Home / Business and Economy / Applied Materials Pays $252.5M to Settle Export Probe
Applied Materials Pays $252.5M to Settle Export Probe
12 Feb
Summary
- Company agrees to $252.5 million civil settlement with Commerce Department.
- Investigation involved alleged improper exports to China from late 2020 to mid-2022.
- Related probes by Justice and SEC closed without action against the company.

Applied Materials Inc. has agreed to a $252.5 million civil settlement with the US Commerce Department, concluding an investigation into alleged improper exports. The settlement resolves claims that certain shipments to China between November 2020 and July 2022 violated export regulations. This agreement brings closure to a protracted issue for the leading American supplier of chipmaking machinery.
This resolution also means that related probes initiated by the US Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission have been closed without any enforcement actions against Applied Materials. The investigations had previously cast uncertainty over the Santa Clara, California-based company and impacted its stock performance. These proceedings occurred amid increasing restrictions on exporting semiconductors and manufacturing technology to China.




