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Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Therefore, actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, including to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of the filing of this report, except to the extent required by law.
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PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Company Overview, Strategy and Mission
Analog Devices, Inc. (we, Analog Devices or the Company) is a global semiconductor leader dedicated to solving our customers’ most complex engineering challenges. We deliver innovations that connect technology to human breakthroughs and play a critical role at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds by providing the building blocks to sense, measure, interpret, connect and power. We design, manufacture, test and market a broad portfolio of solutions, including integrated circuits (ICs), software and subsystems that leverage high-performance analog, mixed-signal and digital signal processing technologies. Our comprehensive product portfolio, deep domain expertise and advanced manufacturing capabilities extend across high-performance precision and high-speed mixed-signal, power management and processing technologies – including data converters, amplifiers, power management, radio frequency (RF) ICs, edge processors and other sensors.
The Intelligent Edge is characterized by ubiquitous sensing, hyper-scale and edge computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and pervasive connectivity. These technological trends are driving a continuous evolution of new generations of applications that are increasing the demand for Analog Devices’ high-performance analog, mixed-signal, power and RF ICs. We have positioned our business to capitalize on the secular growth opportunities across our markets and to deliver innovative solutions. Central to our strategy is our focus on challenges that our customers have across the most impactful application areas. That is built around the following key priorities, which we believe will continue to drive our long-term success:
•Efficient use of capital. Research and development (R&D) is critical to continue our cycle of innovation, driven by a diverse array of engineering talent who “engineer good” for our planet and society. We are also deeply committed to realizing targeted shareholder value creation from our acquisitions to complement our R&D and drive long-term value creation. Through the development of cutting-edge innovations and our ability to solve difficult problems across a broad array of applications, we generate significant cash flow and are deeply committed to delivering strong shareholder returns.
•Deepening customer-centricity. Close customer relationships influence all aspects of our business: from our broad range of product portfolios and applications expertise to manufacturing capabilities in high-performance power management and precision and high-speed signal processing technologies. Close customer relationships influence aspects of our business: from our broad range of product portfolios and applications expertise to manufacturing capabilities in high-performance power management and precision and high-speed signal processing technologies. We believe that our engineering talent continues to be an important competitive differentiator in the semiconductor space that will enable us to continue to deepen our relationships with customers. We strive to be the destination for the world’s best engineering talent with a team of more than 13,000 engineers. Together, our products and our engineering talent enable us to partner with our customers, leveraging our analog domain expertise and receive the full benefit of our technology capabilities to develop complete and innovative solutions.
•Capitalizing on secular trends. We are positioned to capitalize on important secular growth trends to drive advancements in digitized factories, mobility and digital healthcare, combat climate change and reliably connect humans and the world. We are well-aligned with the key B2B markets driving the increase in data at the Intelligent Edge and we will continue to be a critical partner in the collection, creation and communication of our customers’ edge data. In addition, we are well-aligned with the key B2B markets driving the increase in data at the Intelligent Edge and we will continue to be a critical partner in the collection, creation and communication of our customers’ edge data. In addition, we are increasingly incorporating AI capabilities into the development of technologies and our business operations, and into our products and services. In addition, we encourage employees to organize and develop different employment networks, which contribute to our broader diversity and inclusion initiatives.
We were incorporated in Massachusetts in 1965 with our corporate headquarters near Boston in Wilmington, Massachusetts. We have manufacturing facilities primarily in the United States, Ireland and Southeast Asia. Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol ADI and is included in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Our fiscal year is the 52-week or 53-week period ending on the Saturday closest to the last day in October; November 2, 2024 (fiscal 2024) was a 53-week fiscal period, while the fiscal year ended October 28, 2023 (fiscal 2023) and the fiscal year ended October 29, 2022 (fiscal 2022) were 52-week fiscal periods. Our fiscal year is the 52-week or 53-week period ending on the Saturday closest to the last day in October; October 28, 2023 (fiscal 2023), the fiscal year ended October 29, 2022 (fiscal 2022) and the fiscal year ended October 30, 2021 were 52-week fiscal periods. The additional week in fiscal 2024 is included in the first quarter ended February 3, 2024. Therefore, fiscal 2024 includes an additional week of operations as compared to fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022.
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Available Information
We maintain a website with the address www.analog.com. We make available free of charge through our website our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K (including exhibits), and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish such material to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We also make available on our website our by-laws, corporate governance guidelines, the charters for the committees of our Board of Directors and our code of business conduct and ethics which applies to our directors, officers and employees and other governance documents. Such information is available in print and free of charge to any shareholder of Analog Devices who requests it. In addition, we intend to disclose on our website any amendments to, or waivers from, our code of business conduct and ethics that are required to be publicly disclosed pursuant to rules of the SEC or Nasdaq.
We have included our website address in this Annual Report on Form 10-K as an inactive textual reference. We are not including the information contained on our website as a part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We are not including the information contained on our website as a part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Products
Semiconductor components are the building blocks used in electronic systems and equipment. These components are classified as either discrete devices, such as individual transistors, or as ICs, in which a number of transistors and other elements are combined to form a more complicated electronic circuit.
Our ICs are designed to address a wide range of real-world signal processing applications. We sell our ICs to customers worldwide, many of whom use products spanning our core technologies in a wide range of applications. Our IC product portfolio includes both general-purpose products used by a broad range of customers and applications, as well as application-specific products designed for specific target markets. By using readily available, high-performance, general-purpose products in their systems, our customers can reduce the time they need to bring new products to market. Given the high cost of developing more customized ICs, our standard products often provide a cost-effective solution for many low to medium volume applications. Our analog ICs monitor, condition, amplify or transform continuous analog signals associated with physical properties, such as temperature, pressure, weight, light, sound or motion, and play an important role in bridging real world phenomena to a variety of electronic systems. Our analog ICs also provide voltage regulation and power control to electronic systems.
We also work with customers to design application-specific solutions. We begin with our existing core technologies, which leverage our analog and mixed signal, power management, RF and microwave, edge processors and other sensors, and devise solutions that more closely meet the needs of a specific customer or group of customers. In certain cases, because we have already developed the core technology platform for our general-purpose products, we can create application-specific solutions quickly and efficiently.
Our analog and mixed-signal IC technology have been the foundation of our business for nearly six decades, and we are one of the world’s largest suppliers of high-performance analog ICs.Our analog and mixed-signal IC technology have been the foundation of our business for over five decades, and we are one of the world’s largest suppliers of high-performance analog ICs. Our analog signal processing ICs are primarily high-performance devices, offering higher dynamic range, greater bandwidth and other enhanced features. We believe that the principal advantages these products have as compared to competitors’ products include higher accuracy, higher speed, lower cost per function, smaller size, lower power consumption and fewer components, resulting in improved performance and reliability. Our product portfolio includes several thousand analog ICs, many of which can have several hundred end customers. Our analog ICs typically have long product life cycles. Our customers include original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and customers who build electronic subsystems for integration into larger systems.
Our product offerings include more than 75,000 stock keeping units (SKUs) that can be aggregated into the following general categories:
•Analog and Mixed Signal—We are a leading supplier of data converter products. Data converters translate real-world analog signals into digital data and also translate digital data into analog signals. Data converters remain our largest and most diverse product family and an area where we are continuously innovating to enable our customers to redefine and differentiate their products. Our converter products combine sampling rates and accuracy with the low noise, power, price and small package size required by industrial, automotive, consumer, and communications electronics.
•Power Management & Reference—Power management and reference products, which include functions such as power conversion, driver monitoring, sequencing and energy management, provide efficient solutions for power management and conversion applications in the automotive, communications, industrial and high-end consumer markets. Our high-performance power ICs include powerful performance, integration and software design simulation tools to provide fast and accurate power supply designs.
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•Amplifiers/RF and Microwave—We are also a leading supplier of high-performance amplifiers which are used to condition analog signals. High performance amplifiers emphasize the performance dimensions of speed and precision. Within this product portfolio we provide precision, instrumentation, high speed, intermediate frequency/RF/microwave, broadband, and other amplifiers. Our analog product line also includes a broad portfolio of high-performance RF and microwave ICs covering the entire RF signal chain. Our high-performance RF and microwave ICs support the high-performance requirements of cellular infrastructure and a broad range of applications in our target markets, including instrumentation, aerospace and automotive.
•Sensors & Actuators—Our analog technology portfolio is comprised of sensor and actuator products, including products based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. MEMS technology enables us to build extremely small sensors that incorporate an electromechanical structure and the supporting analog circuitry for conditioning signals obtained from the sensing element. Our MEMS product portfolio includes accelerometers used to sense acceleration, gyroscopes used to sense rotation, inertial measurement units used to sense multiple degrees of freedom combining multiple sensing types along multiple axes, and broadband switches suitable for radio and instrument systems. We offer other high-performance sensors, from temperature to magnetic fields, that are deployed in a variety of systems. In addition to sensor products, our other analog product category includes isolators that enable designers to implement isolation in designs without the cost, size, power, performance, and reliability constraints found with optocouplers.
•Digital Signal Processing and System Products (DSPs)—DSPs are optimized for high-speed numeric calculations, which are essential for instantaneous, or real-time, processing of digital data generated, in most cases, from analog to digital signal conversion. Our DSPs are designed to be fully programmable and to efficiently execute specialized software programs, or algorithms, associated with processing digitized real-time, real-world data. Programmable DSPs are designed to provide the flexibility to modify the device’s function quickly and inexpensively using software. Our general-purpose DSP IC customers typically write their own algorithms using software development tools provided by us and third-party suppliers. Our DSPs are designed in families of products that share common architectures and therefore can execute the same software across a range of products.
•Interface—Includes general purpose analog ICs whose primary function is to modify or shape the signal in order to ensure signal integrity for transmission over a distance through a physical medium such as a wire, cable, waveguide, or tracks within a printed circuit board. These include devices that shape the signal for transmission over the medium or reconstruct the received signal after transmission to recover the intended signal integrity.
Sales Channel
We sell our products globally through a direct sales force, third-party distributors, independent sales representatives and via our website. We have direct sales offices, sales representatives and/or distributors in approximately 50 countries. We support our worldwide sales efforts through our website and with extensive promotional programs that include editorial coverage and paid advertising in online and printed trade publications, webinars, social media and communities, promotional and training videos, direct mail programs, technical seminars and participation in trade shows. We publish, share and distribute technical content such as data sheets, application guides and catalogs. We maintain a staff of field application engineers who aid customers in incorporating our products into their products. In addition, we offer a variety of web-based tools that ease product selection and aid in the design process for our customers.
We believe distributors provide a cost-effective means of reaching a broad range of customers while providing efficient logistics services. From time to time, we may add or terminate distributors in specific geographies, or move customers to a direct support or fulfillment model as we deem appropriate given our strategies, the level of distributor business activity and distributor performance and financial condition.
