Risk Factors Summary
Below is a summary of the principal factors that make an investment in our securities speculative or risky. This summary does not address all of the risks that we face. Additional discussion of the risks summarized in this “Risk Factors Summary” section, and other risks that we face, can be found below and should be carefully considered, together with other information included in this Annual Report.
Economic uncertainty and capital markets disruption, which has been significantly impacted by geopolitical instability, could harm our financial condition and results of operations.
Volatile or recessionary conditions in the United States or abroad could adversely affect our business and/or our access to capital markets in a material manner.
Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, such as actual events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults, or non-performance by financial institutions or transactional counterparties, could adversely affect our current and projected business operations and our financial condition and results of operations.
We may be adversely affected by the effects of inflation.
The market for our products is developing and may not develop as we expect.
Our operating results may fluctuate significantly, which makes our future operating results difficult to predict and could cause our operating results to fall below expectations or our guidance.
Our products are subject to competition, including competition from the customers to whom we sell and from new entrants, and the introduction of other distribution models in our markets may harm our competitive position.
Cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents, as well as other significant disruptions of our information technology networks and related systems and resources, could adversely affect our business, disrupt operations and expose us to significant liabilities.
Changes in U.S. government priorities and/or delays or reductions in defense spending could negatively impact our financial position, results of operations, liquidity and overall business.
Changing procurement policies could adversely affect our business and financial results.
If we are unable to manage our growth and expand our operations successfully, our business and operating results will be harmed, and our reputation may be damaged.
A limited number of customers represents a significant portion of our sales, and the loss of any key customers could cause our sales to decrease significantly.
We rely on a limited number of parts suppliers to support our manufacturing and design processes.
Supply chain disruptions, including those which may impact our ability to obtain critical parts at reasonable prices, could adversely affect our business, disrupt operations, and impact our profitability.
Our future success depends on our ability to develop and successfully introduce new and enhanced products that meet the needs of our customers, as well as our ability to maintain our production schedule.
Unsuccessful government programs or OEM contracts could lead to reduced revenues.
Our inventory may rapidly become obsolete.
We offer an extended product warranty to cover defective products at no cost to the customer. If our products contain significant defects, we could incur significant expenses to remediate such defects, our reputation could be damaged, and we could lose market share.
If we fail to achieve design wins for our products, our business will be harmed.
Business disruptions could harm our business, lead to a decline in revenues and increase our costs.
If we cannot retain, attract, and motivate key personnel, we may be unable to effectively implement our business plan.
Any future acquisitions could require significant management attention, disrupt our business, result in dilution to our stockholders, deplete our cash reserves, and adversely affect our financial results.
The continuing commoditization of HPC hardware and software has resulted in increased pricing pressure.
If we are unable to protect our proprietary design and intellectual property rights and/or the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our competitive position could be harmed, or we could be required to incur significant expenses to enforce our rights.
Many of our proprietary designs are in digital form and the breach of our computer systems could result in these designs being stolen.
Our proprietary designs are susceptible to reverse engineering by our competitors.
Claims by others that we, our channel partners or our end-customers infringe their intellectual property or trade secret rights could harm our business, including as a result of our contractual indemnification obligations to certain channel partners and end customers.
Privacy concerns relating to our products and services could damage our reputation, deter current and potential users from using our products and services, result in liability, or result in legal or regulatory proceedings.
Our international operations subject us to a variety of risks and challenges.
New regulations or standards or changes in existing regulations or standards, in the United States or internationally related to our suppliers’ products may result in unanticipated costs or liabilities, and could place additional burdens on the operations of our business.
We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws.
The price of our common stock may be volatile, and the price could decline if securities or industry analysts issue an adverse opinion regarding our stock or do not publish research or reports about our company or if there are substantial future sales of shares of our common stock, amongst other things.
Our directors and principal stockholders own a significant percentage of our stock and will be able to exert significant control over matters subject to stockholder approval.
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of the Company, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.
Our inability to raise additional capital on acceptable terms in the future may limit our ability to develop and commercialize new solutions and technologies and expand our operations. We have never paid, and do not expect to pay, any cash dividends to holders of our common stock for the foreseeable future.
We are a “smaller reporting company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
Business disruptions could harm our business, lead to a decline in revenues, and increase our costs.
Our worldwide operations could be disrupted by earthquakes, telecommunications failures, power or water shortages, outages at cloud service providers, tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, cyber-attacks, terrorist attacks, war or military conflicts (such as the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the more recent conflicts in the Middle East), medical epidemics or pandemics and other natural or man-made disasters, catastrophic events or climate change. The occurrence of any of these disruptions could harm our business and result in significant losses, a decline in revenue and an increase in our costs and expenses. Any of these business disruptions could require substantial expenditure and recovery time in order to fully resume operations.
Our corporate headquarters, and a portion of our research and development activities, are located in California, and and some of our suppliers are located in Europe and Asia, near major earthquake faults known for seismic activity. The manufacture of product components, the final assembly of our products and other critical operations are concentrated in certain geographic locations, including California. Geopolitical change or changes in government regulations and policies in the United States or abroad may result in changing regulatory requirements, economic sanctions (such as those recently imposed by the United States and other countries on Russia), trade policies, import duties (such as recent tariffs applied on many imports) and economic disruptions that could impact our operating strategies, product demand, access to global markets, hiring, and profitability. In particular, revisions to laws or regulations or their interpretation and enforcement could result in increased taxation, trade sanctions, the imposition of additional import duties or tariffs, restrictions and controls on imports or exports, or other retaliatory actions, which could have an adverse effect on our business plans.
For example, regulations to implement the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 could have an adverse effect on our business plans. Additionally, tariffs and the threat of tariffs, including both United States sanctioned tariffs and the potential for retaliatory tariffs, have contributed to uncertainty and supply chain disruptions that could impact our operations. We conduct final assembly and test of products at our facility in California. However, we source components and subassemblies from both within and outside of the United States. While we attempt to pass on the cost of tariffs to our customers, our ability to do so is dependent upon many factors, including the predictability of tariff rates and market conditions for the Company's products. Potential changes in trade policy and tariff rates could result in increased costs, decreased revenue, or other negative effects to our financial condition.
Catastrophic events can also have an impact on third-party vendors who provide us with critical infrastructure services for IT and research and development systems and personnel. In addition, geopolitical and domestic political developments, such as existing and potential trade wars, political or social unrest, military conflicts, elections and post-election developments, and other events beyond our control, can increase levels of political and economic unpredictability globally and increase the volatility of global financial markets. Political instability or adverse political developments in or around any of the major countries in which we do business could also harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The ultimate impact on us, our third-party vendors and other suppliers and our general infrastructure of being located near major earthquake faults and being consolidated in certain geographical areas is unknown. In the event a major earthquake or other disaster or catastrophic event affects us or the third-party systems on which we rely, our business could be harmed as a result of declines in revenue, increases in expenses, substantial expenditures and time spent to fully resume operations. All of these risks and conditions could materially adversely affect our future sales and operating results.
We are currently operating in a period of economic uncertainty and geopolitical instability. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any negative impact on the global economy and capital markets resulting from military conflicts or any other geopolitical tensions.
U.S. and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the escalation of geopolitical tensions in multiple regions of the world. Recently, international relations between the U.S. and Russia, certain Middle Eastern nations as well as certain other countries, has been strained, and they may continue to deteriorate further. Although the length and impact of the ongoing military conflicts are highly unpredictable, the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions. We are continuing to monitor the situation in Ukraine, the Middle East, and globally, and assessing its potential impact on our business.
Although our business has not been materially impacted by the ongoing military conflict between Russian and Ukraine, Israel and Hamas or other geopolitical instability to date, it is impossible to predict the extent to which our operations, or those of our suppliers and manufacturers, will be impacted in the short and long term, or the ways in which these conflicts may impact our business. The extent and duration of military actions, sanctions, and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial. Any such disruptions may also magnify the impact of other risks described in this Annual Report.
Volatile or recessionary conditions in the United States or abroad could adversely affect our business or our access to capital markets in a material manner.
Worsening economic and market conditions, downside shocks, or a return to recessionary economic conditions could severely reduce demand for our products and adversely affect our operating results. These economic conditions may also impact the financial condition of one or more of our key suppliers, which could affect our ability to secure product to meet our customers’ demand. Our results of operations and the implementation of our business strategy could be adversely affected by general conditions in the global economy. An economic downturn may cause uncertainty in the capital and credit markets and could have a material adverse effect on us. We could also be adversely affected by such factors as changes in foreign currency rates, weak economies, and political conditions in each of the countries in which we sell our products.
Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, such as actual events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults, or non-performance by financial institutions or transactional counterparties, could adversely affect our current and projected business operations and our financial condition and results of operations.
Actual events involving reduced or limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems. For example, in March 2023, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank were closed and taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") as receiver. Although we did not have any cash or cash equivalent balances on deposit with Silicon Valley Bank or Signature Bank, similar events in the future could negatively affect investor confidence, the availability of credit, and overall market liquidity. Disruptions in the financial markets could result in higher interest rates, more restrictive lending terms, tighter financial covenants, or reduced access to capital. If we are unable to obtain financing on acceptable terms, or if access to our cash or liquidity resources is restricted, our ability to fund operations, meet financial obligations, or execute our business strategy could be adversely affected. Any of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, business operations, financial condition, and results of operations.
We may be adversely affected by the effects of inflation.
Inflation has the potential to adversely affect our liquidity, business, financial condition, and results of operations by increasing our overall cost structure, particularly if we are unable to achieve commensurate increases in the prices we charge our customers. Additionally, higher tariffs and the potential for higher tariffs may impact our product pricing or the cost of inputs to our production. The existence of inflation in the domestic and global economies may result in higher interest rates and capital costs, shipping costs, supply shortages, increased costs of labor, weakening exchange rates and other similar effects. As a result of inflation, we have experienced and may continue to experience, cost increases. If inflation increases for a prolonged period of time, or the rate of inflation in our markets were to increase, or if a global recession were to occur, our expenses could increase substantially. Although we may take measures to mitigate the impact of this inflation, if these measures are not effective, our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity could be materially adversely affected. Even if such measures are effective, there could be a difference between the timing of when these beneficial actions impact our results of operations and when the cost inflation is incurred.
The market for our products is developing and may not develop as we expect.
The market for cutting-edge, high-performance computing products is characterized by rapid advances in technologies. We believe our future success will depend in large part on our ability to develop products, new business initiatives and create innovative and custom designs for our customers. The growth of server clusters, specialized or high-performance applications, and hosted software solutions which require fast and efficient data processing, is crucial to our success. It is difficult to predict the development of the demand for high-performance computing, supercomputers, and related hardware solutions, the size and growth rate for this market, the entry of competitive
products, or the success of existing competitive products. Any expansion in our market depends on several factors, including the demand, cost, performance, and perceived value associated with our products. If our products are not adopted or there is a reduction in demand for our products caused by a lack of customer acceptance, a slowdown in demand for computational power, an overabundance of unused computational power, technological challenges, competing technologies and products, decreases in corporate spending, weakening economic conditions, or otherwise, it could result in reduced customer orders, early order cancellations, the loss of customers, or decreased sales, any of which would adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.
Governmental policies and regulations may also impact the development of the market for our products. For example, regulations around the use of AI may negatively impact certain of our customers and may affect the adoption of AI in certain of our target markets. The European Union Parliament adopted the EU AI Act, which introduces regulations and restrictions around the use of AI technologies. Additionally, Colorado has passed a bill introducing certain regulations around the use of AI. These and other regulatory or legislative actions related to the development and deployment of AI technologies could impact our business and our growth prospects.
Our operating results may fluctuate significantly, which makes our future operating results difficult to predict and could cause our operating results to fall below expectations or our guidance.
Our quarterly and annual operating results have fluctuated in the past and may fluctuate significantly in the future, which makes it difficult for us to predict our future operating results. The timing and size of sales of our products are variable and difficult to predict and can result in fluctuations in our net sales from period to period. This has been particularly challenging for us in connection with our recent transition to focus more heavily on the military and defense markets, as the sales cycles in this space tend to be longer and subject to additional variables that are outside of our control. In addition, our budgeted expense levels depend in part on our expectation of future sales. Any substantial adjustment to expenses to account for lower levels of sales is difficult and takes time, thus we may not be able to reduce our costs sufficiently to compensate for a shortfall in net sales, and even a small shortfall in net sales could disproportionately and adversely affect our operating margin and operating results for a given quarter.
Our operating results may also fluctuate due to a variety of other factors, many of which are outside of our control, including the changing and volatile local, national, and international economic environments, any of which may cause our stock price to fluctuate. Besides the other risks in this “Risk Factors” section, factors that may affect our operations include, without limitation:
Fluctuations in demand for our products and services;
The inherent complexity, length, and associated unpredictability of product development windows and product lifecycles;
Changes in customers’ budgets for technology purchases and delays in their purchasing cycles;
Changing market conditions;
Any significant changes in the competitive dynamics of our markets, including new entrants, or further consolidation;
Our ability to continue to broaden our customer base beyond our traditional customers;
The timing of product releases or upgrades by us or our competitors; and
Our ability to develop, introduce, and ship in a timely manner new products and product enhancements and anticipate future market demands that meet our customers’ requirements.
Each of these factors individually, or the cumulative effect of two or more of these factors, could result in large fluctuations in our quarterly and annual operating results. As a result, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. You should not rely on our past results as an indication of future performance.
Our products are subject to competition, including competition from the customers to whom we sell.
Servers, computer accelerators, flash storage arrays, PCIe expansion products, and other products that we design, manufacture, and sell or license are subject to competition. The computer hardware and technology fields are well established with limited, and in many cases no, intellectual property and technological barriers to entry. The markets in which we operate are competitive and we expect competition to increase in the future from established competitors and
new market entrants. The markets are influenced by, among others, brand awareness and reputation, price, strength and scale of sales and marketing efforts, professional services and customer support, product features, reliability and performance, scalability of products, and breadth of product offerings. Due to the nature of our products, competition occurs at the design, performance, and sales stages. A design or sales win by us does not limit further competition and our customers may purchase competitive products from third parties at any time. This competition could result in increased pricing pressure, reduced profit margins, increased sales and marketing expenses and failure to increase, or loss of, market share, any of which would likely seriously harm our business, operating results, or financial condition. From a cost and control perspective, our products are specialized and thus generally cost more than our competitors’ products. If our ability to design specialized solutions is deemed to be on par or of lesser value than competing solutions, we could lose our customers and prospects.
Many of our customers and competitors, often with substantially more resources or larger economies of scale, produce products that are competitive with our products. Many of these third parties mass-produce hardware solutions and have not heavily invested in or allocated resources to the smaller scale specialized products and solutions we design. A decrease in the cost of general mass-produced hardware solutions, which can serve as a substitute for our products, or the entrance or additional allocation of resources by one of these customers or competitors into the production of specialized systems which compete with our products could create increased pricing pressure, reduced profit margins, increased sales and marketing expenses, or the loss of market share or expected market share, any of which may significantly harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
New entrants and the introduction of other distribution models in our markets may harm our competitive position.
The markets for development, distribution, and sale of our high-performance computing solutions are rapidly evolving. New entrants seeking to gain market share by introducing new technology, new products and new server configurations may make it more difficult for us to sell our products and earn design wins, which could create increased pricing pressure, reduced profit margins, increased sales and marketing expenses, or the loss of market share or expected market share, any of which may significantly harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Large computer hardware and equipment manufacturers and suppliers have traditionally designed, produced, and sold general purpose servers, and storage arrays and related products and equipment. Our customers supplement these general-purpose systems by purchasing our specialized or customized systems or supplemental products, which improve the speed, efficiency, or performance of such systems. If the speed, efficiency, or computational power of such general purpose systems increases such that supplemental or specialized products become unnecessary, or the cost of such general purpose systems declines such that it is more cost effective for prospective customers to add general-purpose equipment rather than specialized or supplemental equipment, we could experience a significant decline in demand for the products which may significantly harm to our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our products compete with and supplement general purpose servers, storage systems and related equipment. If the producers of general-purpose equipment implement proprietary standards, software, interfaces, or other interoperability restrictions, including controls which restrict the equipment’s compatibility with third party systems, we could experience a significant decline in sales because our products would not be interoperable with such systems, resulting in significant harm to our business, operating results and financial condition.
In our marketplace, general-purpose equipment is traditionally mass-produced and available to order, while specialized equipment and custom bulk-order equipment is subject to a bid-based purchase system. If one or more large manufacturers of general or standard server storage arrays, or related products and equipment, provide specialized, customized, or supplementary equipment on a made-to-order or generally available basis, we could be forced to reduce our prices or change our selling model to remain competitive, which would significantly harm to our business, operating results and financial condition.
Cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents, as well as other significant disruptions of our information technology networks and related systems and resources, could adversely affect our business, disrupt operations and expose us to liabilities to employees, customers, governmental regulators, and other third parties.
We use information technology and other computer resources to carry out important operational activities and to maintain our business records. As part of our normal business activities, we permit certain employees to perform some or all of their business activities remotely, we collect and store certain personal identifying and/or confidential information relating to our employees, customers, vendors and suppliers, and we maintain operational and financial information related to our business. Furthermore, we rely on products and services provided by third-party suppliers to
operate certain critical business systems, including without limitation, cloud-based infrastructure, encryption and authentication technology, email, and other functions, which exposes us to supply-chain attacks or other business disruptions. Our systems are often deployed in environments supporting AI workloads and large-scale data processing. Unathorized access to such systems could expose sensitive operational or training data belonging to our customers.
We face risks associated with security breaches through cyber-attacks or cyber-intrusions, malware, computer viruses and malicious codes, ransomware, attachments to e-mail, unauthorized access attempts, denial of service attacks, phishing, social engineering, persons with access to systems inside our organization, and other significant disruptions of our information technology networks and related systems. The risk of a security breach has generally increased as the frequency, intensity and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions from around the world have increased. Even the most well protected information, networks, systems and facilities remain potentially vulnerable because the techniques, tools and tactics used in such attempted security breaches evolve and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, and in some cases are designed to not be detected and, in fact, may not be detected. Accordingly, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate security barriers, disaster recovery or other preventative or corrective measures, and thus it is impossible for us to entirely counteract this risk or fully mitigate the harms after such an attack.
We have implemented certain systems and processes intended to address ongoing and evolving cybersecurity risks, secure our information technology, applications and computer systems, and prevent unauthorized access to or loss of sensitive, confidential and personal data. Our security measures may not be sufficient for all possible situations and may be vulnerable to, among other things, fraud, hacking, employee error, system error, and faulty password management.
Our ability to conduct our business may be impaired if our or our services providers’ information technology networks, systems or resources, including our and their websites or e-mail systems, are compromised, degraded, damaged or fail, whether due to a virus or other harmful circumstance, fraud, intentional penetration or disruption of our or their information technology resources by:
a third party,
natural disaster,
a failure of hardware or software due to a design or programmatic flaw,
a failure of hardware or software security controls,
telecommunications system failure,
service provider error or failure,
fraudulent transactions,
intentional or unintentional personnel actions,
lost connectivity to our networked resources, or
a failure of disaster recovery system.
A significant and extended disruption could damage our business or reputation and cause, amongst other things, loss of revenue or customer relationships, unintended and/or unauthorized public disclosure or the misappropriation of proprietary, personal identifying and confidential information, and us to incur significant expenses to address and remediate or otherwise resolve these kinds of issues.
The release of confidential information may also lead to litigation or other proceedings against us by affected individuals, business partners and/or regulators, and the outcome of such proceedings, which could include losses, penalties, fines, injunctions, expenses and charges recorded against our earnings and cause us reputational harm and/or could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial position or results of operations.
Our business may be impacted by evolving regulations and market developments relating to artificial intelligence.
Our products are frequently deployed in systems used for AI and machine learning applications, including defense, autonomy, and data analytics. The regulatory environment governing AI technologies is evolving rapidly in the United States and internationally. For example, the European Union has adopted the EU Artificial Intelligence
Act and other jurisdictions are considering legislation governing the development and deployment of AI systems. While we do not develop AI models, our products may be incorporated into AI-enabled platforms. Changes in regulatory frameworks, export restrictions, or customer requirements related to AI technologies could impact demand for our products or require modifications to our systems.
Changes in U.S. government priorities and/or delays or reductions in defense spending could negatively impact our financial position, results of operations, liquidity and overall business.
We expect that sales to prime contractors and U.S. governmental entities will constitute an increasingly significant portion of our future sales. We expect that our U.S. government revenues will largely result from contracts awarded under various U.S. government programs, primarily defense-related programs with the DOD, and other departments and agencies. Changes in U.S. government priorities and/or delays or reductions in defense spending for various reasons, including as a result of potential changes in policy, administration, or budgetary positions, priorities, and protracted lead times could negatively impact our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. The sale of our products to such defense customers are subject to U.S. government priorities, policies, budget decisions and appropriation processes, which are driven by numerous factors that are out of our control, including U.S. domestic and broader geopolitical events, macroeconomic conditions, and the ability of the U.S. government to enact relevant legislation.
In recent years, U.S. government appropriations have been affected by larger U.S. government budgetary issues and related legislation, and the U.S. government has been unable to complete its budget process before the end of its fiscal year, resulting in both governmental shutdowns and continuing resolutions providing only enough funds for U.S. government agencies to continue operating at prior-year levels. If appropriations are delayed or a government shutdown were to occur and continue for an extended period of time, we could be at risk of reduced orders, program cancellations and other disruptions and nonpayment. When the U.S. Government operates under a continuing resolution, new contract and program starts are restricted and funding for our programs may be unavailable, reduced or delayed. Additionally, changes in the DOD’s funding priorities also could reduce opportunities in our existing or future programs or initiatives where we have made investments.
Our contracts with the U.S. government are conditioned upon the continuing availability of Congressional appropriations. Congress usually appropriates funds on a fiscal year basis, even though contract performance may extend over many years. Consequently, contracts are sometimes partially funded initially, and additional funds are committed only as Congress makes further appropriations over time. To the extent we incur costs in excess of funds obligated on a contract or in advance of a contract award or contract definitization, we are at risk of not being reimbursed for those costs unless and until additional funds are obligated under the contract or the contract is successfully awarded, definitized and funded, which could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
The current administration has been evaluating government spending and enacting cost reduction policies. The effect of these policies on defense procurement and on the defense programs which the Company is executing or pursuing is uncertain. Changes in priorities or policies, reductions of funding, or a reduction in government personnel could impact our business, results of operations, financial condition, and growth prospects.
As a result of the foregoing, U.S. government defense spending levels are subject to a wide range of outcomes and are difficult to predict beyond the near-term due to numerous factors, including the external threat environment, future governmental priorities and the state of governmental finances. Significant changes in U.S. government defense spending or changes in U.S. government priorities, policies and requirements could have a material adverse effect on our current business strategy and results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
To the extent that we contract with the U.S. Government, we are subject to certain procurement laws and regulations, including those that enable the U.S. Government to terminate contracts for convenience.
To the extent that we contract with the U.S. Government, we must comply with laws and regulations relating to the award, administration and performance of U.S. Government contracts. Government contract laws and regulations affect how we do business with certain of our customers and impose certain risks and costs on our business. A violation of these laws and regulations by us, our employees, others working on our behalf, a supplier or a joint venture partner could harm our reputation and result in the imposition of fines and penalties, the termination of our contracts, suspension or debarment from bidding on or being awarded contracts, loss of our ability to export products or perform services and civil or criminal investigations or proceedings. Also, elements of certain of contracts and/or programs are
classified by the U.S. Government, which imposes security requirements that limit our ability to discuss our performance on these contracts and programs, including any specific risks, disputes and claims.
The U.S. Government may terminate any of our government contracts at its convenience or for default based on our performance, either of which could adversely affect our business and financial performance. Generally, prime contractors have similar termination rights under subcontracts related to government contracts. If a contract is terminated for convenience, we generally are protected by provisions covering reimbursement for costs incurred on the contract and profit on those costs. However, to the extent insufficient funds have been appropriated by the U.S. Government to cover our costs upon a termination for convenience, the U.S. Government may assert that it is not required to appropriate additional funding. Additionally, the U.S. Government could terminate a prime contract under which we are a subcontractor, notwithstanding the fact that our performance and/or the quality of the products or services we delivered were consistent with our contractual obligations as a subcontractor.
Changing procurement policies could adversely affect our business and financial results.
The U.S. Government has increasingly relied on competitive contract award types, including indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity and other multi-award contracts, which have the potential to create pricing pressure and to increase our costs by requiring us to submit multiple bids and proposals when targeting them for sales. Multi-award contracts require us to make sustained efforts to obtain task orders under the contract. Additionally, procurements that do not evaluate whether the cost assumptions in the bids are realistic can lead to bidders taking aggressive pricing positions, which could result in the winner realizing a loss upon contract award or an increased risk of lower margins or realizing a loss over the term of the contract. Competitors may be willing to accept more risk or lower profitability in competing for contracts than we are.
