UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
One)
|
|
x
|
QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF
1934
|
For
the quarterly period ended November 29, 2007
OR
o
|
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF
1934
|
For
the transition period
from to
Commission
file number 1-10658
Micron
Technology, Inc.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
|
75-1618004
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of
|
(IRS
Employer
|
incorporation
or organization)
|
Identification
No.)
|
|
|
8000
S. Federal Way, Boise, Idaho
|
83716-9632
|
(Address
of principal executive offices)
|
(Zip
Code)
|
|
|
Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code
|
(208)
368-4000
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the
registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or
15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or
for
such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports),
and
(2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90
days. Yes x No
o
Indicate
by check mark whether the
registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a
non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large
accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check
one):
Large
Accelerated Filer x
|
Accelerated
Filer o
|
Non-Accelerated
Filer o
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the
registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange
Act). Yes o
No
x
The
number of outstanding shares of the
registrant’s common stock as of December 31, 2007 was 760,327,183.
PART
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item
1. Financial
Statements
MICRON
TECHNOLOGY, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in
millions except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
Quarter
ended
|
|
November
29,
2007
|
|
|
November
30,
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
sales
|
|
$ |
1,535 |
|
|
$ |
1,530 |
|
Cost
of goods sold
|
|
|
1,530 |
|
|
|
1,088 |
|
Gross
margin
|
|
|
5 |
|
|
|
442 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selling,
general and administrative
|
|
|
112 |
|
|
|
180 |
|
Research
and development
|
|
|
163 |
|
|
|
183 |
|
Restructure
|
|
|
13 |
|
|
|
-- |
|
Other
operating (income) expense, net
|
|
|
(23 |
) |
|
|
(31 |
) |
Operating
income
(loss)
|
|
|
(260 |
) |
|
|
110 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
income
|
|
|
30 |
|
|
|
41 |
|
Interest
expense
|
|
|
(21 |
) |
|
|
(1 |
) |
Other
non-operating income (expense), net
|
|
|
(1 |
) |
|
|
3 |
|
Income
(loss) before taxes and
noncontrolling interests in net income
|
|
|
(252 |
) |
|
|
153 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income
tax (provision)
|
|
|
(7 |
) |
|
|
(9 |
) |
Noncontrolling
interests in net income
|
|
|
(3 |
) |
|
|
(29 |
) |
Net
income (loss)
|
|
$ |
(262 |
) |
|
$ |
115 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings
(loss) per share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
|
|
$ |
(0.34 |
) |
|
$ |
0.15 |
|
Diluted
|
|
|
(0.34 |
) |
|
|
0.15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number
of shares used in per share calculations:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
|
|
|
771.9 |
|
|
|
767.0 |
|
Diluted
|
|
|
771.9 |
|
|
|
779.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
MICRON
TECHNOLOGY, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
(in
millions except par value and share amounts)
(Unaudited)
As
of
|
|
November
29,
2007
|
|
|
August
30,
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and equivalents
|
|
$ |
1,880 |
|
|
$ |
2,192 |
|
Short-term
investments
|
|
|
151 |
|
|
|
424 |
|
Receivables
|
|
|
1,067 |
|
|
|
994 |
|
Inventories
|
|
|
1,443 |
|
|
|
1,532 |
|
Prepaid
expenses
|
|
|
84 |
|
|
|
67 |
|
Deferred
income taxes
|
|
|
27 |
|
|
|
25 |
|
Total
current
assets
|
|
|
4,652 |
|
|
|
5,234 |
|
Intangible
assets, net
|
|
|
392 |
|
|
|
401 |
|
Property,
plant and equipment, net
|
|
|
8,576 |
|
|
|
8,279 |
|
Deferred
income taxes
|
|
|
68 |
|
|
|
65 |
|
Goodwill
|
|
|
515 |
|
|
|
515 |
|
Other
assets
|
|
|
295 |
|
|
|
324 |
|
Total
assets
|
|
$ |
14,498 |
|
|
$ |
14,818 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities
and shareholders’ equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
|
$ |
1,317 |
|
|
$ |
1,385 |
|
Deferred
income
|
|
|
87 |
|
|
|
84 |
|
Equipment
purchase contracts
|
|
|
167 |
|
|
|
134 |
|
Current
portion of long-term debt
|
|
|
281 |
|
|
|
423 |
|
Total
current
liabilities
|
|
|
1,852 |
|
|
|
2,026 |
|
Long-term
debt
|
|
|
1,936 |
|
|
|
1,987 |
|
Deferred
income taxes
|
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
25 |
|
Other
liabilities
|
|
|
438 |
|
|
|
421 |
|
Total
liabilities
|
|
|
4,237 |
|
|
|
4,459 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commitments
and contingencies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Noncontrolling
interests in subsidiaries
|
|
|
2,760 |
|
|
|
2,607 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common
stock, $0.10 par value, authorized 3 billion shares, issued and
outstanding 760.5 million and 757.9 million shares,
respectively
|
|
|
76 |
|
|
|
76 |
|
Additional
capital
|
|
|
6,532 |
|
|
|
6,519 |
|
Retained
earnings
|
|
|
901 |
|
|
|
1,164 |
|
Accumulated
other comprehensive loss
|
|
|
(8 |
) |
|
|
(7 |
) |
Total
shareholders’
equity
|
|
|
7,501 |
|
|
|
7,752 |
|
Total
liabilities and
shareholders’ equity
|
|
$ |
14,498 |
|
|
$ |
14,818 |
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
MICRON
TECHNOLOGY, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in
millions)
(Unaudited)
Quarter
ended
|
|
November
29,
2007
|
|
|
November
30,
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
flows from operating activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income (loss)
|
|
$ |
(262 |
) |
|
$ |
115 |
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating
activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
and
amortization
|
|
|
504 |
|
|
|
380 |
|
Stock-based
compensation
|
|
|
13 |
|
|
|
10 |
|
Provision
to write-down
inventories to estimated market values
|
|
|
62 |
|
|
|
-- |
|
Noncash
restructure
charges
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
-- |
|
Gain
from disposition of
equipment, net of write-downs
|
|
|
(10 |
) |
|
|
(5 |
) |
Gain
from sale of product and
process technology
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
|
(30 |
) |
Change
in operating assets and
liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Increase)
in
receivables
|
|
|
(80 |
) |
|
|
(2 |
) |
(Increase)
decrease in
inventories
|
|
|
27 |
|
|
|
(151 |
) |
Increase
(decrease) in accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
|
|
(6 |
) |
|
|
72 |
|
Other
|
|
|
22 |
|
|
|
40 |
|
Net
cash provided by operating
activities
|
|
|
276 |
|
|
|
429 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
flows from investing activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenditures
for property, plant and equipment
|
|
|
(765 |
) |
|
|
(1,099 |
) |
Purchases
of available-for-sale securities
|
|
|
(123 |
) |
|
|
(827 |
) |
Proceeds
from maturities of available-for-sale securities
|
|
|
365 |
|
|
|
1,082 |
|
Proceeds
from sales of property, plant and equipment
|
|
|
64 |
|
|
|
11 |
|
Proceeds
from sales of available-for-sale securities
|
|
|
19 |
|
|
|
66 |
|
Proceeds
from sale of product and process technology
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
|
30 |
|
Decrease
in restricted cash
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
|
14 |
|
Other
|
|
|
34 |
|
|
|
(45 |
) |
Net
cash used for investing
activities
|
|
|
(406 |
) |
|
|
(768 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
flows from financing activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
received from noncontrolling interests
|
|
|
150 |
|
|
|
388 |
|
Proceeds
from issuance of common stock
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
41 |
|
Repayments
of debt
|
|
|
(212 |
) |
|
|
(56 |
) |
Payments
on equipment purchase contracts
|
|
|
(122 |
) |
|
|
(161 |
) |
Other
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
|
(1 |
) |
Net
cash provided by (used for)
financing activities
|
|
|
(182 |
) |
|
|
211 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
decrease in cash and
equivalents
|
|
|
(312 |
) |
|
|
(128 |
) |
Cash
and equivalents at beginning of period
|
|
|
2,192 |
|
|
|
1,431 |
|
Cash
and equivalents at end of period
|
|
$ |
1,880 |
|
|
$ |
1,303 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supplemental
disclosures
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income
taxes paid, net
|
|
$ |
(6 |
) |
|
$ |
(9 |
) |
Interest
paid, net of amounts capitalized
|
|
|
(21 |
) |
|
|
(2 |
) |
Noncash
investing and financing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equipment
acquisitions on
contracts payable and capital leases
|
|
|
152 |
|
|
|
208 |
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
MICRON
TECHNOLOGY, INC.
