A Zacks Analyst Blog identified Applied Materials as a top semiconductor equipment stock to buy. This follows optimistic commentary from Bank of America. Bank of America analysts project significant expansion for the U.S. semiconductor industry through 2030. This growth is driven by the rapid buildout of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure.
Bank of America raised its 2026 forecast for wafer fab equipment (WFE) spending to $156 billion. The bank expects this spending to further increase to $210 billion in 2027. The need for advanced memory chips for AI data centers largely drives this demand surge. Applied Materials, a key player in the WFE market, is well-positioned to benefit from this accelerated investment cycle.