$LRCX Risk Factor changes from 00/08/15/23/2023 to 00/08/29/24/2024

Item 1A.

Risk FactorsIn addition to the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“2024 Form 10-K”), the following risk factors should be carefully considered in evaluating us and our business because such factors may significantly impact our business, operating results, and financial condition. As a result of these risk factors, as well as other risks discussed in our other SEC filings, our actual results could differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements. No priority or significance is intended by, nor should be attached to, the order in which the risk factors appear.INDUSTRY AND CUSTOMER RISKSThe Semiconductor Capital Equipment Industry Is Subject to Variability and Periods of Rapid Growth or Decline; We Therefore Face Risks Related to Our Strategic Resource Allocation DecisionsThe semiconductor capital equipment industry has historically been characterized by rapid changes in demand. Variability in our customers’ business plans may lead to changes in demand for our equipment and services, which could negatively impact our results. The changes in demand may require our management to adjust spending and other resources allocated to operating activities. If we do not adequately meet these challenges during periods of increasing or declining demand, our gross margins and earnings may be negatively impacted. We continuously reassess our strategic resource allocation choices in response to the changing business environment. If we do not adequately adapt to the changing business environment, we may lack the infrastructure and resources to scale up our business to meet customer expectations and compete successfully during a period of growth, or we may expand our capacity and resources too rapidly and/or beyond what is appropriate for the actual demand environment, resulting in excess fixed costs.Especially during transitional periods, resource allocation decisions can have a significant impact on our future performance, particularly if we have not accurately anticipated industry changes. Our success will depend, to a significant extent, on the ability of our executive officers and other members of our senior management to identify and respond to these challenges effectively.Future Declines in the Semiconductor Industry, and the Overall World Economic Conditions on Which It Is Significantly Dependent, Could Have a Material Adverse Impact on Our Results of Operations and Financial ConditionOur business depends on the capital equipment expenditures of semiconductor manufacturers, which in turn depend on the current and anticipated market demand for integrated circuits. With the consolidation of customers within the industry, the semiconductor capital equipment market may experience rapid changes in demand driven both by changes in the market generally and the plans and requirements of particular customers. Additionally, in times of economic uncertainty, our customers’ budgets for our products, or their ability to access credit to purchase them, could be adversely affected. This would limit their ability to purchase our products and services. As a result, changing economic, regulatory, political or business conditions can cause material adverse changes to our results of operations and financial condition, including, but not limited to: •a decline in demand for our products or services;•an increase in reserves on accounts receivable due to our customers’ inability to pay us;•an increase in reserves on inventory balances due to excess or obsolete inventory as a result of our inability to sell such inventory;•valuation allowances on deferred tax assets;•restructuring charges;•asset impairments including the potential impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets;•a decline in the value of our investments;•exposure to claims from our suppliers for payment on inventory that is ordered in anticipation of customer purchases that do not come to fruition; and•challenges maintaining reliable and uninterrupted sources of supply.Fluctuating levels of investment by semiconductor manufacturers may materially affect our aggregate shipments, revenues, operating results, and earnings. Where appropriate, we will attempt to respond to these fluctuations with cost management programs aimed at aligning our expenditures with anticipated revenue streams, which sometimes result in restructuring charges. Even during periods of reduced revenues, we must continue to invest in R&D and maintain extensive ongoing worldwide customer service and support capabilities to remain competitive, which may temporarily harm our profitability and other financial results. As a result, the actions of even one customer may subject us to variability in those areas that is difficult to predict. In addition, large customers may be able to negotiate requirements that result in decreased pricing, increased costs, and/or lower margins for us and limitations on our ability to share technology with others. Similarly, significant portions of our credit risk may, at any given time, be concentrated among a limited number of customers so that the failure of even one of these key customers to pay its obligations to us could significantly impact our financial results. Accordingly, competition may intensify, and we may be unable to continue to compete successfully in our markets, which could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, operating results, financial condition, and/or cash flows. Other companies continue to develop systems and/or acquire businesses and products that are competitive to ours and may introduce new products and product capabilities that may affect our ability to sell and support our existing products. We face a greater risk if our competitors enter into strategic relationships with leading semiconductor manufacturers covering products similar to those we sell or may develop, as this could adversely affect our ability to sell products to those manufacturers.We believe that to remain competitive we must devote significant financial resources to offer products that meet our customers’ needs, to maintain customer service and support centers worldwide, and to invest in product and process R&D. Technological changes and developing technologies have required, and are expected to continue to require, new and costly investments. Certain of our competitors, including those that are created and financially backed by foreign governments, have substantially greater financial resources and more extensive engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and customer service and support resources than we do and therefore have the potential to offer customers a more comprehensive array of products and/or product capabilities and to therefore achieve additional relative success in the semiconductor equipment industry. These competitors may deeply discount or give away products similar to those that we sell, challenging or even exceeding our ability to make similar accommodations and threatening our ability to sell those products. We also face competition from our own customers, who in some instances have established affiliated entities that manufacture equipment similar to ours. In addition, we face competition from companies that exist in a more favorable legal or regulatory