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(All
tabular amounts in millions except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
Significant
Accounting Policies
Basis
of
presentation: Micron Technology, Inc. and its subsidiaries
(hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Company”) manufacture and market
DRAM, NAND Flash memory, CMOS image sensors and other semiconductor
components. The Company has two segments, Memory and
Imaging. The Memory segment’s primary products are DRAM and NAND
Flash and the Imaging segment’s primary product is CMOS image
sensors. The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been
prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America and include the accounts of the Company and its
consolidated subsidiaries. In the opinion of management, the
accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments
necessary to present fairly the consolidated financial position of the Company
and its consolidated results of operations and cash flows.
The
Company’s fiscal year is the 52 or
53-week period ending on the Thursday closest to August 31. The
Company’s first quarter of fiscal 2008 and 2007 ended on November 29, 2007, and
November 30, 2006, respectively. The Company’s fiscal 2007 ended on
August 30, 2007. All period references are to the Company’s fiscal
periods unless otherwise indicated. These interim financial
statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial
statements and accompanying notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended August 30, 2007.
Recently
issued
accounting standards: In December 2007, the Financial
Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ratified Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”)
Issue No. 07-1, “Accounting for Collaborative Arrangements,” which defines
collaborative arrangements and establishes reporting and disclosure requirements
for transactions between participants in a collaborative arrangement and
between
participants in the arrangements and third parties. The Company is
required to adopt EITF No. 07-1 effective at the beginning of
2010. The Company is evaluating the impact that the adoption of EITF
No. 07-1 will have on its financial statements.
In
December 2007, the FASB issued
Statements of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 141
(revised 2007), “Business Combinations”
(“SFAS No. 141(R)”), which establishes
the principles and
requirements for how an acquirer in a business combination (1) recognizes
and measures in its financial statements the identifiable assets acquired,
the
liabilities assumed, and any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree,
(2) recognizes and measures the goodwill acquired in the business
combination or a gain from a bargain purchase, and (3) determines what
information to disclose to enable users of the financial statements to evaluate
the nature and financial effects of the business combination. The
Company is required to adopt SFAS No. 141(R) effective at the beginning of
2010. The impact of the adoption of SFAS No. 141(R) will depend on
the nature and extent of business combinations occurring on or after the
beginning of 2010.
In
December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS
No. 160, “Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements – an
amendment of ARB No. 51.” SFAS No. 160 requires that (1)
noncontrolling interests be reported as a separate component of equity,
(2) net income attributable to the parent and to the non-controlling
interest be separately identified in the income statement, (3) changes in
a
parent’s ownership interest while the parent retains its controlling interest be
accounted for as equity transactions, and (4) any retained noncontrolling
equity
investment upon the deconsolidation of a subsidiary be initially measured
at
fair value. The Company is required to adopt SFAS No. 160 effective
at the beginning of 2010. The Company is evaluating the impact that
the adoption of SFAS No. 160 will have on its financial statements.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS
No. 159, “The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities –
Including an amendment of FASB Statement No. 115.” Under SFAS No.
159, the Company may elect to measure many financial instruments and certain
other items at fair value on an instrument by instrument basis, subject to
certain restrictions. The Company is required to adopt SFAS No. 159
effective at the beginning of 2009. The impact of the adoption of
SFAS No. 159 on the Company’s financial statements will depend on the extent to
which the Company elects to measure eligible items at fair
value.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS
No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements.” SFAS No. 157 defines fair value,
establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted
accounting principles and expands disclosures about fair value
measurements. SFAS No. 157 applies under other accounting
pronouncements that require or permit fair value measurements. The
Company is required to adopt FAS No. 157 effective at the beginning of
2009. The Company is evaluating the impact this statement will have
on its financial statements.
In
June 2006, the FASB issued
Interpretation No. 48 (“FIN 48”), “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes –
an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109.” The interpretation
contains a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain tax
positions accounted for in accordance with SFAS No. 109. The first
step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the
weight of available evidence indicates it is more likely than not that the
position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals
or
litigation processes, if any. The second step is to measure the tax
benefit as the largest amount which is more than 50% likely of being realized
upon ultimate settlement. The Company adopted FIN 48 on August 31,
2007, which did not have a significant impact on the Company’s results of
operations or financial position. The Company did not change its
policy of recognizing accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized
tax
benefits within the income tax provision with the adoption of FIN
48. (See “Income Taxes” note.)
In
February 2006, the FASB issued SFAS
No. 155, “Accounting for Certain Hybrid Financial Instruments.” SFAS
No. 155 permits fair value remeasurement for any hybrid financial instrument
that contains an embedded derivative that otherwise would require
bifurcation. The Company adopted SFAS No. 155 as of the beginning of
2008. The adoption of SFAS No. 155 did not impact the Company’s
results of operations or financial condition.
Supplemental
Balance Sheet Information
Receivables
|
|
November
29,
2007
|
|
|
August
30,
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trade
receivables
|
|
$ |
783 |
|
|
$ |
739 |
|
Taxes
other than
income
|
|
|
51 |
|
|
|
44 |
|
Other
|
|
|
235 |
|
|
|
215 |
|
Allowance
for doubtful
accounts
|
|
|
(2 |
) |
|
|
(4 |
) |
|
|
$ |
1,067 |
|
|
$ |
994 |
|
As
of November 29, 2007 and August 30,
2007, other receivables included $89 million and $108 million, respectively,
due
from Intel Corporation (“Intel”) primarily for amounts related to NAND Flash
product design and process development activities. Other receivables
as of November 29, 2007 and August 30, 2007, included $77 million and $83
million, respectively, due from settlement of litigation.
