ITEM 1A. Risk Factors
The following risk factors and all of the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K should be carefully considered in their entirety before making an investment decision relating to our common stock. If any of the risks described below occur, our business, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected, and the trading price of our common stock could decline. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results. Effects from global business or political events, and the related impacts to economic and operating conditions, may further affect the volatility or degree of known and unknown risks.
Risk Factor Summary
Factors Related to Economic, Political, Legal & Regulatory Business Conditions
Economic, political, and business conditions related to our global business.
The impact of tariffs, trade restrictions, export controls, sanctions or similar actions on our global business.
Legal and regulatory conditions related to our global business.
Factors Related to Manufacturing our Products
Geopolitical exposure of our subcontractors that we rely on to supply silicon wafers, packaging, and testing to manufacture our semiconductor products.
Our achievement of continued yield and quality improvements to meet our internal cost and customer quality goals, and the potential impact of shortages in, or increased costs of, wafers and other materials.
Potential warranty claims and other costs related to our products.
Factors Related to Intellectual Property
Fluctuations in our revenue and margins caused by the intellectual property licensing component of our business strategy.
Material fluctuations in our revenue and gross margins caused by intermittent sales of patents and significant licensing transactions.
Our ability to protect our new and existing intellectual property rights.
Factors Related to Overall Business & Operations
Proper functioning of our information technology systems, including in response to data breaches, cyberattacks, or cyber-fraud.
Goodwill impairments and other impairments under U.S. GAAP that may impact our business.
Changes to financial accounting standards applicable to us and any related changes to our business practices.
Exposure to unanticipated tax consequences as a result of changes in effective tax rates, tax laws and our global organizational structure and operations.
Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, and our foreign currency risk management and hedging activities.
Weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and business processes.
Our ability to compete with others to attract and retain key personnel, and any loss of, or inability to attract, such personnel.
Our failure to adequately foresee and insure against risks related to our business.
Limitations to our flexibility caused by incurring indebtedness.
Risks relating to the use or application of emerging technologies, including AI
The impact of climate and climate-related policies & regulations on our business.
Factors Related to Our Markets and Product Development
Cyclical market patterns and potential downturns in our industry or our end markets.
Our ability to develop and introduce new products that achieve customer and market acceptance.
Competition with companies that have significantly greater resources than us and numerous other product solutions.
Our reliance on independent contractors and third parties to provide key services in our product development and operations.
Factors Related to Our Sales and Revenue
Our dependence on our highly concentrated distributor model and our end customers.
Fluctuations in and the unpredictability of our business and our sales cycles.
Accounting requirements related to sales through our distribution channel.
General Risk Factors
The effects of inflationary pressures, interest rate fluctuations, and recessionary or economic slowdown risks.
Disruptions to our worldwide operations and supply chain due to natural or human-induced disasters.
The trading price of our common stock has been and may continue to be subject to volatility.
Disruption in and impacts of acquisitions, divestitures, strategic investments and strategic partnerships on our business.
The impact of actual and potential litigation and unfavorable results of legal proceedings on our business.
The impact of pandemics or widespread global health problems on our business.
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Factors Related to Economic, Political, Legal & Regulatory Business Conditions
Our global business operations expose us to various economic, political, and business risks, which could impact our business, operating results and financial condition.
We have significant domestic and international operations. Our international operations include foreign sales offices to support our international customers and distributors, which account for the majority of our revenue, and operational and research and development sites in China, the Philippines, Malaysia, India, and other Asian locations. In addition, we purchase our wafers from foreign foundries; have our commercial products assembled, packaged, and tested by subcontractors located outside of the United States; and rely on international service providers for a variety of services, including inventory management, lead time management, technical support, factory engagement meetings, and order fulfillment.
Worldwide political and economic conditions and events can have indirect and unpredictable effects on global economic conditions, customer demand, currency exchange rates, capital markets, and the operations of our customers, suppliers, and logistics partners. Any escalation of political unrest, deterioration in diplomatic relations, or expansion of regional or global sanctions could adversely affect global trade flows and supply chains and, in turn, negatively impact our business, operating results, and financial condition. For example, conflict in the Middle East, the continuing military conflict between Ukraine and Russia, as well as the financial and trade-related restrictions associated with Russia and Belarus and economic sanctions on certain individuals and entities in Russia and Belarus, and recent political developments and heightened uncertainty in Latin America, have increased geopolitical and economic volatility globally. These developments may result in new or expanded sanctions, trade restrictions, financial market disruptions, volatility in energy and commodity prices, and broader macroeconomic instability, and may further disrupt global supply chains and could result in shortages of key materials that our suppliers and foundry partners require to satisfy our needs. Additionally, the U.S. government has continued, and may increase, restrictions on the export of semiconductor- and supercomputer-related products, including semiconductor manufacturing equipment, which may restrict the ability to export, reexport, or otherwise transfer U.S.-controlled certain chips, products containing those chips, chip-related technology and software, and items related to semiconductor manufacturing worldwide without export authorization. In many cases, specific export licensing will be required and these licenses are subject to a policy of denial. China has responded by implementing additional export controls on products exported from China. These increasing restrictions, as well as additional future controls impacting the semiconductor ecosystem, may impact the global supply chain and could result in shortages of key materials that our suppliers and foundry partners require to satisfy our needs. Any deterioration in the relations between Taiwan and China, and other factors affecting military, political or economic conditions in Taiwan or elsewhere in Asia, could adversely impact our third-party manufacturing partners and suppliers located in the region, which could disrupt our business operations. Countries in Europe and Asia have proposed, or recently adopted, significant increases in their military budgets, reflecting heightened geopolitical tensions and security concerns. The outbreak of new, or expansion or prolongation of current, military conflicts could disrupt global trade, transportation routes, energy and commodity markets, and supply chains, increase macroeconomic volatility, and adversely affect demand for our products, the operations of our customers and suppliers, and our business and financial results. Furthermore, adverse macroeconomic conditions, such as inflation and labor shortages, may affect demand for our products or increase our product or labor costs, negatively impacting our revenues, gross margins, and overall financial results.
Our domestic and international business activities are subject to economic, political and regulatory risks, including: increased inflation; volatility in financial markets; fluctuations in consumer liquidity; changes in interest rates; price increases for materials and components; trade barriers or changes in trade policies; political instability; acts of war or terrorism; natural disasters; economic sanctions; weak economic conditions; environmental regulations; labor regulations; disruptions to labor markets; import and export regulations; tax or freight rates; duties; trade restrictions; interruptions in transportation or infrastructure; anti-corruption laws; domestic and foreign governmental regulations; potential vulnerability of and reduced protection for intellectual property; disruptions or delays in production or shipments; and instability or fluctuations in currency exchange rates, any of which could lead to decreased demand for our products or a change in our results of operation. Although our business has not been materially impacted by supply chain constraints, inflation, or labor market disruptions, events outside of our control could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition in the future. Uncertainty about future political and economic conditions makes forecasting demand and providing guidance difficult. Accordingly, our expectations are subject to change without warning and investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on them.
Our business could suffer as a result of tariffs, trade restrictions, export controls, sanctions or similar a ctions.
The imposition by the United States of tariffs, sanctions or other restrictions on goods exported from the United States or imported into the United States or countermeasures imposed in response to such government actions could adversely affect our operations or our ability to sell our products globally, which could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
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These restrictions include measures under United States’ authority under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to impose tariffs or other restrictions on imports deemed to threaten national security, including potentially with respect to semiconductors and products incorporating semiconductors. As a fabless semiconductor company that relies on a predominantly non-U.S. manufacturing and supply chain, the imposition of Section 232 measures could increase costs, disrupt supply chains, reduce customer demand, or place us at a competitive disadvantage relative to companies with different manufacturing footprints. Section 232 actions may be imposed with limited notice and could prompt retaliatory measures by other countries, further increasing global trade uncertainty and adversely affecting our business and financial results. In 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated a Section 232 national security investigation relating to semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and the outcome of that investigation, including any resulting tariffs, quotas, or other restrictions, is uncertain and could be implemented with limited notice. In January 2026, the President issued a proclamation under Section 232 imposing an immediate 25% tariff on certain advanced semiconductor articles and announcing that broader tariffs on semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and derivative products may follow. The United States has also implemented additional Section 232 tariffs on imports of various commodities, including articles of steel, aluminum, copper, and timber, as well as passenger vehicles, trucks, and automotive parts.
Beginning in 2018, the U.S. government imposed significant additional tariffs on many items imported from China, including under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, and the scope and rates of these tariffs have fluctuated significantly, up to 100% on certain products (including a 50% tariff on certain Chinese semiconductor items beginning in early 2025). In late 2025, the U.S. Trade Representative concluded following an additional Section 301 trade investigation that China engaged in unfair trade acts, policies, and practices with respect to the semiconductor industry, and therefore will implement an additional Section 301 tariff on Chinese semiconductors, in addition to the existing 50% Section 301 tariff, beginning on June 23, 2027.