These distributors typically maintain an inventory of our products. Some of them also sell products that compete with our products, including those for which we are an alternate source. We make sales to distributors under agreements that allow certain distributors to receive price adjustment credits and to return qualifying products for credit, typically as determined by us, in order to reduce the amounts of slow-moving, discontinued or obsolete product from their inventory. We make sales to distributors under agreements that allow certain distributors to receive price adjustment credits and to return qualifying products for credit, as determined by us, in order 4to reduce the amounts of slow-moving, discontinued or obsolete product from their inventory. These agreements limit such returns to a certain percentage of our shipments to that distributor during the prior quarter. In addition, certain distributors are allowed to return unsold products if we terminate the relationship with the distributor. Additional information relating to our revenue and customer concentration is set forth in Note 2l, Concentrations of Risk; Note 2n, Revenue Recognition; and Note 4, Industry, Segment and Geographic Information, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We typically do not have long-term sales contracts with our customers. In some of our markets where end-user demand may be particularly volatile and difficult to predict, some customers place orders that require us to manufacture product and have it available for shipment, even though the customer is unwilling to make a binding commitment to purchase all, or even
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any, of the product. In other instances, we manufacture product based on forecasts of customer demand. As a result, we may incur inventory and manufacturing costs in advance of anticipated sales and are subject to the risk of cancellation of orders leading to a sharp reduction of sales and backlog. Further, those orders or forecasts may be for products that meet the customer’s unique requirements such that those canceled orders would result in an inventory of unsaleable products, causing potential inventory write-offs.
Markets
The breakdown of our annual revenue by end market is set out in the table below:
*The sum of the individual percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.
The following describes some of the characteristics of, and customer products within, our major end markets of Industrial, Automotive, Communications and Consumer:
Industrial — Our industrial market includes the following sectors:
Industrial Automation — We are a leader in industrial automation because we deliver robust, high performance solutions from our deep motion and process control expertise and precision sensing measurement and interpretation to expansive connectivity and power capabilities. We take real-world phenomena in the most complex environments on the factory floor and translate them into valuable insights and outcomes. We co-create with customers to architect robotics systems and solutions that improve dynamic behavior and precision while enhancing worker safety, machine health, and manufacturing flexibility. Our industrial automation market includes applications such as:
Instrumentation & Measurement — Trusted measurement is at the forefront of innovation. With the rapid pace of global transformation, from ubiquitous connectivity, to electrification, to AI, to human health and environmental sustainability — all of these trends require reliable and efficient test solutions from R&D to manufacturing to field deployment. We enable high performance measurement through our components and system solutions. Our RF, high-speed and power management products are designed to enable solutions for complying with evolving communications standards. Our high-voltage, isolation and precision products are a key part of the systems that are designed for safety, longevity and efficiency in electric vehicles and renewable energy. Beyond electrical testing, our precision and power technology enable analytical instruments for drug or vaccine R&D and manufacturing, food safety and quality and environmental monitoring. Our instrumentation and measurement market includes applications such as:
Aerospace/Defense — The defense, commercial avionics and space markets all require high-performance ICs that meet rigorous environmental and reliability specifications. Many of our ICs can be supplied in versions that meet these standards. In addition, many products can be supplied to meet the standards required for broadcast satellites and other commercial space applications. Most of our products sold in this market are specially tested versions of products derived from our standard product offering. As end systems are becoming more complex, many of our customers in this market also look for us to provide higher levels of integration in order to minimize size, weight and power and to improve ease-of-use. As such, we also sell products in the form of system in package (SiPs), printed circuit board assemblies, modules, and subsystems. Customer products include applications such as:
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Healthcare — The healthcare market is evolving in response to the need for increased access to better and more affordable care, as well as a growing focus on preventative healthcare and the need to better and more cost effectively manage chronic conditions. To help achieve this, we are collaborating with customers and partners on innovative solutions that are designed to achieve better outcomes for patients and more efficient workflows for physicians at reduced costs. Our offerings include both standard and application-specific hardware, software and service-based products and are used in applications such as:
Energy Management — The global drive towards improved energy efficiency, conservation, reliability and clean energy is driving investments in electrification across many different application areas, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure, renewable energy, power transmission and distribution systems, electric meters and other innovative areas. The common characteristic behind these efforts is the addition of sensing, measurement and communication technologies to electrical infrastructure. Our offerings include both standard and application-specific products and are used in applications such as:
Automotive — We develop differentiated high-performance signal processing solutions, which enable sophisticated transportation systems that span infotainment, electrification and autonomous applications. Through collaboration with manufacturers worldwide, we have developed a broad portfolio of analog, digital, power and sensor ICs that address the emerging needs of this evolving industry. Our focus is on audio/video applications that lead to an enriched in-cabin experience, electrification applications that improve vehicle range and reduce emissions, and mission-critical perception and navigation applications that enable vehicles to more clearly sense the external environment. Specifically, we have developed products used in applications such as:
Communications — The development of broadband, wireless and internet infrastructures around the world has created an important market for our communications products. Communications technology involves the processing of signals that are converted from analog to digital and digital to analog form during the process of transmitting and receiving data. The need for higher speed and reduced power consumption, coupled with more reliable, bandwidth-efficient communications, creates demand for our products, which are used in the full spectrum of signal processing for data, video, voice and machine-to-machine communications. In wireless and wireline communication applications, our products are incorporated into:
Consumer — To address the market demand for state of the art personal and professional entertainment systems and the consumer demand for high quality user interfaces, music, movies and photographs, we have developed analog, digital and mixed-signal and power solutions that meet the rigorous cost and time-to-market requirements of the consumer electronics market. The emergence of high-performance, feature-rich consumer products has created a market for our high-performance ICs with a high level of specific functionality that enables best in class user experience and battery management. These products include:
• Portable devices (smart phones, tablets and wearable devices) for media and vital signs monitoring applications | • Prosumer audio/video equipment |
See Note 4, Industry, Segment and Geographic Information, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information about our products by end market.
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Competition
We believe that competitive performance in the marketplace for integrated circuits depends upon multiple factors, including technological innovation, strength of brand, diversity of product portfolio, product performance, technical support, delivery capabilities, customer service quality, reliability and price, with the relative importance of these factors varying among products, markets, and customers. We compete with a number of semiconductor companies in markets that are highly competitive. Many companies have sufficient financial, manufacturing, technical, sales and marketing resources to develop and market products that compete with our products. Some of our competitors may have more advantageous supply or development relationships with our current and potential customers or suppliers. Our competitors also include both emerging companies selling specialized products in markets we serve and companies outside of the U.S., including entities associated with well-funded efforts by foreign governments to create indigenous semiconductor industries.
We believe that our technical innovation emphasizing product performance and reliability, supported by our commitment to strong customer service and technical support, enables us to make a fundamental difference to our customers’ competitiveness in our chosen markets.
Seasonality
Our sales are subject to a varying degree of seasonality. Historically, sales to customers during our first fiscal quarter have been lower than other quarters due to plant shutdowns at some of our customers. Historically, sales to customers during our first fiscal quarter may be lower than other quarters due to plant shutdowns at some of our customers. In general, the seasonality for any specific period of time has not had a material impact on our results of operations. In addition, as explained in our risk factors contained in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our revenue is more likely to be influenced on a quarter to quarter basis by cyclicality in the semiconductor industry.
We believe that a number of factors should be used to assess future customer demand, including backlog, macroeconomic trends, customer insights and current customer bookings as compared to billings (book-to-bill) ratio. We define backlog to mean firm orders from a customer or distributor with a requested delivery date within thirteen weeks. However, backlog may be impacted by the tendency of customers to rely on shorter lead times available from suppliers, including us, in periods of depressed demand. In periods of increased demand, there is a tendency towards longer lead times that has the effect of increasing backlog and, in some instances, we may not have manufacturing capacity sufficient to fulfill all orders. As is customary in the semiconductor industry, we allow most orders to be canceled within a reasonable notification period or deliveries to be delayed by customers without significant penalty, while also allowing certain distributors to receive price adjustment credits and to return qualifying products for credit, typically as determined by us, in order to reduce the amounts of slow-moving, discontinued or obsolete product from their inventory.
Production Resources
Monolithic IC components are manufactured in a sequence of semiconductor production steps that include wafer fabrication, wafer testing, dicing the wafer into individual “chips,” or dice, assembly of the dice into packages and electrical testing of the devices in final packaged form. The raw materials used to manufacture these devices include silicon wafers, processing chemicals (including liquefied gases), precious metals laminates, ceramic and plastic used for packaging. We utilize, develop and employ a wide variety of manufacturing processes, primarily based on bipolar and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistors, which are specifically tailored for use in fabricating high-performance analog, DSP and mixed-signal ICs. Devices such as MEMS, iCoupler® isolators and various sensors are fabricated using specialized processes, which typically use substantially similar equipment as bipolar and CMOS processes.
Our IC products are fabricated on proprietary processes at our internal production facilities in Wilmington, Massachusetts; Camas, Washington; Beaverton, Oregon; and Limerick, Ireland and also on a mix of proprietary and non-proprietary processes at third-party wafer fabricators. We currently source more than half of our wafer requirements annually from third-party wafer fabrication foundries, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and others, and the remainder is sourced internally. In addition, we operate an assembly, wafer sort and testing facility in Penang, Malaysia and wafer sort and test facilities in the Philippines and Thailand. We also make extensive use of third-party subcontractors for the assembly and testing of our products.
Our products require a wide variety of components, raw materials and external foundry services, most of which we purchase from third-party suppliers. We have multiple sources for many of the components and materials that we purchase and incorporate into our products. If any of our key suppliers are unable or unwilling to manufacture and deliver sufficient quantities of components to us on the time schedule and of the quality that we require, we may be forced to seek to engage additional or replacement suppliers, which could result in significant expenses and disruptions or delays in manufacturing, product development and shipment of product to our customers. Although we have experienced shortages of components, materials and external foundry services from time to time, we work to balance these constraints by shifting global resources and capacity where appropriate.
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Patents and Intellectual Property Rights
We seek to establish and maintain our proprietary rights in our technology and products through the use of patents, copyrights, mask works, trademarks and trade secrets. We have a program to file applications for and obtain patents, copyrights, mask works and trademarks in the United States and in selected foreign countries where we believe filing for such protection is appropriate. We also seek to maintain our trade secrets and confidential information by nondisclosure policies and through the use of appropriate confidentiality agreements. We have obtained a substantial number of patents and trademarks in the United States and in other countries. As of November 2, 2024, we held approximately 4,660 U.S. patents and approximately 470 published pending U.S. patent applications. There can be no assurance, however, that the rights obtained can be successfully enforced against infringing products in every jurisdiction. While our patents, copyrights, mask works, trademarks and trade secrets provide some advantage and protection, we believe our competitive position and future success is largely determined by such factors as the system and application knowledge, innovative skills, technological expertise and management ability and experience of our personnel; the range and success of new products being developed by us; our market brand recognition and ongoing marketing efforts; and customer service and technical support. Although it is generally our policy to seek patent protection for significant inventions that may be patented, we may elect, in certain cases, not to seek patent protection even for significant inventions, if we determine other protection, such as maintaining the invention as a trade secret, to be more advantageous. It is generally our policy to seek patent protection for significant inventions that may be patented, though we may elect, in certain cases, not to seek patent protection even for significant inventions, if we determine other protection, such as maintaining the invention as a trade secret, to be more advantageous. We also have trademarks that are used in the conduct of our business to distinguish genuine Analog Devices products, and we maintain cooperative advertising programs to promote our brands and identify products containing genuine Analog Devices components.