Other
noncurrent assets as of November
29, 2007 and August 30, 2007, included receivables of $73 million and $110
million, respectively, due from settlement of litigation.
Inventories
|
|
November
29,
2007
|
|
|
August
30,
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Finished
goods
|
|
$ |
432 |
|
|
$ |
517 |
|
Work
in process
|
|
|
767 |
|
|
|
772 |
|
Raw
materials and
supplies
|
|
|
244 |
|
|
|
243 |
|
|
|
$ |
1,443 |
|
|
$ |
1,532 |
|
The
Company’s results of operations for
the first quarter of 2008 and fourth quarter of 2007 included charges of
$62
million and $20 million, respectively, to write down the carrying value of
work
in process and finished goods inventories of memory products (both DRAM and
NAND
Flash) to their estimated market values.
Goodwill
and Intangible Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
November
29, 2007
|
|
|
August
30, 2007
|
|
|
|
Gross
Amount
|
|
|
Accumulated
Amortization
|
|
|
Gross
Amount
|
|
|
Accumulated
Amortization
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Intangible
assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Product
and process
technology
|
|
$ |
555 |
|
|
$ |
(285 |
) |
|
$ |
544 |
|
|
$ |
(271 |
) |
Customer
relationships
|
|
|
127 |
|
|
|
(23 |
) |
|
|
127 |
|
|
|
(19 |
) |
Other
|
|
|
29 |
|
|
|
(11 |
) |
|
|
29 |
|
|
|
(9 |
) |
|
|
$ |
711 |
|
|
$ |
(319 |
) |
|
$ |
700 |
|
|
$ |
(299 |
) |
During
the first quarters of 2008 and
2007, the Company capitalized $11 million and $39 million, respectively,
for
product and process technology with weighted-average useful lives of 10 years
and 9 years, respectively.
Amortization
expense for intangible
assets was $20 million and $17 million for the first quarters of 2008 and
2007,
respectively. Annual amortization expense for intangible assets held
as of November 29, 2007, is estimated to be $79 million for 2008, $68 million
for 2009, $58 million for 2010, $53 million for 2011 and $44 million for
2012.
As
of November 29, 2007 and August 30,
2007, the Company had goodwill of $463 million related to its Memory segment
and
$52 million related to its Imaging segment. The Company performs its
annual test of impairment for goodwill in the fourth quarter of its fiscal
year.
Property,
Plant and Equipment
|
|
November
29,
2007
|
|
|
August
30,
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Land
|
|
$ |
107 |
|
|
$ |
107 |
|
Buildings
|
|
|
3,658 |
|
|
|
3,636 |
|
Equipment
|
|
|
12,759 |
|
|
|
12,379 |
|
Construction
in
progress
|
|
|
342 |
|
|
|
209 |
|
Software
|
|
|
273 |
|
|
|
267 |
|
|
|
|
17,139 |
|
|
|
16,598 |
|
Accumulated
depreciation
|
|
|
(8,563 |
) |
|
|
(8,319 |
) |
|
|
$ |
8,576 |
|
|
$ |
8,279 |
|
Depreciation
expense was $484 million
and $375 million for the first quarters of 2008 and 2007,
respectively.
Accounts
Payable and Accrued Expenses
|
|
November
29,
2007
|
|
|
August
30,
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
payable
|
|
$ |
811 |
|
|
$ |
856 |
|
Salaries,
wages and
benefits
|
|
|
219 |
|
|
|
247 |
|
Customer
advances
|
|
|
85 |
|
|
|
85 |
|
Income
and other
taxes
|
|
|
31 |
|
|
|
33 |
|
Interest
payable
|
|
|
18 |
|
|
|
19 |
|
Other
|
|
|
153 |
|
|
|
145 |
|
|
|
$ |
1,317 |
|
|
$ |
1,385 |
|
As
of November 29, 2007 and August 30,
2007, customer advances included $83 million for the Company’s obligation to
provide certain NAND Flash memory products to Apple Computer, Inc. (“Apple”)
until December 31, 2010, pursuant to a prepaid NAND Flash supply
agreement. As of November 29, 2007 and August 30, 2007, other
accounts payable and accrued expenses included $19 million and $17 million
for
amounts due to Intel for NAND Flash product design and process development
and
licensing fees pursuant to a product designs development agreement.
As
of November 29, 2007 and August 30,
2007, other noncurrent liabilities included an additional $167 million pursuant
to the supply agreement with Apple.
Debt
|
|
November
29,
2007
|
|
|
August
30,
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Convertible
senior notes payable, interest rate of 1.875%, due June
2014
|
|
$ |
1,300 |
|
|
$ |
1,300 |
|
Capital
lease obligations payable in monthly installments through August
2021,
weighted-average imputed interest rates of 6.6%
|
|
|
637 |
|
|
|
666 |
|
Notes
payable in periodic installments through July 2015, weighted-average
interest rates of 3.5% and 4.5%, respectively
|
|
|
210 |
|
|
|
374 |
|
Convertible
subordinated notes payable, interest rate of 5.6%, due April
2010
|
|
|
70 |
|
|
|
70 |
|
|
|
|
2,217 |
|
|
|
2,410 |
|
Less
current portion
|
|
|
(281 |
) |
|
|
(423 |
) |
|
|
$ |
1,936 |
|
|
$ |
1,987 |
|
As
of November 29, 2007, notes payable
and capital lease obligations above included $141 million, denominated in
Japanese yen, at a weighted-average interest rate of 1.6% and $119 million,
denominated in Singapore dollars, at a weighted-average interest rate of
6.5%.
The
Company’s TECH subsidiary has a credit facility that, as of November 29, 2007,
enabled it to borrow up to $320 million at Singapore Interbank Offered Rate
(“SIBOR”) plus 2.5%, subject to customary covenants. The total amount
TECH could borrow under the credit facility decreased to $280 million as
of
December 27, 2007, and will decline by approximately $40 million every calendar
quarter thereafter until the facility expires in September
2009. Amounts borrowed under the facility would be due in quarterly
installments through September 2009. As of November 29, 2007, TECH
had not borrowed any amounts under the credit facility. Through
December 27, 2007, TECH had borrowed $160 million against the credit facility,
reducing the amount available under the facility to $120 million.
Contingencies
As
is typical in the semiconductor and
other high technology industries, from time to time, others have asserted,
and
may in the future assert, that the Company’s products or manufacturing processes
infringe their intellectual property rights. In this regard, the
Company is engaged in litigation with Rambus, Inc. (“Rambus”) relating to
certain of Rambus’ patents and certain of the Company’s claims and
defenses. Lawsuits between Rambus and the Company are pending in the
U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, U.S. District Court for
the
Northern District of California, Germany, France, and Italy. The
Company also is engaged in patent litigation with Mosaid Technologies, Inc.
(“Mosaid”) in both the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
California and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of
Texas. Among other things, the above lawsuits pertain to certain of
the Company’s SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, RLDRAM, and image sensor
products, which account for a significant portion of net sales. In
the first quarter of 2008, the Company entered into a settlement agreement
with
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT”) that did not have a material
impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial
condition.