In addition, the U.S. government has imposed additional duties under other legal authorities, and applicable duties may be increased, reduced, suspended, reinstated, or otherwise changed, and in some cases may be cumulative with other applicable duties or trade remedies. These measures include a “fentanyl-related” tariff of 10-20% imposed on most Chinese origin goods since February 2025, as well as a 10%-125% “reciprocal” tariff imposed on many Chinese origin goods since April 2025, both issued pursuant to authorities asserted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”). China responded by imposing or threatening to impose significant trade measures, including tariffs on many items imported from the United States and export controls restricting the export of gallium, germanium, and other rare earth materials to the United States. While these risks have been partially mitigated based on bilateral trade deals reached between the U.S. and China, which are currently in effect, these agreements are temporary and may be unstable. The February 2025 U.S. executive order contains provisions allowing for further increases in the scope and amount of tariffs in the event of retaliatory countermeasures, and the future of existing tariffs, and the possibility for new tariffs, remains very uncertain. Such escalations in these trade measures may directly impair our business by increasing trade-related costs or disrupting established supply chains and may indirectly impair our business by causing a negative effect on global economic conditions and financial markets. The ultimate impact of these trade measures is uncertain and may be affected by various factors, including whether and when such trade measures are implemented, the timing when such measures may become effective, and the amount, scope, or nature of such trade measures.
Additional changes or threatened changes in U.S. trade measures have affected and may continue to affect trade involving additional countries, including countries in Europe. Each of these measures or threatened measures may instigate reciprocal countermeasures by affected countries, potentially accelerating further increases in trade measures. Certain announced or proposed tariffs have been delayed, modified, or made subject to negotiations, and there can be no assurance that such measures will not be implemented, expanded, reinstated, or increased. If the affected countries are unable to reach long-term agreements, or if the President were to impose significant new tariffs, the macroeconomic effect of any such tariffs could be significant. Tariffs or restrictions that specifically target imports of semiconductors or products incorporating semiconductors, including measures that could affect key manufacturing regions or supply chain routes (including under Section 232), could seriously and negatively affect our business and the U.S. economy overall. Certain tariffs have been imposed under emergency authorities, including IEEPA, and the legal authority for IEEPA-based tariffs has been the subject of significant litigation. In 2025, the Court of International Trade and the Federal Circuit held that IEEPA did not authorize certain tariffs, and the Supreme Court heard oral argument in November 2025 in consolidated cases addressing IEEPA tariff authority. Depending on the ultimate outcomes and any governmental responses, tariff regimes could change rapidly, including through replacement measures under other legal authorities and potential uncertainty regarding refunds or retroactive treatment.
The materials subject to these tariffs may impact the cost or availability of raw materials used by our suppliers or in our customers’ products. The imposition of further tariffs by the United States on a broader range of imports, or further retaliatory trade measures taken in response to additional tariffs, could increase costs in our supply chain or reduce demand of our customers’ products, either of which could adversely affect our results of operations. Any increase in trade-related costs associated with such measures may impair the profitability of such international production, may strain our suppliers’ ability to reliably provide inputs necessary to produce these items, may otherwise affect our partners’ abilities to provide our products at previously contracted prices, and may limit our ability to absorb increased costs without raising prices to our customers. Any such price increases could reduce customer demand, delay or cancel customer orders, or cause customers to seek alternative solutions, which could adversely affect our revenue, market share, and operating results. Our business and financial results could be negatively affected as a result.
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Our customers or suppliers could also become subject to U.S. regulatory scrutiny or export restrictions. For example, the U.S. Justice Department has in the past filed criminal charges against one of our customers in China and imposed a licensing requirement on this customer with a policy of denial for some items, which has limited our ability to do business with this customer. If any of our current or future customers or suppliers become subject to similar actions, whether through criminal enforcement, inclusion on restricted-party lists, or expanded licensing requirements, our ability to conduct business with them could be limited or eliminated. In 2020, the U.S. imposed additional regulatory restrictions on the sale of U.S. controlled technology to customers in China. These restrictions include establishing additional licensing requirements in order to sell U.S.-originated technology for certain applications or to companies that participate in the Chinese national security supply chain. These restrictions also limit the fabrication of devices for certain Chinese companies where U.S. technology is involved in the fabrication process. Furthermore, in August 2020 the U.S. established additional licensing requirements for one of our China customers and its affiliates that limit any sales of products to that customer or for that customer’s products absent a license. The U.S. government has continued to and is likely to continue to add additional Chinese companies to restricted or prohibited party lists or impose additional licensing requirements that we may be unable to meet in a timely manner or at all. Additionally, the U.S. government continued, and may expand, controls enacted in October 2022 restricting the ability to send certain products and technology related to semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing, and supercomputing to China without an export license. In 2023 and 2024, the U.S. government expanded the list of advanced integrated circuits subject to heightened export controls, including certain hardware containing these specified integrated circuits, expanded the list of destinations requiring export authorization for such items, and added new restrictions based on the headquarters location of the parties involved. The U.S. government also continued, and may expand, the scope of restrictions on the development or production of advanced integrated circuits and certain semiconductor manufacturing equipment, certain AI-related computing technologies, and supercomputing in China and other countries, and may continue to expand or revise these controls, including through worldwide licensing requirements, end-use or end-user restrictions, reporting requirements, or enhanced due diligence expectations. The scope, implementation timing, and enforcement posture of such controls may change rapidly and with limited notice. Proposed regulations would expand these controls further and impose additional reporting requirements. Other foreign governments may in turn impose similar or more restrictive controls. These controls or any additional restrictions may impact our ability to export certain products to China or other countries, prohibit us from selling our products to certain of our customers, or impact our suppliers who may utilize facilities or equipment described in these controls. It also is possible that the Chinese government or other governments will retaliate in ways that could impact our business.
In addition to restrictions on the sale or shipment of products, U.S. export control laws and regulations may apply to the transfer, sharing, or access of certain technology, software, source code, technical data, or know-how for research, development, engineering, testing, or support purposes, including through electronic access, remote collaboration, or internal development activities outside of the United States. Such transfers or access may be deemed “exports” under applicable regulations, even when no product is sold and the activity is undertaken solely for internal development or cost-reduction purposes. As a result, our ability to expand, relocate, or optimize product development, engineering, or technical support activities in lower-cost or non-U.S. jurisdictions may be constrained by export licensing requirements, including requirements that are time-consuming, uncertain, subject to conditions, or subject to a policy of denial. If required licenses are delayed, denied, or granted only with restrictive conditions, we may be required to limit the scope of, delay, restructure, or forego certain development initiatives, incur additional compliance and administrative costs, or reallocate engineering resources to higher-cost locations. Any such limitations could reduce the expected benefits of our global development strategy, slow innovation, delay product development timelines, or adversely affect our operating efficiency and results of operations.
Where license requirements are imposed, there can be no assurance that the U.S. government will grant licenses to permit the continuation of business with these customers and our other operations. Future sanctions similar to those imposed in the past and to those recently imposed could adversely affect our ability to earn revenue from these and similar customers. In addition, the imposition of sanctions or other restrictions on customers in China may cause those customers to seek domestic alternatives to our products and those of other United States semiconductor companies. Further, the Chinese government has developed an unreliable entity list, which limits the ability of companies on the list to engage in business with Chinese customers. We cannot predict what impact these and future actions, sanctions or criminal charges could have on our customers or suppliers, and therefore our business. If any of our other customers or suppliers become subject to sanctions or other regulatory scrutiny, if our customers are affected by tariffs or other government trade restrictions, or if we become subject to retaliatory regulatory measures, our business and financial condition could be adversely affected.
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Our global business operations expose us to various legal and regulatory risks, which could impact our business, operating results and financial condition.
If we fail to comply with the many laws and regulations to which we are subject, both within the United States and internationally, we may be subject to significant fines, penalties or liabilities for noncompliance, which could harm our business and financial results. For example, we are subject to federal, state and foreign laws and regulations concerning data privacy and security, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR"), and U.S. state and local laws that govern the privacy and security of information, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). Other countries outside of the European Union, including the United Kingdom and China, also have enacted robust legislation addressing privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity and providing for substantial penalties for noncompliance. We are also subject to a wide range of other U.S. and international laws and regulations applicable to us, including anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws (such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”)), export controls and economic sanctions, customs and trade compliance requirements, environmental, health and safety laws, product compliance and environmental regulations (such as restrictions on hazardous substances and electronic waste), conflict minerals and responsible sourcing requirements, competition and antitrust laws, employment and labor regulations, and tax laws and regulations. These and other regulatory frameworks are evolving rapidly, and we anticipate that our efforts to comply with evolving laws and regulations addressing privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity will be a rigorous and time-intensive process that may increase our cost of doing business and may require us to change our policies and practices. Additionally, as a public company, we are subject to the requirements of federal securities laws, requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the rules and regulations of the SEC, and the listing standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Noncompliance with these requirements could result in penalties, fines, liabilities, or reputational harm, which could harm our business or financial results. We are also subject to import/export regulations, rules regarding bulk data transfers, and applicable executive orders. These laws, regulations, and orders are complex, may change frequently and with limited notice, and have generally and may continue to become more stringent over time. Additionally, these local, national, and international regulatory frameworks and underlying rules and regulations may conflict with each other, resulting in uncertainty in their application or interpretation.