Government Regulation
Our business activities are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations, including those related to financial and other disclosures, accounting standards, corporate governance, intellectual property, tax, trade, including import, export and customs, antitrust, environment, health and safety, employment, immigration and travel, cybersecurity, privacy, data protection and localization and anti-corruption. These laws and regulations may differ among jurisdictions, and compliance with them may have a materially adverse impact on our business and results of operations. For more information about these potential impacts, see the section titled “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Cyber, Artificial Intelligence, Intellectual Property, Legal and Regulatory” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Environment, Social and Governance
We are a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact and the Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign, as well as a member of the Responsible Business Alliance. Our Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) aspirations and programs, including our climate targets and our approach to ethical business conduct and ethics and applying fair labor standards, are communicated in our 2023 ESG Report. The ESG Report is available on our website at www.analog.com/corporate-responsibility. The contents of our website and the information contained in our ESG Report are not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
To support our commitment to ESG, we have implemented an oversight structure which includes a quarterly reporting cadence both to senior management and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors. These quarterly reports include updates on programs, as well as updates on topics such as stakeholder value, risks and opportunities, regulatory preparedness and key ESG focus areas. These quarterly reports include updates on progress against targets, as well as updates on topics such as stakeholder value, risks and opportunities, regulatory preparedness, ESG ratings and key ESG focus areas.
We have programs and management systems in place to protect the environment and the health and safety of our employees, customers and the public. We endeavor to adhere to applicable environment, health and safety (EHS) regulatory and industry standards across all of our facilities, and to encourage pollution prevention, reduce our water and energy consumption, manage waste streams to divert from landfills and strive towards continual improvement. We strive to achieve excellence in EHS management practices as an integral part of our total quality management system.
Our EHS management systems in all of our manufacturing facilities are certified to ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management and ISO 45001:2018 for occupation health and safety. Our industrial hygiene surveillance program is designed to minimize and prevent exposures in the workplace. We use two industry standard metrics to assess injury performance and trends worldwide. In fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023, our global injury rates were lower than the U.S. semiconductor industry benchmark.
Our manufacturing facilities are subject to numerous and increasingly strict federal, state, local and foreign EHS laws and regulations, particularly with respect to the transportation, storage, handling, use, emission, discharge and disposal of certain chemicals used or produced in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Our products are subject to increasingly stringent regulations regarding substance content in jurisdictions where we do business. Contracts with many of our customers reflect these and additional EHS compliance standards. Substance content of our products includes materials that are subject to reporting requirements, including conflict minerals. Substance content of our products includes materials that are subject to conflict mineral reporting requirements. Compliance with these laws and regulations has not had a material impact
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on our capital expenditures, earnings, financial condition or competitive position. There can be no assurance, however, that current or future environmental laws and regulations will not impose costly requirements upon us. Any failure by us to comply with applicable EHS laws, regulations and contractual obligations could result in fines, suspension of production, the need to alter manufacturing processes and legal liability. Any failure by us to comply with applicable environmental laws, regulations and contractual obligations could result in fines, suspension of production, the need to alter manufacturing processes and legal liability.
Human Capital and Empowerment
Our company was founded on the principle that people are our greatest asset. Our future success depends in large part on the continued service of our key technical and senior management personnel, and on our ability to continue to attract, retain and motivate qualified employees, particularly highly-skilled engineers involved in the design, development, support and manufacture of new and existing products and processes. In order for us to attract the best talent, we aim to offer challenging work in an environment that enables our employees to learn, grow and reach their full potential.
Core to our empowerment strategy is embracing diversity and building a culture of inclusion across the organization. We are working to achieve this by expanding the diversity of our workforce, creating growth and development opportunities for our employees, embracing different perspectives and fostering an inclusive work environment for all. In addition, we encourage employees to develop different networks, which contribute to our broader diversity and inclusion initiatives. In addition, we encourage employees to organize and develop different employment networks, which contribute to our broader diversity and inclusion initiatives. Our current employee networks include the Analog Veterans Network, Neurodiversity Network, People of Color and Allies Network, Pride Network, Women’s Leadership Network, Young Professionals Network, the Green Team and the Communities Activities Board. As noted in “Environment, Social and Governance” above, we published our 2023 ESG Report which details our sustainability efforts, operations efficiency, employee engagement and governance, and also provides a look at the state of our organization and an overview of some of the initiatives we have launched to drive continuous improvements across diversity and inclusion.
As of November 2, 2024, we had approximately 24,000 employees, of whom approximately 13,000 are in engineering roles. Approximately 62% of our workforce is male and 38% female. Our senior leadership team is 64% male and 36% female, while manager roles are approximately 75% male and 25% female. Our senior leadership team is 73% male and 27% female, while manager roles are approximately 75% male and 25% female. 36% of the members of our Board of Directors are female. For fiscal 2024, our voluntary employee turnover rate was approximately 8%.
Our human capital resource objectives include identifying, recruiting, retaining, incentivizing and integrating our existing and future employees. We strive to attract and retain the most talented employees in the industry and across the globe by offering competitive compensation and benefits that support their health, financial and emotional well-being. Our compensation philosophy is based on rewarding each employee’s individual contributions and striving to achieve equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, race or ethnicity. We use a combination of fixed and variable pay including base salary, bonuses, performance awards and equity compensation. The principal purposes of our equity incentive plans are to attract, retain and motivate selected employees and directors through the granting of stock-based compensation awards. We offer employees benefits that vary by country and are designed to meet or exceed local laws and to be competitive in the marketplace. Examples of benefits offered in the U.S. include a 401(k) plan with employer contributions; health benefits; life, business travel and disability insurance; additional voluntary insurance; paid time off and parental leave; education assistance; paid counseling assistance; backup child and adult care; adoption support; and family college planning. For further information concerning our equity incentive plans, see Note 3, Stock-based Compensation and Shareholders’ Equity, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
In order to ensure that we are meeting our human capital objectives we frequently utilize employee surveys to understand the effectiveness of our employee and compensation programs and where we can improve across the company. Our latest survey completed in fiscal 2024 had a 92% participation rate among all employees and the survey results indicated employee satisfaction in areas such as purpose, demonstrating culture, fostering belonging, aligning with our strategy and leadership commitment, while also supporting decision speed and reducing barriers to execution. Our dual focus of being a great place to work and providing industry-leading benefits and work culture has led to strong employee satisfaction and pride that has been recognized across the globe, as evidenced with the following awards: TIME World’s Best Companies (2024, 2023), Forbes America’s Best Large Employers (2024), Forbes America’s Best Employers for Diversity (2024), Forbes America’s Best Employers by State (2023), The Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work (2023), and Forbes World’s Top Female Friendly Companies (2022).
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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Set forth below and elsewhere in this report are descriptions of certain risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements in this report. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we presently deem less significant may also adversely affect our business. For more information, see the section titled “Note About Forward-Looking Statements” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Risks Related to our Business, Operations, Industry and Partners
Global political and economic uncertainty and adverse conditions related to our international operations could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have significant operations and manufacturing facilities outside the United States, including in Ireland, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia. A significant portion of our revenue is derived from customers in international markets, and we expect that international sales will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenue in the future. As a result of our international operations, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted by, among others, the following factors:
•political, legal and economic changes, crises or instability and civil unrest that may impact markets in which we do business, such as macroeconomic weakness related to trade and political disputes between the United States and Europe or China, tensions across the Taiwan Strait that may adversely affect our operations in Taiwan, our customers and the technology industry supply chain, and the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in Israel and the Middle East;
•compliance requirements of customs and export regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations and the International Traffic and Arms Regulations;
•currency conversion risks and exchange rate and interest rate fluctuations, including the potential impact of elevated interest rates;
•instability of global credit and financial markets due to adverse macroeconomic conditions such as elevated inflation, high interest rates, bank failures and slower economic growth or recession that could, among other impacts, affect our ability to timely access external financing sources on acceptable terms or lead to financial difficulties or uncertainty of our customers, suppliers and distributors exposing us to late payments, cancelled orders and inventory challenges;
•trade policy, commercial, travel, export or taxation disputes or restrictions, import or export tariffs, changes to export classifications or other restrictions imposed by the U.S. government or by the governments of the countries in which we do business, particularly with respect to China;
•sanctions imposed by governments in countries in which we do business;
•complex, varying and changing government regulations and legal standards and requirements, particularly with respect to tax, price protection, competition practices, export control, customs, immigration, anti-boycott, AI, data privacy, cyber and product security, sustainability, climate and other ESG matters, intellectual property, anti-corruption, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and environmental compliance;
•economic disruption from terrorism and threats of terrorism and the response to them by the United States and its allies;
•increased managerial complexities, including different employment practices and labor issues;
•changes in immigration laws, regulations and procedures and enforcement practices of various government agencies;
•greater difficulty enforcing intellectual property rights and weaker laws protecting such rights;
•natural disasters, public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or other catastrophic events;
•transportation disruptions and delays and increases in labor and transportation costs;
•fluctuations in raw material costs and energy costs due to general market factors and conditions such as inflationary pressures and supply chain constraints;
•greater difficulty in accounts receivable collections and longer collection periods; and
•increased costs associated with our foreign defined benefit pension plans.
Many of these factors and risks are present and may be exacerbated within our business operations in China. For example, changes in U.S.-China relations, the political environment or international trade policies could result in further revisions to laws or regulations or their interpretation and enforcement, increased taxation, trade sanctions, the imposition of import or export duties and tariffs, restrictions on imports or exports, currency revaluations or retaliatory actions, which have had and may continue to have an adverse effect on our business plans and operating results. The incoming administration has
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indicated that it intends to impose or significantly increase tariffs on imports to the United States, which could exacerbate many of these issues. In addition, expanded export restrictions limit our ability to sell to certain Chinese companies and to third parties that do business with those companies. These restrictions have created, and these and similar restrictions may continue to create, uncertainty and caution with our current or prospective customers and may cause them to amass large inventories of our products, replace our products with products from another supplier that is not subject to the export restrictions or focus on building indigenous semiconductor capacity to reduce reliance on U.S. suppliers. Furthermore, if these export restrictions cause our current or potential customers to view U.S. companies as unreliable, we could suffer reputational damage or lose business to foreign competitors who are not subject to such export restrictions, and our business could be materially harmed. We are continuing to evaluate the impact of these restrictions on our business, but these actions may have direct and indirect adverse impacts on our revenues and results of operations in China and elsewhere. In addition, our success may be adversely affected by China’s continuously evolving policies, laws and regulations, including those relating to imports and exports, antitrust, AI, cybersecurity, data protection and data privacy, the environment, indigenous innovation, the promotion of a domestic semiconductor industry, intellectual property rights and enforcement and protection of those rights. In addition, our success in the Chinese markets may be adversely affected by China’s continuously evolving policies, laws and regulations, including those relating to antitrust, cybersecurity, data protection and data privacy, the environment, indigenous innovation and the promotion of a domestic semiconductor industry and intellectual property rights and enforcement and protection of those rights.