The
Company is unable to predict the
outcome of assertions of infringement made against the Company. A
court determination that the Company’s products or manufacturing processes
infringe the intellectual property rights of others could result in significant
liability and/or require the Company to make material changes to its products
and/or manufacturing processes. Any of the foregoing could have a
material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations or
financial condition.
On
June 17, 2002, the Company received
a grand jury subpoena from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District
of
California seeking information regarding an investigation by the Antitrust
Division of the Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) into possible antitrust
violations in the “Dynamic Random Access Memory” or “DRAM”
industry. The Company is cooperating fully and actively with the DOJ
in its investigation. The Company’s cooperation is pursuant to the
terms of the DOJ’s Corporate Leniency Policy, which provides that in exchange
for the Company’s full, continuing and complete cooperation in the pending
investigation, the Company will not be subject to prosecution, fines or other
penalties from the DOJ.
Subsequent
to the commencement of the
DOJ DRAM investigation, at least sixty-eight purported class action lawsuits
have been filed against the Company and other DRAM suppliers in various federal
and state courts in the United States and in Puerto Rico on behalf of indirect
purchasers alleging price-fixing in violation of federal and state antitrust
laws, violations of state unfair competition law, and/or unjust enrichment
relating to the sale and pricing of DRAM products during the period from
April
1999 through at least June 2002. The complaints seek treble damages
sustained by purported class members, in addition to restitution, costs,
and
attorneys’ fees. On June 1, 2007, the Court granted in part and
denied in part the Company’s motion to dismiss the consolidated
complaint. Plaintiffs subsequently have filed an amended complaint,
and the Company filed a response. A motion for class certification
has been filed and is expected to be heard in the first half of
2008.
In
addition, various states, through
their Attorneys General, have filed suit against the Company and other DRAM
manufacturers. On July 14, 2006, and on September 8, 2006 in an
amended complaint, the following Attorneys General filed suit in the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California: Alaska,
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho,
Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North
Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West
Virginia, Wisconsin and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands. Three states, Ohio, New Hampshire, and Texas, subsequently
voluntarily dismissed their claims. The remaining states filed a
third amended complaint on October 1, 2007. Alaska subsequently
voluntarily dismissed its claims. The amended complaint alleges,
among other things, violations of the Sherman Act, Cartwright Act, and certain
other states’ consumer protection and antitrust laws and seeks damages, and
injunctive and other relief. Additionally, on July 13, 2006, the
State of New York filed a similar
suit in
the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. That
case was subsequently transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of California for pre-trial purposes.
The State of New York filed an amended complaint on October 1,
2007.
Three
purported class action DRAM
lawsuits also have been filed in Canada, on behalf of direct and indirect
purchasers, alleging violations of the Canadian Competition Act. The
substantive allegations in these cases are similar to those asserted in the
cases filed in the United States.
In
February and March 2007, All
American Semiconductor, Inc., Jaco Electronics, Inc., and the DRAM Claims
Liquidation Trust each filed suit against the Company and other DRAM suppliers
in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California after
opting-out of the direct purchaser class action suit that was
settled. The complaints allege, among other things, violations of
federal and state antitrust and competition laws in the DRAM industry, and
seek
damages, injunctive relief, and other remedies.
On
October 11, 2006, the Company
received a grand jury subpoena from the U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of California seeking information regarding an investigation by
the DOJ
into possible antitrust violations in the “Static Random Access Memory” or
“SRAM” industry. The Company believes that it is not a target of the
investigation and is cooperating with the DOJ in its investigation of the
SRAM
industry.
Subsequent
to the commencement of the
DOJ SRAM investigation, at least eighty purported class action lawsuits have
been filed against the Company and other SRAM suppliers in various federal
courts on behalf of direct and indirect purchasers alleging price-fixing
in
violation of federal and state antitrust laws, violations of state unfair
competition law, and/or unjust enrichment relating to the sale and pricing
of
SRAM products during the period from January 1998 through December
2005. The complaints seek treble monetary damages sustained by
purported class members, in addition to restitution, costs, and attorneys’
fees.
Three
purported class action SRAM
lawsuits also have been filed in Canada, on behalf of direct and indirect
purchasers, alleging violations of the Canadian Competition Act. The
substantive allegations in these cases are similar to those asserted in the
SRAM
cases filed in the United States.
In
September 2007, a number of memory
suppliers confirmed that they had received grand jury subpoenas from the
U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California seeking information
regarding an investigation by the DOJ into possible antitrust violations
in the
"Flash" industry. The Company has not received a subpoena and
believes that it is not a target of the investigation.
At
least thirty-four purported class
action lawsuits were filed against the Company and other suppliers of Flash
memory products in various federal and state courts on behalf of direct and
indirect purchasers alleging price-fixing in violation of federal and state
antitrust laws, violations of state unfair competition law, and/or unjust
enrichment relating to the sale and pricing of Flash memory products during
the
period from January 1, 1999 through the date the various cases were
filed. The complaints seek treble monetary damages sustained by
purported class members, in addition to restitution, costs, and attorneys’
fees.
Three
purported class action Flash
lawsuits also have been filed in Canada, on behalf of direct and indirect
purchasers, alleging violations of the Canadian Competition Act. The
substantive allegations in these cases are similar to those asserted in the
Flash cases filed in the United States.
On
May 5, 2004, Rambus filed a
complaint in the Superior Court of the State of California (San Francisco
County) against the Company and other DRAM suppliers. The complaint
alleges various causes of action under California state law including conspiracy
to restrict output and fix prices on Rambus DRAM (“RDRAM”) and unfair
competition. The complaint seeks treble damages, punitive damages,
attorneys’ fees, costs, and a permanent injunction enjoining the defendants from
the conduct alleged in the complaint.
The
Company is unable to predict the
outcome of these lawsuits and investigations. The final resolution of
these alleged violations of antitrust laws could result in significant liability
and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of
operations or financial condition.
On
February 24, 2006, a putative class
action complaint was filed against the Company and certain of its officers in
the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho alleging claims under Section
10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Rule
10b-5 promulgated thereunder. Four substantially similar complaints
subsequently were filed in the same Court. The cases purport to be
brought on behalf of a class of purchasers of the Company’s stock during the
period February 24, 2001 to February 13, 2003. The five lawsuits have
been consolidated and a consolidated amended class action complaint was filed
on
July 24, 2006. The complaint generally alleges violations of federal
securities laws based on, among other things, claimed misstatements or omissions
regarding alleged illegal price-fixing conduct. The complaint seeks
unspecified damages, interest, attorneys’ fees, costs, and
expenses.