environment than we do, who are able to sell products for certain applications at certain customers that we are prohibited from selling to under applicable export controls, allowing the freedom of action in ways that we may be unable to match. In many cases speed to solution is necessary for customer satisfaction and our competitors may be better positioned to achieve these objectives. For these reasons, we may fail to continue to compete successfully worldwide.Once a Semiconductor Manufacturer Commits to Purchase a Competitor’s Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment, the Manufacturer Typically Continues to Purchase That Competitor’s Equipment, Making It More Difficult for Us to Sell Our Equipment to That CustomerSemiconductor manufacturers must make a substantial investment to qualify and integrate wafer processing equipment into a semiconductor production line. We believe that once a semiconductor manufacturer selects a particular supplier’s processing equipment, the manufacturer generally relies upon that equipment for that specific production line application for an extended period of time, especially for customers that are more focused on tool reuse. Accordingly, we expect it to be more difficult to sell our products to a given customer for a product line application if that customer initially selects a competitor’s equipment for the same product line application.We Depend on Creating New Products and Processes and Enhancing Existing Products and Processes for Our Success; Consequently, We Are Subject to Risks Associated with Rapid Technological ChangeRapid technological changes in semiconductor manufacturing processes subject us to increased pressure to develop technological advances that enable those processes. We believe that our future success depends in part upon our ability to develop and offer new products with improved capabilities and to continue to enhance our existing products. If new products or existing products have reliability, quality, design, or safety problems, our performance may be impacted by reduced orders, higher manufacturing costs, delays in acceptance of and payment for new products, and additional service and warranty expenses. We may be unable to develop and manufacture products successfully, or products that we introduce may fail in the marketplace. For more than 25 years, the primary driver of technology advancement in the semiconductor industry has been to shrink the lithography that prints the circuit design on semiconductor chips. That driver could be approaching its technological limit, leading semiconductor manufacturers to investigate more complex changes in multiple technologies in an effort to continue technology development. In addition, the emergence of “big data” and new tools such as machine learning and artificial intelligence that capitalize on the availability of large data sets is leading semiconductor manufacturers and equipment manufacturers to pursue new products and approaches that exploit those tools to advance technology development. In the face of uncertainty on which technology solutions will become successful, we will need to focus our efforts on developing the technology changes that are ultimately successful in supporting our customers’ requirements. Our failure to develop and offer the correct technology solutions in a timely manner with productive and cost-effective products could adversely affect our business in a material way. Our failure to commercialize new products in a timely manner could result in loss of market share, unanticipated costs, and inventory obsolescence, which would adversely affect our financial results. Our investments and acquisitions may not be as successful as we may expect, particularly in the event that we invest in or acquire product lines and technologies that are new to us. We may find that acquisitions are not available to us, for regulatory or other reasons, and that we must therefore limit ourselves to collaboration and joint venture development activities that do not have the same benefits as acquisitions. Moreover, customers may adopt new technologies or processes to address the complex challenges associated with next-generation devices. This shift may result in a reduction in the size of our addressable markets or could increase the relative size of markets in which we either do not compete or have relatively low market share.Strategic Alliances and Customer Consolidation May Have Negative Effects on Our BusinessSemiconductor manufacturing companies from time to time enter into strategic alliances or consolidate with one another to expedite the development of processes and other manufacturing technologies and/or achieve economies of scale. The outcomes of such an alliance can be the definition of a particular tool set for a certain function and/or the standardization of a series of process steps that use a specific set of manufacturing equipment, while the outcomes of consolidation can lead to an overall reduction in the market for semiconductor manufacturing equipment as customers’ operations achieve economies of scale and/or increased purchasing power based on their higher volumes. In certain instances, this could work to our disadvantage if a competitor’s tools or equipment become the standard equipment for such functions or processes. Additional outcomes of such consolidation may include our customers re-evaluating their future supplier relationships to consider our competitors’ products and/or gaining additional influence over the pricing of products and the control of intellectual property or data.Similarly, our customers may partner with, or follow the lead of, educational or research institutions that establish processes for accomplishing various tasks or manufacturing steps. If those institutions utilize a competitor’s equipment when they establish those processes, it is likely that customers will tend to use the same equipment in setting up their own manufacturing lines. Even if they select our equipment, the institutions and the customers that follow their lead could impose conditions on acceptance of that equipment, such as adherence to standards and requirements or limitations on how we license our proprietary rights, that increase our costs or require us to take on greater risk. These actions could adversely impact our market share and financial results.BUSINESS AND OPERATIONAL RISKSOur Revenues and Operating Results Are VariableOur revenues and operating results may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter or year to year due to a number of factors, not all of which are in our control. We manage our expense levels based in part on our expectations of future revenues. Because our operating expenses are based in part on anticipated future revenues, and a certain amount of those expenses are relatively fixed, a change in the timing of recognition of revenue and/or the level of gross profit from a small number of transactions can unfavorably affect operating results in a particular quarter or year. Factors that may cause our financial results to fluctuate unpredictably include, but are not limited to:•legal, tax, accounting, or regulatory changes (including, but not limited to, changes in import/export regulations and tariffs, such as regulations imposed by the U.S.S. sales, as reflected in Part II Item 7.

