KLA Corporation

KLA Corporation stands as one of the world's largest and most influential semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment manufacturers, specializing in process control and yield management solutions that are essential to the global semiconductor industry. With approximately $12.16 billion in annual revenue and a market capitalization exceeding $152 billion as of 2025, KLA has established itself as an indispensable partner to the world's leading chipmakers, including TSMC, Samsung, and Intel. The company's advanced inspection, metrology, and data analytics systems enable semiconductor manufacturers to detect defects, verify precise measurements, and optimize production yields during both research and development and high-volume manufacturing.

Founded in 1976 in Santa Clara, California, by Kenneth Levy and Ken Schroeder with just $300,000 in venture capital, KLA pioneered photomask defect detection technology for chip manufacturing. The company went public on NASDAQ in 1980 and transformed dramatically in 1997 through its merger with Tencor Instruments, creating KLA-Tencor and combining expertise in defect inspection with strengths in metrology and process monitoring. This merger created a comprehensive provider of yield management solutions that would dominate the process control segment of the semiconductor equipment market. In 2019, the company simplified its name to KLA Corporation, reflecting its evolution and market leadership.

KLA's product portfolio includes industry-leading wafer inspection systems marketed under brands such as Voyager, Puma, Surfscan, and CIRCL, along with overlay metrology systems like the Archer series and comprehensive software solutions for process control. The company holds a majority market share in the semiconductor process control segment, with its equipment being critical for enabling the production of advanced chips at 2nm and beyond. KLA's inspection systems detect defects and anomalies during semiconductor fabrication, while its metrology systems provide critical dimension, film thickness, and surface profile measurements essential for maintaining the tight tolerances required in cutting-edge chip production.

Headquartered in Milpitas, California, KLA employs approximately 15,200 people worldwide and operates globally with 90 office locations. The company invests heavily in research and development, spending $1.27 billion (15.7% of revenue) in fiscal year 2024 to maintain its technological edge. With the semiconductor industry experiencing unprecedented growth driven by artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and advanced packaging technologies, KLA is positioned at the center of enabling the next generation of electronic devices. The company's fiscal year 2025 revenue of $12.16 billion represented a 23.89% increase from the previous year, demonstrating the critical and growing importance of process control in an increasingly complex semiconductor manufacturing landscape.