The markets for semiconductor products are cyclical, and increased production may lead to overcapacity and lower prices, and conversely, we may not be able to satisfy unexpected demand for our products.
The cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry has resulted in periods when demand for our products has increased or decreased rapidly. The demand for our products may vary based on market conditions in our major end markets. Demand in these end markets can fluctuate significantly based upon, for example, consumer spending, consumer preferences, the development of new technologies and macroeconomic conditions. If we overbuild inventory in a period of decreased demand, or we expand our operations and workforce too rapidly or procure excessive resources in anticipation of increased demand for our products, and that demand does not materialize at the pace at which we expect, or declines, our operating results may be adversely affected as a result of underutilization of capacity, charges related to obsolete inventory, asset impairment or inventory write-downs, increased operating expenses or reduced margins. For example, we have experienced, and may in the future experience, periods of customer inventory adjustments and other customer behaviors that may adversely affect our operating results. For example, we have experienced, and may in the future experience, periods of customer inventory adjustments that may adversely affect our operating results. Further, any capacity expansions by us or other semiconductor manufacturers could also lead to overcapacity in our target markets which could lead to price erosion that could adversely impact our operating results. Conversely, during periods of rapid increases in demand, our available capacity may not be sufficient to satisfy the demand. In addition, we may not be able to expand our workforce and operations in a sufficiently timely manner, procure adequate resources and raw materials, locate suitable third-party suppliers or respond effectively to changes in demand for our existing products or to demand for new products requested by our customers, and our current or future business could be materially and adversely affected.
We rely on third parties for supply of raw materials and parts, semiconductor wafer foundry services, assembly and test services and transportation, among other things, and we generally cannot control their availability or conditions of supply or services.
We rely, and plan to continue to rely, on third-party suppliers and service providers, including raw material and components suppliers, semiconductor wafer foundries, assembly and test contractors and freight carriers (collectively, vendors), in manufacturing and shipping our products. This reliance involves several risks, including reduced control over availability, capacity utilization, delivery schedules, manufacturing yields, costs and supply chain allocations. We currently source more than half of our wafer requirements annually from third-party wafer foundries, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and others. These foundries often provide wafer foundry services to our competitors and therefore periods of increased industry demand may result in capacity constraints. With respect to TSMC in particular, tensions across the Taiwan Strait or other geopolitical events could disrupt TSMC’s operations, which would adversely affect our ability to manufacture certain products and as a result, could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Our manufacturing processes require availability of certain raw materials and supplies. Limited or delayed access to these items, including as a result of, global trade issues, supply chain constraints, difficulties obtaining import or export licenses, natural disasters, public health emergencies or changes in or new laws or regulations, could adversely affect our results of operations. Certain of our products and services, including those that may incorporate, or are based upon, software or artificial intelligence technology, could also contain security vulnerabilities, defects, bugs and errors, which could also result in significant data losses, security breaches and theft of intellectual property. In certain instances, one of our vendors may be the sole source of highly specialized processing services or materials. If such vendor is unable or unwilling to manufacture and deliver components to us on the time schedule and of the quality or quantity that we require, we may be forced to seek to engage an additional or replacement vendor, which could result in additional expenses and delays in product development or shipment of product to our customers. If additional or replacement vendors are not available, we may also experience delays in product development or shipment which could, in turn, result in reputational harm or the temporary or permanent loss of customers, and as a result could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
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Our industry faces challenges associated with products diverted from authorized distribution channels, which could result in reputational harm and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We market and sell our products directly and through third-party distributors. In the past, certain of our products have been, and there is a risk that our products may continue to be, diverted from our authorized distribution channels and sold on the “gray market” in ways that are not in accordance with our established agreements, controls, policies and procedures. To the extent we fail to respond quickly and effectively to address corporate and brand crises, the ensuing negative public reaction could significantly harm our reputation and our brands, which could lead to increases in litigation claims and asserted damages or subject us to regulatory actions or restrictions. Purchasers that acquire our products via the gray market or through other unauthorized channels may resell or otherwise use our products for purposes for which they were not intended or that may be contrary to our ethical, legal and regulatory obligations. Organizations may also purchase counterfeit or substandard products, including products that have been altered, mishandled or damaged, or purchase used products presented as new, each of which could result in damage to property or persons and adversely affect our reputation and customer satisfaction. In addition, governments and regulatory bodies may inquire into our processes to mitigate risks related to product diversion. For example, during 2024, we participated in an inquiry from the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations related to the unauthorized misuse of U.S. chips in Russian weapon systems. As new challenges and information arise, our processes and policies will evolve, and we may be required to incur additional costs to continue to enhance our compliance efforts, which may include costs associated with distributor audits or responding to inquiries from governments and regulatory bodies. If we were to experience a prolonged disruption in the information technology systems that involve our internal communications or our interactions with customers or suppliers, it could result in the loss of sales and customers and significant incremental costs, which could adversely affect our business. These situations could have a material adverse effect on our reputation and business and operating results.
A prolonged disruption of our or our third parties’ manufacturing operations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition to leveraging an outsourcing model for certain manufacturing operations, we also rely on our internal manufacturing operations located in the United States, Ireland, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia. A prolonged disruption at, or inability to utilize, one or more of our or our third parties’ manufacturing facilities, loss of raw materials or damage to our or our third parties’ manufacturing equipment for any reason, including due to natural or man-made disasters, civil unrest or other events outside of our control, such as widespread outbreaks of illness, or the failure to maintain our labor force at one or more of these facilities, may disrupt our operations, delay production, shipments and revenue and result in us being unable to timely satisfy customer demand. As a result, we could forgo revenue opportunities, potentially lose market share and damage our customer relationships, all of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our operating results are dependent on the performance of independent distributors.
Sales to third-party distributors accounted for approximately 58% of our revenue in the year ended November 2, 2024. These independent distributors generally represent product lines offered by several companies and thus could reduce their sales efforts for our products. Further, our distributors could terminate their representation of us with little advance notice. In addition, we generally do not require letters of credit from our distributors, including our largest distributor, and are not protected against accounts receivable default or declarations of bankruptcy by these distributors. We generally do not require letters of credit from our 15distributors, including our largest distributor, and are not protected against accounts receivable default or declarations of bankruptcy by these distributors. Our inability to collect open accounts receivable could adversely affect our operating results. Termination of a significant distributor or a group of distributors, whether at our initiative or the distributor’s initiative or through consolidation in the distribution industry, could disrupt our business, and if we are unable to find suitable replacements with the appropriate scale and resources, our operating results could be adversely affected.
We are required to estimate the effects of returns and allowances provided to distributors and record revenue at the time of sale to the distributor. If our estimates of such credits and rights are materially understated, it could cause subsequent adjustments that negatively impact our revenues and gross profits in a future period.
Our future success depends upon our ability to execute our business strategy, continue to innovate, improve our existing products, design, develop, produce and market new products and identify and enter new markets.
Our future success significantly depends on our ability to execute our business strategy, continue to innovate, improve our existing products and design, develop, produce and market innovative new products and system-level solutions, including those that may incorporate, or are based upon, software or AI technology. Product design, development, innovation and enhancement is often a complex, time-consuming and costly process involving significant investment in research and development with no assurance of return on investment. There can be no assurance that we will be able to develop and introduce new and improved products in a timely or efficient manner or that new and improved products, if developed, will achieve market acceptance. Our products generally must conform to various evolving and sometimes competing industry and regulatory standards, which may adversely affect our ability to compete in certain markets or require us to incur significant costs. Our products generally must conform to various evolving and sometimes competing industry standards, which may adversely affect our ability to compete in certain markets or require us to incur significant costs. In addition, our customers generally impose very high quality and reliability standards on our products, which often change and may be difficult or costly to satisfy. Any inability to satisfy customer quality and reliability standards or comply with industry and regulatory standards and technical requirements may adversely affect demand for our products and our results of operations. Any inability to satisfy customer quality and reliability standards or comply with industry standards and technical requirements may adversely affect demand for our products and our results of operations.
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Our growth is also dependent on our ability to identify and penetrate new markets where we have limited experience yet require significant investments, resources and technological advancements in order to compete effectively, and there can be no assurance that we will achieve success in these markets. Further, there can be no assurance that the markets we serve and target based on our business strategy will grow in the future, that our existing and new products will meet the requirements of these markets, that our products, or the end-products in which our products are used, will achieve customer acceptance in these markets, that competitors will not force price reductions or take market share from us or that we can achieve or maintain adequate gross margins or profits in these markets.
Our future revenue, gross margins, operating results, net income and earnings per share are difficult to predict and may materially fluctuate.
Our future revenue, gross margins, operating results, net income and earnings per share are difficult to predict and may be materially affected by a number of factors, including:
•the effects of adverse economic or geopolitical conditions in the markets in which we sell our products, including inflationary pressures, which has resulted, and may continue to result, in increased interest rates, fuel prices, wages and other costs;
•changes in customer demand or order patterns for our products or for end products that incorporate our products;
•the timing, delay, reduction or cancellation of significant customer orders and our ability to manage inventory;
•our ability to accurately forecast distributor demand for our products;
•future distributor pricing credits or stock rotation rights;
•our ability to effectively manage our cost structure in both the short term and over a longer duration;
•changes in geographic, product or customer mix;
•changes in our effective tax rates, adverse tax decisions or new or revised tax legislation in the United States, Ireland or worldwide;
•the effects of issued, threatened or retaliatory government sanctions, trade barriers or economic restrictions; changes in law, regulations or other restrictions, including executive orders; and changes in import and export regulations, including restrictions on exports to certain companies or to third parties that do business with such companies, export classifications, or duties and tariffs, including with respect to China;
•the timing of new product announcements or introductions, including products that may incorporate, or are based upon, software or AI technology, by us, our customers or our competitors and the market acceptance of such products;
•pricing decisions and competitive pricing pressures;
•fluctuations in manufacturing yields, adequate availability of wafers and other raw materials, and manufacturing, assembly and test capacity;
•the ability of our third-party suppliers, subcontractors and manufacturers to supply us with sufficient quantities of raw materials, products and components;
•a decline in infrastructure spending by foreign governments, including China;
•political changes in the United States, including those related to the incoming administration and executive offices of the U.S. government, a decline in the U.S. government defense budget, changes in spending or budgetary priorities, a prolonged U.S. government shutdown or delays in contract awards;
•a decline in our backlog;
•our ability to recruit, hire, retain and motivate adequate numbers of engineers and other qualified employees to meet the demands of our customers;
•our ability to generate new design opportunities and win competitive bid selection processes;
•the increasing costs of providing employee benefits worldwide, including health insurance, retirement and pension plan contributions and other retirement benefits;
•our ability to utilize our manufacturing facilities at efficient levels;
•fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;
•litigation-related costs or product liability, warranty and indemnity claims, including those not covered by our suppliers or insurers;
•the difficulties inherent in forecasting future operating expense levels, including with respect to costs associated with labor, utilities, transportation and raw materials;
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•the costs related to compliance with increasing worldwide complex government regulations and legal standards and requirements, including those related to ESG matters;
•new accounting pronouncements or changes in existing accounting standards and practices; and
•the effects of public health emergencies, civil unrest, natural disasters or other severe weather events, widespread travel disruptions, security risks, terrorist activities, international conflicts and other events beyond our control.