U.S. Government procurement policies and procedures, and the application thereof, change on a regular basis and such changes could adversely affect our ability to win new business or maintain or increase profitability. For example, an increase in the use of contract structures that shift risk to the contractor, such as fixed-price development contracts and incentive-based fee arrangements, or the U.S. Government using different award fee criteria than historically used could adversely affect our profits or make it more difficult to win new contracts.
Changes in regulations or interpretations of what constitute allowable costs under our government contracts could adversely impact our profitability, and changes in contract financing policy for fixed-price contracts, such as changes in performance and progress payments policies, could significantly affect the timing of our cash flows.
If we are unable to manage our growth and expand our operations successfully, our business and operating results will be harmed, and our reputation may be damaged.
We have expanded our operations significantly since inception and anticipate that further significant expansion will be required to achieve our business objectives. The growth and expansion of our business and product offerings, as well as the need for innovation in order to maintain our competitive advantage, places a continuous and significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources. Any such future growth or change in focus or strategy would also add complexity to and require effective coordination throughout our organization. To manage any future growth effectively, we must continue to innovate and improve and expand our information technology and financial infrastructure, our operating and administrative systems and controls, and our ability to manage headcount, capital, and processes in an efficient manner. We may not be able to successfully implement improvements to these systems and processes in a timely or efficient manner, which could result in additional operating inefficiencies and could cause our costs to increase more than planned. If we do increase our operating expenses in anticipation of the growth of our business and this growth does not meet our expectations, our operating results may be negatively impacted. If we are unable to manage future expansion, our ability to provide high quality products and services could be harmed, which could damage our reputation and brand, and may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
A limited number of customers represents a significant portion of our sales. If we were to lose any of these customers, our sales could decrease significantly.
In the year ended December 31, 2025, an aggregate of 61% of our total revenues were attributable to our top three customers. In the year ended December 31, 2024, an aggregate of 40% of our total revenues were attributable to our top three customers. Customer concentration figures represent continuing operations and exclude customer activity within discontinued operations.
Loss of significant customers in the future could materially harm the Company’s business, financial position and/or results of operations. In addition, a few products comprise a significant amount of our sales, and the discontinuation, modification, or obsolescence of such products could materially and adversely affect our sales and results of operations.
We rely on a limited number of parts suppliers to support our manufacturing and design processes.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers to provide us with the necessary devices, parts, and systems to allow us to build, design and manufacture our products, and the failure to manage our relationships with these parties successfully, or disruptions to our suppliers’ businesses caused by supply chain constraints, inflation, human capital issues, and/or other factors, could adversely affect our ability to market and sell our products. Particularly, many of our products rely on high-performance processors, GPUs, and other specialized components used in AI workloads. Supply constraings affecting these components, particularly those produced by NVIDIA, AMD, or other semiconductor suppliers, could limit our ability to manufacture and deliver systems designed for AI applications.
In the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, suppliers for which purchases represent greater than 10% of our total parts purchases accounted for approximately 34% and 68%, respectively, of materials purchased. Vendor concentration figures represent continuing operations and exclude vendor purchases within discontinued operations.
Although we do believe we could locate additional suppliers to fulfill our needs in the event that our relationship with these or any of our other suppliers terminated or they are unable to fulfill our manufacturing needs, any significant change in our relationship with these suppliers could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition unless and until we are able to find suitable replacements. We make substantially all of our purchases from our contract suppliers on a purchase order basis. Our suppliers are generally not required to supply our raw materials for any specific period or at any specific quantity or price.
Global pandemics or other disasters or public health concerns in regions of the world where we have operations or source material or sell products could result in the disruption of our business. These or any governmental developments or health concerns in countries in which we operate could result in social, economic, or labor instability. Any disruption resulting from these or similar events could cause significant delays in shipments of our products until we are able to resume normalized operations, and this could have a material negative impact on our results of operations and cash flows. Although the COVID 19 pandemic has subsided, we are continuing to experience unavailability of certain products and limited supplies, protracted delivery dates for componentry, increasing product costs, and changes in minimum order quantities to secure product.
Supply chain disruptions could adversely affect our business, disrupt operations, and impact our profitability.
We rely on a global network of suppliers for key components used in our products. These suppliers are subject to quality and performance issues, excess demand, raw materials shortages, and other factors which could impact their ability to supply us with critical components, or could lead to price inflation and extended lead times. Disruptions in availability of these components, increases in lead times, or price increases could negatively impact our ability to deliver products to our customers and could impact our profitability on the products we deliver. Supply chain disruptions could be caused by tariffs and trade policy, global macroeconomic conditions, the global demand for certain materials or components, or other economic, geopolitical, or market dynamics.
In late 2025, a global shortage of certain memory products resulting from datacenter build-out demand led to significant increases in lead times, pricing volatility, and significant price increases. We have worked with our suppliers to secure availability of supply, including through the negotiation of long-term agreements. While we attempt to pass on component cost increases to our customers, our ability to do so is dependent upon many factors, including market conditions for the Company's products.
Our future success depends on our ability to develop and successfully introduce new and enhanced products that meet the needs of our customers.
Our sales depend on our ability to anticipate our existing and prospective customers’ needs and develop products that address those needs. Our future success will depend on our ability to design new products, anticipate technological improvements and enhancements, and to develop products that are competitive in the rapidly changing computer hardware and software industry, and in the edge computing space in particular. Introduction of new products and
product enhancements will require coordination of our efforts with those of our customers, suppliers, and manufacturers to develop products that offer performance features desired by our customers and performance and functionality superior or more cost effective than solutions offered by our competitors. If we fail to coordinate these efforts, develop product enhancements, or introduce new products that meet the needs of our customers as scheduled, our operating results will be materially and adversely affected, and our business and prospects will be harmed. We cannot assure that product introductions will meet our anticipated release schedules or that our products will be competitive in the market. Furthermore, given the rapidly changing nature of the computer equipment market, there can be no assurance our products and technology will not be rendered obsolete by alternative or competing technologies.
Delays in our production cycle could result in outdated equipment or decreased purchases of our products.
The design and manufacture of our products can take several months to several years. The length of such process depends on the complexity and purpose of the system or equipment being designed, and may be affected by factors such as the development and design of unique or specialized systems; the fabrication, availability, and supply of parts; the customization of parts, as applicable; the manufacture and/or assembly of the units, quality control testing; and the development and incorporation of new technologies. If our products are outdated upon completion of this process, our sales could materially decline, and it may be necessary to sell products at a loss.
Unsuccessful government programs or OEM contracts could lead to reduced revenues.
We design and manufacture certain products to fit the specifications of government programs or OEM contracts. These programs may take months or years to complete and involve significant investment of our time, money, and resources. We generally receive upfront fees for these programs, but there is often little or no obligation on the part of our customer to purchase large volumes of products at the time of final product launch. Unsuccessful product launches could lead to reduced revenues and/or potential returns of products, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results. We may be forced to sell products at a loss or spend a significant amount of resources to find additional customers for these products if these programs do not fit the future needs of our intended customers.
Our inventory may rapidly become obsolete.
Sales cycles for some of our products can take several months or longer. In addition, it can take time from the bid to the development and manufacture of the equipment. We maintain inventory based in large part on our forecasts of the volume and timing of orders. The varying length of the sales cycles makes accurate forecasting difficult. The delays inherent in our sales cycles raise the risk that the inventory we have on hand will become obsolete or impaired prior to its use or sale. If our forecasted demand does not materialize into purchase orders, we may be required to write off our inventory balances or reduce the value of our inventory, based on a reduced sales price. A write off of the inventory, or a reduction in the inventory value due to a sales price reduction, could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results.
If our products contain significant defects, we could incur significant expenses to remediate such defects, our reputation could be damaged, and we could lose market share.
