Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) vs Broadcom Inc. (AVGO)

Applied Materials Inc. is the world’s largest manufacturer of semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment, with a broad portfolio covering nearly every segment of the WFE ecosystem. The company holds a leading market share in deposition technologies, which involve adding new material layers to semiconductor wafers. Applied Materials has greater exposure to general-purpose logic chips produced by integrated device manufacturers and foundries. Its customer base includes some of the world’s largest chipmakers, such as TSMC, Intel, and Samsung.

Broadcom Inc. is one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies and has also built a significant presence in infrastructure software. Its chip business is mainly focused on computing and networking, with custom AI accelerators now representing the majority of operations. Broadcom primarily operates as a fabless chip designer, though it retains some in-house manufacturing, including its leading film bulk acoustic resonator filters used in Apple iPhones. On the software side, the company provides virtualization, infrastructure, and security solutions to large enterprises, financial institutions, and government customers. Broadcom has grown through consolidation, combining businesses from legacy Broadcom and Avago Technologies in semiconductors, along with VMware, Brocade, CA Technologies, and Symantec in software.