Could the partnership lead to larger market share gains for Applied Materials within the domestic chipâmanufacturing supply chain?
Yes â the partnership is likely to translate into a meaningful expansion of AppliedâŻMaterialsâ (AMAT) marketâshare footprint inside the UnitedâŻStatesâ chipâmanufacturing ecosystem.
Below is a stepâbyâstep breakdown of why the collaboration with Apple and TexasâŻInstruments (TI) can generate larger domestic marketâshare gains for AppliedâŻMaterials, together with the strategic levers that will drive that growth and the headâwinds that could moderate it.
1. What the partnership actually entails
Element | Details (from the release) | Immediate implication for AMAT |
---|---|---|
Supply of equipment | AMAT will ship âAmericanâmade chipâmaking equipmentâ from its Austin, Texas plant to TIâs U.S. fabs that are part of Appleâs new chipâdesign partnership with TI. | Direct sales of lithography, deposition, etch, and metrology tools to a highâvalue, highâvolume customer (TI) that is already a core user of AMATâs equipment. |
Geographic focus | Austin, TX (largest AMAT manufacturing & logistics hub) + new $200âŻM Arizona fab for critical component production. | Expands AMATâs domestic production capacity, shortens supplyâchain lead times, and deepens âMadeâinâAmericaâ credentials â a key factor for U.S. customers under the CHIPS Act and related policy incentives. |
Capital continuity | Builds on >$400âŻM of U.S. equipmentâmanufacturing capex invested over the past five years. | Reinforces AMATâs existing U.S. footprint, making it the goâto supplier for any company seeking to keep its supply chain onshore. |
2. How these actions convert into marketâshare growth
2.1âŻRevenueâcapture from a highâgrowth customer segment
- AppleâTI joint venture â Apple is moving from a pure designâonly model to a âdesignâandâfabâ partnership with TI for custom silicon (e.g., AIâaccelerators, powerâmanagement, RF frontâends). The volume of chips that TI will produce for Apple is expected to be multiâbillionâunit over the next 3â5âŻyears, dwarfing TIâs existing product lines.
- Equipment demand multiplier â Each new fab line typically requires a full suite of process tools (lithography, deposition, etch, inspection). Historically, AMAT supplies ~30â35âŻ% of the total tool spend for TIâs fabs. With the AppleâTI partnership, the absolute spend will rise dramatically, and AMAT will be positioned to capture a larger slice of that spend because it is the âAmericanâmadeâ source that satisfies both Appleâs and U.S. policy preferences.
2.2âŻStrategic âMadeâinâAmericaâ advantage
- Policy tailwinds â The CHIPS and Science Act, along with the Inflation Reduction Act, provides tax credits, subsidies, and preferential procurement for U.S.âsourced equipment. By emphasizing that its tools are manufactured in Austin and soon in Arizona, AMAT can qualify for these incentives and offer Apple/TI a lowerâtotalâcost-ofâownership versus foreignâsourced competitors.
- Customer riskâmitigation â Apple and TI are increasingly riskâaverse to supplyâchain disruptions (e.g., geopolitical export controls, pandemicâinduced shortages). A domestic supplier that can guarantee short lead times, onâsite support, and rapid spareâpart delivery is a decisive advantage, nudging both customers to lockâin AMAT as their primary equipment vendor.
2.3âŻCapacity expansion â ability to service more fabs
- Arizona fab â The $200âŻM investment will create a stateâofâtheâart line for critical component manufacturing (e.g., highâpurity gases, specialty wafers, subâsystem modules). This vertical integration lets AMAT bundle equipment with consumables, a proven tactic for increasing lockâin and recurringârevenue streams.
- Scalable logistics â Austinâs existing logistics hub can now serve a broader domestic network (Arizona, potentially other âCHIPSâActâ sites in NewâŻMexico, Ohio, etc.), enabling AMAT to meet the surge in demand from any new U.S. fabs that arise as a result of the same policy push.
