Responsible for setting the technical direction for the market-leading capital-equipment company, Pinto has helped steer Applied to new market opportunities in solar cells and displays and still maintain a focus on its core silicon business and technical strengths. Wall Street sees the new market opportunities as largely responsible for sustaining the company during a low point in the semiconductor-business cycle. A key issue in Applied's drive to develop new technologies, Pinto says, is the continuation of the evolution of the silicon business, which is still about Moore's Law and integration. Reducing the cost per transistor, he says, is "the most fundamental aspect of what we do as an industry."
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