In addition, the semiconductor market has historically been cyclical and subject to significant economic upturns and downturns. Our business and certain of the end markets we serve are also subject to rapid technological changes and material fluctuations in demand based on end-user preferences. There can be no assurance that products stocked in our inventory will not be rendered obsolete before we ship them or that we will be able to design, develop and produce products in a timely fashion to accommodate changing customer demand.
As a result of these and other factors, we may experience material fluctuations in future revenue, gross margins, operating results, net income and earnings per share on a quarterly or annual basis. Our historical financial performance and results of operations should not be relied upon as indicators of future performance or results. In addition, if our revenue, gross margins, operating results, net income and earnings per share results or expectations do not meet the expectations of securities analysts or investors, the market price of our common stock may decline.
We may not be able to compete successfully in markets within the semiconductor industry in the future.
We face intense competition in the semiconductor industry, and we expect this competition to increase in the future, including from companies located outside of the United States. Competition is generally based on innovation, design, quality and reliability of products, product performance, features and functionality, product pricing, availability and capacity, technological service and support and the availability of integrated system solutions, with the relative importance of these factors varying among products, markets and customers. Many companies have sufficient financial, manufacturing, technical, sales and marketing resources to develop and market products that compete with our products. Some of our competitors may have more advantageous supply or development relationships with our current and potential customers or suppliers. Our competitors also include both emerging companies selling specialized products in markets we serve and companies outside of the United States, including entities associated with well-funded efforts by foreign governments to create indigenous semiconductor industries. From time to time, governments around the world may provide incentives or make other investments that could benefit and give competitive advantages to our competitors. For example, in August 2022, the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (CHIPS Act) was signed into law to provide financial incentives to the U.S. semiconductor industry. Government incentives, including any that may be offered in connection with the CHIPS Act, may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all, and to the extent that the incoming administration modifies or repeals the CHIPS Act, the availability of any such incentives may be even less certain. Government incentives, including any that may be offered in connection with the CHIPS Act, may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. Further, such programs typically require companies to adhere to various performance obligations, which we may not achieve. If our competitors can benefit from such government incentives and we cannot, it could strengthen our competitors’ relative position and have a material adverse effect on our reputation and business. Existing or new competitors may develop products or technologies that more effectively address the demands of our customers and markets with enhanced performance, features and functionality, lower power requirements, greater levels of integration or lower cost, which may increase our obsolete or excess inventory and result in inventory write-offs. Existing or new competitors may develop products or technologies that more effectively address the demands of our customers and markets with enhanced performance, features and functionality, lower power requirements, greater levels of integration or lower cost. In addition, as we seek to expand our business, including the design and production of products and services for developing and emerging markets, we may encounter increased competition from our current and new competitors. Increased competition in certain markets has resulted in and may continue to result in declining average selling prices, reduced gross margins and loss of market share in those markets. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully in the future against existing or new competitors, or that our operating results will not be adversely affected by increased competition. In addition, the semiconductor industry has experienced significant consolidation over the past several years. Consolidation among our competitors could lead to a changing competitive landscape, which could negatively impact our competitive position and market share and harm our results of operations.
If we are unable to recruit or retain our key personnel, our ability to execute our business strategy will be adversely affected.
Our continued success depends to a significant extent upon the recruitment, retention and effective succession of our key personnel, including our leadership team, management and technical personnel, particularly our experienced engineers. The competition for these employees is intense and the labor market is tight. The loss of key personnel or the inability to attract, timely hire and retain key employees with critical technical skills to achieve our strategy, including as a result of changes to immigration policies, and the increased uncertainty surrounding such policies in light of the incoming administration’s expected immigration agenda, could cause business disruptions, increased expenses to address any disruptions and could have a material adverse effect on our business. The loss of key personnel or the inability to attract, timely hire and retain key employees with critical technical skills to achieve our strategy, including as a result of changes to immigration policies, could cause business disruptions, increased expenses to address any disruptions and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We believe that a critical contributor to our success to date has been our corporate culture, which we have built to foster innovation, teamwork and employee satisfaction. As we grow, including from the integration of employees and businesses
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acquired in connection with previous or future acquisitions, we may find it difficult to maintain important aspects of our corporate culture, which could negatively affect our ability to retain and recruit personnel who are essential to our future success.
We do not maintain any key person life insurance policy on any of our officers or other employees. The loss of one or more of our key employees, and any failure to have in place and execute an effective succession plan for key executives, could seriously harm our business and results of operations.
Our customers typically do not make long-term product purchase commitments, and incorrect forecasts or reductions, cancellations or delays in orders for our products could adversely affect our operating results.
We typically do not have sales contracts with our customers that include long-term product purchase commitments. In certain markets where end-user demand may be particularly volatile and difficult to predict, some customers place orders that require us to manufacture product and have it available for shipment, even though the customer is unwilling to make a binding commitment to purchase all, or even any, of the product. In other instances, we manufacture product based on non-binding forecasts of customer demands, which may fluctuate significantly on a quarterly or annual basis and at times may prove to be inaccurate. Additionally, our U.S. government contracts and subcontracts may be funded in increments over a number of government budget periods and typically can be terminated by the government for its convenience. As a result, we may incur inventory and manufacturing costs in advance of anticipated sales, and we are subject to the risk of lower-than-expected orders or cancellations of orders, leading to a sharp reduction of sales and backlog. Further, if orders or forecasts for products that meet a customer’s unique requirements are canceled or unrealized, we may be left with an inventory of unsaleable products, causing potential inventory write-offs, and hindering our ability to recover our costs. The foregoing risks may be exacerbated in times of macroeconomic uncertainty, including as a result of elevated inflation, high interest rates, bank failures and slower economic growth or recession. The foregoing risks may be exacerbated in times of macroeconomic uncertainty, including as a result of rising inflation, high interest rates, bank failures and slower economic growth or recession. Incorrect forecasts, or reductions, cancellations or delays in orders for our products, could adversely affect our operating results.
Our semiconductor products are complex and we may be subject to warranty, indemnity or product liability claims, which could result in significant costs and damage to our reputation and adversely affect customer relationships, the market acceptance of our products and our operating results.
Semiconductor products are highly complex and may contain defects that affect their quality or performance. Failures in our products and services or in the products of our customers could result in damage to our reputation for reliability and increase our legal or financial exposure to third parties. Certain of our products and services, including those that may incorporate, or are based upon, software or AI technology, could also contain security vulnerabilities, defects, bugs and errors, which could also result in significant data losses, security breaches and theft of intellectual property. Certain of our products and services, including those that may incorporate, or are based upon, software or artificial intelligence technology, could also contain security vulnerabilities, defects, bugs and errors, which could also result in significant data losses, security breaches and theft of intellectual property. We generally warrant that our products will meet their published specifications, and that we will repair or replace defective products, for one year from the date title passes from us to the customer. We invest significant resources in the testing of our products; however, if any of our products contain security vulnerabilities, defects, bugs or errors, we may be required to incur additional development and remediation costs pursuant to warranty and indemnification provisions in our customer contracts and purchase orders. These problems may divert our technical and other resources from other product development efforts and could result in claims against us by our customers or others, including liability for costs and expenses associated with product defects, including recalls, which may adversely impact our reputation and operating results. We may also be subject to customer intellectual property indemnity claims. Our customers have on occasion been sued, and may be sued in the future, by third parties alleging infringement of intellectual property rights, or damages resulting from use of our products. Those customers may seek indemnification from us under the terms and conditions of our sales contracts with them. In certain cases, our potential indemnification liability may be significant.
Further, we sell to customers in industries such as automotive (including autonomous vehicles), aerospace, defense and healthcare, where failure of the systems in which our products are integrated could cause damage to property or persons. We may be subject to product liability claims if our products, or the integration of our products, cause system failures. Any product liability claim, whether or not determined in our favor, could result in significant expense, divert the efforts of our technical and management personnel, and harm our business. In addition, if any of our products contain defects, or have reliability, quality or compatibility problems not capable of being resolved, our reputation may be damaged, which could make it more difficult for us to sell our products to customers and which could also adversely affect our operating results.
The fabrication of integrated circuits is highly complex and precise, and our manufacturing processes utilize a substantial amount of technology. Minute impurities, contaminants in the manufacturing environment, difficulties in the fabrication process, defects in the masks used in the wafer manufacturing process, manufacturing equipment failures, wafer breakage or other factors can cause a substantial percentage of wafers to be rejected or numerous dice on each wafer to be nonfunctional. While we have significant expertise in semiconductor manufacturing, it is possible that some processes could become unstable. This instability could result in manufacturing delays and product shortages, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.
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Risks Related to Acquisitions and Strategic Transactions
To remain competitive, we may need to invest in or acquire other companies, purchase or license technology from third parties, or enter into other strategic transactions in order to introduce new products or enhance our existing products.
An element of our business strategy involves expansion through the acquisitions of businesses, assets, products or technologies that allow us to complement our existing product offerings, diversify our product portfolio, expand our market coverage, increase our engineering workforce, expand our technical skill sets or enhance our technological capabilities. We may not be able to identify businesses that have the technology or resources we need and, if we find such businesses, we may not be able to invest in, purchase or license the technology or resources on commercially favorable terms or at all. We may not be able to find businesses that have the technology or resources we need and, if we find such businesses, we may not be able to invest in, purchase or license the technology or resources on commercially favorable terms or at all. Acquisitions, investments and technology licenses are challenging to complete for a number of reasons, including difficulties in identifying potential targets, the cost of potential transactions, competition among prospective buyers and licensees, the need for regulatory approvals, and difficulties related to integration efforts. In addition, investments in companies are subject to a risk of a partial or total loss of our investment. Both in the United States and abroad, governmental regulation of acquisitions, including antitrust and other regulatory reviews and approvals, has become more complex, increasing the costs and risks of undertaking, and may prevent us from consummating, significant acquisitions. In order to finance a potential transaction, we may need to raise additional funds by issuing securities or borrowing money. We may not be able to obtain financing on favorable terms, and the sale of our stock may result in the dilution of our existing shareholders or the issuance of securities with rights that are superior to the rights of our common shareholders.
Acquisitions also involve a number of challenges and risks, including:
•diversion of management’s attention in connection with both negotiating the transaction and integrating the acquired assets and businesses;
•difficulty or delay integrating acquired technologies, operations, processes, policies, procedures, systems, technologies, infrastructure and personnel with our existing businesses;
•strain on managerial and operational resources as management oversees larger or more complex operations;
•future funding requirements for acquired companies, including research and development costs, employee compensation and benefits, and operating expenses, which may be significant;
•servicing significant debt that may be incurred in connection with acquisitions;
•potential loss of key employees;
•exposure to unforeseen liabilities or regulatory compliance issues of acquired companies;
•higher than expected or unexpected acquisition or integration costs;
•difficulty realizing expected cost savings, operating synergies and growth prospects of an acquisition in a timely manner or at all; and
•increased risk of costly and time-consuming legal proceedings.