In
addition, on March 23, 2006, a
shareholder derivative action was filed in the Fourth District Court for
the
State of Idaho (Ada County), allegedly on behalf of and for the benefit of
the
Company, against certain of the Company’s current and former officers and
directors. The Company also was named as a nominal
defendant. An amended complaint was filed on August 23,
2006. The complaint is based on the same allegations of fact as in
the securities class actions filed in the U.S. District Court for the District
of Idaho and alleges breach of fiduciary duty, abuse of control, gross
mismanagement, waste of corporate assets, unjust enrichment, and insider
trading. The complaint seeks unspecified damages, restitution,
disgorgement of profits, equitable and injunctive relief, attorneys’ fees,
costs, and expenses. The complaint is derivative in nature and does
not seek monetary damages from the Company. However, the Company may
be required, throughout the pendency of the action, to advance payment of
legal
fees and costs incurred by the defendants. On May 29, 2007, the Court
granted the Company's motion to dismiss the complaint but provided plaintiffs
leave to file an amended complaint. On September 6, 2007, plaintiffs
filed an amended complaint.
The
Company is unable to predict the
outcome of these cases. A court determination in any of these actions
against the Company could result in significant liability and could have
a
material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations or
financial condition.
In
March 2006, following the Company’s
announcement of a definitive agreement to acquire Lexar Media, Inc. (“Lexar”) in
a stock-for-stock merger, four purported class action complaints were filed
in
the Superior Court for the State of California (Alameda County) on behalf
of
shareholders of Lexar against Lexar and its directors. Two of the
complaints also name the Company as a defendant. The complaints
allege that the defendants breached, or aided and abetted the breach of,
fiduciary duties owed to Lexar shareholders by, among other things, engaging
in
self-dealing, failing to engage in efforts to obtain the highest price
reasonably available, and failing to properly value Lexar in connection with
a
merger transaction between Lexar and the Company. The plaintiffs
seek, among other things, injunctive relief preventing, or an order of
rescission reversing, the merger, compensatory damages, interest, attorneys’
fees, and costs. On May 19, 2006, the plaintiffs filed a motion for
preliminary injunction seeking to block the merger. On May 31, 2006,
the Court denied the motion. An amended consolidated complaint was
filed on October 10, 2006. On June 14, 2007, the Court granted
Lexar's and the Company's motions to dismiss the amended complaint but allowed
plaintiffs leave to file a further amended complaint. On November 8,
2007, the Court granted Lexar’s and the Company’s renewed motion to dismiss the
case as to all parties with prejudice.
The
Company has accrued a liability and
charged operations for the estimated costs of adjudication or settlement
of
various asserted and unasserted claims existing as of the balance sheet
date. The Company is currently a party to other legal actions arising
out of the normal course of business, none of which is expected to have a
material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations or
financial condition.
In
the normal course of business, the
Company is a party to a variety of agreements pursuant to which it may be
obligated to indemnify the other party. It is not possible to predict
the maximum potential amount of future payments under these types of agreements
due to the conditional nature of the Company’s obligations and the unique facts
and circumstances involved in each particular
agreement. Historically, payments made by the Company under these
types of agreements have not had a material effect on the Company’s business,
results of operations or financial condition.
Equity
Plans
As
of November 29, 2007, the Company
had an aggregate of 177.6 million shares of its common stock reserved for
issuance under its various equity plans, of which 124.1 million shares were
subject to outstanding stock awards and 53.5 million shares were available
for
future grants. Awards are subject to terms and conditions as
determined by the Company’s Board of Directors.
Stock
Options: The Company granted 0.2 million and 1.0 million
shares of stock options during the first quarters of 2008 and 2007,
respectively, with a weighted-average grant-date fair value per share of
$4.10
and $5.94, respectively.
The
fair value of each option award is
estimated as of the date of grant using the Black-Scholes model. The
Black-Scholes option valuation model was developed for use in estimating
the
fair value of traded options which have no vesting restrictions and are fully
transferable and requires the input of subjective assumptions, including
the
expected stock price volatility and estimated option life. Expected
volatilities are based on implied volatilities from traded options on the
Company’s stock and historical volatility. The expected life of
options granted is based on the simplified method accepted by the Securities
and
Exchange Commission. The risk-free rates are based on the U.S.
Treasury yield in effect at the time of the grant. For purposes of
this valuation model, no dividends have been assumed. Assumptions
used in the Black-Scholes model are presented below:
|
|
Quarter
ended
|
|
|
|
November
29,
2007
|
|
|
November
30,
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average
expected life in
years
|
|
|
4.25 |
|
|
|
4.25 |
|
Expected
volatility
|
|
|
37%-41 |
% |
|
|
42 |
% |
Weighted-average
volatility
|
|
|
38 |
% |
|
|
42 |
% |
Risk-free
interest
rate
|
|
|
4.0 |
% |
|
|
4.7 |
% |
Restricted
Stock: The Company awards restricted stock and restricted
stock units (collectively, “Restricted Awards”) under its equity
plans. During the first quarter of 2008, the Company granted 1.3
million shares of service-based Restricted Awards and 1.3 million shares
of
performance-based Restricted Awards. During the first quarter of
2007, the Company granted 1.0 million shares of service-based Restricted
Awards
and 0.9 million shares of performance-based Restricted Awards. The
weighted-average grant-date fair value per share was $10.76 and $17.58 for
Restricted Awards granted during the first quarters of 2008 and 2007,
respectively.
Stock-Based
Compensation Expense: Total compensation costs for the
Company’s stock plans were as follows:
|
|
Quarter
ended
|
|
|
|
November
29,
2007
|
|
|
November
30,
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock-based
compensation expense by caption:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost
of goods
sold
|
|
$ |
3 |
|
|
$ |
2 |
|
Selling,
general and
administrative
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
5 |
|
Research
and
development
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
$ |
13 |
|
|
$ |
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock-based
compensation expense by type of award: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock
options
|
|
$ |
6 |
|
|
$ |
6 |
|
Restricted
stock
|
|
|
7 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
$ |
13 |
|
|
$ |
10 |
|
Stock-based
compensation expense of $3
million was capitalized and remained in inventory at November 29,
2007. As of November 29, 2007, $126 million of total unrecognized
compensation costs related to non-vested awards was expected to be recognized
through the first quarter of 2012, resulting in a weighted-average period
of 1.3
years. Stock-based compensation expense in the above presentation
does not reflect any significant income taxes, which is consistent with the
Company’s treatment of income or loss from its U.S. operations. (See
“Income Taxes” note.)
Restructure
In
the fourth quarter of 2007, in an
effort to increase its competitiveness and efficiency, the Company began
pursuing a number of initiatives to reduce costs across its
operations. These initiatives included workforce reductions in
certain areas of the Company as its business is realigned. Additional
initiatives include establishing certain operations closer in location to
the
Company’s global customers, evaluating functions more efficiently performed
through partnerships or other outside relationships and reducing the Company’s
overhead costs to meet or exceed industry benchmarks. It is
anticipated that these initiatives will be implemented over several
quarters.
In
the first quarter of 2008, the
Company recorded a charge of $13 million, primarily to the Memory segment,
for
employee severance and related costs and a write-down of certain facilities
that
are expected to be sold to their fair values. As of November 29, 2007
and August 30, 2007, $4 million and $5 million, respectively, of the restructure
costs remained unpaid and were included in accounts payable and accrued
expenses.
