Applied Materials buys 9% stake in chip equipment supplier BESI

Investing.com -- Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) has acquired a 9% stake in BE Semiconductor Industries (AS:BESI), becoming the Dutch chip equipment maker’s largest shareholder, according to a filing on Monday.

The move places Applied ahead of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) Institutional Trust in terms of ownership, based on LSEG data.

Shares in BE Semiconductor jumped more than 7% in Amsterdam trading Tuesday. 

BESI is known for producing the most precise hybrid bonding tools globally—a key technology in advanced semiconductor packaging that enables chips to be stacked directly on top of one another.

The investment signals that Applied Materials is aligning with, rather than competing against, BESI’s hybrid bonding technology.

Unlike traditional packaging steps, hybrid bonding is integrated much closer to the front end of the semiconductor manufacturing process and complements Applied’s existing equipment.

The technique is already used in cutting-edge chips, such as AMD’s X3D processors, where memory and compute components are joined at Taiwan’s TSMC foundry.

Applied Materials said it has no plans to increase its stake or pursue a seat on the board of BE Semiconductor, also known as Besi, according to a statement released on Monday.

“We view this as a strategic, long-term investment that demonstrates Applied Materials’ commitment to co-developing the industry’s most capable hybrid bonding solution, a technology that is becoming increasingly important to the advanced logic and memory chips at the foundation of AI,” said Terry Lee, a corporate vice president at Applied Materials.

As of April 14, the chipmaker's shares were down roughly 11% year-to-date, weighed by cautious guidance issued in mid-February. Sentiment took another hit after U.S. President Trump announced a fresh round of tariffs.