If we are unable to successfully address these risks, we may not realize some or all of the expected benefits of our acquisitions, which may have an adverse effect on our business strategy, plans and operating results.
Risks Related to Cyber, Artificial Intelligence, Intellectual Property, Legal and Regulatory
Our computer systems and networks are subject to attempted security breaches and other cyber incidents and a significant disruption in, or breach in security of, our information technology systems or certain products could materially and adversely affect our business or reputation.
We rely on information technology systems throughout our company to keep financial records and customer data, process orders, manage inventory, coordinate shipments to customers, maintain confidential and proprietary information, assist in semiconductor engineering and other technical activities and operate other critical functions such as internet connectivity, network communications and email. In addition, we provide our confidential and proprietary information to our strategic partners in certain cases, who may maintain such information on their information technology systems. While in the past we have experienced cybersecurity attacks and incidents, we believe that they have not had a material impact on our business. Our security measures or those of our third-party service providers or strategic partners may not detect or prevent security breaches, cyberattacks, defects, bugs or errors. Further, geopolitical tensions and conflicts have escalated the volume and sophistication of cyberattacks. Because the tactics and techniques used by threat actors to obtain unauthorized access to or sabotage systems change frequently and, in some cases, are not recognized until they are launched or even later, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures in advance, and security breaches may remain undetected for an extended period of time. Our use of AI may also increase vulnerability to cybersecurity risks, including through unauthorized use or misuse of AI tools and bad inputs or logic or the introduction of malicious code incorporated into AI
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generated code. AI and machine learning also may be used for certain cybersecurity attacks, improving or expanding the existing capabilities of threat actors in manners we cannot predict at this time, resulting in greater risks of security incidents and breaches. We and our third-party service providers or strategic partners are susceptible to security breaches of information technology systems or certain products and other incidents such as unauthorized access, supply-chain attacks, exfiltration or destruction of data, disruption of service, viruses or other malicious code, illegal break-ins or hacking, sabotage, phishing attempts and other forms of social engineering, malware, ransomware and other forms of cyber extortion and similar events. For example, changes in US-China relations, the political environment or international trade policies could result in further revisions to laws or regulations or their interpretation and enforcement, increased taxation, trade sanctions, the imposition of import or export duties and tariffs, restrictions on imports or exports, currency revaluations or retaliatory actions, which have had and may continue to have an adverse effect on our business plans and operating results. These threats may come from cybercriminals, cyberterrorists and hacktivists, nation-state and nation-state-supported actors (including advanced persistent threat intrusions) and computer hackers. They also may result from the malicious or accidental acts of our employees, contractors or third-party providers. In the event of unauthorized access to, or a security breach of, our systems or those of our third-party service providers or strategic partners, our operations may be disrupted and our proprietary information or that of our employees, contractors, partners, customers, suppliers or other third parties may be misappropriated. In the event of a cybersecurity attack or incident, we could be exposed to potential liability, litigation, and regulatory action, as well as the loss of existing or potential customers, damage to our reputation and other financial loss. In addition, the cost and operational consequences of responding to breaches and implementing remediation measures could be significant. Furthermore, the continuing and evolving threat of cyberattacks has resulted in increased regulatory focus and we may be required to invest significant additional resources to comply with evolving cybersecurity regulations. For example, the SEC adopted rules requiring the disclosure of cybersecurity incidents that we determine to be “material,” to be made within four business days of such determination, which can be complex, requiring a number of assumptions based on several factors. It is possible that the SEC may not agree with our determinations, which could result in fines, civil litigation or damage to our reputation.
Our information technology systems and those of our third-party service providers and strategic partners may also be susceptible to damage, disruptions or shutdowns due to power outages, hardware failures, telecommunication failures, user errors, catastrophes or other unforeseen events. A prolonged disruption in the information technology systems that involve our internal communications or our interactions with customers or suppliers, could result in the loss of sales and customers and significant incremental costs, which could adversely affect our business. If we were to experience a prolonged disruption in the information technology systems that involve our internal communications or our interactions with customers or suppliers, it could result in the loss of sales and customers and significant incremental costs, which could adversely affect our business.
We face risks related to the use of AI in our business operations, products and services.
We are increasingly incorporating AI capabilities into the development of technologies and our business operations and into our products and services. The development and deployment of AI involves significant competitive, legal, regulatory and other risks. The implementation of AI is costly, requires a significant amount of data and there can be no assurance that AI will enhance our products or services or be beneficial to our business, including our efficiency or profitability. In addition, we face significant competition from other companies that are incorporating AI into their products and technologies. These other companies may incorporate AI in products or technologies that are similar to, or that customers perceive as superior to, our technologies or are more cost-effective to develop and deploy. AI technology is complex and rapidly evolving, and if we are unable to innovate quickly enough to keep pace with these rapid technological developments, our business could be harmed.
AI technology may also give rise to significant legal and regulatory liability. Governments around the world have adopted, and may continue to adopt, laws and regulations related to AI, including the European Union’s AI Act, and several U.S. government agencies have increased investigations and enforcement efforts related to the use of AI technology, which could increase our compliance costs and limit our ability to use AI in the development of our products and services. While the incoming administration has signaled that AI policy will be a priority, the scope and impact of any such policies cannot yet be determined. In addition, the use of AI in the development of our products and services, or by our customers in end products that incorporate our products, could cause loss of intellectual property, or subject us to risks related to intellectual property infringement or misappropriation, data privacy or cybersecurity. AI algorithms or training methodologies may also be flawed, and datasets may contain irrelevant, insufficient or biased information. Further, AI technology has many applications, and our products could be used in applications that are not in accordance with our controls, policies and procedures. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with any legal or regulatory requirement could subject us to legal liabilities, damage our reputation or otherwise adversely affect our business.
We may be unable to adequately protect our proprietary intellectual property rights, which may limit our ability to compete effectively.
Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our intellectual property. We primarily rely on patent, mask work, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as nondisclosure agreements, information security practices and other methods, to protect our proprietary information, technologies and processes. Despite our efforts to protect our intellectual property, it is possible that competitors or other unauthorized parties may obtain or disclose our confidential information, reverse engineer or copy our technologies, products or processes, make unlicensed copies or engage in unapproved distributions of our technology for unauthorized uses, or otherwise misappropriate our intellectual property. Despite our efforts to protect our intellectual property, it is possible that competitors or other unauthorized third parties may obtain or disclose our confidential information, reverse engineer or copy our technologies, products or processes, make unlicensed copies or engage in unapproved distributions of our technology for unauthorized uses, or otherwise misappropriate our intellectual property. Moreover, the laws of foreign countries in which we design, manufacture, market and sell our products may afford little or no effective protection of our intellectual property.
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There can be no assurance that the claims allowed in our issued patents will be sufficiently broad to protect our technology. In addition, any of our existing or future patents may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. As such, any rights granted under these patents may not prevent others from exploiting our proprietary technology. We may not be able to obtain foreign patents or pending applications corresponding to our U.S. patents and applications. Even if patents are granted, we may not be able to effectively enforce our rights. If our patents and mask works do not adequately protect our technology, or if our registrations expire prior to end of life of our products, our competitors may be able to offer products similar to ours. Our competitors may also be able to develop similar technology independently or design around our patents.
We generally enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants and strategic partners. We also try to control access to and distribution of our technologies, documentation and other proprietary information. Despite these efforts, internal or external parties may attempt to copy, disclose, obtain or use our products or technology without our authorization. Also, former employees may seek employment with our business partners, customers or competitors, and may improperly use our proprietary information at their employer.
If we fail to comply with U.S. and foreign laws related to privacy, data security and data protection, it could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
We are or may become subject to a variety of laws and regulations such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), China’s Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), or California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) regarding privacy, data protection and data security. These laws and regulations are continuously evolving and developing. The scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to us are often uncertain and may be conflicting, particularly with respect to foreign laws.
In particular, there are numerous U.S. federal, state, and local laws and regulations and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy and the collection, sharing, use, processing, disclosure, and protection of personal data. Such laws and regulations often vary in scope, may be subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent among different jurisdictions. For example, the GDPR and PIPL include operational requirements for companies that receive or process personal data of residents of the European Union or China, as applicable, that are broader and more stringent than those in many other jurisdictions around the world. The GDPR includes significant penalties for non-compliance, and China’s PIPL imposes additional operational requirements relating to processing personal information and provides comprehensive penalty and enforcement mechanisms. In the United States, California enacted the CCPA that requires covered companies to provide additional disclosures and data rights to data subjects, including employees. The California Privacy Rights Act expands the CCPA and establishes the California Privacy Protection Agency to enforce Californians’ privacy rights under the CCPA. Since the CCPA was enacted, other states, including Virginia and Colorado, have enacted or are in the process of enacting comprehensive privacy schemes.
The costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, the GDPR, CCPA and similar laws may limit the use and adoption of our products and services and require us to incur substantial compliance costs, which could have an adverse impact on our business. Further, our product offerings in the digital healthcare solutions space, which include the collection and processing of sensitive personal information, subject us to heightened requirements under data privacy laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Given that the scope, interpretation and application of these laws and regulations are often uncertain and may be in conflict across jurisdictions, it is possible that these obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices. Any failure or perceived failure by us or third-party service providers to comply with our privacy or security policies or privacy-related legal obligations, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of personal data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, litigation or negative publicity, and could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
We are occasionally involved in litigation, administrative proceedings, and regulatory proceedings, which could be costly to resolve and could require us to redesign products, pay significant royalties or fines or refrain from engaging in specific conduct.
From time to time, we are involved in various legal, administrative and regulatory proceedings, claims, demands and investigations relating to our business, including inquiries from and discussions with government entities regarding the compliance of our contracting and sales practices with laws and regulations, which may result in claims, fines or penalties with respect to commercial, product liability, intellectual property, AI, cybersecurity, privacy, data protection, antitrust, breach of contract, employment, class action, whistleblower, mergers and acquisitions and other matters. We could also be subject to litigation or arbitration disputes arising under our contractual obligations, customer indemnity, warranty or product liability claims, or other matters that could lead to significant costs and expenses as we defend those claims or pay damage awards.
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Further, the semiconductor industry is characterized by frequent claims and litigation involving patent and other intellectual property rights. Other companies or individuals have obtained patents covering a variety of semiconductor designs and processes, and we might be required to obtain licenses under some of these patents or be precluded from making and selling infringing products, if those patents are found to be valid and infringed by us. In the event a third party makes a valid intellectual property claim against us and a license is not available to us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, we could be forced either to redesign or to stop production of products incorporating that intellectual property, and our operating results could be materially and adversely affected. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our patents or other of our intellectual property rights or to defend us against claims of infringement.
These matters can be time-consuming, divert management’s attention and resources and cause us to incur significant expenses. Allegations made in the course of regulatory or legal proceedings may also harm our reputation, regardless of whether there is merit to such claims. Because litigation and the outcome of regulatory proceedings are inherently unpredictable, our business, financial condition or operating results could be materially affected by one or more of these proceedings, claims, demands or investigations. There can be no assurance that we are adequately insured to protect against all claims and potential liabilities, and we may elect to self-insure with respect to certain matters. An adverse outcome in litigation or arbitration could have a material adverse effect on our financial position or on our operating results or cash flows.