Results of Operations of this 2024 Form 10-K, accounted for approximately 93%, 91%, and 92% of total revenue in fiscal years 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively. We expect that international sales will continue to account for a substantial majority of our total revenue in future years.We are subject to various challenges related to international sales and the management of global operations including, but not limited to:•domestic and international trade regulations, policies, practices, relations, disputes and issues;•domestic and international tariffs, export controls and other barriers;•developing customers and/or suppliers, who may have limited access to capital resources;•global or national economic and political conditions;•changes in currency controls;•differences in the enforcement of intellectual property and contract rights in varying jurisdictions;•our ability to respond to customer and foreign government demands for locally sourced systems, spare parts, and services and develop the necessary relationships with local suppliers;•changes in and compliance with U.S. and international laws and regulations affecting foreign operations, including U.S. This can adversely affect our business with China, Japan, Korea, and/or Taiwan and perhaps the entire Asia Pacific region or global economy. A significant trade dispute, impact and/or disruption in any area where we do business could have a materially adverse impact on our future revenue and profits. Certain of our international sales depend on our ability to obtain export licenses from the U.S. or foreign governments, and our inability to obtain such licenses, or an expansion of the number or kinds of sales for which export licenses are required, has limited and could in the future further limit the market for our products and has had and could in the future have an adverse impact on our revenues. As is discussed below under the heading “Our Sales to Customers in China, a Significant Region for Us, Have Been Impacted, and are Likely to Be Materially and Adversely Affected by Export License Requirements and Other Regulatory Changes, or Other Governmental Actions in the Course of the Trade Relationship Between the U.S. and China,” the U.S. government has in recent years imposed new controls, including expanded export license requirements and restrictions on sales to certain Chinese entities that significantly impact trade with China. In addition, the U.S. government has an ongoing process of assessing technologies that may be subject to new or additional export controls, and it is possible that such additional controls, if and when imposed, could further adversely impact our ability to sell our products outside the U.S. The implementation by the U.S. government of broad export controls restricting access to our technology (such as recent controls limiting exports to China) may cause customers with international operations to reconsider their use of and reliance on our products, which could adversely impact our future revenue and profits. Furthermore, there are risks that foreign governments may, among other things, take retaliatory actions; insist on the use of local suppliers; compel companies to partner with local companies to design and supply equipment on a local basis, requiring the transfer of intellectual property rights and/or local manufacturing; utilize their influence over their judicial systems to respond to intellectual property disputes or issues; and provide special incentives to government-backed local customers to buy from local competitors, even if their products are inferior to ours; all of which could adversely impact our revenues and margins.We are exposed to potentially adverse movements in foreign currency exchange rates. The majority of our sales and expenses are denominated in U.S. dollars. However, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations primarily related to revenues denominated in Japanese yen and expenses denominated in euro, Korean won, Malaysian ringgit, and Indian rupee. Further, in periods in which the U.S. dollar is strong relative to the local currencies of our international customers, this can potentially reduce demand for our products, which may compound the adverse effect of foreign exchange translation on our revenue. In addition, we enter into foreign currency hedge contracts to minimize the short-term impact of the foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations on certain foreign currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities, primarily third-party accounts receivables, accounts payables, and intercompany receivables and payables. We believe these are our primary exposures to currency rate fluctuation. We expect to continue to enter into hedging transactions, for the purposes outlined, for the foreseeable future. However, these hedging transactions may not achieve their desired effect because differences between the actual timing of the underlying exposures and our forecasts of those exposures may leave us either over or under hedged on any given transaction. Additionally, we are exposed to short-term foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations on non-U.S. dollar-denominated monetary assets and liabilities (other than those currency exposures previously discussed), and currently we do not enter into foreign currency hedge contracts against these exposures. In addition, our currency hedges do not necessarily mitigate the potential negative impact of a strong U.S. dollar on demand for our products. Therefore, we are subject to potential unfavorable foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations to the extent that we transact business (including intercompany transactions) in these currencies.The magnitude of our overseas business also affects where our cash is generated. Certain uses of cash, such as share repurchases, payment of dividends, or the repayment of our notes, can usually only be made with onshore cash balances. Since the majority of our cash is generated outside of the United States, this may impact certain business decisions and outcomes.Our Business Relies on Technology, Data, Intellectual Property and Other Sensitive Information That is Susceptible to Cybersecurity and Other Threats or IncidentsOur business is dependent upon the use and protection of technology, data, intellectual property and other sensitive information, which may be owned by, or licensed to, us or third parties, such as our customers and vendors. We maintain and rely upon certain critical information systems for the creation, transmission, use and storage of much of this information, and for the effective operation of our business. These information systems may be owned and maintained by us, our outsourced providers, or third parties such as vendors, contractors, customers and Cloud providers. In addition, we make use of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products for certain important business functions that are provided by third parties and hosted on their own networks and servers, or third-party networks and servers, all of which rely on networks, email and/or the Internet for their function. Such causes may also include the use of techniques that change frequently or may be disguised or difficult to detect, or designed to remain dormant until a triggering event, or that may continue undetected for an extended period of time. In addition, to the extent artificial intelligence capabilities improve and are increasingly adopted, they may be used to identify vulnerabilities and to implement increasingly sophisticated cybersecurity attacks. Further, the use of artificial intelligence by us, our customers, suppliers, and third-party providers, among others, may also introduce unique vulnerabilities whose existence or exploitation could have a material adverse effect on our business or operations.We experience cybersecurity and other threats and incidents in the course of our operations. Although past threats and incidents have not resulted in a material adverse effect, we may incur material losses related to cybersecurity and other threats or incidents in the future. Cybersecurity or other incidents could have a material adverse effect on our business. Such adverse effects might include:•loss of (or inability to access, e.g. through ransomware) confidential and/or sensitive information stored on these critical information systems or transmitted to or from those systems;•the disruption of the proper function of our products, services and/or operations;•the failure of our or our customers’ manufacturing processes;•errors in the output of our work or our customers’ work;•the loss or public exposure of the personal or other confidential information of our employees, customers or other parties;•the public release of customer financial and business plans, customer orders and operational results;•exposure to claims from our employees or third parties who are adversely impacted by such incidents; •misappropriation or theft of our or a customer’s, supplier’s or other party’s assets or resources, including technology, data, intellectual property or other sensitive information and costs associated therewith;•reputational damage;•diminution in the value of our investment in research, development and engineering; or•our failure to meet, or violation of, regulatory or other legal obligations, such as the timely publication or filing of financial statements, tax information and other required communications.Lam Research Corporation 2024 10-K 17Table of ContentWhile we have implemented International Organization for Standardization (“ISO”) 27001 compliant security procedures and virus protection software, intrusion prevention systems, identity and access control, and emergency recovery processes, and we carefully select our third-party providers of information systems, to mitigate risks to the information systems that we rely on and to the technology, data, intellectual property and other sensitive information we seek to protect, those security procedures and mitigation and protection systems cannot be guaranteed to be fail-safe, and we may still suffer cybersecurity and other incidents, which could have a material adverse effect on our business or operations. It has been difficult and may continue to be difficult to hire and retain employees with substantial cybersecurity acumen. In addition, there have been and may continue to be instances of our policies and procedures not being effective in enabling us to identify risks, threats and incidents in a timely manner, or at all, or to respond expediently, appropriately and effectively when incidents occur and repair any damage caused by such incidents, and such occurrences could have a material adverse effect on our business. While the restructuring plan was intended to better align our cost structure with the current economic environment and future business opportunities, and our anticipated transformation initiatives have the goal of strengthening our operations and achieving operational efficiencies, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in these plans and initiatives. Restructuring and transformation may adversely affect our internal programs and our ability to recruit and retain skilled and motivated personnel, may result in a loss of continuity, loss of accumulated knowledge and/or inefficiency during transitional periods, may require a significant amount of management and other employees' time and focus, and may be distracting to employees and management, which may divert attention from operating and growing our business. Additionally, reductions in our workforce may cause a reduction in our production output capabilities which could impact our ability to manufacture or ship products to customers within a mutually beneficial timeline. If we fail to achieve some or all of the expected benefits, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, operations, financial condition, results of operations and competitive position.

