Corporate

Mike Splinter, Applied Materials chairman and CEO, discusses on CNBC Squawk Box the company’s business in Japan, solar and semiconductor technology and the future of innovation.

<<New information regarding Applied's support for relief efforts in 6th paragraph>>

Investor's Business Daily interviews Applied Materials' Charlie Gay on how the company is managing for success with its diversication into the solar business and focus on crystalline silicon solar, and just how far the solar industry has come in 30 years. 

Applied Materials moved up a spot and ranked third behind Intel and Texas Instruments in the ‘semiconductor’ industry on the Most Admired companies list and received an overall score of 6.78. Applied Materials has been on FORTUNE's Most Admired companies list since 1998. The full list is available on FORTUNE’s web site.Per FORTUNE's web site, companies are rated by executives, directors, and analysts in their own industry on nine criteria, from innovation and global competitiveness to social responsibility.

 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Technology Review announced today that Applied Materials placed on the 2011 TR50, their second annual list of the 50 most innovative companies in the world.

Innovation is the heart of Applied Materials.  One way to gauge the strength of our innovation engine is by looking at the number of new patents that we receive each year.  According to data compiled by IFI Claims Patent Services, a division of Fairview Research LLC that analyzes patent data, Applied was one of America's top patent recipients.  Applied was among an elite group of companies including Intel Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., Oracle Corp.

Dr. Omkaram (Om) Nalamasu was promoted to chief technology officer (CTO) and will provide critical insight to further enhance Applied’s technology leadership in the industries it serves.Prior to this promotion, Dr. Nalamasu was deputy CTO and general manager, Advanced Technologies group. He has extensive experience in fostering innovation at global corporations, research universities and world-class R&D laboratories.

We did and said a lot around solar and clean energy in 2010 — it was definitely a BUSY year for everyone at Applied Materials. So to reflect on the year, we compiled a list of the ‘Top 10 Blog Posts’ for your reading pleasure.1. Applied Honored as One of World's 50 Most Innovative CompaniesEarly in the year, Applied Materials was honored in The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Technology Review as one of the world's 50 most innovative companies. Applied was recognized specifically for "Saving solar costs with large-scale manufacturing."Not a bad way to kick off the year if you ask me.