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                                                 Registration No. 333-__________



                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                       -----------------------------------

                             APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
               (Exact name of issuer as specified in its charter)

              Delaware                                        94-1655526
    (State or other jurisdiction                 (I.R.S. employer identification
 of incorporation or organization)                             number)


                3050 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara, California 95054
               (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

                             APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
                       30TH ANNIVERSARY STOCK OPTION PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

                                Joseph J. Sweeney
                             Applied Materials, Inc.
                   3050 Bowers Avenue, Santa Clara, California
                      95054 (Name and address of agent for
                                    service)

   Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service: (408) 727-5555

                                    Copy to:
                                 John E. Aguirre
                       Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
                               400 Sansome Street
                         San Francisco, California 94111

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE



================================================================================
                                                     Proposed
                                      Proposed        Maximum   
   Title of                            Maximum       Aggregate       Amount of
Securities to      Amount to be     Offering Price    Offering     Registration
be Registered       Registered        Per Share*       Price*          Fee*
- --------------    --------------   --------------   ------------   -------------
                                                       
Common Stock,      3,040,800          $30.8125      $93,694,650       $27,640
and Options to      shares         
Purchase
Common Stock
================================================================================


*       Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee on
        the basis of $30.8125 per share, the average of the high and low prices
        for the Common Stock on January 23, 1998 as reported by Nasdaq.


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               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3.   INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

The following documents are incorporated by reference in this registration
statement: (i) the latest annual report of Applied Materials, Inc. (the
"Registrant") filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"); (ii) all other reports
filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act
since the end of the fiscal year covered by the annual report referred to in
clause (i) above; and (iii) the description of the Registrant's common stock set
forth in the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form 8-A relating thereto,
including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such
description. All documents filed by the Registrant after the date of this
registration statement pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, and 15(d) of the
Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment (that indicates
all securities offered have been sold or deregisters all securities then
remaining unsold), shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this
registration statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such
documents.

ITEM 4.   DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

Inapplicable.

ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL

Inapplicable.

ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "Delaware Law")
authorizes a court to award, or a corporation's board of directors to grant,
indemnity to directors and officers in terms sufficiently broad to permit such
indemnification under certain circumstances for liabilities (including
reimbursement for expenses incurred) arising under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended. The Registrant's Certificate of Incorporation provides for
indemnification of the Registrant's directors, officers, employees and other
agents to the maximum extent permitted by Delaware Law.

ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED

Inapplicable.


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ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS

4.1     Applied Materials, Inc. 30th Anniversary Stock Option Plan.

4.2     Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Agreement.

5.1     Opinion of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.

23.1    Consent of Price Waterhouse LLP.

23.2    Consent of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is included in Exhibit 5.1
        to this Registration Statement.

24.1    Power of Attorney.

ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS

         (a)  The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

                  (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are
being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

                         (i) To include any prospectus required by section
10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

                         (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most
recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the
registration statement;

                         (iii) To include any material information with respect
to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration
statement or any material change to such information in the registration
statement;

                  Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do
not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form S-8 and the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant pursuant to
section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are
incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

                  (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under
the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed
to be a new registration 

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statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
thereof.

                  (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.

         (b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an
employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

         (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise,
the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and
Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed
in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling
person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or
proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in
connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in
the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will
be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

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                                   Signatures

THE REGISTRANT

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Santa Clara, State of California on the 23rd day of
January, 1998.

APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
     (Registrant)

/s/ James C. Morgan
- ------------------------
    James C. Morgan
Chairman of the Board and
 Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration
statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the
dates indicated.

            Signature                  Title                         Date

Principal Executive Officer:

/s/ James C. Morgan                 Chairman of the            January 23, 1998
- ------------------------            Board and Chief
    James C. Morgan                 Executive Officer


Principal Financial Officer:

/s/ Joseph R. Bronson               Senior Vice                January 27, 1998
- ------------------------            President, Chief
    Joseph R. Bronson               Financial Officer
                                    and Chief
                                    Administrative 
                                    Officer



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Principal Accounting Officer:

/s/ Michael K. O'Farrell             Vice President and        January 27, 1998
- ------------------------             Corporate Controller
    Michael K. O'Farrell             (Principal Accounting
                                     Officer)
                                     
Directors:



             *                       Director                  January 27, 1998
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     James C. Morgan



             *                       Director                  January 27, 1998
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        Dan Maydan


             *                       Director                  January 27, 1998
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    Michael H. Armacost


             *                       Director                  January 27, 1998
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    Deborah A. Coleman


             *                       Director                  January 27, 1998
- -------------------------
 Herbert M. Dwight, Jr.


             *                       Director                  January 27, 1998
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   Philip V. Gerdine


             *                       Director                  January 27, 1998
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    Tsuyoshi Kawanishi


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             *                      Director                  January 27, 1998
- -------------------------
        Paul R. Low


             *                      Director                  January 27, 1998
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     Alfred J. Stein                 


*By  /s/ James C. Morgan
- -------------------------
     James C. Morgan
     Attorney-in-Fact

A majority of the members of the Board of Directors.


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EXHIBIT INDEX

4.1     Applied Materials, Inc. 30th Anniversary Stock Option Plan.

4.2     Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Agreement.

5.1     Opinion of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.

23.1    Consent of Price Waterhouse LLP.

23.2    Consent of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is included in Exhibit
        5.1.

24.1    Power of Attorney.


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