Disruptions to Our Supply Chain and Outsource Providers Could Impact Our Ability to Meet Demand, Increase Our Costs, and Adversely Impact Our Revenue and Operating ResultsOur supply chain has played and will continue to play a key role in our product development, manufacturing operations, field installation and support. Our business depends on our timely supply of products and services to meet the demand from our customers, which depends in significant part on the timely delivery of parts, materials and services, including components and subassemblies, from our direct suppliers to us, and to our direct suppliers by other companies. In addition, outsource providers have played and will continue to play a key role both in the manufacturing and customer-focused operations described above, and in many of our transactional and administrative functions, such as information technology, facilities management, and certain elements of our finance organization. These providers and suppliers might suffer financial setbacks, be acquired by third parties, become subject to exclusivity arrangements that preclude further business with us, or be unable to meet our requirements or expectation due to their independent business decisions or force majeure events that could interrupt or impair their continued ability to perform as we expect. We may also experience significant interruptions of our manufacturing operations, delays in our ability to deliver or install products or perform services or to recognize revenue, increased costs or customer order cancellations as a result of:•the failure or inability to accurately forecast demand and obtain sufficient quantities of quality parts on a cost-effective basis;•volatility in the availability and cost of parts, materials or services, including increased costs due to rising inflation or interest rates or other market conditions;•difficulties or delays in obtaining required import or export approvals;•shipment delays and increased costs of shipment due to transportation interruptions, capacity constraints, or fuel shortages;•shortages of semiconductor or other components or materials as a result of increases in demand;•information technology or infrastructure failures, including those of a third-party supplier or service provider; and•transportation or supply disruptions based on factors outside our control, such as strikes, acts of God, wars, terrorist activities, widespread outbreak of illness, natural or man-made disasters, international conflict, or climate change.Demand for electronic products and other factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have resulted in, and may in the future result in, a shortage of parts, materials and services needed to manufacture, deliver and install our products, as well as delays in and unpredictability of shipments due to transportation interruptions. Such shortages, delays and unpredictability have adversely impacted, and may in the future impact, our suppliers’ ability to meet our demand requirements. Difficulties in obtaining sufficient and timely supply of parts, materials or services, and delays in and unpredictability of shipments due to transportation interruptions, have adversely impacted, and may in the future adversely impact, our manufacturing operations and our ability to meet customer demand. Although we are endeavoring to pass along some of the impact of increased costs to our customers to counteract adverse impacts to our gross margins and other operating results, such measures could be unsuccessful, or could have the effect of reducing demand, which would adversely impact our revenue.Further, increased restrictions imposed on a class of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), which are widely used in a large number of products, including parts and materials that are incorporated into our products, may negatively impact our supply chain due to the potentially decreased availability, or non-availability, of PFAS-containing products. Proposed regulations under consideration could require that we transition away from the usage of PFAS-containing products, which could adversely impact our business, operations, revenue, costs, and competitive position. There is no assurance that suitable replacements for PFAS-containing parts and materials will be available at similar costs, or at all. In some cases, the requirements of our business mandate that we obtain certain components and sub-assemblies included in our products from a single supplier or a limited group of suppliers. Where practical, we endeavor to establish alternative sources to mitigate the risk that the failure of any single provider or supplier will adversely affect our business, but this is not feasible in all circumstances. Some key parts are subject to long lead-times or available only from a single supplier or limited group of suppliers, and some sourcing or subassembly is provided by suppliers located in countries other than the countries where we conduct our manufacturing. There is therefore a risk that a prolonged inability to obtain certain components or secure key services could impair our ability to manage operations, ship products, and generate revenues, which could adversely affect our operating results and damage our customer relationships. These locations are subject to disruption for a variety of reasons, such as natural or man-made disasters, widespread outbreaks of illness, war, terrorist activities, political or governmental unrest or instability, disruptions of our information technology resources, utility interruptions, international conflict, the effects of climate change, or other events beyond our control. Such disruptions may cause delays in developing or shipping our products, in engaging with customers on new product applications, or in supporting customers, which could result in the loss of business or customer trust, adversely affecting our business and operating results. The pandemic resulted at various times in significant disruption of global financial markets, increases in levels of unemployment, and economic uncertainty, which adversely impacted our business and may do so in the future, and may lead to significant negative impacts on customer spending, demand for our products, the ability of our customers to pay, our financial condition and the financial condition of our suppliers, and our access to external sources of financing to fund our operations and capital expenditures. We Are Subject to Risks Relating to Product Concentration and Lack of Product Revenue DiversificationWe derive a substantial percentage of our revenues from a limited number of products. Our products are priced up to the tens of millions of dollars per system. As a result, the inability to recognize revenue on even a few systems can cause a significantly adverse impact on our revenues for a given quarter, and, in the longer term, the continued market acceptance of these products is critical to our future success.In addition, the fact that we offer limited product lines creates the risk that our customers may view us as less important to their business than our competitors that offer additional products and/or product capabilities, including new products that take advantage of “big data” or other new technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. This may impact our ability to maintain or expand our business with certain customers. Such product concentration may also subject us to additional risks associated with technology changes. Our business is affected by our customers’ use of our products in certain steps in their wafer fabrication processes. Should technologies change so that the manufacture of semiconductors