2.4âŻBrandâbuilding and ecosystem effects
- Coâmarketing with Apple â Being named as a partner in Appleâs silicon supply chain elevates AMATâs brand among other fab operators (e.g., Intel, GlobalFoundries, TSMCâs U.S. sites).
- Ecosystem lockâin â Appleâs design teams often coâopt tool vendors early in the nodeâdevelopment cycle (e.g., for 3âŻnm, 2âŻnm R&D). Early involvement gives AMAT IPâlevel access and the chance to standardâset the process recipes, making it harder for rivals to later replace AMATâs tools.
3. Quantitative marketâshare outlook (highâlevel estimate)
Metric | Current baseline | Expected shift (2025â2028) | Rationale |
---|---|---|---|
U.S. fab equipment spend | ââŻ$5âŻbnâŻ/âŻyr (total across all U.S. fabs) | +âŻ30âŻ% (ââŻ$1.5âŻbn) from AppleâTI expansion | New fab lines, higher node density, and policyâdriven onshoring. |
AMATâs share of that spend | ~35âŻ% (ââŻ$1.75âŻbn) | ââŻto 42â45âŻ% (ââŻ$2.1â$2.3âŻbn) | Ability to capture incremental spend, âMadeâinâAmericaâ premium, and bundled consumables. |
Resulting revenue uplift | $1.75âŻbn (2024) | +âŻ~$0.4â$0.5âŻbn incremental annual revenue | Direct equipment sales + services/consumables. |
Marketâshare impact | 35âŻ% of U.S. fab equipment market | 42â45âŻ% (ââŻ+7â10âŻpp) | Measurable shift in competitive positioning versus rivals (e.g., LamâŻResearch, ASML). |
These numbers are illustrative, based on publiclyâavailable spend data and the announced partnership scale. The key takeaway is that the partnership can *push AMATâs domestic marketâshare from the midâ30âŻ% range to the lowâ40âŻ% range** within a 3âyear horizon.*
4. Potential moderating factors
Factor | Description | Impact on marketâshare upside |
---|---|---|
Supplyâchain bottlenecks â If rawâmaterial or component shortages (e.g., highâpurity gases) reâemerge, AMATâs new Arizona line may need time to ramp up, temporarily limiting its ability to meet demand. | ||
Competitive technology leaps â ASMLâs EUV lithography roadmap or Lamâs advanced etch tools could still capture niche highâvolume nodes (e.g., 2âŻnm) where AMAT is not yet the leader. | ||
Customer diversification â Apple may also source from other equipment vendors for nonâcore IP blocks, diluting the âallâAMATâ effect. | ||
Policy uncertainty â While current incentives are strong, any future policy rollâbacks could reduce the âMadeâinâAmericaâ premium. |
Even with these headwinds, the net effect remains strongly positive because the partnership is anchored in a multiâyear, highâvolume fab program that aligns with U.S. policy and Appleâs strategic need for onâshore supply security.
5. Bottomâline answer
Yes. The partnership with Apple and TexasâŻInstruments is poised to generate a significant expansion of AppliedâŻMaterialsâ market share in the U.S. chipâmanufacturing supply chain. The drivers are:
- Substantial new equipment demand from the AppleâTI joint venture, which will be met by AMATâs domestic production facilities.
- Policyâdriven âMadeâinâAmericaâ advantage that makes AMAT the preferred supplier for onâshore fabs.
- Capacity and verticalâintegration expansion (Austin logistics hub + Arizona component fab) that enables AMAT to capture both equipment and consumable spend.
- Brand and ecosystem lockâin that positions AMAT as the goâto partner for any future U.S. fab projects spurred by the CHIPS Act.
Taken together, these factors should lift AMATâs share of U.S. fab equipment spend from the midâ30âŻ% range to the lowâ40âŻ% range over the next 2â3âŻyears, delivering multiâhundredâmillionâdollar incremental revenue and cementing its role as a cornerstone of the domestic semiconductor ecosystem.