerely,
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Thomas J. Iannotti
Chairman of the Board |
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Gary E. Dickerson
President and Chief Executive Officer |
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3050 Bowers Avenue
Santa Clara, California 95054 Phone:
(408) 727-5555 |
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Mailing Address:
Applied Materials, Inc. 3050 Bowers
Avenue P.O. Box 58039 Santa Clara, California 95054-3299 |