Our products are complex and may contain defects or security vulnerabilities, or experience failures or unsatisfactory performance due to any number of issues in design, fabrication, packaging, materials and/or use within a system. These risks may increase as our products are introduced into new devices, markets, technologies and applications, or as new versions are released. Some errors in our products or services may only be discovered after a product or service has been shipped or used by customers or the end users of such product. Undiscovered vulnerabilities in our products or services could expose our customers or end users, including the U.S. Government and military, to hackers or other unscrupulous third parties who develop and deploy viruses, worms and other malicious software programs that could attack our products or services. Failure of our products to perform to specifications, or other product defects, could lead to substantial damage to the products we sell directly to customers, the end product in which our device has been integrated by OEMs and to the user of such end product. Any such defect may cause us to incur significant warranty, support and repair or replacement costs, write off the value of related inventory, cause us to lose customers and/or market share, and divert the attention of our personnel from our product development efforts to find and correct the issue. In addition, an error or defect in new products or releases or related software drivers after commencement of commercial shipments could result in failure to achieve market acceptance or loss of design wins, harm our relationships with customers and partners and harm consumers’ perceptions of our brand. Also, we may be required to reimburse our customers, partners or consumers, including costs to repair or replace products in the field. A
product recall, including a recall due to a bug in our products, or a significant number of product returns could be expensive, damage our reputation, harm our ability to attract new customers or maintain our current customers, result in the shifting of business to our competitors and/or result in litigation against us, such as product liability suits. If a product liability claim is brought against us, the cost of defending the claim could be significant and would divert the efforts of our technical and management personnel, and harm our business. Further, our business liability insurance may be inadequate or future coverage may be unavailable on acceptable terms, which could adversely impact our financial results.
We offer an extended product warranty to cover defective products at no cost to the customer. An unexpected change in failure rates of our products could have a material adverse impact on our business.
We offer product warranties that generally extend for one or two years from the date of sale that require us to repair or replace defective products returned by the customer during the warranty period at no cost to the customer. Our product warranties are in addition to warranties we receive from our vendors. Existing and future product guarantees and warranties place us at risk of incurring future returns and repair and/or replacement costs.
While we engage in product quality programs and processes, including monitoring and evaluating the quality of our components sourced from our suppliers, our warranty obligation is affected by actual product defect rates, parts and equipment costs and service labor costs incurred in correcting a product defect. We record an estimate for anticipated warranty-related costs based on historical and estimated future product return rates and expected repair or replacement costs. Although such costs have historically been within management’s expectations and our warranty reserves (when coupled with warranty coverage provided by our vendors) have been sufficient to cover such costs, our reserves set aside to cover warranty returns may be inadequate due to an unanticipated number of customer returns, undetected product defects, unanticipated component failures or changes in estimates for material, labor and other costs we may incur to replace projected product defects. As a result, if actual customer returns, product defect rates, parts and equipment costs or service labor costs exceed our estimates, or we experience unexpected changes in failure rates, we could experience a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we fail to achieve design wins for our products, our business will be harmed.
Achieving design wins is an important success factor for our business. We work closely with OEMs and end users to ensure the customer gets the product they want in the specific configuration, size and weight required for the application. We have participated in many design wins based upon our ability to interpret technical specifications and proceed rapidly through prototyping, development, and delivery. This approach and expertise are two of the factors driving our growth. Failure to maintain our expertise and ability to deliver custom, specific design systems could harm our business. In order to achieve design wins, we must:
anticipate the features and functionality that OEMs, customers and consumers will demand;
incorporate those features and functionalities into products that meet the exacting design requirements of our customers; and
price our products competitively.
Unanticipated changes in industry standards could render our products incompatible with products developed by major hardware manufacturers and software developers. Further, if our products are not in compliance with prevailing industry standards, our customers may not incorporate our products into their design strategies.
If we cannot retain, attract, and motivate key personnel, we may be unable to effectively implement our business plan.
Our success depends in large part upon our ability to retain, attract and motivate highly skilled management, development, marketing, sales, and service personnel. The loss of, and failure to replace, key technical management and personnel could adversely affect multiple development efforts.
We have entered into employment agreements with most of our executive officers, though they may terminate employment with us at any time, for any reason and with no advance notice. We may lose key personnel to other high technology companies or to other larger companies with significantly greater resources than us who may recruit our key personnel. The replacement of members of our senior management team or other key personnel may involve
significant time and costs, and the loss of these employees could significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our business objectives.
Recruitment and retention of senior management and skilled technical, sales and other personnel is very competitive, and we may not be successful in either attracting or retaining such personnel. As part of our strategy to attract and retain key personnel, we may offer equity compensation through grants of stock options, restricted stock awards or restricted stock units. Although we may issue equity awards outside of our shareholder approved equity incentive plan to potential employees, they may not perceive our equity incentives as attractive enough. In addition, due to the intense competition for qualified employees, we may be required to, and have had to, increase the level of compensation paid to existing and new employees, which could and has materially increased our operating expenses.
We have made in the past, and may make in the future, acquisitions which could require significant management attention, disrupt our business, result in dilution to our stockholders, deplete our cash reserves and adversely affect our financial results.
Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including, without limitation, the following:
difficulties in successfully integrating the operations, systems, technologies, products, offerings and personnel of the acquired company or companies;
insufficient revenue to offset increased expenses associated with acquisitions;
diversion of management’s attention from normal daily operations of the business and the challenges of managing larger and more widespread operations resulting from acquisitions;
potential difficulties in completing projects associated with in-process research and development intangibles;
difficulties in entering markets in which we have no or limited prior direct experience and where competitors in such markets have stronger market positions;
initial dependence on unfamiliar supply chains or relatively small supply partners; and
the potential loss of key employees, customers, distributors, vendors and other business partners of the companies we acquire following and continuing after announcement of acquisition plans.
Acquisitions may also cause us to:
use a substantial portion of our cash reserves or incur debt;
issue equity securities or grant equity incentives to acquired employees that would dilute our current stockholders’ percentage ownership;
assume liabilities, including potentially unknown liabilities;
record goodwill and non-amortizable intangible assets that are subject to impairment testing on a regular basis and potential periodic impairment charges;
incur amortization expenses related to certain intangible assets;
incur large and immediate write-offs and restructuring and other related expenses; or
become subject to intellectual property litigation or other litigation.
Acquisitions of high-technology companies and assets are inherently risky and subject to many factors outside of our control and no assurance can be given that our completed or future acquisitions will be successful and will not materially adversely affect our business, operating results, or financial condition. Failure to manage and successfully integrate acquisitions could materially harm our business and operating results.
The continuing commoditization of HPC hardware and software has resulted in increased pricing pressure and may adversely affect our operating results.
The continuing commoditization of HPC hardware, such as processors, interconnects, flash storage and other infrastructure, and the growing commoditization of software, including plentiful building blocks and more capable
open source software, as well as the potential for integration of differentiated technology into already-commoditized components, has resulted in, and may result in increased pricing pressure that may cause us to reduce our pricing in order to remain competitive, which can negatively impact our gross margins and adversely affect our operating results.
Risks Relating to Intellectual Property
If we are unable to protect our proprietary design and intellectual property rights, our competitive position could be harmed, or we could be required to incur significant expenses to enforce our rights.
Our ability to compete effectively is dependent in part upon our ability to protect our proprietary technology, including our proprietary software, designs and know-how. We rely on trademarks, trade secret laws, patents, confidentiality procedures, and licensing arrangements to protect our intellectual property rights. There can be no assurance these protections will be available in all cases or will be adequate to prevent our competitors from copying, reverse engineering or otherwise obtaining and using our technology, proprietary rights or products. For example, the laws of certain countries in which our products are manufactured or licensed do not protect our proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. In addition, third parties may seek to challenge, invalidate, or circumvent our trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, or applications for any of the foregoing. There can be no assurance that our competitors will not independently develop technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to our technology or design around our proprietary rights. In each case, our ability to compete could be significantly impaired.
To prevent substantial unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights, it may be necessary to prosecute actions for infringement and/or misappropriation of our trade secrets and/or proprietary rights against third parties. Any such action could result in significant costs and diversion of our resources and management’s attention, and there can be no assurance we will be successful in such action. Furthermore, many of our current and potential competitors have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to enforce their intellectual property rights than we do. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating our trade secrets and/or intellectual property.
Many of our proprietary designs are in digital form and the breach of our computer systems could result in these designs being stolen.
If our cybersecurity measures are breached or unauthorized access to private or proprietary data is otherwise obtained, our proprietary designs could be stolen. Because we hold many of these designs in digital form on our servers, there exists an inherent risk that an unauthorized third party could conduct a cybersecurity breach resulting in the theft of our proprietary information. While we have taken steps to protect our proprietary information, because techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or sabotage systems change frequently and generally are not identified until they are launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Any or all of these issues could negatively impact our competitive edge and our ability to obtain new customers thereby adversely affecting our financial results.
Our proprietary designs are susceptible to reverse engineering by our competitors.
