Exhibit 99.1

Release: Immediate



                                                   
Contact: Carolyn Schwartz (investment community)       Jeffrey Lettes (editorial/media)
         (408) 748-5227                                (408) 563-5161


               APPLIED MATERIALS ANNOUNCES TWO-FOR-ONE STOCK SPLIT

     SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 21, 2002 -- James C. Morgan, chairman and chief
executive officer of Applied Materials, Inc., announced today that the Company's
Board of Directors has approved a two-for-one stock split of the Company's
common stock in the form of a 100 percent stock dividend. New shares resulting
from this split are expected to be distributed on or about April 16, 2002 to
stockholders of record as of April 1, 2002.
     Applied Materials (Nasdaq: AMAT), the largest supplier of products and
services to the global semiconductor industry, is one of the world's leading
information infrastructure providers. Applied Materials enables Information for
Everyone(TM) by helping semiconductor manufacturers produce more powerful,
portable and affordable chips. Applied Materials' Web site is
http://www.appliedmaterials.com.

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