Any inability or perceived inability to adequately comply with applicable laws or regulations could result in claims, demands, and litigation by private actors or governmental authorities, investigations and other proceedings by governmental authorities, injunctive relief, fines, penalties, and other liabilities, any of which may harm our reputation and market position and could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Factors Related to Manufacturing our Products
We rely on subcontractors to supply and fabricate silicon wafers and to perform assembly and test operations for our semiconductor products. If they are unable to do so on a timely and cost-effective basis in sufficient quantities and using competitive technologies, we may incur significant costs or delays.
We operate a primarily outsourced manufacturing business model that principally utilizes contract manufacturers, such as third-party wafer foundries. We rely on foundries in Japan, Korea and Taiwan to supply and fabricate silicon wafers for our semiconductor products, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Samsung Semiconductor, United Microelectronics Corporation, and Seiko Epson. We rely on our OSATs in Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan to support the packaging and test of our products, including Advanced Semiconductor Engineering and Amkor Technology. Our success is dependent upon our ability to successfully partner with our foundry and OSAT suppliers and their ability to produce wafers and finished semiconductor products with competitive prices and performance attributes, including smaller process geometries, which ability may be impacted by labor market disruptions and rising inflation. Further, geopolitical tensions in East Asia, including heightened tensions between China and Taiwan, present additional and significant risks to our outsourced manufacturing model, and any escalation of military conflict, trade restrictions, sanctions, blockades, or other disruptions in the region could adversely affect our foundry and OSAT partners, regional logistics and transportation networks, or the availability of materials, equipment, and labor necessary to support semiconductor manufacturing and testing.
Establishing, maintaining and managing multiple foundry and OSAT relationships requires the investment of management resources and costs, and we have limited ability to mitigate disruptions in the near term through alternative sourcing or internal production. Qualifying and establishing reliable production at acceptable yields with a new contract manufacturer is a lengthy and often expensive process, and there is no guarantee we could timely find alternative contract manufacturers or at all. If we fail to maintain our foundry and OSAT relationships, if these partners do not provide facilities and support for our development efforts, if they are insolvent or experience financial difficulty, if their operations are interrupted by a widespread public health hazard, or if we elect or are required to change foundries or OSATs, we may incur significant costs and delays. If our foundry or OSAT partners are unable to, or do not, manufacture sufficient quantities of our products at acceptable yields, we may be required to allocate the affected products among our customers, prematurely limit or discontinue the sales of certain products, or incur significant costs to transfer products to other foundries or OSATs, which could adversely affect our customer relationships and operating results. Further, our subcontractors are themselves subject to many of the same operational and business risks that we face and describe herein, including many operating in regions with significant geopolitical risk, that, if they occur and are disruptive to their operations, could adversely affect us.
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Our margins are dependent on our achieving continued yield and quality improvements, cost reductions, and the supply and cost of wafers and materials .
We rely on obtaining yield, quality, productivity, and logistic improvements and corresponding cost reductions in the manufacture of existing products and on introducing new products that incorporate advanced features and other price/performance factors that enable us to increase revenues while maintaining acceptable margins. To the extent that such cost reductions and new product introductions do not occur in a timely manner, because of inflation, increases in personnel costs, employee turnover, or other factors, or that our products experience significant quality or reliability issues, or do not achieve market acceptance or market acceptance at acceptable pricing, our margins, operating results, and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
Furthermore, worldwide manufacturing capacity for our products may be impacted by many factors which may impact availability and cost. If the demand for silicon wafers or assembly material exceeds market supply, or if suppliers increase prices to cover the cost of rising inflation, our supply of silicon wafers or assembly material could quickly become limited or prohibitively expensive. A shortage in manufacturing capacity could hinder our ability to meet product demand and therefore reduce our revenue. Silicon wafers constitute a material portion of our product cost, and if we are unable to purchase wafers at favorable prices, due to supply constraints, inflation, or other factors, our margins, results of operations, and financial condition may be adversely affected.
We may be subject to warranty claims and other costs related to our products.
In general, we warrant our products for varying lengths of time against non-conformance to our specifications and certain other defects. From time to time, we may be subject to warranty and/or epidemic failure claims, disputes, or other assertions of product non-conformance by customers. Because our products, including hardware, software, and intellectual property cores, are highly complex and increasingly incorporate advanced technology, our quality assurance programs may not detect all defects, whether these are specific manufacturing defects affecting individual products or these are systemic defects that could affect numerous shipments. Our inability to detect a defect could result in a diversion of our engineering resources from product development efforts, increased engineering expenses to remediate the defect, and increased costs due to customer accommodation or inventory impairment charges. On occasion, we have also repaired or replaced certain components, made software fixes, or refunded the purchase price or license fee paid by our customers due to product or software defects. Our insurance may be inadequate to protect against these issues. If there are significant product defects, the costs to remediate such defects, net of reimbursed amounts from our vendors, if any, or to resolve warranty claims may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and may harm our reputation.
Factors Related to Intellectual Property
The intellectual property licensing component of our business strategy increases our business risk and fluctuation of our revenue and margins.
Our business strategy includes licensing our intellectual property to companies that incorporate it into their technologies that address multiple markets, including markets where we participate and compete. Our Licensing and services revenue may be impacted by the introduction of new technologies by customers in place of the technologies we license, changes in the law that may weaken our ability to prevent the use of our patented technology by others, the expiration of our patents, and changes of demand or selling prices for products using licensed patents. We cannot assure that our licensing customers will continue to license our technology on commercially favorable terms or at all, or that these customers will introduce and sell products incorporating our technology, accurately or timely report royalties owed to us, pay agreed upon royalties, honor agreed upon market restrictions, or maintain the confidentiality of our proprietary information, or will not infringe upon or misappropriate our intellectual property. Our intellectual property licensing agreements are complex and may depend upon many factors that require significant judgments, including completion of milestones, allocation of values to delivered items and customer acceptance.
Our sale of patents and intermittent significant licensing transactions can cause material fluctuations in our revenue and gross margins.
We have generated revenue from the sale of certain patents from our portfolio in the past, generally for non-core technology that we are no longer actively developing. Any future efforts to monetize our patent portfolio through sales of non-core patents may not realize adequate interest or prices for those patents. Accordingly, we cannot provide assurance that we will continue to generate revenue from these sales. In addition, although we seek to be strategic in our decisions to sell patents, we might incur reputational harm if a purchaser of our patents sues one of our customers for infringement of the purchased patent, and we might later decide to enter a space that requires the use of one or more of the patents we sold. In addition, as we sell groups of patents, we no longer have the opportunity to further sell or to license those patents and receive a continuing royalty stream.
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Our Licensing and services revenue fluctuates, sometimes significantly, from period to period because it is heavily dependent on a few key transactions being completed in a given period, the timing of which is difficult to predict and may not match our expectations. Licensing and services revenue may include revenue from the sales of patents, which may be difficult to complete and which may have complex terms for the payment which affects revenue recognition. Because of its high margin, the Licensing and services revenue portion of our overall revenue can have a disproportionate impact on gross profit and profitability. In addition, generating revenue from patent sales and intellectual property licenses is a lengthy and complex process that may last beyond the period in which our efforts begin, and the accounting rules governing the recognition of revenue from patent sales and intellectual property licensing transactions are increasingly complex and require significant judgment. As a result, the amount of license revenue recognized in any period may differ significantly from our expectations.
If we are unable to adequately protect our new and existing intellectual property rights globally, our financial results and our ability to compete effectively may suffer.
Our success depends in part on our proprietary technology, and we rely upon patent, copyright, trade secret, mask work, and trademark laws to protect our intellectual property globally. We intend to continue to protect our proprietary technology, however, we may be unsuccessful in asserting our intellectual property rights or such rights may be invalidated, violated, circumvented, or challenged. From time to time, third parties, including our competitors, have asserted against us patent, copyright, and other intellectual property rights to technologies that are important to us. Third parties may attempt to misappropriate our intellectual property through electronic or other means or assert infringement claims against us in the future. Such assertions by third parties may result in costly litigation, indemnity claims, or other legal actions, and we may not prevail in such matters or be able to license any valid and infringed patents from third parties on commercially reasonable terms. This could result in the loss of our ability to import and sell our products or require us to pay costly royalties to third parties in connection with sales of our products. Any infringement claim, indemnification claim, or impairment or loss of use of our intellectual property could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Factors Related to Overall Business & Operations
Our business depends on the use of information technology systems. A failure of these systems, cybersecurity incidents, or cyber-fraud may cause business disruptions, compromise our intellectual property or other sensitive information, or result in losses.