Other
Operating (Income) Expense, Net
Other
operating (income) expense for
the first quarter of 2008 included $38 million in receipts from the U.S.
government in connection with anti-dumping tariffs, losses of $27 million
from
changes in currency exchange rates, and gains of $10 million on disposals
of
semiconductor equipment. Other operating income for the first quarter
of 2007 included $30 million from the sale of certain intellectual property
to
Toshiba Corporation.
Income
Taxes
Income
taxes for 2008 and 2007
primarily reflect taxes on the Company’s non-U.S. operations and, for 2007, U.S.
alternative minimum tax. The Company has a valuation allowance for
its net deferred tax asset associated with its U.S. operations. The
benefit for taxes on U.S. operations in 2008 and 2007 was substantially offset
by changes in the valuation allowance.
Effective
at the beginning of the first
quarter of 2008, the Company adopted the provisions of FIN 48. In
connection with the adoption of FIN 48, the Company increased its liability
and
decreased retained earnings by $1 million for net unrecognized tax benefits
at
August 31, 2007. As of August 31, 2007, the Company had $16 million
of unrecognized income tax benefits, of which $15 million, if recognized,
would
affect the Company’s effective tax rate. As of November 29, 2007, the
Company had $17 million of unrecognized tax benefits, of which $16 million,
if
recognized, would affect the Company’s effective tax rate. The
increase of $1 million in uncertain tax benefits for the first quarter of
2008
related primarily to unrealized foreign exchange fluctuations. Due to
certain foreign statutes of limitations which expired on December 31, 2007,
the
Company will recognize approximately $15 million of previously unrecognized
tax
benefits in the second quarter of 2008. The Company does not expect
to recognize any additional previously unrecognized tax benefits during
2008.
As
of November 29, 2007 and August 31,
2007, accrued interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions were
de
minimis.
The
Company and its subsidiaries file
income tax returns with the United States federal government, various U.S.
states and various foreign jurisdictions throughout the world. The
Company’s U.S. federal and state tax returns remain open to examination for 2005
through 2007 and 2004 through 2007, respectively. In addition, tax
years open to examination in multiple foreign taxing jurisdictions range
from
1999 to 2007. The Company is currently undergoing audits in the state
of California and in the U.K. for 2004.
Earnings
Per Share
Basic
earnings per share is computed
based on the weighted-average number of common shares and stock rights
outstanding. Diluted earnings per share is computed based on the
weighted-average number of common shares outstanding plus the dilutive effects
of stock options, warrants and convertible notes. Potential common
shares that would increase earnings per share amounts or decrease loss per
share
amounts are antidilutive and are, therefore, excluded from earnings per share
calculations. Antidilutive potential common shares that could dilute
basic earnings per share in the future were 251.0 million and 105.2 million
for
the first quarters of 2008 and 2007, respectively.
|
|
Quarter
ended
|
|
|
|
November
29,
2007
|
|
|
November
30,
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income (loss) available to
common shareholders
|
|
$ |
(262 |
) |
|
$ |
115 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted-average
common shares
outstanding − Basic
|
|
|
771.9 |
|
|
|
767.0 |
|
Net
effect of dilutive stock
options and assumed conversion of debt
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
|
12.6 |
|
Weighted-average
common shares
outstanding − Diluted
|
|
|
771.9 |
|
|
|
779.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings
(loss) per
share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
|
|
$ |
(0.34 |
) |
|
$ |
0.15 |
|
Diluted
|
|
|
(0.34 |
) |
|
|
0.15 |
|
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)
Comprehensive
income (loss) for 2008
and 2007 included net income (loss) and de minimis amounts of unrealized
gains
and losses on investments. Comprehensive loss for the first quarter
of 2008 was ($263) million and comprehensive income for the first quarter
of
2007 was $117 million.
Acquisition
Avago
Technologies Limited Image Sensor Business: On December 11, 2006, the
Company acquired the CMOS image sensor business of Avago Technologies Limited
(“Avago”), for an initial cash payment of $53 million and additional contingent
consideration at inception of up to $17 million if certain milestones were
met
through calendar 2008. As of November 29, 2007, the Company had paid
$4 million in additional consideration, which was recorded as an increase
in
goodwill in 2007. Based on a preliminary allocation of acquisition
costs as of November 29, 2007, the Company had recorded total assets of $58
million (including intangible assets of $17 million and goodwill of $40 million)
and total liabilities of $1 million. The Company’s results of
operations subsequent to the acquisition date include the CMOS image sensor
business acquired from Avago as part of the Company’s Imaging
segment. Mercedes Johnson, a member of the Company’s Board of
Directors, is the Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer
of
Avago. Ms. Johnson recused herself from all deliberations of the
Company’s Board of Directors concerning this transaction.
Joint
Ventures
NAND
Flash Joint
Ventures with Intel (“IM Flash”): The Company has formed two
joint ventures with Intel to manufacture NAND Flash memory products for the
exclusive benefit of the partners: IM Flash Technologies, LLC and IM
Flash Singapore LLP. As of November 29, 2007, the Company owned 51%
and Intel owned 49% of IM Flash. The financial results of IM Flash
are included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements of the
Company. The partners share the output of IM Flash generally in
proportion to their ownership in IM Flash. IM Flash sells products to
the joint venture partners at long-term negotiated prices approximating
cost. IM Flash sales to Intel were $223 million and $65 million for
the first quarters of 2008 and 2007, respectively, and $497 million for
2007.
IM
Flash manufactures NAND Flash memory
products based on NAND Flash designs developed by the Company and Intel and
licensed to the Company. Product design and other research and
development (“R&D”) costs for NAND Flash are generally shared equally
between the Company and Intel. As a result of reimbursements received
from Intel under the NAND Flash R&D cost-sharing arrangement, the Company’s
R&D expenses were reduced by $53 million and $48 million for the first
quarters of 2008 and 2007, respectively.
All
amounts pertaining to Intel’s
interests in IM Flash are reported as noncontrolling interest. Intel
contributed $150 million and $388 million to IM Flash in the first quarters
of
2008 and 2007, respectively. IM Flash’s cash and marketable
investment securities ($285 million as of November 29, 2007) are not anticipated
to be made available to finance the Company’s other operations. The
creditors of IM Flash have recourse only to the assets of IM Flash and do
not
have recourse to any other assets of the Company.
TECH
Semiconductor Singapore Pte. Ltd. (“TECH”): Since 1998, the
Company has participated in TECH, a semiconductor memory manufacturing joint
venture in Singapore among the Company, the Singapore Economic Development
Board
(“EDB”), Canon Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Company. As of November 29,
2007, the Company owned an approximate 73% interest in TECH. TECH’s
cash and marketable investment securities ($111 million as of November 29,
2007)
are not anticipated to be made available to finance the Company’s other
operations. The creditors of TECH have recourse only to the assets of
TECH and do not have recourse to any other assets of the Company.
On
March 30, 2007, the Company
exercised its option and acquired all of the shares of TECH common stock
held by
EDB for approximately $290 million, which included a note payable for $216
million. As of November 29, 2007, $76 million of the note payable
remained outstanding. This note was fully paid on December 13,
2007. As a result of the acquisition, the Company’s ownership
interest in TECH increased from 43% to 73%.