requires fewer steps using our products, this could have a larger impact on our business than it would on the business of our less concentrated competitors. Protecting our key proprietary technology helps us achieve our goals of developing technological expertise and new products and systems that give us a competitive advantage; increasing market penetration and growth of our installed base; and providing comprehensive support and service to our customers. As part of our strategy to protect our technology, we currently hold a number of U.S. and foreign patents and pending patent applications, and we keep certain information, processes, and techniques confidential and/or as trade secrets. However, we may fail to apply for or obtain sufficient patent protection for our technology, other parties may challenge or attempt to invalidate or circumvent any patents the U.S. or foreign governments issue to us; these governments may fail to issue patents for pending applications; or we may lose trade secret protection over valuable information due to our or third parties’ intentional or unintentional actions or omissions or even those of our own employees. Additionally, intellectual property litigation can be expensive and time-consuming and even when patents are issued, or trade secret processes are followed, the legal systems in certain of the countries in which we do business might not enforce patents and other intellectual property rights as rigorously or effectively as the United States or may favor local entities in their intellectual property enforcement. Moreover, because we selectively file for patent protection in different jurisdictions, we may not have adequate protection in all jurisdictions based on such filing decisions. Any of these circumstances could have a material adverse impact on our business.Our Ability to Attract, Retain, and Motivate Key Employees Is Critical to Our SuccessOur ability to compete successfully depends in large part on our ability to attract, retain, and motivate key employees with the appropriate skills, experiences and competencies. This is an ongoing challenge due to intense competition for top talent, fluctuations in industry or business economic conditions, as well as increasing geographic expansion, and these factors in combination may result in cycles of hiring activity and workforce reductions. Our success in hiring depends on a variety of factors, including the attractiveness of our compensation and benefit programs, global economic or political and industry conditions, our organizational structure, global competition for talent and the availability of qualified employees, the availability of career development opportunities, the ability to obtain necessary authorizations for workers to provide services outside their home countries, and our ability to offer a challenging and rewarding work environment. We periodically evaluate our overall compensation and benefit programs and make adjustments, as appropriate, to maintain or enhance their competitiveness. If we are not able to successfully attract, retain, and motivate key employees, we may be unable to capitalize on market opportunities and our operating results may be materially and adversely affected.If We Choose to Acquire or Dispose of Businesses, Product Lines, and Technologies, We May Encounter Unforeseen Costs and Difficulties That Could Impair Our Financial PerformanceAn important element of our management strategy is to review acquisition prospects that would complement our existing products, augment our market coverage and distribution ability, enhance our technological capabilities, or accomplish other strategic objectives. As a result, we may seek to make acquisitions of complementary companies, products, or technologies, or we may reduce or dispose of certain product lines or technologies that no longer fit our long-term strategies. For regulatory or other reasons, we may not be successful in our attempts to acquire or dispose of businesses, products, or technologies, resulting in significant financial costs, reduced or lost opportunities, and diversion of management’s attention. Managing an acquired business, disposing of product technologies, or reducing personnel entails numerous operational and financial risks, including difficulties in assimilating acquired operations and new personnel or separating existing business or product groups, diversion of management’s attention away from other business concerns, amortization of acquired intangible assets, adverse customer reaction to our decision to cease support for a product, and potential loss of key employees or customers of acquired or disposed operations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve and manage successfully any such integration of potential acquisitions, disposition of product lines or technologies, or reduction in personnel, or that our management, personnel, or systems will be adequate to support continued operations. Any such inabilities or inadequacies could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and/or cash flows.In addition, any acquisition could result in changes such as potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, the incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities, the amortization of related intangible assets, and goodwill impairment charges, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and/or the price of our Common Stock.S. and ChinaChina represents a large and fast-developing market for the semiconductor equipment industry and therefore is important to our business. Revenue in China, which includes global customers and domestic Chinese customers with manufacturing facilities in China, represented approximately 42%, 26%, and 31% of our total revenue for fiscal years 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively. The U.S. and China have historically had a complex relationship that has included actions that have impacted trade between the two countries.S. Additionally, the U.S. government has enacted new rules aimed at restricting China’s ability to manufacture advanced semiconductors, which include restrictions on exports, reexports or transfers to, or shipping, transmitting, transferring, or facilitating such movement to, or performing services at, customer facilities in China engaged in certain technology end-uses, without appropriate authorizations obtained from U.S. authorities. The U.S.S.S. licensing requirements if Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd (“Huawei”) or its affiliates are parties to a transaction involving the items. In addition, our customers (including, but not limited to, Chinese customers) may require U.S. export licenses for the use of our products in order to manufacture products, including semiconductor wafers and integrated circuits, for those of their customers (i.e. Huawei and its affiliates) that are subject to the expanded foreign direct product rule, which may adversely impact the demand for our products. The U.S. Department of Commerce could in the future add additional Chinese companies to its restricted entity list or unverified list or take other actions that could expand licensing requirements or otherwise impact the market for our products and our revenue. The implementation, interpretation and impact on our business of these rules and other regulatory actions taken by the U.S. government is uncertain and evolving, and these rules, other regulatory actions or changes, and other actions taken by the governments of either the U.S. or China, or both, that have occurred and may occur in the future could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.We Are Exposed to Various Risks from Our