We rely on information technology ("IT") networks and systems to collect, process, maintain, use, share, disseminate, and dispose of our information and manage our operations, including financial reporting. Our IT systems are subject to power and telecommunication outages and other system failures and disruptions. Further, despite our security measures, our IT systems may be vulnerable to cybersecurity threats and suffer cybersecurity incidents. The frequency, sophistication and impact of cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, including through the use of AI-enabled tools by threat actors, which may increase the effectiveness of phishing, social engineering, fraud and other attacks. These systems are also supported by subcontractors and third-party providers who may also be subject to power and telecommunication outages or other general system failures and disruptions and cybersecurity threats and cybersecurity incidents. The legal, regulatory and contractual environments surrounding information security, data privacy, and data protection are complex and evolving. We continue to commit significant resources to implementing new systems to standardize our processes worldwide and to develop our capabilities in these areas. We are focused on realizing the full analytical functionality of these conversions, which can be extremely complex, in part, because of the wide range of legacy systems and processes that must be integrated.
In the normal course of business, we may implement new or updated IT systems and, as a result, we may experience delays or disruptions in the integration of these systems, or the related procedures or controls. The policies and security measures established with our IT systems may be vulnerable to cybersecurity incidents such as security breaches and cyberattacks, or cyber-fraud. We may also encounter corruption or loss of data, an inability to accurately process or record transactions, and security or technical reliability issues. All of these could harm our ability to conduct core operating functions such as processing invoices, shipping and receiving, recording and reporting financial and management information on a timely and accurate basis, and could impact our internal control compliance efforts. If the technical solution or end user training are inadequate, it could limit our ability to manufacture and ship products as planned. Moreover, the proper functioning of the internal processes that the IT systems and networks support relies on qualified employees. Competition for qualified employees is intense, global, and has increased across the global economy, and in particular in the United States. If we experience employee turnover, could lead to disruptions in our processes, inadequate end user training or difficulty updating our IT systems and networks.
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We maintain sensitive data on our networks and on the networks of our business partners and third-party providers, including proprietary and confidential information relating to our intellectual property, personnel, and business, and that of our customers and third-party providers. Companies have been increasingly subject to a wide variety of cybersecurity incidents such as cyberattacks, hacking, phishing, malware, ransomware, and other attempts to gain unauthorized access to systems or data, or to engage in fraudulent behavior. Cyberattacks have become more prevalent, sophisticated and much harder to detect and defend against and it is often difficult to anticipate or detect such incidents on a timely basis and to assess the damage caused by them. In addition, our agreements with third-party providers, including but not limited to the liability limitations and insurance provisions contained in such agreements, may be inadequate to cover the liability, if any, associated with any security breaches. Increasing geopolitical tensions or conflicts have also created, and may continue to create, a heightened risk of cyberattacks, and AI and other evolving technologies may also increase the prevalence and impact of cyberattacks. Our policies and security measures cannot guarantee security, and our IT infrastructure, including our networks and systems, may be vulnerable to security breaches and cybersecurity incidents, cyberattacks, or cyber-fraud. In the past, third parties have attempted to penetrate and/or infect our network and systems with malicious software and phishing attacks in an effort to gain access to our network and systems. In addition, we are subject to the risk of third parties falsifying invoices and similar fraud, including by obtaining unauthorized access to our vendors’ and business partners’ networks. 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.
In some circumstances, we may partner with third-party providers and provide them with certain data, including sensitive data, or the ability to access or otherwise process such data. These third parties also face substantial security risks from a variety of sources. There can be no assurance that any security measures that we or our third-party service providers have implemented will be effective against current or future security threats, and we cannot guarantee that our systems and networks or those of our third-party service providers have not been breached or otherwise compromised, or that they and any software in our or their supply chains do not contain bugs, vulnerabilities, or compromised code that could result in a breach of or disruption to our systems and networks or the systems and networks of third parties that support us and our services. If any of our third-party providers fails to adopt or adhere to adequate data security practices, or suffers a security breach or incident, any data, including sensitive data, that we provide them or that they otherwise may access or process for us may be improperly accessed, used, disclosed, modified, lost, destroyed, or rendered unavailable. Any security breaches or incidents that we or our third-party providers may suffer could compromise our intellectual property, expose sensitive business information and otherwise result in unauthorized access to or disclosure, modification, misuse, loss, destruction, or other processing of sensitive information. We may need to expend significant financial and development resources to analyze, correct, eliminate, or work around errors or defects or to eliminate or otherwise address security vulnerabilities, and we and our third-party service providers may face difficulties or delays in identifying or otherwise responding to any potential security breach or incident. Third parties and supply chain participants also may be targeted with AI-enhanced attacks, and vulnerabilities in third-party software, services, or technology supply chains could provide additional avenues for compromise.
Further, the increase in cyberattacks has resulted in an increased focus on cybersecurity by certain government agencies. Any cyberattack or other security breach or cybersecurity incident that we or our third-party providers may suffer, or the perception that any such attack, breach, or incident has occurred, could result in a loss of customer confidence in our security measures, damage to our brand, reputation, and market position, result in unauthorized access to or disclosure, modification, misuse, loss, corruption, unavailability, or destruction of our data or other sensitive data that we or our third-party providers process or maintain, disrupt normal business operations, require us to spend material resources to investigate or correct any breach or incident and to prevent future security breaches and incidents, expose us to legal claims and liabilities, including litigation, regulatory investigations and enforcement actions, and indemnity obligations, and adversely affect our revenues and operating results. Further, any such actual or perceived breach or incident, and any claims, demands, litigation, or investigations or enforcement actions related to cybersecurity could cause us to incur significant remediation costs, result in product development delays, disrupt key business operations, and divert attention of management and key IT resources. In addition, we may incur loss as a result of cyber-fraud, such as those experienced by other companies by making unauthorized payments irrespective of robust internal controls.
Failure or disruptions of our IT systems or difficulties or delays in maintaining, managing, and integrating them could adversely affect our controls and procedures and could impact our ability to perform necessary operations, which could materially adversely affect our business.
The costs of maintaining our cybersecurity risk management program, as well as the costs of mitigating cybersecurity risks, are significant and are likely to increase in the future. These costs include, but are not limited to, maintaining software and services to prevent and detect cybersecurity threats and incidents, retaining the services of cybersecurity providers; compliance costs arising out of existing and future cybersecurity, data protection and privacy laws and regulations; and costs related to maintaining redundant networks, data backups and other damage-mitigation measures. We cannot be certain that our insurance coverage will be adequate for cybersecurity liabilities incurred and, will cover any indemnification claims against us relating to any incident, that insurance will continue to be available to us on economically reasonable terms, or at all, or that any insurer will not deny coverage as to any future claim.
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We regularly test for goodwill and other impairments as required under U.S. GAAP, and we may incur future impairments.
We are required under U.S. GAAP to test goodwill for possible impairment on an annual basis and to test goodwill and long-lived assets, including amortizable intangible assets, for impairment at any other time that circumstances arise indicating the carrying value may not be recoverable. For purposes of testing goodwill for impairment, the Company currently operates as one reporting unit: the core Lattice business, which includes intellectual property and semiconductor devices. There were no impairment charges to goodwill in fiscal years 2025, 2024, or 2023. There were no impairment charges to amortizable intangible assets in fiscal years 2025 or 2023. Impairment charges related to amortizable intangible assets from our acquisition of Mirametrix, Inc. ("Mirametrix") totaled approximately $13.9 million in fiscal year 2024. There is no certainty that future impairment tests will indicate that goodwill or amortizable intangible assets will be deemed recoverable. As we continue to review our business operations and test for impairment or in connection with possible sales of assets, we may have impairment charges in the future, which may be material.
Changes to financial accounting standards may affect our results of operations and could cause us to change our business practices.
We prepare our consolidated financial statements to conform to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. These accounting principles are subject to interpretation by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the SEC and various bodies formed to interpret and create accounting rules and regulations. Changes in these rules have occurred in the past and future changes to these rules, or in the guidance relating to interpretation and adoption of the rules, could have a material effect on our financial results and could affect portions of our business differently. Accounting standards also require us to make estimates and assumptions in connection with the preparation of our financial statements, and any changes to those estimates and assumptions could adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Changes in effective tax rates, tax laws and our global organizational structure and operations could expose us to unanticipated tax consequences.
We are subject to taxation in the United States and other countries. Certain tax positions may remain open to examination for several years. Challenges by tax authorities to our previous tax positions and intercompany transfer pricing arrangements, and continuing assessments of our tax exposures may have an adverse effect on our provision for income taxes and cash tax liability. We have a global tax structure that aligns our corporate structure with our global business operations, and we currently operate legal entities in multiple countries. We may choose to consolidate or integrate certain of these entities, and these integration activities, as well as changes in composition of our earnings in jurisdictions with different tax rates, may impact the taxes we pay or tax provision we record, which could adversely affect our results of operations. Furthermore, various levels of government are focused on tax reform and other legislative actions to increase tax revenue.