Segment
Information
The
Company’s segments are Memory and
Imaging. The Memory segment’s primary products are DRAM and NAND
Flash memory and the Imaging segment’s primary product is CMOS image
sensors. Segment information reported below is consistent with how it
is reviewed and evaluated by the Company’s chief operating decision makers and
is based on the nature of the Company’s operations and products offered to
customers. The Company does not identify or report depreciation and
amortization, capital expenditures or assets by segment.
|
|
Quarter
ended
|
|
|
|
November
29,
2007
|
|
|
November
30,
2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
sales:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Memory
|
|
$ |
1,366 |
|
|
$ |
1,286 |
|
Imaging
|
|
|
169 |
|
|
|
244 |
|
Total
consolidated net
sales
|
|
$ |
1,535 |
|
|
$ |
1,530 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
income
(loss):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Memory
|
|
$ |
(251 |
) |
|
$ |
60 |
|
Imaging
|
|
|
(9 |
) |
|
|
50 |
|
Total
consolidated operating
income (loss)
|
|
$ |
(260 |
) |
|
$ |
110 |
|
Item
2. Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
The
following discussion contains trend
information and other forward-looking statements that involve a number of
risks
and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, but are not
limited to, statements such as those made in “Overview” regarding the future
business model for Imaging, production growth for NAND Flash memory products,
future net contributions to IM Flash, anticipated restructure initiatives
and
future charges for inventory write-downs; in “Net Sales” regarding increases in
NAND Flash memory production; in “Gross Margin” regarding future charges for
inventory write-downs; in “Selling, General and Administrative” regarding
SG&A expenses for the second quarter of 2008; in “Research and Development”
regarding R&D expenses for the second quarter of 2008; in “Stock-Based
Compensation” regarding increases in future stock-based compensation costs; in
“Restructure” regarding future charges; in “Recently Issued Accounting
Standards” regarding the adoption of new accounting standards; and in “Liquidity
and Capital Resources” regarding capital spending in 2008 and future net
contributions to IM Flash. The Company’s actual results could differ
materially from the Company’s historical results and those discussed in the
forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results
to differ materially include, but are not limited to, those identified in
“PART
II. OTHER INFORMATION – Item 1A. Risk
Factors.” This discussion should be read in conjunction with the
Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes and with the Company’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended August 30, 2007. All
period references are to the Company’s fiscal periods unless otherwise
indicated. All tabular dollar amounts are in millions. All
production data reflects production of the Company and its consolidated joint
ventures.
Overview
The
Company is a global manufacturer of
semiconductor devices, principally semiconductor memory products (including
DRAM
and NAND Flash) and CMOS image sensors. The Company operates in two
segments: Memory and Imaging. Its products are used in a
broad range of electronic applications including personal computers,
workstations, network servers, mobile phones and other consumer applications
including Flash memory cards, USB storage devices, digital still cameras,
MP3/4
players and in automotive applications. The Company markets its
products through its internal sales force, independent sales representatives
and
distributors primarily to original equipment manufacturers and retailers
located
around the world. The Company’s success is largely dependent on the
market acceptance of a diversified portfolio of semiconductor memory products,
efficient utilization of the Company’s manufacturing infrastructure, successful
ongoing development of advanced process technologies and generation of
sufficient return on research and development investments.
The
Company is focused on improving its
competitiveness by developing new products, advancing its technology and
reducing costs. In addition, the Company has increased its
manufacturing scale in 2008 and 2007 by ramping NAND Flash production at
two
300mm wafer fabrication facilities and beginning the conversion of another
facility to 300mm DRAM wafer fabrication. To reduce costs, the
Company is implementing restructure initiatives aimed at reducing manufacturing
and overhead costs through outsourcing, relocation of operations and workforce
reductions. In recent years the Company has strategically entered
into the NAND Flash memory and specialty DRAM markets. The Company is
able to leverage its existing product and process technology and semiconductor
memory manufacturing expertise in these markets.
To
improve its focus on the
semiconductor memory market, the Company is exploring business model
alternatives for its Imaging business including partnering
arrangements. Under any of the alternatives being considered, the
Company expects that it will continue to manufacture CMOS image
sensors.
The
Company has partnered with Intel to
form two NAND Flash manufacturing joint ventures: IM Flash
Technologies, LLC and IM Flash Singapore LLP (collectively “IM
Flash”). IM Flash operations include two 300mm wafer fabrication
facilities that are expected to significantly increase the Company’s production
of NAND Flash in 2008. IM Flash Singapore LLP began construction of a
new 300mm wafer fabrication facility in Singapore in 2007. The
Company expects to make cash contributions, net of distributions received,
of
approximately $1 billion to IM Flash through the end of 2009, with similar
contributions to be made by Intel. Completion of the facility in
Singapore is subject to the mutual agreement of the joint venture
partners. As of November 29, 2007, the Company owned 51% and Intel
owned 49% of IM Flash. The parties share output of IM Flash generally
in proportion to their ownership in IM Flash.
The
Company makes significant ongoing
investments to implement its proprietary product and process technology in
its
facilities in the United States, Europe and Asia to manufacture semiconductor
products with increasing functionality and performance at lower
costs. The Company continues to introduce new generations of products
that offer improved performance characteristics, such as higher data transfer
rates, reduced package size, lower power consumption and increased memory
density and megapixel count. The Company generally reduces the
manufacturing cost of each generation of product through advancements in
product
and process technology such as its leading-edge line width process technology
and innovative array architecture.
In
order to maximize returns from
investments in research and development (“R&D”), the Company develops
process technology that effectively reduces production costs and leverages
the
Company’s capital expenditures. To be successfully incorporated in
customers’ end products, the Company must offer qualified semiconductor
solutions at a time when customers are developing their design specifications
for their end products. In addition, DRAM and NAND Flash products
necessarily incorporate highly advanced design and process
technologies. The Company must make significant investments in
R&D to expand its product offering and develop its leading-edge product and
process technologies. To leverage its R&D investments, the
Company has formed strategic joint ventures under which the costs of developing
NAND Flash memory product and process technologies are shared with its joint
venture partner. In addition, from time to time, the Company has also
sold and/or licensed technology to third parties. The Company is
pursuing further opportunities to recover its investment in intellectual
property through partnering and other arrangements.
Restructure: In
the fourth quarter of 2007, in an effort to increase its competitiveness
and
efficiency, the Company began pursuing a number of initiatives to reduce
costs
across its operations. These initiatives include workforce reductions
in certain areas of the Company as its business is
realigned. Additional initiatives include establishing certain
operations closer in location to the Company’s global customers, evaluating
functions more efficiently performed through partnerships or other outside
relationships and reducing the Company’s overhead costs to meet or exceed
industry benchmarks. It is anticipated that these initiatives will be
implemented over several quarters.
In
the first quarter of 2008, the
Company recorded a charge of $13 million, primarily to the Memory segment,
for
employee severance and related costs and a write-down of certain facilities
that
are expected to be sold to their fair values. The Company anticipates
that it will incur some level of restructure charges through the end of 2008
as
it continues to implement these initiatives, but is currently unable to estimate
the aggregate amount of such charges. As of November 29, 2007, $4
million of the restructure costs remained unpaid and were included in accounts
payable and accrued expenses.
