https://finance.yahoo.com/news/applied-materials-said-buy-kokusai-055450368.html > Applied Materials dominates the market for equipment involved in the early stages of turning wafers of silicon into computer chips. Its main customers are Samsung Electronics Co., Intel Corp. and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Applied Materials, based in Santa Clara, California, went on a sales growth spurt under Chief Executive Officer Gary Dickerson as chipmakers ordered more machinery to help solve the increasing complexity of making semiconductors. The $470 billion chipmaking industry has been consolidating rapidly over the past half-decade, putting pressure on suppliers like Applied Materials to bulk up in turn. > Applied Materials sought to merge with Tokyo Electron in 2015, but the deal was scrapped amid opposition from the U.S. Department of Justice. Dickerson had planned to move to Japan to run the combined company.