We also may be impacted by changes in the tax laws of the United States and foreign jurisdictions. U.S. and foreign tax legislation may be enacted, amended, or repealed from time to time, and such changes may have retroactive or prospective effects and may require significant interpretation or judgment in their application. A number of countries, as well as organizations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”), which represents a coalition of member countries, support the 15% global minimum tax initiative, and have adopted or intend to adopt laws to implement this initiative. On January 5, 2026, the OECD announced a “side-by-side” elective safe harbor that would exempt electing U.S.-parented multinational entities from the fifteen percent global minimum tax for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026. Such countries and organizations are also actively considering changes to existing laws or have proposed or enacted new laws with changes to numerous long-standing tax principles. Such changes, as well as changes in taxing jurisdictions’ administrative interpretations, decisions, policies, and positions, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition. In addition, future effective tax rates could be affected by changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities.
Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, and our foreign currency risk management and hedging activities, could adversely affect our results of operations .
We have significant global operations, including foreign sales and service activities and international operating and research and development sites, and we rely on foreign suppliers and service providers. As a result, financial results may be exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Foreign currency movements may affect, among other things, the U.S. dollar cost of operating expenses and headcount in foreign locations, the pricing and cost of goods and services purchased from non-U.S. suppliers, the competitiveness of our products in certain markets, and the U.S. dollar value of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities. These impacts can be difficult to predict, may occur rapidly, and may adversely affect our gross margin and operating results. We may from time to time enter into foreign currency risk management transactions, including derivative instruments, in an effort to reduce the impact of foreign currency fluctuations on our financial results. However, these activities may not be effective, may be costly to implement and maintain, and may expose us to additional risks, including: (i) hedges that do not offset underlying exposures due to forecasting error, timing mismatches, changes in exposure profile, or market illiquidity; (ii) adverse accounting impacts, including additional earnings volatility due to ineffectiveness or changes in hedge accounting treatment; (iii) counterparty credit risk, settlement risk, collateral or liquidity requirements, and operational risk in executing, monitoring, and governing a hedging program; and (iv) reduced ability to benefit from favorable foreign currency movements. Even if we pursue hedging strategies, foreign currency fluctuations could still have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
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Weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and business processes could adversely affect our business and financial results.
We are required to maintain internal controls over financial reporting. We review these controls regularly and deficiencies may be identified from time t o time. I n the future, we may identify material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting. Any failure to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting could limit our ability to report our financial results accurately and timely, which could adversely affect our business, financial results, and stock price.
We must also maintain high quality business processes, and we also use third-party IT vendors and their business processes. We rely on our and their business processes to, among other things, coordinate with our suppliers, manage our supply chain efficiently, manufacture high quality products and comply with various laws and regulations. Any failure by us, or by our third-party IT vendors, to maintain high quality business processes, or to effectively adjust our or their business processes to changing circumstances and needs, could limit our ability to meet our business’ needs, which could adversely affect our business, financial results, and stock price.
We compete with others to attract and retain key personnel, and any loss of, or inability to attract, such personnel could adversely affect our ability to compete effectively.
We depend on the efforts and abilities of certain key members of management and other technical personnel. Our future success depends, in part, upon our ability to retain such personnel and attract and retain other highly qualified personnel, particularly product engineers who can respond to market demands and required product innovation. Competition for such personnel has been increasing generally throughout the economy, and we may not be successful in hiring or retaining new or existing qualified personnel. In recent years, we have conducted worldwide reductions in force, and we periodically conduct targeted workforce reductions, which could cause disruptions in our operations, negatively affect employee morale, and make us a less attractive employer in the market for new talent. If we lose existing qualified personnel or are unable to hire new qualified personnel, as needed, we could have difficulty competing in our highly competitive and innovative environment.
Further, changes in immigration laws and regulations, or their administration or enforcement, may impair our ability to attract and retain qualified engineering personnel. In the U.S., where a portion of our research and development teams are located, tightening of immigration controls may adversely affect the employment status of non-U.S. engineers and other key technical employees or further impact our ability to hire new non-U.S. employees. Moreover, certain immigration policies in the U.S. may make it more difficult for us to recruit and retain highly skilled foreign national graduates of universities in the U.S., additionally limiting the pool of available talent, including in certain international markets where we operate and where competition for skilled engineering and technical talent is particularly strong, such as parts of Asia.
Our success also depends significantly on the contributions of our senior management team. We have undergone senior management transitions in the past, and may experience such transitions in the future. Effective succession planning is important for our long-term success. Failure to ensure effective transfers of knowledge and smooth transitions involving senior management could hinder our strategic planning and execution. None of our senior management is bound by written employment contracts. The loss of any of our senior management or any inability to find suitable replacements could harm our ability to implement our business strategy and respond to the rapidly changing market conditions in which we operate.
Our insurance may not adequately cover certain risks and, as a result, our financial condition and results may be adversely affected.
We carry insurance customary for companies in our industry, including, but not limited to, liability, property, and casualty; workers' compensation; cyber liability; and business interruption insurance. We also insure our employees for basic medical expenses. In addition, we have insurance contracts that provide director and officer liability coverage for our directors and officers. Other than the specific areas mentioned above, we are self-insured with respect to most other risks and exposures, and the insurance we carry in many cases is subject to a significant policy deductible or other limitation before coverage applies. Based on management's assessment and judgment, we have determined that it is more cost effective to self-insure against certain risks than to incur the insurance premium costs. The risks and exposures for which we self-insure include, but are not limited to, certain natural disasters, certain product defects, certain matters for which we indemnify third parties, political risk, certain theft, patent infringement, and employment practice matters. Should there be a catastrophic loss due to an uninsured event (such as an earthquake) or a loss due to adverse occurrences in any area in which we are self-insured, our financial condition or operating results could be adversely affected.
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We may incur indebtedness which could reduce our strategic flexibility and liquidity and may have other adverse effects on our results of operations.
Our amended and restated credit agreement, dated September 1, 2022 (the “2022 Credit Agreement”) allows us to draw up to $200 million. The level of committed capacity available to us under the revolving credit facility may limit our financial flexibility, including our ability to respond to adverse economic conditions, fund working capital needs, pursue strategic initiatives or acquisitions, or address unforeseen operational or regulatory challenges. While as of January 3, 2026, we had no borrowings outstanding under the 2022 Credit Agreement, the incurrence of indebtedness could impact the Company. Our obligations under the 2022 Credit Agreement are guaranteed by certain of our U.S. subsidiaries meeting materiality thresholds set forth in the 2022 Credit Agreement, and the revolving loans under the 2022 Credit Agreement may be reborrowed and repaid at our discretion, with any remaining outstanding principal amount due and payable on the maturity date of the revolving loan facility on September 1, 2027. Our ability to meet our debt service obligations depends upon our operating and financial performance, which is subject to general economic and competitive conditions and to financial, business and other factors affecting our operations, many of which are beyond our control. If we are unable to service our debt, we may need to sell material assets, restructure or refinance our debt, increase our borrowing capacity, or incur additional indebtedness, or seek additional equity capital. Prevailing economic conditions and global credit markets could adversely impact our ability to sell material assets, restructure or refinance our debt on terms acceptable to us, or at all, or we may not be able to restructure or refinance our debt without incurring significant additional fees and expenses.
The 2022 Credit Agreement contains customary affirmative and negative covenants, including covenants limiting the ability of the Company and our subsidiaries to, among other things, incur debt, grant liens, undergo certain fundamental changes, make investments, make certain restricted payments, dispose of assets, enter into transactions with affiliates, and enter into burdensome agreements, in each case, subject to limitations and exceptions set forth in the 2022 Credit Agreement. We are also required to maintain compliance with a total net leverage ratio and an interest coverage ratio, in each case, determined in accordance with the terms of the 2022 Credit Agreement.
The amount and terms of our indebtedness, as well as our credit rating, could have important consequences, including the following:
we may be more vulnerable to economic downturns, less able to withstand competitive pressures, and less flexible in responding to changing business and economic conditions;
our cash flow from operations may be allocated to the payment of outstanding indebtedness, and not to research and development, operations or business growth;
we might not generate sufficient cash flow from operations or other sources to enable us to meet our payment obligations under the facility and to fund other liquidity needs;
our ability to make distributions to our stockholders in a sale or liquidation may be limited until any balance on the facility is repaid in full; and
our ability to incur additional debt, including for working capital, acquisitions, or other needs, is more limited.
If we breach a loan covenant, the lenders could accelerate the repayment of the facility. We might not have sufficient assets to repay our indebtedness upon acceleration. If we are unable to repay or refinance the indebtedness upon acceleration or at maturity, the lenders could initiate a bankruptcy proceeding against us or collection proceedings with respect to our assets and subsidiaries securing the facility, which could materially decrease the value of our common stock.
