KLA vs Lam Research: Deposition, etch & metrology compared

November 2026 edition · assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence

KLA ranks 17 on the AI Infra 100 with a score of 96; Lam Research ranks 32 with 93. KLA is ahead on technology and positioning. Lam Research is ahead on production and progress. Level on deployment, commercials, firepower and leverage. KLA is based in Milpitas, United States, Lam Research in Fremont, United States. KLA is named in 17 signals and Lam Research in 38.

KLA →

Milpitas, California, United States · AI Core · Semiconductor equipment, materials & critical inputs / Deposition, etch & metrology · kla.com

KLA supplies semiconductor inspection, metrology and process-control equipment, including the Surfscan SP A2 system, to chip and wafer manufacturers.

AI Infra 100 · rank 17 · score 96

Scores, AI Core (of 10)

Deployment10
Production8
Commercials10
Progress8
Technology10
Positioning10
Firepower10
Leverage10

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

The process-control (inspection and metrology) monopoly of the equipment layer, roughly 7.5 times its nearest competitor; benefits from rising process-control intensity in leading-edge logic, HBM and advanced packaging.

Latest signals

  • U.S. semiconductor stocks sold off sharply on October 22, 2026.Yicai
  • VanEck Semiconductor ETF fell 9.70% this week in a broad semiconductor selloff.Yicai
  • KLA reported Q4 FY2026 revenue of $3.66 billion, up 15.2%.Semiconductor Engineering

17 signals name KLA.

Facts, with sources

  • >500mSemiconductor Engineering
  • USD 3660000000Semiconductor Engineering
  • USD 13580000000KLA 8-K, shareholder letter

10 facts on file.

Lam Research →

Fremont, California, United States · AI Core · Semiconductor equipment, materials & critical inputs / Deposition, etch & metrology · lamresearch.com

Lam Research develops and supplies semiconductor manufacturing equipment, including atomic layer deposition, plasma processing, wafer recovery, and related process-control technologies used in high-volume fabs.

AI Infra 100 · rank 32 · score 93

Scores, AI Core (of 10)

Deployment10
Production10
Commercials10
Progress10
Technology8
Positioning8
Firepower10
Leverage10

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

The etch and deposition leader for memory (NAND, DRAM, HBM) and gate-all-around logic; the equipment name most exposed to the memory capacity cycle that AI has restarted.

Latest signals

  • Lam and imec collaborate on 3D integration for advanced packaging and memoryElectronics Weekly
  • Lam Research is pursuing patent and design disputes against three South Korean semiconductor-parts companies.ZDNet Korea
  • U.S. semiconductor stocks sold off sharply on October 22, 2026.Yicai

38 signals name Lam Research.

Facts, with sources

  • >500mwww.irobotnews.com — 2026-09-18
  • USD 6720000000Semiconductor Engineering
  • September revenue guidanceLam Research 8-K, call

16 facts on file.

More comparisons

Questions this page answers

KLA or Lam Research: which is ahead in ai core?

KLA ranks 17 on the AI Infra 100 with a score of 96; Lam Research ranks 32 with 93. KLA is ahead on technology and positioning. Lam Research is ahead on production and progress. Level on deployment, commercials, firepower and leverage. KLA is based in Milpitas, United States, Lam Research in Fremont, United States. KLA is named in 17 signals and Lam Research in 38.

How do KLA and Lam Research compare?

KLA ranks 17 on the AI Infra 100 with a score of 96; Lam Research ranks 32 with 93. KLA is ahead on technology and positioning. Lam Research is ahead on production and progress. Level on deployment, commercials, firepower and leverage. KLA is based in Milpitas, United States, Lam Research in Fremont, United States. KLA is named in 17 signals and Lam Research in 38. Both company files carry the scores on eight measures, the facts with sources and the latest signals.

Every comparison here comes from the same files members use every day.

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