Regulatory EnvironmentWe are subject to various risks related to (1) new, different, inconsistent, or even conflicting laws, rules, and regulations that may be enacted by legislative or executive bodies and/or regulatory agencies in the countries that we operate; (2) disagreements or disputes related to international trade; and (3) the interpretation and application of laws, rules, and regulations. As a public company with global operations, we are subject to the laws of multiple jurisdictions and the rules and regulations of various governing bodies, including those related to export controls, financial and other disclosures, corporate governance, privacy, anti-corruption, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other local laws prohibiting corrupt payments to governmental officials, anti-boycott compliance, conflict minerals or other social responsibility legislation, immigration or travel regulations, antitrust regulations, and laws or regulations relating to carbon emissions, as well as other laws or regulations imposed in response to climate change concerns, among others. Each of these laws, rules, and regulations imposes costs on our business, including financial costs and potential diversion of our management’s attention associated with compliance, and may present risks to our business, including potential fines, restrictions on our actions, and reputational damage if we do not fully comply.To maintain high standards of corporate governance and public disclosure, we intend to invest appropriate resources to comply with evolving standards. Changes in or ambiguous interpretations of laws, regulations, and standards may create uncertainty regarding compliance matters. Efforts to comply with new and changing regulations have resulted in, and are likely to continue to result in, reduced operating income, and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If we are found by a court or regulatory agency not to be in compliance with the laws and regulations, our business, financial condition, and/or results of operations could be adversely affected.Intellectual Property, Indemnity, and Other Claims Against Us Can Be Costly and We Could Lose Significant Rights That Are Necessary to Our Continued Business and ProfitabilityThird parties may assert infringement, misappropriation, unfair competition, product liability, breach of contract, or other claims against us. From time to time, other persons send us notices alleging that our products infringe or misappropriate their patent or other intellectual property rights. In addition, law enforcement authorities may seek criminal charges relating to intellectual property or other issues. We also face risks of claims arising from commercial and other relationships. In addition, our bylaws and other indemnity obligations provide that we will indemnify officers and members of our Board of Directors against losses that they may incur in legal proceedings resulting from their service to us. From time to time, in the normal course of business, we indemnify third parties with whom we enter into contractual relationships, including customers and suppliers, with respect to certain matters. In such cases, it is our policy either to defend the claims or to negotiate licenses or other settlements on commercially reasonable terms. However, we may be unable in the future to negotiate necessary licenses or reach agreement on other settlements on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, and any litigation resulting from these claims by other parties may materially and adversely affect our business and financial results, and we may be subject to substantial damage awards and penalties. Moreover, although we have insurance to protect us from certain claims and cover certain losses to our property, such insurance may not cover us for the full amount of any losses, or at all, and may be subject to substantial exclusions and deductibles.Our Financial Results May Be Adversely Impacted by Higher than Expected Tax Rates or Exposure to Additional Tax LiabilitiesWe are subject to income, transaction, and other taxes in the United States and various foreign jurisdictions, and judgment is required to determine worldwide tax liabilities. The amount of taxes we pay is subject to ongoing audits in various jurisdictions, and a material assessment by a governing tax authority could affect our profitability. As a global company, our effective tax rate is highly dependent upon the geographic composition of worldwide earnings and tax regulations governing each region. Changes in the split of earnings between countries with differing statutory tax rates, in the valuation allowance of deferred tax assets, in tax laws, in material audit assessments, or in expirations of agreements with tax authorities could adversely affect our effective tax rate. In particular, the carrying value of deferred tax assets, which are predominantly in the United States, is dependent upon our ability to generate future taxable income in the United States.On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (the “IRA”) was signed into law. We have evaluated the impacts of the IRA, including guidance issued by the Treasury Department, and do not expect it to have a material impact on our effective tax rate.Recommendations made by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting 2.0 (“BEPS 2.0”) project have the potential to lead to changes in the tax laws in numerous countries, including the implementation of a global minimum tax. Several countries around the world have enacted or proposed changes to their existing tax laws based on these recommendations. When fully enacted, such changes could have a material impact on our effective tax rate. We will continue to monitor the progress of the BEPS 2.0 implementation.In addition, the U.S. has made several corporate income tax proposals, including changes in the taxation of non-U.S. income. If enacted, such changes could have a material impact on our effective tax rate. Increasing and Evolving Environmental Regulations May Adversely Affect Our Operating ResultsWe are subject to a variety of domestic and international governmental regulations related to the handling, discharge, sale, and disposal of toxic, volatile, or otherwise hazardous or potentially hazardous substances, and the regulatory environment is dynamic. Failure to comply with present or future environmental regulations (such as future regulations imposed on the use or sale of PFAS or PFAS-containing products) could result in fines being imposed on us, require us to undertake remediation activities, suspend production, and/or cease operations, or cause our customers to not accept our products. These regulations could require us to alter or discontinue our current operations in certain jurisdictions, acquire significant additional equipment, incur substantial other expenses to comply with environmental regulations, or take other actions. Compliance obligations, as well as any failure to comply with current or future regulations governing the use, handling, sale, transport, or disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances (including, but not limited to, PFAS) could subject us to future costs and liabilities that may adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, and ability to operate our business.Our Bylaws Designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the Sole and Exclusive Judicial Forum for Certain Legal Actions Between the Company and its Stockholders, Which May Discourage Lawsuits with Respect to Such Claims Our bylaws provide that, unless we consent otherwise, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for lawsuits