Unfavorable or uncertain market conditions and risks relating to the adoption, use or application of emerging technologies, including AI , by our customers and in our business, may impact financial results and could result in reputational and financial harm and liability.
The adoption of AI solutions and other emerging technologies may not develop in the manner or in the time periods we anticipate and as these markets are still developing and continue to evolve, demand for products and solutions related to or that support such technologies may be unpredictable and may vary significantly from one period to another. In addition, market enthusiasm and capital spending for AI-related infrastructure and applications may be cyclical or volatile. If customers or end markets materially reduce, delay or redirect spending (including due to macroeconomic conditions, budget constraints, changes in technology architectures, or a perceived overbuild of AI capacity), demand for our products, including companion products used in AI solutions, could be adversely affected.
These markets may also not develop as anticipated if AI training and inference costs drop materially due to customer adoption of less expensive alternative technologies or approaches, or if customers achieve desired performance using alternative solutions that reduce the need for certain components. Even if these markets evolve in the manner we anticipate, if we do not have timely, competitively priced and market-accepted products available to meet customer needs in these areas, we may miss significant opportunities and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Our efforts to comply with applicable laws and regulations worldwide related to AI, data use, privacy, cybersecurity, product safety and related topics, and unfavorable developments in evolving laws and regulations worldwide relating to these matters, may increase the costs associated with developing, marketing and supporting products and solutions used in AI applications and may limit adoption. For example, various jurisdictions have proposed, and in certain cases enacted, legislation restricting the use of AI or imposing obligations in connection with its use, including by addressing forms of automated decision-making.
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Concerns relating to the responsible use of new and evolving technologies, such as AI, in our and our customers’ products and services may result in reputational and financial harm and liability. We and our customers are increasingly building AI capabilities into many products and services. AI poses emerging ethical issues and presents risks and challenges that could affect its adoption, and therefore our business. These concerns may include alleged bias or inaccuracies, security vulnerabilities, misuse by end users or third parties, or impacts on privacy, intellectual property or other legal rights. In addition, regulatory and investor scrutiny of public statements regarding AI capabilities and plans continues to evolve, and any actual or perceived deficiencies in our AI governance, or any inaccurate or incomplete statements, could result in litigation, regulatory inquiries or enforcement actions, reputational harm and additional compliance costs. If we or our customers enable or offer solutions that draw controversy due to their perceived or actual impact on society, such as AI solutions that have unintended consequences or are controversial, we may experience reputational harm, competitive harm or legal liability.
Additionally, while we restrict the use of third-party and open source AI tools, such as ChatGPT, the internal governance of the adoption of these technologies can be challenging, and our employees and consultants may use these tools on an unauthorized basis and our partners may use these tools, which poses additional risks relating to the protection of data, including the potential exposure of our proprietary confidential information to unauthorized recipients and the misuse of our or third-party intellectual property. Use of AI tools may result in allegations or claims against us related to violation of third-party intellectual property rights, unauthorized access to or use of proprietary information and failure to comply with open source software requirements. AI tools may also produce inaccurate responses that could lead to errors in our decision-making, product development or other business activities, which could have a negative impact on our business, operating results and financial condition. Our ability to mitigate these risks will depend on our continued maintaining, training, monitoring and enforcement of appropriate policies and procedures governing the use of AI tools, and the results of any such use, by us or our partners.
Climate and climate-related policies and regulations may have a long-term impact on our business.
Climate-related risks are inherent wherever our business is conducted. Global climate causes, and is projected to continue to cause, an increase in the frequency and intensity of certain natural disasters and adverse weather, such as power outages and grid instability, drought or other water scarcity, wildfires, storms, sea-level rise, flooding, severe heat, and severe cold, occurring more frequently or with greater intensity. Such extreme events are driving changes in market dynamics, stakeholder expectations, and local, national and international climate policies and regulations, any of which could result in disruptions to us, our suppliers, vendors, customers and logistics hubs, and may impact employees’ abilities to commute or to work from home effectively. These disruptions could make it more difficult and costly for us to deliver our products and services, obtain components or other supplies through our supply chain, maintain, or resume operations or perform other critical corporate functions, and could reduce customer demand for our products and services.
The increasing concern over climate could also result in transition risks such as shifting customer preferences. Changing customer preferences may result in increased expectations regarding our solutions, products, and services, including the use of packaging materials and other components in our products and their environmental impact. These expectations may cause us to incur additional costs or make other changes to our operations to respond to them, which could adversely affect our financial results. If we fail to manage transition risks and customer expectations in an effective manner, customer demand for our solutions, products, and services could diminish, and our profitability could suffer. Concerns over climate, as well as the adoption of new laws or regulations, may also impact market dynamics and may result in shifts in customer expectations, preferences, or requirements, which may require us to change our practices or incur increased costs or adversely impact customer demand for our products and services.
Additionally, concerns over climate have resulted in, and are expected to continue to result in, the adoption of legal and regulatory requirements designed to address climate, as well as legal and regulatory requirements requiring certain climate-related disclosures. Where new laws or regulations are more stringent than current legal or regulatory requirements, we may experience increased compliance burdens and costs to meet such obligations. These laws could cause us to incur additional direct costs for compliance, as well as indirect costs resulting from our customers, suppliers or both incurring additional compliance costs that are passed on to us. These legal and regulatory requirements, as well as investor expectations, on corporate environmental and social responsibility practices and disclosure, are subject to change, can be unpredictable, and may be difficult and expensive for us to comply with, given the complexity of our supply chain and our significant outsourced manufacturing. If we are unable to comply, or are unable to cause our suppliers or subcontractors to comply, with such policies or provisions or meet the requirements of our customers and investors, customers may stop purchasing products form us or an investor may sell their shares, and may take legal action against us, which could harm our reputation, revenue, and results of operations.
Climate dynamics also may reduce the availability or increase the cost of insurance for these negative impacts of natural disasters by contributing to an increase in the incidence and severity of such natural disasters. Ultimately, the impacts of climate, whether involving physical risks (such as disruptions resulting from climate-related events or rising sea levels) or transition risks (such as regulatory changes, changes in market dynamics or increased operating costs, including the cost of insurance) are expected to be widespread and unpredictable and may materially adversely affect our business and financial results.
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Factors Related to Our Markets and Product Development
The semiconductor industry routinely experiences cyclical market patterns and our products are used across different end markets. A significant downturn in the industry or in any of these end markets could cause a meaningful reduction in demand for our products and adversely affect our operating results.
The semiconductor industry is highly cyclical and subject to downturns, such as we have seen recently, and our revenue and gross margin can fluctuate significantly due to such downturns. These downturns can be severe and prolonged and can result in price erosion and weak demand for our products. Weak demand for our products resulting from general economic conditions affecting the end markets we serve, or the semiconductor industry specifically, and reduced spending by our customers can result, and in the past has resulted, in diminished product demand, high inventory levels, erosion of average selling prices, excess and obsolete inventories and corresponding inventory write-downs. Our expense levels are based, in part, on our expectations of future sales. Many of our expenses, particularly those relating to facilities, capital equipment, and other overhead, are relatively fixed. We might be unable to reduce spending quickly enough to compensate for reductions in sales. Accordingly, shortfalls in sales could adversely affect our operating results. Furthermore, any significant upturn in the semiconductor industry could result in increased competition for access to raw materials and third-party service providers.
In addition to cyclical downturn risk, the semiconductor industry can also experience rapid and unpredictable upturns. If demand rebounds faster than our ability to secure manufacturing capacity, components, materials, or qualified personnel, or to scale our operations efficiently, we may face supply constraints, higher costs, lost revenue opportunities, competitive disadvantage, or an inability to meet customer requirements or delivery schedules.
Additionally, our products are used across different end markets, and demand for our products is difficult to predict and may vary within or among our Industrial and Automotive, Communications and Computing, and Consumer end markets. Our target markets may not grow or develop as we currently expect, and demand may increase or change in one or more of our end markets, and changes in demand may reduce our revenue, lower our gross margin and affect our operating results. We have experienced concentrations of revenue at certain customers and within certain end markets, and we regularly compete for design opportunities at these customers and within these markets. Any deterioration in these end markets, reductions in the magnitude of revenue streams, our inability to meet design and pricing requirements, or volatility in demand for our products could lead to a reduction in our revenue and adversely affect our operating results. Our success in our end markets depends on many factors, including the strength or financial performance of the customers in our end markets, our ability to timely meet rapidly changing product requirements, market needs, and our ability to maintain design wins across different markets and customers to dampen the effects of market volatility. The dynamics of the markets in which we operate make prediction of and timely reaction to such events difficult.
In addition, expectations and front-loaded investment related to AI may increase the magnitude and volatility of semiconductor industry cycles, making downturns more abrupt or recoveries more uneven. Recent industry investment and customer spending patterns have been influenced by heightened interest in AI and AI-related applications. To the extent that current levels of investment in AI-related infrastructure, products, or end-market demand reflect expectations that are not ultimately realized, or if customer spending related to AI moderates, is delayed, or declines more rapidly than anticipated, the semiconductor industry could experience an accelerated or more pronounced downturn.