Much of the value of our proprietary rights is derived from our vast library of design specifications. While we consider our design specifications to be protected by various proprietary, trade secret and intellectual property laws, such information is susceptible to reverse engineering by our competitors. We may not be able to prevent our competitors from developing competing design specifications and the cost of enforcing these rights may be significant. If we are unable to adequately protect our proprietary designs our financial condition and operating results could suffer.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.
We consider trade secrets, including confidential and unpatented know-how and designs, important to the maintenance of our competitive position. We protect trade secrets and confidential and unpatented know-how, in part, by customarily entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to such knowledge, such as our employees, outside technical and commercial collaborators, consultants, advisors and other third parties. We also enter into confidentiality and invention or patent assignment agreements with our employees and consultants that obligate them to maintain confidentiality and assign their inventions to us. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches.
Claims by others that we infringe their intellectual property or trade secret rights could harm our business.
Our industry is characterized by vigorous protection and pursuit of intellectual property rights, which has resulted in protracted and expensive litigation for many companies. Third parties may in the future assert claims of infringement of intellectual property rights against us or against our customers or channel partners for which we may be liable. As the number of products and competitors in our market increases and overlaps occur, infringement claims may increase.
Intellectual property or trade secret claims against us, and any resulting lawsuits, may result in us incurring significant expenses and could subject us to significant liability for damages and invalidate what we currently believe are our proprietary rights. Our involvement in any patent dispute or other intellectual property dispute or action to protect trade secrets and know-how could have a material adverse effect on our business. Adverse determinations in any litigation could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, require us to seek licenses from third parties and prevent us from manufacturing and selling our products. Any of these situations could have a material adverse effect on our business. These claims, regardless of their merits or outcome, would likely be time consuming and expensive to resolve and could divert management’s time and attention.
We are generally obligated to indemnify our channel partners and end-customers for certain expenses and liabilities resulting from intellectual property infringement claims regarding our products, which could force us to incur substantial costs.
We have agreed, and expect to continue to agree, to indemnify our channel partners and end-customers for certain intellectual property infringement claims regarding our products. As a result, in the case of infringement claims against these channel partners and end-customers, we could be required to indemnify them for losses resulting from such claims or to refund amounts they have paid to us. Our channel partners and other end-customers in the future may seek indemnification from us in connection with infringement claims brought against them regarding our products. These claims, regardless of their merits or outcome, would likely be time consuming and expensive to resolve, and could divert management’s time and attention from managing our business.
Privacy concerns relating to our products and services could damage our reputation, deter current and potential users from using our products and services, result in liability, or result in legal or regulatory proceedings.
Our products and services may provide us with access to sensitive, confidential, or personal data or information that is subject to privacy and security laws and regulations. Concerns about our practices with regard to the collection, use, retention, security or disclosure of personal information or other privacy-related matters, even if unfounded, could damage our reputation and adversely affect our operating results. The theft, loss, or misuse of personal data collected, used, stored, or transferred by us to run our business or by one of our partners could result in significantly increased security costs, damage to our reputation, regulatory proceedings, disruption of our business activities or increased costs related to defending legal claims.
Worldwide regulatory authorities are considering and have approved various legislative proposals concerning data protection, which continue to evolve and apply to our business. For example, the European Union adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which took effect in May 2018 and requires companies to meet requirements regarding the handling of personal data, including its use, protection, and the ability of persons whose data is stored to correct or delete such data about themselves. Failure to meet GDPR requirements, to the extent applicable, could result in penalties of up to 4% of worldwide revenue. In addition, the interpretation and application of consumer and data protection laws in the United States, Europe and elsewhere are often uncertain and fluid, and may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our data practices. If so, we may be ordered to change our data practices and/or be fined.
In addition, California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which took effect on January 1, 2020. The CCPA gives California residents expanded rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing, and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. The CCPA may increase our compliance costs and potential liability. Some observers have noted that the CCPA could mark the beginning of a trend toward more stringent state privacy, data protection, and data security legislation in the U.S., which could increase our potential liability and adversely affect our business. The CCPA was expanded substantially on January 1, 2023, when the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (“CPRA”) became fully operative. The CPRA, among other things, gives California residents the ability to limit use of
certain sensitive personal information, further restricts the use of cross-contextual advertising, establishes restrictions on the retention of personal information, expands the types of data breaches subject to the CCPA’s private right of action, provides for increased penalties for CPRA violations concerning California residents under the age of 16, and establishes a new California Privacy Protection Agency to implement and enforce the new law.
Complying with these changing laws could cause us to incur substantial costs, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Further, failure to comply with existing or new rules may result in significant penalties or orders to stop the alleged noncompliant activity.
Risks Related to Our International Operations
Our international sales and operations subject us to additional risks that can adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
We sell our products in a number of international jurisdictions. Additionally, our supply chain includes a number of international vendors. Our international operations subject us to a variety of risks and challenges, including, without limitation, exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; inflationary pressures and the possibility of recession; increased management, travel, infrastructure and legal compliance costs associated with having international operations; reliance on channel partners; compliance with foreign laws and regulations, which are subject to change; compliance with U.S. laws and regulations for foreign operations; conflicts between U.S. laws and regulations and foreign laws and regulations; import and export licensing requirements; and reduced protection for intellectual property rights in some countries and practical difficulties of enforcing rights abroad. Inflation, volatility, recessionary risk, and regulatory and legal compliance risks in any of the countries that we operate or sell our products in could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We are subject to governmental export and import controls that could impair our ability to compete in international markets due to licensing requirements and subject us to liability if we are not in compliance with applicable laws.
Our products are subject to export control and import laws and regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, U.S. Customs regulations and various economic and trade sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls. Exports of our products must be made in compliance with these laws and regulations. Certain of our high-performance computing systems may incorporate advanced processors or accelerators that are subject to U.S. export controls related to advanced computing technologies and AI. Changes in export regulations or restrictions on the shipment of such components could affect our ability to sell systems into certain markets. If we violate these laws and regulations, we and certain of our employees, could be subject to substantial civil or criminal penalties, including the possible loss of export or import privileges, fines, which may be imposed on us and responsible employees or managers and, in extreme cases, the incarceration of responsible employees or managers. In addition, if our channel partners, agents, or consultants fail to obtain appropriate import, export or re-export licenses or authorizations, we may also be adversely affected through reputational harm and penalties. Obtaining the necessary authorizations, including any required license, for a particular sale may be time-consuming, is not guaranteed and may result in the delay or loss of sales opportunities. Changes in our products or changes in applicable export or import laws and regulations may also create delays in the introduction and sale of our products in international markets, prevent our end-customers with international operations from deploying our products or, in some cases, prevent the export or import of our products to certain countries, governments or persons altogether. Any change in export or import laws and regulations, shift in the enforcement or scope of existing laws and regulations, or change in the countries, governments, persons or technologies targeted by such laws and regulations, could also result in decreased use of our products, or in our decreased ability to export or sell our products to existing or potential end-customers with international operations. Any decreased use of our products or limitation on our ability to export or sell our products would likely adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
New regulations or standards or changes in existing regulations or standards in the United States or internationally related to our suppliers’ products may result in unanticipated costs or liabilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and future sales, and could place additional burdens on the operations of our business.
Our suppliers’ products are subject to governmental regulations in many jurisdictions. To achieve and maintain market acceptance, our suppliers’ products must continue to comply with these regulations and many industry standards. As these regulations and standards evolve, and if new regulations or standards are implemented, our suppliers may have to modify their products. The failure of their products to comply, or delays in compliance, with the
existing and evolving industry regulations and standards could prevent or delay introduction of our products, which could harm our business. Supplier uncertainty regarding future policies may also affect demand for HPC products, including our products. Moreover, channel partners or customers may require us, or we may otherwise deem it necessary or advisable, to alter our products to address actual or anticipated changes in the regulatory environment. Our inability to alter our products to address these requirements and any regulatory changes may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws.
