SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Applied Materials, Inc. announced today that it has acquired all of the outstanding equity of Global Knowledge Services (GKS), Inc., a privately-held company based in Austin, Texas, that provides advanced data mining services to improve semiconductor manufacturing yield and efficiency. This capability complements Applied Materials' extensive line of inspection and methodical defect reduction solutions that enable chipmakers to quickly optimize production yields and achieve faster time to market for their products. This acquisition will be accounted for as a purchase, with GKS becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Applied Materials. "We believe the addition of GKS' to our yield enhancement solutions represents a significant opportunity for Applied Materials to substantially enhance our value to customers," said Russell Ellwanger, vice president and general manager of Applied Materials' Factory Productivity Solutions business group. "Using information provided by GKS, fab managers can make decisions faster which potentially improve fab yields. By integrating Applied Materials' process and diagnostic expertise with GKS' data mining capabilities, we can provide customers with the ability to take system performance and yield productivity to the next level." Applied Materials Inc.