Due to these and other factors, our past results may not be reliable predictors of our future results. If we are unable to accomplish any of the foregoing, or to offset the volatility of cyclical changes in the semiconductor industry or our end markets through diversification into other markets, these factors could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Our success and future revenue depend on our ability to develop and introduce new products that achieve customer and market acceptance.
We compete in a dynamic environment characterized by rapid technology and product evolution, generally followed by a relatively longer process of ramping up to volume production on advanced technologies. Our end customers’ continued use of our products is frequently reevaluated, as certain of our customers' product life cycles are relatively short and they continually develop new products. The selection process for our products to be included in our customers' new products is highly competitive. There are no guarantees that our products will be included in the next generation of products introduced by these customers. Additionally, our markets are also characterized by evolving industry standards and increased demand for more features and performance, which requires higher levels of integration and more advanced process technology. Our competitive position and success depend on our ability to innovate, develop, and introduce new products that compete effectively on the basis of price, density, functionality, power consumption, form factor, and performance, and our ability to address the evolving needs of the markets we serve, among other things. With increased introduction of new products, we expect revenue related to mature products to decline over time in a normal product life cycle. As a result, we may be increasingly dependent on revenue derived from our newer products.
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Our future growth and the success of new product introductions depend upon numerous factors, including:
timely completion and introduction of new product designs;
ability to generate new design opportunities and design wins, including those which result in sales of significant volume;
achievement of necessary volume of production to achieve acceptable cost;
availability of specialized field application engineering resources supporting demand creation and customer adoption of new products;
ability to utilize advanced manufacturing process technologies;
achieving acceptable yields and obtaining adequate production capacity from our wafer foundries and assembly and test subcontractors;
the avoidance or management of significant quality or reliability issues;
ability to obtain advanced packaging;
availability of supporting software design tools;
utilization of predefined IP logic;
customer acceptance of advanced features in our new products; and
market acceptance of our customers' products.
The failure of any of these factors, among others, could adversely affect our product innovation, development and introduction efforts and our financial condition and results of operations.
We compete against companies that have significantly greater resources than us and numerous other product solutions.
The semiconductor industry is highly competitive and many of our direct and indirect competitors have substantially greater financial, technological, manufacturing, marketing, and sales resources than us. While consolidation has occurred and may continue to occur in our industry, resulting in some competitors having greater scale, resources, or synergies, the industry has also experienced, and may continue to experience, restructurings, divestitures, or spin-offs of business units into independent companies. Such transactions may result in competitors that are more focused on particular markets or product lines, have increased strategic flexibility, or are more willing to invest aggressively or compete on pricing, which could intensify competition in certain segments. Whether through consolidation or deconsolidation, these industry dynamics could place us at a competitive disadvantage, including the ability to attract qualified employee or incorporate higher costs into product and service prices. We also expect to face additional competition from new entrants in our markets, which may include both large domestic and international semiconductor manufacturers, as well as smaller, emerging companies. We currently compete directly with companies that have licensed our technology or have developed similar products, as well as numerous semiconductor companies that offer products based on alternative solutions, such as applications processor, application specific standard product, microcontroller, analog, and digital signal processing technologies. Competition from these semiconductor companies may intensify as we offer more products in any of our end markets. These competitors include established, multinational semiconductor companies, as well as emerging companies. Additionally, our competitors may operate under more favorable regulatory environments or benefit from economic polices (such as subsidies or other protectionism) that provide them with additional competitive advantages.
We depend on independent contractors and third parties to provide key services in our product development and operations, and any disruption of their services, or an increase in cost of these services, could negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations.
We depend on subcontractors to provide cost effective and efficient services in our product development and supply chain functions, including test and assembly services, software and hardware development, support of intellectual property cores, inventory management, lead time management, technical support, and order fulfillment.
Our operations and operating results may be adversely affected if we experience problems with our subcontractors that impact the delivery of product to our customers. These problems may include: schedule delays or defects in software or hardware development deliverables; prolonged inability to obtain wafers or packaging materials with competitive performance and cost attributes; inability to achieve adequate yields or timely delivery; inability to meet customer timelines or demands; disruption or defects in assembly, test, or shipping services; or delays in stabilizing manufacturing processes or ramping up volume for new products. If our third-party supply chain providers were to reduce or discontinue services for us or their operations are disrupted as a result of a fire, earthquake, act of terrorism, political unrest, governmental uncertainty, war, disease, or other natural disaster or catastrophic event, weak economic conditions, inflation, recession, labor market disruptions, or any other reason, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
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Factors Related to Our Sales and Revenue
Our r evenues depend on a highly concentrated distribution model to sell to our end customers. An adverse change in the se relationships with, or performance of, our distributors, or any reduction in the use of our products by our end customers, could harm our sales and significantly decrease our revenue.
We depend on a highly concentrated distribution model to sell our products to end customers, complete order fulfillment, maintain sufficient inventory of our products and provide services to our end customers. In fiscal 2025, revenue attributable to sales to distributors accounted for 84% of our total revenue, and two distributors accounted for approximately 69% of total revenue. As a result, our business is particularly dependent on the continued performance, financial condition, operational capabilities, and strategic priorities of a limited number of distributors. We have significant outstanding receivables with our top distributors, and expect our distribution model to generate a significant portion of our revenue in the future. Any adverse change to our relationships or agreements with our distributors, a failure by one or more of our distributors to perform its obligations to us, a reduction in a distributor's business volume with us, any reduction in pricing on products sold to any key customer or distributor, or consolidation in the distribution industry, could have a material impact on our business, including a reduction in our access to certain end customers, our ability to sell our products, or our financial results.
If our relationships with any material customers were to diminish, if these customers were to develop their own solutions or adopt alternative solutions or competitors' solutions, if any one or more of our material customers were to experience significantly adverse financial conditions, including as a result of inflation, economic slowdown or recession, or labor market disruptions, or if as a result of trade disputes or sanctions these customers were restricted from purchasing our products, our results could be adversely affected.
In addition, the inability of customers to obtain credit, the insolvency of one or more customers, or tariffs applicable to our customers’ products, could impact our sales. Any of these effects could impact our ability to effectively manage inventory levels and collect receivables, require additional restructuring actions, and decrease our revenue and profitability.
The nature of our business and length of our sales cycle makes our revenue, gross margin, net income, and inventory subject to fluctuation and difficult to accurately predict.
A number of factors, including how products are manufactured to support end markets, yield, wafer pricing, cost of packaging raw materials, product mix, market acceptance of our new products, competitive pricing dynamics, product quality, geographic and/or end market mix, and pricing strategies, can cause our revenue, gross margins, net income, and inventory to fluctuate significantly either positively or negatively from period to period.
We have limited visibility into the demand for our products, particularly new products, because demand for our products depends upon our products being designed into our end customers' products and those products achieving market acceptance. During our sales cycle, our customers typically test and evaluate our products prior to deciding to include our products into the design of their own products, and then require additional time to begin volume production of their products. This lengthy sales cycle may cause us to incur significant expenses, which could be exacerbated by rising inflation, significant production delays, or additional inventory costs before we receive a customer order that may be delayed or never get placed. A key strategic customer may demand certain design or production resources to meet their requirements or work on a specific solution, which could cause delays in our normal development schedule and result in significant investment of our resources or missed opportunities with other potential customers. We may incur these expenses without generating revenue from our products to offset the expenses.
While our sales cycles are typically long, our average product life cycles can be short as a result of the rapidly changing technology environment in which we operate. From time to time, our inventory levels may be higher than historical norms due to inventory build decisions aimed at meeting expected demand, ramping for new products, reducing direct material cost, or enabling responsiveness to expected demand. In the event the expected demand does not materialize, or if our short sales cycle does not generate sufficient revenue, we may be subject to incremental excess and obsolescence costs.
These factors make it difficult for us to accurately forecast future sales and project quarterly revenues. The difficulty in forecasting future sales weakens our ability to project our inventory requirements, which could result, and in the past has resulted, in inventory write-downs or failure to meet customer product demands in a timely manner. While we may issue guidance, difficulty in forecasting financial performance, relative customer and product mix, and the unpredictability of unknown variables and their impact on our financial performance may impair the accuracy of our forward-looking financial measures.
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Accounting requirements related to sales through our distribution channel could result in our reporting revenue in excess of demand.
Revenue recognition standards require recognition of revenue based on estimates and may require us to record revenue from distributors that is in excess of actual end customer demand. Because we have limited ability to forecast inventory levels of our end customers, we depend on the timeliness and accuracy of resale reports from our distributors. Late or inaccurate resale reports could reduce the quality or timeliness of information available to us for forecasting channel inventory and end-customer demand, mask significant build-up of inventories in our distribution channel, and impact our ability to accurately forecast future sales. An inventory build-up in our distribution channel could result in a slowdown in orders, requests for returns from customers, or requests to move out planned shipments. If actual end-customer demand or distributor inventory levels differ from our estimates, future recorded revenue and operating results could be adversely impacted and we may be required to adjust shipment volumes, pricing, or channel terms in subsequent periods. Any failure to manage these challenges could disrupt or reduce sales of our products and adversely affect our financial results.