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar anti-bribery laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Practices in the local business communities of many countries outside the United States have a level of government corruption that is greater than that found in the developed world. Our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws and we have established policies and procedures designed to monitor compliance with these anti-bribery law requirements; however, we cannot assure that our policies and procedures will protect us from potential reckless or criminal acts committed by individual employees or agents. If we are found to be liable for anti-bribery law violations, we could suffer from criminal or civil penalties or other sanctions that could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Risks Related to Our Securities
The price of our common stock may be volatile, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
The trading price of our common stock may fluctuate substantially. The trading price of our common stock will depend on several factors, including those described in this “Risk Factors” section, many of which are beyond our control and may not be related to our operating performance. These fluctuations could cause you to lose all or part of your investment in our securities if you are unable to sell them at or above the price you paid. Factors that could cause fluctuations in the trading price of our common stock include, amongst other things:
price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market from time to time;
volatility in the market prices and trading volumes of technology stocks;
changes in operating performance and stock market valuations of other technology companies generally, or particularly, those companies in our industry;
sales of shares of our common stock or other securities by us or our stockholders;
failure of financial analysts to maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by any analysts who follow the Company, or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;
the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in those projections or our failure to meet those projections;
announcements by us or our competitors of new products or new or terminated significant contracts, commercial relationships or capital commitments;
the public’s reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and filings with the SEC;
rumors and market speculation involving us or other companies in our industry;
actual or anticipated changes in our operating results or fluctuations in our operating results;
actual or anticipated developments in our business, our competitors’ businesses, or the competitive landscape generally;
litigation involving us, our industry or both, or investigations by regulators into our operations or those of our competitors;
developments or disputes concerning our intellectual property or other proprietary rights;
announced or completed acquisitions of businesses or technologies by us or our competitors;
new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business;
changes in accounting standards, policies, guidelines, interpretations or principles;
any major change in our management;
general economic conditions and slow or negative growth of our markets; and
other events or factors, including those resulting from war, incidents of terrorism or responses to these events.
In addition, the stock market in general, and the market for technology companies in particular, has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the relevant companies. Broad market and industry factors, as well as general economic, political and market conditions, such as recessions or interest rate changes, may seriously affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance.
In the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market prices of particular companies’ securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies. Litigation of this type, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources. Any adverse determination in any such litigation or any amounts paid to settle any such actual or threatened litigation could require that we make significant payments.
Our directors and principal stockholders own a percentage of our stock and will be able to influence matters subject to stockholder approval.
Our directors, executive officers and significant stockholders influence the Company and could delay or prevent a change in corporate control. Our directors, executive officers, and holders of more than 5% of our common stock, together with their affiliates, beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 12% of our outstanding common stock, based on the number of shares outstanding as of March 5, 2026. As a result, these stockholders, acting together, would have the ability to exert influence over the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors and any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, these stockholders, acting together, would have the ability to exert influence over the management and affairs of the Company. Accordingly, this concentration of ownership might adversely affect the market price of our common stock by:
delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of the Company;
impeding a merger, consolidation, takeover, or other business combination involving the Company; or
discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of the Company.
If securities or industry analysts issue an adverse opinion regarding our securities or do not publish research or reports about our Company, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. We have no control over such analysts or the content and opinions in their reports. Securities analysts may elect not to provide research coverage of our Company and such lack of research coverage may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. The price of our common stock could also decline if one or more equity research analysts downgrade our common stock or if those analysts issue other unfavorable commentary or cease publishing reports about us or our business. If one or more equity research analysts cease coverage of our Company, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our stock price to decline.
Substantial future equity issuances and/or sales of shares of our common stock could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
The market price of shares of our common stock could decline as a result of substantial equity issuances and/or sales of our common stock, particularly sales by our directors, executive officers and significant stockholders, a large number of shares of our common stock becoming available for sale, or the perception in the market that holders of a large number of shares intend to sell their shares. As of March 5, 2026, we had 24,737,191 shares of our common stock outstanding. We may issue or sell a significant number of shares of our common stock or other securities to raise
capital in the future or in connection with a strategic transaction, which would result in significant dilution to our current shareholders. Additionally, historically, a significant portion of the compensation that we pay to our executive officers, employees and directors has been in the form of equity awards. We believe that this structure incentivizes such individuals to both join and remain with the Company, and also serves to further the growth, development and financial success of the Company by providing a means by which such persons can personally benefit through the ownership of capital stock of the Company. However, the issuance of securities to our executive officers, employees and directors also results in dilution to our current shareholders, and substantial sales of such securities could cause the market price of our securities to decline and/or could depress the growth of the market price of our securities.
We have the right to designate and issue shares of preferred stock. If we were to designate and/or issue additional preferred stock, it is likely to have rights, preferences and privileges that may adversely affect the common stock.
We are authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of blank-check preferred stock, with such rights, preferences and privileges as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. Our board of directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock in one or more series, and to fix for any series the dividend rights, dissolution or liquidation preferences, redemption prices, conversion rights, voting rights, and other rights, preferences, and privileges for the preferred stock. Currently, we do not have any series of preferred stock designated or shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
The issuance of shares of preferred stock, depending on the rights, preferences, and privileges attributable to the preferred stock, could reduce the voting rights and powers of the common stock and the portion of our assets allocated for distribution to common stockholders in a liquidation event, and could also result in dilution in the book value per share of the common stock. The preferred stock could also be utilized, under certain circumstances, as a method for raising additional capital or discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of the Company, to the detriment of the investors in the common stock offered hereby. We cannot assure that we will not, under certain circumstances, issue shares of our preferred stock.
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of the Company, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.
Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. Some of these provisions:
authorize our board of directors to issue, without further action by the stockholders, up to 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock and up to 50,000,000 shares of authorized common stock;
require that any action to be taken by our stockholders be affected at a duly called annual or special meeting, and not by written consent;
specify that special meetings of our stockholders can be called only by our board of directors, the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive officer or the president;
establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder approvals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our board of directors;
provide that our directors may be removed only for cause; and
provide that vacancies on our board of directors may, except as otherwise required by law, be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum.
In addition, we are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which limits the ability of stockholders owning in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock to merge or combine with us. Furthermore, our certificate of incorporation specifies that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for most legal actions involving actions brought against us by stockholders. We believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law by chancellors particularly experienced in resolving corporate disputes, efficient administration of cases on a more expedited schedule relative to other forums and protection against the burdens of multi-forum litigation. However, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any applicable action
brought against us, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action.
These anti-takeover provisions and other provisions in our certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws make it more difficult for stockholders or potential acquirers to obtain control of our board of directors or initiate actions that are opposed by the then-current board of directors and could also delay or impede a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving our Company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing or cause us to take other corporate actions you desire. Any delay or prevention of a change of control transaction or changes in our board of directors could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
Our inability to raise additional capital on acceptable terms in the future may limit our ability to develop and commercialize new solutions and technologies and expand our operations.
If our available cash balances and anticipated cash flow from operations are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements, due to lower demand for our products as a result of other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, we may seek to raise additional capital through equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations or licensing arrangements. We may also consider raising additional capital in the future to expand our business, pursue strategic investments, take advantage of financing opportunities, or other reasons.
Additional funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If we raise funds by issuing equity securities, dilution to our stockholders could result. Any equity securities issued also may provide for rights, preferences, or privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock. The terms of debt securities issued, or borrowings, could impose significant restrictions on our operations. The incurrence of indebtedness or the issuance of certain equity securities could result in increased fixed payment obligations and could also result in restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt or issue additional equity, limitations on our ability to acquire or license intellectual property rights, and other operating restrictions that could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business. In addition, the issuance of additional equity securities by us, or the possibility of such issuance, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline. If we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements with third parties, it may be necessary to relinquish some rights to our technologies or our products, or to grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. If we are unable to raise adequate funds, we may have to liquidate some or all of our assets, or delay or reduce the scope of our development programs. We also may have to reduce marketing, customer support or other resources devoted to our products or cease operations. Any of these actions could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.
We have never paid, and do not expect to pay, any cash dividends to holders of our common stock for the foreseeable future.
We have never paid, and do not expect to pay, cash dividends to holders of our common stock at any time in the foreseeable future. Anyone considering investing in shares of our common stock should not rely on such investment to provide dividend income. Instead, we plan to retain any earnings to establish, maintain and expand our operations and product offerings. In addition, any future debt financing arrangement may contain terms prohibiting or limiting the amount of dividends that may be declared or paid on our stock. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their shares of common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any return on their investment.
