Three Fool.com contributors think Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT), IBM (NYSE: IBM), and Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) can easily outpace inflation, and are worth a look right now. Pandemic lockdowns have exacerbated what was already a stressed global supply from the U.S.-China trade war, and now demand for chips is rising rapidly for everything from cars to data centers to everyday household items. The company just sold its plant in Lehi, Utah, to Texas Instruments for $900 million; it also just settled an intellectual property (IP) lawsuit against United Microelectronics, for which it will receive an undisclosed sum in payment.