General Risk Factors
We a re subject to the effects of inflationary pressures, interest rate fluctuations, and recessionary or economic slowdown risks .
Global economic conditions have recently experienced historically high levels of inflation, and there is ongoing concern about the potential for recession and/or economic slowdown. While inflation has moderated in certain regions and categories, cost pressures remain uneven and persistent, particularly for labor, energy, transportation, and certain materials and services. Recent inflation caused by global supply chain disruptions, strong economic recovery and associated widespread demand for goods, and government stimulus packages, among other factors, continues to impact our business. For instance, global supply chain disruptions have resulted in shortages in materials and services. Such shortages have resulted in inflationary cost increases for labor, materials, and services across the economy, and could continue to cause costs to increase as well as scarcity of certain products. In addition, the cumulative effects of prior inflation and related monetary policy responses, including higher interest rates and tighter credit conditions, continue to affect global economic conditions and customer spending behavior. To the extent inflation, or government responses to inflation, results in rising interest rates and has other adverse effects on the market, including the possibility of recession, it may adversely affect our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.
Business disruptions could seriously harm our future revenue, cash flows, and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.
Our worldwide operations and supply chain could be disrupted by natural or human-induced disasters including, but not limited to, earthquakes, tsunamis, or floods; hurricanes, cyclones, or typhoons; fires, or other extreme weather conditions; power or water shortages; telecommunications failures; materials scarcity and price volatility; manufacturing equipment failures; IT system failures; cybersecurity attacks; data breaches; medical epidemics or pandemics; terrorist acts, civil unrest, military actions, conflicts, or wars; or other natural or man-made disasters or catastrophic events.
The occurrence of any of these business disruptions could adversely affect our competitive position and result in significant losses, decrease demand for our products, seriously harm our revenue, profitability and financial condition, increase our costs and expenses, make it difficult or impossible to provide services or deliver products to our customers or to receive components from our suppliers, create delays and inefficiencies in our supply chain, result in the need to impose employee travel restrictions, and require substantial expenditures and recovery time in order to fully resume operations. The impacts and frequency of any of the above could furthermore be exacerbated by climate dynamics, particularly in countries where we, or our suppliers or customers, operate that have limited infrastructure and disaster recovery resources.
Our operations and those of our significant suppliers and distributors could be adversely affected if manufacturing, logistics, or other operations in key locations, including logistics hubs in Asia, are disrupted for any reason, such as those described above or other economic, business, labor, environmental, public health, regulatory or political reasons. In addition, even if our operations are unaffected or recover quickly, if our customers cannot timely resume their own operations due to a catastrophic event, they may reduce or cancel their orders, or these events could otherwise result in a decrease in demand for our products.
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The trading price of our common stock has been and may continue to be subject to volatility in response to a variety of factors.
Our common stock has experienced particularly substantial price volatility in the past, including price movements that have been more pronounced than those of the broader market, and may continue to do so in the future. Additionally, the technology industry and the stock market as a whole has experienced extreme volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of particular companies. The trading price of our common stock has and may continue to fluctuate widely and rapidly due to various factors, including, but not limited to, actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and operating results; changes in financial estimates by us or financial or other market estimates and ratings by securities and other analysts; our ability to develop new products, enter new market segments, gain market share, manage cybersecurity and litigation risk, diversify our customer base, and successfully secure manufacturing capacity; news regarding our products or products of our competitors; any mergers, acquisitions or divestitures of assets undertaken by us; inflationary conditions, interest rate changes, and recessionary concerns; regulatory changes to international trade policies, economic sanctions, or export controls, such as new licensing requirements for exporting certain chip-related technology to China; terrorist acts or acts of war, including the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia; epidemics and pandemics; trading activity in our common stock, including stock repurchases, actions by institutional or other large stockholders, or our inclusion in market indices; or general economic, industry, and market conditions worldwide. In addition, investor expectations regarding emerging technology trends, including AI, anticipated changes in industry cycles, or potential strategic transactions, whether or not ultimately realized, may contribute to heightened volatility in our stock price.
The volatility of our stock may cause the value of a stockholder’s investment to change rapidly. Investors in our common stock may not realize any return on their investment in us and may lose some or all of their investment. Additionally, if our stock price declines, it may be more difficult for us to raise capital and may have other adverse effects on our business. Stock price fluctuations could impact the value of our equity compensation, which could affect our ability to recruit and retain employees. Volatility in the trading price of our common stock could also result in the filing of securities class action litigation matters, which could result in substantial costs and the diversion of management time and resources. For these reasons, investors should not rely on recent or historical trends to predict future trading prices of our common stock, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
Acquisitions, divestitures, strategic investments and strategic partnerships could disrupt our business and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
We actively evaluate and may continue to pursue growth opportunities by acquiring complementary businesses, solutions or technologies through strategic transactions, investments or partnerships. The identification, evaluation, negotiation, and pursuit of such transactions, strategic investments or strategic partnership candidates requires significant management time and attention and involves substantial costs, including fees paid to financial advisors, consultants, legal counsel, and other third parties, regardless of whether any transaction is ultimately consummated. If such strategic transactions require us to seek additional debt or equity financing, we may not be able to obtain such financing on terms favorable to us or at all, and such transaction may adversely affect our liquidity, capital structure, and overall financial flexibility. We may also choose to divest certain non-core assets, which divestitures could lead to charges against earnings and may expose us to additional liabilities and risks. Any strategic transaction might not strengthen our competitive position, may increase some of our risks, and may be viewed negatively by our customers, partners or investors. Even if we successfully complete a strategic transaction, we may not be able to effectively integrate the acquired business, technology, systems, control environment, solutions, personnel or operations into our business or global tax structure. We may experience unexpected changes in how we are required to account for strategic transactions pursuant to U.S. GAAP and may not achieve the anticipated benefits of any strategic transaction. We may incur unexpected costs, obligations, claims or liabilities that we incur during the strategic transaction or that we assume from the acquired company, or we may discover adverse conditions post acquisition for which we have limited or no recourse, including but not limited to those related to intellectual property, litigation, regulatory compliance, taxes, indemnification obligations, or accounting treatment, each of which may require us to make significant judgments and estimates under U.S. GAAP that could affect our reported financial results. In addition, we may be required to incur restructuring charges, impairment charges, or other costs in connection with any transaction. We may also be subject to increased scrutiny by regulators, customers, partners, and investors in connection with strategic transactions, and any perceived failure to execute effectively could adversely affect our reputation and market position. We may also be a target for unsolicited acquisition or business combination offers. Appropriately reviewing and responding to any such offer can be costly and complex, and diverts the efforts and attention of management.
Litigation and unfavorable results of legal proceedings could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
From time to time, we are subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise out of the ordinary conduct of our business. Certain claims may not yet be resolved, including but not limited to any that are discussed under Note 14 - Contingencies to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this report, and additional claims may arise in the future. Results of legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty. Regardless of merit or outcome, claims or litigation may be both time-consuming and disruptive to our operations and cause significant expense and diversion of management attention and we may enter into material settlements to avoid these risks. Should we fail to prevail in certain matters or enter into a material settlement, we may be faced with significant monetary damages or injunctive relief against us that could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results and certain portions of our business, and any insurance coverage we maintain may be insufficient to cover all costs, damages, or liabilities associated with such matters.
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Pandemics or other widespread public health problems could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition in a material way.
Pandemics, epidemics or other widespread public health problems could negatively impact our business. Outbreaks have resulted, and could again result, in significant government measures to control the spread of disease, including, among others, restrictions on travel, manufacturing, and the movement of employees. Jurisdictions in which we operate have had varying responses to pandemic and other widespread public health problems and the impact of such responses is difficult to anticipate. If, for example, pandemics were to occur in ways that significantly disrupt the manufacture, shipment, and buying patterns of our products or the products of our customers, this may materially negatively impact our operating results, including revenue, gross margins, operating margins, cash flows and other operating results, and our overall business. Disruptions to manufacturing and shipping could also constrain our supplies, leading to operational delays, disruptions and inflationary pressures. Our customers may also experience closures of their manufacturing facilities or inability to obtain other components, either of which could negatively impact demand for our solutions.
The ultimate impact of a pandemic on our operations and financial performance depends on many factors that are not within our control, including, but not limited, to: governmental, business, and individuals’ responses; general economic uncertainty in key global markets; volatility in financial markets, labor markets, and supply chains; global economic conditions and levels of economic growth; and the pace of recovery when the pandemic subsides. Pandemics may negatively impact the overall economy and, as a result of the foregoing, could negatively impact our operating results and may do so in a material way. In particular, pandemics or other widespread public health problems may increase or change the severity of our other risks reported in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