asserting certain stockholder claims (including claims asserted derivatively for our benefit), such as claims against directors and officers for breach of a fiduciary duty, claims arising under any provision of the General Corporation Law of Delaware or our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or claims governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This is a general summary of the bylaw provision; you should refer to the language of the bylaws for details. While the forum provision does not generally apply to direct claims arising under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or the Securities Act of 1933, derivative lawsuits that assert legal claims arising under these statutes could fall within the provision, as recent court decisions have held. As a Delaware corporation, Delaware law controls issues of our internal affairs, including duties that our directors, officers, employees, and others owe to the Company and its stockholders. We believe that our exclusive forum provision benefits us, and our stockholders, by permitting relatively prompt resolution of lawsuits concerning our internal affairs, promoting consistent application of Delaware law in these lawsuits, and reducing the possibility of duplicative, costly, multi-jurisdictional litigation with the potential for inconsistent outcomes. However, the forum provision limits a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it believes may be more favorable than Delaware, and this could discourage the filing of such lawsuits. The trading price of our Common Stock could continue to be highly volatile and fluctuate widely in response to a variety of factors, many of which are not within our control or influence.In addition, the stock market experiences significant price and volume fluctuations. Historically, we have witnessed significant volatility in the price of our Common Stock due in part to the price of and markets for semiconductors. These and other factors have adversely affected and may again adversely affect the price of our Common Stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. In the past, following volatile periods in the price of their stock, many companies became the object of securities class action litigation. If we are sued in a securities class action, we could incur substantial costs, and it could divert management’s attention and resources and have an unfavorable impact on our financial performance and the price for our Common Stock.We May Incur Impairments to Goodwill or Long-lived AssetsWe review our goodwill identified in business combinations for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may exceed the fair value. We review all other long-lived assets, including finite-lived intangible assets, whenever events or changes in circumstance indicate that these assets may not be recoverable. The process of evaluating the potential impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets requires judgment. Negative industry or economic trends, including reduced market prices of our Common Stock, reduced estimates of future cash flows, disruptions to our business, slower growth rates, or lack of growth in our relevant business units, could lead to impairment charges against our long-lived assets, including goodwill and other intangible assets. When evaluating goodwill, if we conclude that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then a quantitative impairment test is performed and we may be required to record an impairment charge in that period, which could adversely affect our result of operations. When evaluating other long-lived assets, if we conclude that the estimated undiscounted cash flows attributable to the assets are less than their carrying value, we recognize an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount of the assets over their respective fair values, which could adversely affect our results of operations.Our valuation methodology for assessing impairment requires management to make judgments and assumptions based on historical experience and to rely heavily on projections of future operating performance. We operate in a highly competitive environment and projections of future operating results and cash flows may vary significantly from actual results. Additionally, if our analysis indicates potential impairment, we may be required to record additional charges to earnings in our financial statements, which could negatively affect our results of operations.Our Leverage and Debt Service Obligations May Adversely Affect Our Financial Condition, Results of Operations, and Earnings per ShareWe have $5. Additionally, we have funding available to us under our $1.5 billion commercial paper program and our $1.5 billion revolving credit facility, which serves as a backstop to our commercial paper program. Our revolving credit facility also includes an option to increase the amount up to an additional $600.0 million, for a potential total commitment of $2.1 billion. We may, in the future, decide to enter into additional debt arrangements.Lam Research Corporation 2024 10-K 23Table of ContentIn addition, we have entered, and in the future may enter, into derivative instrument arrangements to hedge against the variability of cash flows due to changes in the benchmark interest rate of fixed rate debt. We could be exposed to losses in the event of nonperformance by the counterparties to our derivative instruments.Our indebtedness could have adverse consequences, including:•risk associated with any inability to satisfy our obligations;•a portion of our cash flows that may have to be dedicated to interest and principal payments and may not be available for operations, working capital, capital expenditures, expansion, acquisitions, or general corporate or other purposes; and•impairment of our ability to obtain additional financing in the future.Our ability to meet our expenses and debt obligations will depend on our future performance, which will be affected by financial, business, economic, regulatory, and other factors. Furthermore, our operations may not generate sufficient cash flows to enable us to meet our expenses and service our debt. As a result, we may need to enter into new financing arrangements to obtain the necessary funds. If we determine it is necessary to seek additional funding for any reason, we may not be able to obtain such funding or, if funding is available, obtain it on acceptable terms. If we fail to make a payment on our debt, we could be in default on such debt, and this default could cause us to be in default on our other outstanding indebtedness.Our Credit Agreements Contain Covenant Restrictions That May Limit Our Ability to Operate Our BusinessWe may be unable to respond to changes in business and economic conditions, engage in transactions that might otherwise be beneficial to us, or obtain additional financing because our debt agreements contain, and any of our other future similar agreements may contain, covenant restrictions that limit our ability to, among other things:•incur additional debt, assume obligations in connection with letters of credit, or issue guarantees;•create liens;•enter into transactions with our affiliates;•sell certain assets; and•merge or consolidate with any person.Our ability to comply with these covenants is dependent on our future performance, which will be subject to many factors, some of which are beyond our control, including prevailing economic conditions. In addition, our failure to comply with these covenants could result in a default under the Senior Notes, or our other debt, which could permit the holders to accelerate such debt. If any of our debt is accelerated, we may