Environmental, social and governance matters may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and damage our brand and reputation.
There is an increasing focus from regulators, investors, customers, employees and potential talent, as well as other stakeholders, concerning ESG matters, including climate change and sustainability, human rights, support for local communities, Board of Directors’ and employee diversity, human capital management, employee health and safety practices, product quality, worker rights, supply chain management and corporate governance and transparency. If our ESG practices fail to meet our or the evolving expectations of investors, customers, employees or other stakeholders, our reputation, brand and employee retention may be negatively impacted, and our customers and suppliers may be unwilling to continue to do business with us. If our ESG practices fail to meet the expectations of investors, customers, employees or other stakeholders’ evolving standards, our reputation, brand and employee retention may be negatively impacted, and our customers and suppliers may be unwilling to continue to do business with us. Current and prospective investors are increasingly utilizing ESG data to inform their decisions, including investment and voting decisions, using a multitude of evolving score and rating frameworks. Further, customers utilize ESG data to inform their purchasing decisions. Additionally, public interest and legislative and regulatory pressure related to companies’ ESG practices, including those related to sourcing practices, carbon emissions and human rights protections, continue to grow. This will require us to align our programs to such expectations and disclose an increasing amount of information and data to illustrate our position and progress and to support our customers to comply with regulations and other requirements. If we do not adapt our strategy or execution quickly enough to meet evolving regulatory requirements or the expectations of our investors, customers, employees, regulators or other stakeholders, or if our ESG disclosures, including data input, processing and reporting, are incomplete or inaccurate, our business, financial condition, results of operations, brand and reputation could be adversely affected.
We are subject to environment, health and safety standards and hazards which have the potential to adversely affect our business, increase our expenses and adversely affect our reputation.
Our industry is subject to EHS requirements and laws, particularly those that control and restrict the sourcing, use, transportation, emission, discharge, storage and disposal of certain substances and materials and those that help promote the health and safety of our employees and the communities in which we operate. For certain facilities, we are required to obtain environmental permits from governmental authorities for our operations, which may limit or restrict our operations. In addition, our operations may be interrupted or restricted by the phase-out or ban of certain substances, materials or processes, which may impact the sourcing, supply and pricing of materials used in manufacturing our products. For example, several jurisdictions have sought or may seek to restrict the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which may be found in process chemicals, parts, components and other materials used in semiconductor manufacturing and have limited technically and commercially feasible alternatives. Any such restriction in our ability to access supplies may adversely affect our results of operations. Further, public attention to environmental and social responsibility remains high, and our customers routinely include stringent environmental and other standards in their contracts with us. It is expected that there will be changes to EHS laws or regulations by the incoming administration, but the impacts of any such changes on us are not currently known. Changes in EHS laws or regulations, uncertainties about those laws or regulations, or customer requirements may require us to invest in equipment, make manufacturing process or material changes or re-assess current and planned expenditures and initiatives, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, we use hazardous and other regulated materials that subject us to risks of liability for damages caused by potential or actual releases of such materials. Any failure to control such materials adequately or to comply with existing or future EHS statutory or regulatory standards, requirements or contractual obligations could result in any of the following, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results:
•liability for damages and remediation;
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•the imposition of regulatory penalties and civil and criminal fines;
•the suspension or termination of the development, manufacture, sale or use of certain of our products;
•changes to our manufacturing processes or a need to substitute materials that may cost more or be less available;
•damage to our reputation; or
•increased expenses associated with compliance.
If we fail to comply with government contracting regulations, we could suffer a loss of revenue or incur price adjustments or other penalties.
Some of our revenue is derived from contracts with agencies of the United States government and subcontracts with its prime contractors. As a United States government contractor or subcontractor, we are subject to federal contracting regulations, including the Federal Acquisition Regulations, which govern the allowability of costs incurred by us in the performance of United States government contracts. Certain contract pricing is based on estimated direct and indirect costs, which are subject to change. Additionally, the United States government is entitled after final payment on certain negotiated contracts to examine all of our cost records with respect to such contracts and to seek a downward adjustment to the price of the contract if it determines that we failed to furnish complete, accurate and current cost or pricing data in connection with the negotiation of the price of the contract. Further, United States government contracts contain provisions and are subject to laws and regulations that may give the United States government rights and remedies not typically found in commercial contracts, including certain intellectual property rights and restrictions on future business.
In connection with our United States government business, we are subject to evolving procurement rules and regulations, as well as government audits and to review and approval of our policies, procedures, and internal controls for compliance with procurement regulations and applicable laws, such as the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. In certain circumstances, if we do not comply with the terms of a government contract or with regulations or statutes, we could be subject to downward contract price adjustments or refund obligations or could in extreme circumstances be assessed civil and criminal penalties or be debarred or suspended from obtaining future contracts for a specified period of time. Any such suspension or debarment or other sanction could have an adverse effect on our business and reputation.
Under some of our government subcontracts, we are required to maintain secure facilities and to obtain security clearances for personnel involved in performance of the contract, which can be time consuming and costly. If we are unable to comply with these requirements, or if personnel critical to our performance of these contracts are unable to obtain or maintain their security clearances, we may be unable to perform these contracts or compete for other projects of this nature, which could adversely affect our revenue.
Damage to our reputation can damage our business.
Our reputation is a critical factor in our relationships with customers, employees, governments, suppliers and other stakeholders. Our failure to address, or the appearance of our failure to address, issues that give rise to reputational risk, including those described in this Risk Factors section, could significantly harm our reputation and our brands. We may be subject to reputational risks and our brand loyalty may decline if others adopt the same or confusingly similar marks in an effort to misappropriate and profit on our brand name and do not provide the same level of quality as is delivered by our solutions and services. It may also limit our ability to be seen as an employer of choice when competing for highly skilled employees and repairing our reputation and brands may be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. To the extent we fail to respond quickly and effectively to address corporate and brand crises, the ensuing negative public reaction could significantly harm our reputation and our brands, which could lead to increases in litigation claims and asserted damages or subject us to regulatory actions or restrictions. If we fail to maintain, enhance and protect our brands, if we incur excessive expenses in this effort or if customers or potential customers are confused by others’ trademarks, our business, operating results and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.
Increases in our effective tax rate, exposure to additional tax liabilities, or substantial changes in domestic or international corporate tax policies, regulations or guidance may adversely impact our results of operations.
Our effective tax rate reflects the applicable tax rate in effect in the various tax jurisdictions around the world where our income is earned. Our effective tax rate for the fiscal year ended November 2, 2024 was below the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21%. This is primarily due to lower statutory tax rates applicable to our operations in the foreign jurisdictions in which we earn income.
A number of factors may increase our future effective tax rate, including: new or revised tax laws or legislation or the interpretation of such laws or legislation by governmental authorities; increases in tax rates in various jurisdictions; variation in the mix of jurisdictions in which our profits are earned and taxed; deferred taxes arising from basis differences in investments in foreign subsidiaries; any adverse resolution of ongoing tax audits or adverse rulings from taxing authorities worldwide; changes
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in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities; adjustments to income taxes upon finalization of various tax returns; increases in expenses not deductible for tax purposes, including executive compensation subject to the limitations of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code and amortization of assets acquired in connection with strategic transactions; decreased availability of tax deductions for stock-based compensation awards worldwide; and changes in available tax credits. Any significant increase in our future effective tax rate could adversely impact our net income during future periods.
Tax legislation and regulation may require the collection of information not regularly produced by us, and therefore necessitate the use of estimates in our Consolidated Financial Statements and the exercise of significant judgment in accounting for its provisions, which may subject us to additional tax liability, tax examination and other risks. As regulations and guidance evolve with respect to tax legislation and regulation, and as more information is gathered and analyzed, our results may differ from previous estimates and may materially affect our Consolidated Financial Statements. As regulations and guidance evolve with respect to tax legislation, and as more information is gathered and analyzed, our results may differ from previous estimates and may materially affect our Consolidated Financial Statements. Further, we are subject to, and are under tax examination and audit in various jurisdictions, including an IRS income tax audit for the fiscal years ended October 30, 2021, November 2, 2019 (fiscal 2019) and November 3, 2018; a pre-Acquisition IRS income tax audit for Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.’s (Maxim) fiscal years ended June 27, 2015 through August 26, 2021; and various U.S. state and local tax audits and international audits, including an Irish corporate tax audit for fiscal 2019. Such jurisdictions may assess additional income tax against us. The final determination of tax audits or any administrative appeals relating thereto could be materially different from our income tax provisions and accruals. The ultimate result of any current or future audit could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows in the period or periods for which that determination is made.
We are also subject to laws and regulations in various jurisdictions that determine how much profit has been earned and when it is subject to taxation in that jurisdiction. We are also subject to laws and regulations in various jurisdictions that determine how much profit has been earned and when it is subject to taxation in that jurisdiction. In the United States, for example, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) imposes a 15% book minimum tax on corporations with three-year average annual adjusted financial statement income exceeding $1 billion. We do not believe that the IRA will materially impact our effective tax rate. Corporate tax reform, anti-base-erosion rules and tax transparency continue to be high legislative or regulatory priorities in many jurisdictions. Changes in laws and regulations regarding these matters could impact the jurisdictions where we are deemed to earn income, which could in turn adversely affect our tax liability and results of operations. For example, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Base Erosion and Profit Sharing Plans, which implement a minimum global effective tax rate of 15%, will apply to us beginning in fiscal year 2025. We continue to monitor potential impacts related to this legislation as countries implement it and the OECD provides additional guidance. As additional jurisdictions enact such legislation, our effective tax rate and cash tax payments could increase.
Risks Related to Financial Markets, Indebtedness and Capital Return
We have substantial existing indebtedness and the ability to incur significant additional indebtedness, which could limit our operations and our use of our cash flow and negatively impact our credit ratings.
As of November 2, 2024, we had approximately $7.6 billion in outstanding indebtedness, including $0.5 billion of short-term commercial paper. In addition, we had the ability to incur approximately $2.0 billion of additional indebtedness in direct borrowings under our outstanding commercial paper facility based on amounts available under our unsecured revolving credit facility that were not being used to backstop our outstanding commercial paper balance. Our leverage could have negative consequences, including increasing our vulnerability to adverse economic and industry conditions, limiting our ability to obtain additional financing and limiting our ability to acquire new products and technologies through strategic acquisitions. Further, our net interest expense is exposed to changes in market interest rates. We may also incur additional debt, including debt with variable interest rates, in the future, which would exacerbate these risks.
Our ability to make payments of principal and interest on our indebtedness when due depends upon our future operating performance, which may be impacted by general economic conditions, industry cycles and other factors beyond our control. If we are unable to service or refinance our debt, we may be required to divert funds that would otherwise be invested in growing our business operations or returned to shareholders, repatriate earnings as dividends from foreign locations with potential negative tax consequences, or sell selected assets. Such measures might not be sufficient to enable us to service our debt, which could negatively impact our financial results. In addition, we may not be able to obtain any such financing, refinancing or complete a sale of assets on economically favorable terms. In the case of financing or refinancing, favorable interest rates will depend on conditions in the debt capital markets. In addition, if our credit ratings are downgraded or put on watch for a potential downgrade, the applicable interest rate on borrowings under our current revolving credit facility and commercial paper issuances may rise and our ability to obtain additional financing or refinance our existing debt may be negatively affected.
