➀ China's Big Fund III has begun spending its $47 billion allocation; ➁ The fund aims to support chip production equipment developers and makers; ➂ The investment is part of China's effort to become self-sufficient in semiconductor production.

➀ AMAT's Qtr performance meets expectations but outlook is weak; ➁ AI strength can't offset market weakness; ➂ Regulatory and China risks add uncertainty.

➀ Applied Materials reported strong Q3 fiscal results with adjusted EPS of $2.12 and revenue of $6.778 billion, beating Wall Street expectations. ➁ The company's gross margin improved to 47.3%, and operating margin to 28.7%, showcasing operational efficiency. ➂ Guidance for the current quarter is optimistic, with expected net sales of $6.93 billion and adjusted EPS between $2.00 and $2.36. ➃ The balance sheet remains robust with a strong cash position and manageable debt levels, indicating financial health.

➀ Lam Research reported good financial results but provided a softer guidance, leading to investor disappointment. ➁ Applied Materials' request for CHIPS Act funding for their Epic facility seems to have been denied. ➂ The semiconductor industry is expected to recover steadily, but at a slower pace than previous cycles, influenced by factors like AI and HBM, as well as declining margins from Chinese customers.

1. Applied Materials introduces a new deposition tool that allows copper wires to be used in 2nm and more advanced process technologies. 2. The tool uses a binary RuCo liner to improve surface properties for copper reflow, reducing resistance by 25%. 3. The company also introduces an upgraded Black Diamond Low-K film to further reduce dielectric constant and increase mechanical strength for 3D stacking.

1. Applied Materials introduces new materials and processes to scale copper wiring to 2nm and beyond, reducing resistance by 25%. 2. The company's innovations include a binary metal liner of ruthenium and cobalt (RuCo) and an enhanced low-k dielectric material, Black Diamond, for improved chip performance and 3D stacking. 3. These advancements are crucial for energy-efficient computing systems, especially in the AI era, and will continue to be developed and explored for future semiconductor technology.