not have sufficient funds available to repay such debt, which could materially and negatively affect our financial condition and results of operation.There Can Be No Assurance That We Will Continue to Declare Cash Dividends or Repurchase Our Shares at All or in Any Particular AmountsOur Board of Directors has declared quarterly dividends since April 2014. Our intent to continue to pay quarterly dividends and to repurchase our shares is subject to capital availability and periodic determinations by our Board of Directors that cash dividends and share repurchases are in the best interest of our stockholders and are in compliance with all laws and agreements applicable to the declaration and payment of cash dividends or the repurchasing of shares by us. Future dividends and share repurchases may also be affected by, among other factors, our views on potential future capital requirements for investments in acquisitions and the funding of our research and development; legal risks; changes in federal, state, and international tax laws or corporate laws; contractual restrictions, such as financial or operating covenants in our debt arrangements; availability of onshore cash flow; and changes to our business model. Our dividend payments and share repurchases may change from time to time, and we cannot provide assurance that we will continue to declare dividends or repurchase shares at all or in any particular amounts. A reduction or suspension in our dividend payments or share repurchases could have a negative effect on the price of our Common Stock. In addition, we have significant amounts of cash, cash equivalents and other investments on deposit or in accounts with banks or other financial institutions both in and out of the United States. As a result, we are exposed to the risk of default by or failure of counterparty financial institutions, which may be heightened during economic downturns and periods of uncertainty in the financial markets. If one of our counterparties were to become insolvent or file for bankruptcy, our ability to recover losses incurred as a result of default, or our assets deposited or held in accounts with such counterparty, may be limited by the counterparty's liquidity or the applicable laws governing the insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings. In the event of default or failure of one or more of our counterparties, we could incur significant losses, which could negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.Item 1B. Unresolved Staff CommentsNone.Lam Research Corporation 2024 10-K 24Table of ContentItem 1C. CybersecurityWe recognize the significant role of information security in safeguarding our valuable intellectual property along with the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the data of our customers, employees, and suppliers. We have implemented certain policies, procedures, and systems that are designed to identify and address material risks related to cybersecurity and cybersecurity incidents. We have a comprehensive enterprise risk management (“ERM”) program, which is implemented by management and overseen by our Board of Directors (“Board”). Our identification, assessment, and management of material risks from cybersecurity threats is integrated into the Company’s overall ERM system and processes. Our ERM program is designed to leverage existing management processes to (i) identify critical enterprise risks, including both information security and cybersecurity risks, (ii) design and implement appropriate risk mitigation strategies, and (iii) assess the status of risks and mitigation plans. A key component within our ERM framework is a robust information security risk management program, which includes: •risk assessments designed to help identify risks to our critical systems, information, services, and our broader global information systems environment; •a security team principally responsible for managing (i) our cybersecurity risk assessment processes, (ii) our security controls, and (iii) our response to cybersecurity incidents; •the use of external service providers, where appropriate, to aid in assessing specific risks, providing benchmarking data, providing information regarding trends or recent regulatory changes applicable to our risk profile, or to test or otherwise assist with aspects of our security processes; •the periodic engagement of an independent third-party expert to evaluate our security capabilities;•mandatory annual cybersecurity awareness training of our employees, including incident response personnel and senior management, as well as conducting periodic tests with our user population to reinforce good information security practices; •a cybersecurity incident response plan that includes procedures for responding to cybersecurity incidents, including those impacting the Company’s manufacturing sites; •processes to identify vulnerabilities, breach attempts and possible criminal activity by external parties; and •processes to assess the practices of our suppliers and third-party service providers relative to protecting the security of our information. The Company holds ISO 27001-2022 certification for information security at our corporate headquarters. Our Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”), who has over 30 years of experience in information security and technology leadership, has primary responsibility for (i) leading our global information security program, (ii) managing the cybersecurity risks identified as part of the ERM program, and (iii) developing, implementing, and enforcing security policies and maintaining information security systems. Our global information security program, led by our CISO, includes dedicated teams specialized in (i) identity access management, (ii) data protection, (iii) incident response, (iv) vulnerability governance, (v) security operations and engineering (vi) governance, risk, and compliance, and (vii) insider risk and intelligence. The members of the information security team are responsible for managing, maintaining, and monitoring the systems and processes that prevent, detect, mitigate and remediate cybersecurity incidents, and for informing our CISO of status of such systems and processes, as well as any significant incidents.Our Board is responsible for overseeing our strategy and approach to addressing information security risks, including managing and assessing risks from cybersecurity threats, both directly and through the audit committee. The audit committee is responsible for reviewing and monitoring the Company’s cybersecurity and information security policies and its internal controls regarding cybersecurity and information security. Our CISO reports on information security risks at least quarterly to the audit committee and at least annually to the Board. We experience cybersecurity and other threats and incidents in the course of our operations. To date, we have not determined that such threats and incidents have materially and adversely affected the Company, including our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition. Furthermore, to date, we have not determined that such threats and incidents are reasonably likely to materially and adversely affect the Company, including our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition.For additional information on certain risks associated with cybersecurity, please refer to “Our Business Relies on Technology, Data, Intellectual Property and Other Sensitive information That is Susceptible to Cybersecurity and Other Threats or Incidents” in Item 1A: Risk Factors.Lam Research Corporation 2024 10-K 25Table of Content.

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