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Restrictions in our revolving credit facility and outstanding debt instruments may limit our activities.
Our current revolving credit facility and outstanding debt instruments impose, and future debt instruments to which we may become subject may impose, restrictions that limit our ability to engage in activities that could otherwise benefit us, including to undertake certain transactions, to create certain liens on our assets and to incur certain subsidiary indebtedness. Our ability to comply with these financial restrictions and covenants is dependent on our future performance, which is subject to prevailing economic conditions and other factors, including factors that are beyond our control such as changes in technology, government regulations and the level of competition in our markets. In addition, our revolving credit facility requires us to maintain compliance with specified financial ratios. If we breach any of the covenants under our revolving credit facility, the indentures governing our outstanding senior unsecured notes, or any future debt instruments to which we may become subject and do not obtain appropriate waivers, then, subject to applicable cure periods, our outstanding indebtedness thereunder could be declared immediately due and payable and we may be restricted from further borrowing under our revolving credit facility.
We may not meet expectations or targets in connection with our “green” financing arrangements, which could harm our reputation and business.
From time to time, we may enter into “green” financing arrangements that require us to use proceeds for environmental sustainability purposes or have targets related to environmental sustainability. For example, we entered into a revolving credit agreement on June 23, 2021, which, as amended, contains a sustainability-linked pricing component, which provides for interest rate and facility fee reductions or increases based on meeting or missing targets related to environmental sustainability, specifically greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy usage. For calendar year 2023, we exceeded the target thresholds for greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy usage related to this sustainability-linked pricing component, which resulted in immaterial adjustments to administrative and interest fees due under the facility. For calendar year 2022, we were within the threshold range for greenhouse gas emissions and exceeded the target threshold for renewable energy usage related to this sustainability-linked pricing component. On October 5, 2021, we issued $750 million sustainability-linked senior notes (Sustainability-Linked Senior Notes). Our Sustainability-Linked Senior Notes initially bear interest at a rate of 1.7% per annum and are subject to an increase of an additional 30 basis points per annum from April 1, 2026 to their maturity on October 1, 2028 unless the Sustainability Performance Target (as defined in the Sustainability-Linked Senior Notes) has been satisfied. Failing to use the net proceeds under green financing arrangements that satisfies investor criteria and expectations regarding environmental impact or achieve targets related to environmental sustainability under such financing arrangements could result in reputational harm and our business and operating results could be negatively impacted.
If we are not able to meet our U.S. cash requirements, it may be necessary for us to consider repatriation of foreign earnings, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
We carry outside basis differences in certain of our subsidiaries, primarily arising from acquisition accounting adjustments and certain undistributed earnings that are considered indefinitely reinvested. We intend to reinvest these funds in our international operations, and our current plans do not demonstrate a need to repatriate these earnings to fund our U.S. cash requirements. However, we require a substantial amount of cash in the United States for operating requirements, stock repurchases, cash dividends and acquisitions. We require a substantial amount of cash in the United States for operating requirements, stock repurchases, cash dividends and acquisitions. If we are not able to meet our U.S. cash requirements through operations, borrowings under our current revolving credit facility, issuances under our commercial paper program, future debt or equity offerings or other sources of cash obtained at an acceptable cost, it may be necessary for us to consider repatriation of earnings that are indefinitely reinvested, and we may be required to pay additional taxes under current tax laws, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
General Risk Factors
Our results of operations could be affected by natural disasters or other catastrophic events in the locations in which we or our key partners operate.
We, like many companies in the semiconductor industry, rely on supplies, services, internal manufacturing capacity, wafer fabrication foundries and other subcontractors in locations around the world that are susceptible to natural disasters and other significant disruptions. Earthquakes, fires, tsunamis, extreme precipitation and flooding, public health emergencies or other catastrophic events may disrupt local semiconductor-related businesses and adversely affect manufacturing capacity, availability and cost of key raw materials, utilities and equipment, and availability of key services, including transport of our products worldwide. Earthquakes, fires, tsunamis, flooding, public health emergencies or other catastrophic events may disrupt local semiconductor-related businesses and adversely affect manufacturing capacity, availability and cost of key raw materials, utilities and equipment, and availability of key services, including transport of our products worldwide. Our insurance may not adequately cover losses resulting from such disruptions. Any prolonged inability to utilize one of our manufacturing facilities, or those of our subcontractors or third-party wafer fabrication foundries, or to access key raw materials, utilities and equipment as a result of fire, flood, natural disaster, unavailability of utilities or otherwise, could result in a temporary or permanent loss of customers for affected products, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Any prolonged inability to utilize one of our manufacturing facilities, or those of our subcontractors or third-party wafer fabrication foundries, as a result of fire, flood, natural disaster, unavailability of utilities or otherwise, could result in a temporary or permanent loss of customers for affected products, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, global climate change may result in certain natural disasters or other severe weather events occurring more frequently or with greater intensity, such as drought, wildfires, storms, sea-level rise, extreme temperatures and flooding, and could disrupt the availability of water necessary for the operation of our fabrication
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facilities. The long-term effects of climate change on the global economy and the semiconductor industry in particular are unclear, but could be severe.
Our stock price may be volatile.
The market price of our common stock may be volatile, as it may be significantly affected by factors including:
•global economic conditions generally;
•crises in global credit, debt and financial markets;
•actual or anticipated fluctuations in our revenue and operating results;
•changes in financial estimates or other statements made by securities analysts or others in analyst reports or other publications, or our failure to perform in line with those estimates or statements or our published guidance;
•financial results and prospects of our customers;
•U.S. and foreign government actions, including with respect to trade, travel, export and taxation;
•changes in market valuations of other semiconductor companies;
•rumors and speculation in the press, investment community or on social media about us, our customers or other companies in our industry;
•announcements by us, our customers or our competitors of significant new products, technical innovations, material transactions, acquisitions or dispositions, litigation, capital commitments, including share repurchases and dividend policies, or revised earnings estimates;
•departures of key personnel;
•alleged noncompliance with laws, regulations or ethics standards by us or any of our employees, officers or directors; and
•negative media publicity targeting us or our suppliers, customers or competitors.
The stock market has historically experienced volatility, especially within the semiconductor industry, that often has been unrelated to the performance of particular companies, such as the response to elevated inflation and high interest rates. These market fluctuations may cause our stock price to fall regardless of our operating results.
Our directors and executive officers periodically buy or sell shares of our common stock in the market, including pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. Regardless of the individual’s reasons for such purchases or sales, securities analysts and investors could view such transactions as positive or negative indicators and our stock price could be adversely affected as a result.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
Risk Management and Strategy
As part of our enterprise security program, we perform risk assessments relating to cybersecurity and technology risks. Our enterprise security program has been developed based on industry standards, including those published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The program includes a comprehensive set of enterprise security policies and procedures that guide our protection strategy. Highlights of the program include:•A comprehensive set of enterprise security policies and procedures that guide our protection strategy. Our policies, procedures and practices include, but are not limited to:
•identifying critical assets and high-risk threats and analyzing identified risks to determine the potential impact on the organization and the likelihood of occurrence;
•cybersecurity detection, controls and remediation practices, including vulnerability assessments, penetration testing and tabletop exercises;
•an incident response and recovery plan that includes escalation protocols, procedures for containment of incidents and investigation and remediation procedures;
•installation of and regular updates to antivirus software on all company managed systems and workstations to detect and prevent malicious code from impacting our systems;
•conducting regular workforce trainings for employees to identify cybersecurity concerns and educate employees on potential risks and best practices;
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•evaluating the effectiveness of our program by performing internal assessments;
•periodic external audits by an independent third party to test for the adequacy of, and compliance with, controls and standards; and
•regular collaboration with leading global security providers, intelligence and law enforcement communities and industry peers to exchange information on trends and best practices in order to address new and evolving cybersecurity risks.
We have in place a third-party risk management program to evaluate the cyber postures of our critical partners’ who handle the Company’s sensitive data in order to identify, monitor and address material cybersecurity risks that may arise from such third-party relationships.
While we have experienced cybersecurity incidents in the past, in the last three years we have not experienced any cybersecurity incidents that have materially affected or are currently viewed as reasonably likely to materially affect us, including our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition. However, the scope and impact of any future incidents cannot be predicted and there can be no assurance that our enterprise security program will be effective in preventing material cybersecurity incidents in the future.
See the risk factor titled “Our computer systems and networks are subject to attempted security breaches and other cyber incidents and a significant disruption in, or breach in security of, our information technology systems or certain products could materially and adversely affect our business or reputation.” in Risk Factors in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
Governance
Management is responsible for assessing and managing our day-to-day risks and control systems, and our Board is responsible for overseeing our enterprise risk management programs as a whole. The Board has delegated the oversight of cybersecurity risk assessment and management to the audit committee. As reflected in its charter, the audit committee is responsible for overseeing and reviewing the Company’s cybersecurity and information security programs, practices and risk mitigation efforts. The audit committee receives quarterly reports on cybersecurity risks, or more frequent reports if circumstances dictate.
We have established a cross-functional Cybersecurity Steering Committee, comprised of our Chief Information Officer (CIO), our Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and other senior management. The Cybersecurity Steering Committee is charged with overseeing the management of our enterprise security program, including reviewing and prioritizing cybersecurity risks, monitoring potential incidents, establishing key mitigation initiatives, overseeing cybersecurity governance and promoting and supporting cybersecurity best practices. The Cybersecurity Steering Committee is chaired by our CISO, who reports to our CIO. Both our CISO and our CIO have extensive experience in assessing and managing cybersecurity programs and risk management through serving in various senior roles in information technology and cybersecurity, serving on external Boards of Directors and holding multiple industry-recognized certifications.
The prevention, detection, mitigation and remediation of cybersecurity incidents is accomplished pursuant to various policies, procedures and processes, including our incident response and recovery plan and the other elements of our enterprise security program described above under “Risk Management and Strategy.” These measures include escalation protocols through which the Cybersecurity Steering Committee is informed about cybersecurity and incidents by our CISO. As part of our enterprise security program, we have communication processes enabled for employees to identify and report threats or potential vulnerabilities.
Our CIO and CISO provide regular updates to the full Board on the performance of, and enhancements to, key information technology projects, our enterprise security program and risk mitigation efforts, including relevant findings of the Cybersecurity Steering Committee. The full Board also receives updates from the audit committee. In addition, there are protocols in place for immediate escalation in the event of any cybersecurity issues or developments that may require consideration between regularly scheduled audit committee or Board meetings. Our internal audit team also provides regular updates to the audit committee on the performance of our enterprise security program from an internal audit perspective. In addition, our Chief Compliance and Risk Officer, who oversees our overall enterprise risk management and compliance programs and chairs our Enterprise Risk Management Committee, provides regular reports to the full Board, including periodic updates on risk management.
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