We are a “smaller reporting company,” and the reduced public company reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies may make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We currently qualify as a “smaller reporting company,” as defined in the Exchange Act. For as long as we continue to be a smaller reporting company, we may choose to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements or scaled disclosure requirements applicable to other public companies but not to smaller reporting companies, which includes, among other things:
being permitted to have only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of management discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations disclosure;
an exemption from the auditor attestation requirements under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”);
not being required to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) regarding mandatory audit firm rotation;
reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation, amongst other things, in our periodic reports and proxy statements; and
exemption from the requirements of holding non-binding stockholder votes on executive compensation arrangements and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
We will continue to be a “smaller reporting company” if, as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, (i) our public float is less than $250 million, or (ii) our annual revenues for the most recently completed fiscal year are less than $100 million and we either have no public float or a public float of less than $700 million.
As a result of the foregoing, the information we provide may be different than the information that is available with respect to other public companies. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive if we rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.
ITEM 1B. UNRES OLVED STAFF COMMENTS.
Not applicable.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY.
Risks Related to Cybersecurity Incidents
We face significant risks related to cybersecurity threats, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Cybersecurity incidents, including unauthorized access, data breaches, and other malicious activities, could result in the loss or theft of sensitive information, disruption of our operations, and damage to our reputation. While we have implemented measures to protect our information systems, there can be no assurance that these measures will effectively prevent all cybersecurity incidents.
Specific risks include:
Data Breaches: A breach of our information systems could lead to unauthorized access to customer or employee data, resulting in reputational harm and legal liabilities.
Operational Disruption: Cybersecurity incidents could disrupt our operations, leading to delays in production, delivery, or fulfillment of customer orders.
Intellectual Property Theft: Unauthorized access to our proprietary information could result in intellectual property theft, which would impact our competitive position in the market.
Regulatory and Legal Compliance: Cybersecurity incidents may subject us to regulatory investigations, legal claims, and penalties, affecting our compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Third-Party Relationships: Our reliance on third-party vendors and service providers exposes us to additional cybersecurity risks, and a security breach affecting these entities could impact our operations.
Our systems are often deployed in environments supporting AI workloads and large-scale data processing. Unauthorized access to such systems could expose sensitive operational or training data belonging to our customers.
Although cybersecurity incidents have not materially impacted our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition to date, there can be no assurance that they will not do so in the future.
Risk Management and Strategy
Assessing, Identifying, and Managing Material Cyber Threats
We have implemented infrastructure, systems, policies, and procedures designed to proactively and reactively address cybersecurity incidents. These include processes for assessing, identifying, and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats. We consult with external parties, such as cybersecurity firms and risk management experts, on our risk management strategy. We engage outside vendors and utilize government services specializing in IT and cybersecurity that provide expertise, tools, and methodologies to identify and assess vulnerabilities and potential threats. Automated tools and AI-based user behavior analytics support our efforts to identify and manage cyber threats.
When a cyber incident is detected through our 24/7 monitoring software or employee notification, our IT and cybersecurity provider performs a detailed assessment, identifies the source of the problem, and resolves the issue as appropriate. If resolution cannot be achieved, the problem is escalated to our cybersecurity monitoring and detection software provider. Events that our IT and cybersecurity providers do not routinely resolve are brought to the Board's attention.
Critical business and operational data are backed up nightly and securely stored offsite to mitigate the risks of cybersecurity incidents or equipment failure. We provide cybersecurity awareness training to our employees, incident response personnel, and senior management.
Governance
Our management team, including our Vice President of Technology , is primarily responsible for assessing and managing our material risks from cybersecurity threats. Management supervises our internal cybersecurity and IT personnel and our retained external cybersecurity consultants and vendors. They oversee efforts to prevent, detect, mitigate, and remediate cybersecurity risks and incidents through briefings from internal or external security personnel, threat intelligence obtained from governmental, public, or private sources, and alerts and reports produced by security tools deployed in our IT environment.
Our Board of Directors, through its Audit & Risk Committee, provides oversight of management processes for identifying and mitigating risks, including cybersecurity risks, to help align our risk exposure with our strategic objectives. Management, including our Vice President of Technology and our Audit & Risk Committee members, regularly brief our Board on our cybersecurity and information security posture and cybersecurity incidents deemed to have a moderate or higher business impact.
As cyber threats evolve and become more sophisticated, the Board's involvement in cybersecurity governance ensures that we adequately focus resources to protect the Company's assets and reputation.
Key aspects of our cybersecurity governance include:
Governance and Strategy: Management, the Audit & Risk Committee, and the Board ensure that our cybersecurity strategy is aligned with our business strategy.
Risk Management and Oversight: Our Audit & Risk Committee and the Board actively oversee our cybersecurity risk management framework as part of enterprise risk management oversight, ensuring that material risks are identified, assessed, and mitigated.
Resource Allocation: The Board reviews and approves cybersecurity budgets and resource allocations to ensure adequate resources are available to implement and maintain effective cybersecurity measures. The Board evaluates and approves significant investments in cybersecurity technologies, training, and talent based on recommendations from management and our external vendors and consultants.
Compliance and Legal Obligations: Management and the Board oversee compliance with relevant cybersecurity regulations and legal requirements and ensure we have appropriate legal counsel to address cybersecurity-related issues, including incident notification requirements. Management has identified the need to further comply with government Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements that became effective on November 9, 2025, which will include formal external assessment of cybersecurity controls and policies used to manage Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) within the Company. We anticipate increased demands from government and government prime contractor customers who entrust CUI to us during the normal course of business. The initial and ongoing cost of this compliance will be an additional budgeted IT expense in future years.
Education and Awareness: Management and the Board stay informed about cybersecurity trends, threats, and best practices through ongoing education and training. Management reviews Company employee training programs to ensure employees receive appropriate training and updates on evolving cyber trends. Certain Board members have received training to understand cybersecurity risks and their role in overseeing cybersecurity.
Reporting and Communication: The Board receives periodic updates from management, responsible staff, and the Audit & Risk Committee regarding the Company's cybersecurity posture, incidents, and risk management efforts. Management and the Board maintain a communication strategy for addressing cybersecurity disclosures with stakeholders, including customers, employees, and the public.
Performance Evaluation: The Board's annual evaluation of the Chief Executive Officer's performance includes assessing the effectiveness of cybersecurity policy implementation and ensuring that cybersecurity policies and practices are effective and aligned with organizational goals.
Cybersecurity Culture: The Board fosters a cybersecurity-aware culture throughout the organization, supporting management's efforts to integrate risk management, including cybersecurity, into the operating culture.
Ongoing Initiatives
Management and the Board are evaluating and intend to implement further cybersecurity-related measures throughout 2026 and beyond, including developing a more robust internal policy framework, incident response plan, crisis management planning, and third-party vendor assessments and contractual obligations. Despite these efforts, the rapidly evolving nature of cybersecurity threats requires ongoing vigilance, and there can be no assurance that our efforts will prevent all incidents.
ITEM 2. PRO PERTIES.
The Company leases its offices, manufacturing, and warehouse facility in San Diego County under a non-cancelable operating lease that expires in August 2030. This approximately 29,342 square foot space in Escondido, California houses our headquarters. The Company also leases a facility in Salt Lake City, Utah that houses our Ion software development team. This lease expired on June 30, 2025, and the Company extended the lease for an additional 12 months, with the lease commencing in July 2025 and expiring in June 2026. In the lease extension, the leased space was reduced from 3,208 square feet to 925 square feet. Additionally, we leased a 1,632 square foot facility located in Anaheim, California. This lease expired on July 31, 2025, and the Company extended the lease through January 31, 2026. Upon expiration of the lease on January 31, 2026, the Company did not renew the lease and vacated the facility.
The Bressner business, which has been classified as discontinued operations and was sold on December 30, 2025, leased an 11,836 square foot space in Germany on a month-to-month basis. In June 2024, Bressner leased an additional 2,500 square feet of office space in Germany on a month-to-month basis with payments of approximately $5,950 per month, beginning in October 2024. In May 2025, Bressner entered into a lease agreement for approximately 15,629 square feet of office and warehouse space in Germany, with an initial lease term ending on June 30, 2030. The lease has an option to renew for an additional five-year term that the Company was reasonably certain to exercise. Upon transition of operations into the new facility in December 2025, the month-to-month lease on the other facility was discontinued. All lease commitments related to the Bressner business transferred to the buyer upon sale of the business on December 30, 2025 and are no longer an obligation of the Company.
We believe our existing facilities and equipment are in good operating condition and are suitable for the conduct of our business.
ITEM 3. LEG AL PROCEEDINGS.
We are subject to litigation, claims, investigations, and audits arising from time to time in the ordinary course of our business. See footnote No. 12 “Commitments and Contingencies” in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
