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Income Taxes (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)
12 Months Ended
Oct. 26, 2014
Oct. 27, 2013
Oct. 28, 2012
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]      
Statutory rate 35.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate 35.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate 35.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate
Undistributed earnings from foregin subsidiaries $ 2,700,000,000us-gaap_UndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries    
Income tax benefits allocated directly to stockholders' equity 27,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxEffectsAllocatedDirectlyToEquityEmployeeStockOptions 11,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxEffectsAllocatedDirectlyToEquityEmployeeStockOptions 2,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxEffectsAllocatedDirectlyToEquityEmployeeStockOptions
Interest and penalties 18,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestExpense (1,000,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestExpense  
Interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions 25,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued 7,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued  
Unrecognized tax benefits that would impact effective tax rate 124,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate 183,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate  
Unrecognized tax benefits that would impact adjustment to other tax accounts 9,000,000amat_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsthatWouldImpactAdjustmentstoTaxAccounts 10,000,000amat_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsthatWouldImpactAdjustmentstoTaxAccounts  
Income tax expense from settlement with tax authorities 3,000,000amat_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefitfromSettlementwithTaxAuthorities 12,000,000amat_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefitfromSettlementwithTaxAuthorities 0amat_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefitfromSettlementwithTaxAuthorities
Internal Revenue Service [Member]      
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]      
Income tax refund 17,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExaminationLiabilityRefundAdjustmentFromSettlementWithTaxingAuthority
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_InternalRevenueServiceIRSMember
31,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExaminationLiabilityRefundAdjustmentFromSettlementWithTaxingAuthority
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_InternalRevenueServiceIRSMember
 
Payments for tax settlements   14,000,000amat_PaymentsforTaxSettlements
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_InternalRevenueServiceIRSMember
 
State and Local Jurisdiction [Member]      
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]      
Net operating loss carryforwards 45,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember
   
Foreign Tax Authority [Member]      
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]      
Income tax refund 18,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExaminationLiabilityRefundAdjustmentFromSettlementWithTaxingAuthority
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignCountryMember
   
Research [Member] | State and Local Jurisdiction [Member]      
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]      
Valuation allowance increase 39,000,000us-gaap_ValuationAllowanceDeferredTaxAssetChangeInAmount
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= us-gaap_ResearchMember
   
Tax credit carryforwards 146,000,000us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAmount
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= us-gaap_ResearchMember
   
Research [Member] | Foreign Tax Authority [Member]      
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]      
Valuation allowance increase 18,000,000us-gaap_ValuationAllowanceDeferredTaxAssetChangeInAmount
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignCountryMember
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= us-gaap_ResearchMember
   
Research, carried over until exhausted [Member] | State and Local Jurisdiction [Member]      
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]      
Tax credit carryforwards 112,000,000us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAmount
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= amat_ResearchCarriedOverUntilExhaustedMember
   
Research, carried over the next fifteen years [Member] | State and Local Jurisdiction [Member]      
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]      
Tax credit carryforwards 34,000,000us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAmount
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= amat_ResearchCarriedOverTheNextFifteenYearsMember
   
Tax credit carryforward, term 15 years    
SINGAPORE      
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]      
Foreign statutory income tax rate 17.00%amat_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationatForeignStatutoryIncomeTaxRatePercent
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= country_SG
   
ISRAEL      
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]      
Foreign statutory income tax rate 26.50%amat_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationatForeignStatutoryIncomeTaxRatePercent
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= country_IL
   
Singapore and Israel [Member]      
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]      
Tax holiday benefit $ 85,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxHolidayAggregateDollarAmount
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= amat_SingaporeandIsraelMember
   
Tax holiday benefit per diluted share (in dollars per share) $ 0.07us-gaap_IncomeTaxHolidayIncomeTaxBenefitsPerShare
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= amat_SingaporeandIsraelMember