Inventory
Write-Downs: For the first quarter of 2008 and fourth quarter
of 2007, the Company recorded inventory write-downs of $62 million and $20
million, respectively, as a result of the significant decreases in average
selling prices for both DRAM and NAND Flash products. In future
periods, if estimated average selling prices of products held in finished
goods
and work in process inventories at a quarter-end date are below the
manufacturing cost of these products, the Company would record additional
write-downs.
Results
of Operations
|
|
First
Quarter
|
|
|
|
Fourth
Quarter
|
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
%
of net sales
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
%
of net sales
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
%
of net sales
|
|
|
Net
sales:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Memory
|
|
$ |
1,366 |
|
|
|
89 |
|
% |
|
$ |
1,286 |
|
|
|
84 |
|
% |
|
$ |
1,288 |
|
|
|
90 |
|
% |
Imaging
|
|
|
169 |
|
|
|
11 |
|
% |
|
|
244 |
|
|
|
16 |
|
% |
|
|
149 |
|
|
|
10 |
|
% |
|
|
$ |
1,535 |
|
|
|
100 |
|
% |
|
$ |
1,530 |
|
|
|
100 |
|
% |
|
$ |
1,437 |
|
|
|
100 |
|
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross
margin:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Memory
|
|
$ |
(39 |
) |
|
|
(3 |
) |
% |
|
$ |
340 |
|
|
|
26 |
|
% |
|
$ |
135 |
|
|
|
10 |
|
% |
Imaging
|
|
|
44 |
|
|
|
26 |
|
% |
|
|
102 |
|
|
|
42 |
|
% |
|
|
38 |
|
|
|
26 |
|
% |
|
|
$ |
5 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
% |
|
$ |
442 |
|
|
|
29 |
|
% |
|
$ |
173 |
|
|
|
12 |
|
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selling,
general and administrative
|
|
$ |
112 |
|
|
|
7 |
|
% |
|
$ |
180 |
|
|
|
12 |
|
% |
|
$ |
143 |
|
|
|
10 |
|
% |
Research
and development
|
|
|
163 |
|
|
|
11 |
|
% |
|
|
183 |
|
|
|
12 |
|
% |
|
|
184 |
|
|
|
13 |
|
% |
Restructure
|
|
|
13 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
% |
|
|
-- |
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
|
|
19 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
% |
Other
operating (income) expense, net
|
|
|
(23 |
) |
|
|
(1 |
) |
% |
|
|
(31 |
) |
|
|
(2 |
) |
% |
|
|
(12 |
) |
|
|
(1 |
) |
% |
Net
income (loss)
|
|
|
(262 |
) |
|
|
(17 |
) |
% |
|
|
115 |
|
|
|
8 |
|
% |
|
|
(158 |
) |
|
|
(11 |
) |
% |
The
Company’s fiscal year is the 52 or
53-week period ending on the Thursday closest to August 31.
Net
Sales
Total
net sales for the first quarter
of 2008 increased 7% as compared to the fourth quarter of 2007 primarily
due to
a 6% increase in Memory sales and a 13% increase in Imaging
sales. Memory sales for the first quarter of 2008 reflect significant
increases in megabits sold partially offset by significant declines in per
megabit average selling prices as compared to the fourth quarter of
2007. Memory sales were 89% of total net sales in the first quarter
of 2008 compared to 90% in the fourth quarter of 2007 and 84% in the first
quarter of 2007. The increase in Imaging sales for the first quarter
of 2008 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2007 was primarily due to increased
unit sales of higher resolution products partially offset by reductions in
average selling prices and reduced sales of lower resolution
products. Total net sales for the first quarter of 2008 were
essentially the same as for the first quarter of 2007 as a 6% increase in
Memory
sales was offset by a 31% decrease in Imaging sales.
Memory: Memory
sales for the first quarter of 2008 increased 6% from the fourth quarter
of 2007
reflecting a 12% increase in sales of NAND Flash products and a 3% increase
in
sales of DRAM products.
Sales
of NAND Flash products for the
first quarter of 2008 increased from the fourth quarter of 2007 primarily
due to
a 59% increase in megabits sold as a result of production increases partially
offset by a 30% decline in average selling prices per
megabit. Megabit production of NAND Flash products increased 55% for
the first quarter of 2008 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2007, primarily
due to the continued ramp of NAND Flash products at the Company’s 300mm
fabrication facilities and transitions to higher density, advanced geometry
devices. Sales of NAND Flash products represented 33% of the
Company’s total net sales for the first quarter of 2008 as compared to 31% for
the fourth quarter of 2007 and 16% for the first quarter of 2007. The
Company expects that its production of NAND Flash products will continue
to
increase significantly through the remainder of 2008 as it continues to ramp
capacity at its 300mm wafer fabrication facilities and transitions to
higher-density, advanced-geometry devices.
Sales
of DRAM products for the first
quarter of 2008 increased from the fourth quarter of 2007 primarily due to
a 24%
increase in megabits sold, which was partially offset by an 18% decline in
average selling prices. Megabit production of DRAM products increased
20% for the first quarter of 2008, primarily due to transitions to
higher-density, advanced-geometry devices. Sales of DDR2 and DDR3
DRAM products were 32% of the Company’s total net sales in the first quarter of
2008 as compared to 33% for the fourth quarter of 2007 and 26% for the first
quarter of 2007.
Memory
sales for the first quarter of
2008 increased 6% from the first quarter of 2007, reflecting a 100% increase
in
sales of NAND Flash products offset by a 16% decrease in sales of DRAM
products. Sales of NAND Flash products for the first quarter of 2008
increased from the first quarter of 2007 primarily due to a significant increase
in megabits sold partially offset by a 72% decline in average selling
prices. The significant increase in megabit sales of NAND Flash
products was primarily due to increased production as a result of the continued
ramp of NAND Flash products at the Company’s 300mm fabrication facilities and
transitions to higher density, advanced geometry devices. The
decrease in sales of DRAM products for the first quarter of 2008 from the
first
quarter of 2007 was the result of a 62% decline in average selling prices
mitigated by a 118% increase in megabits sold. The 62% decline in
average selling prices would have been even greater if not for the effects
of a
$50 million charge to revenue in the first quarter of 2007 due to a settlement
agreement with a class of direct purchasers of certain DRAM
products. Megabit production of DRAM products increased 111% for the
first quarter of 2008 as compared to the first quarter of 2007, primarily
due to
production efficiencies from improvements in product and process technologies,
including TECH’s conversion to 300mm wafer fabrication.
Imaging: Imaging
sales for the first quarter of 2008 increased 13% from the fourth quarter
of
2007 primarily due to increases in unit sales partially offset by a decline
in
average selling prices. The increase in unit sales primarily reflects
increased sales of products with 2-megapixels or higher resolution, partially
offset by reduced sales of VGA products. Imaging sales were 11% of
the Company’s total net sales in the first quarter of 2008 as compared to 10%
for the fourth quarter of 2007 and 16% for the first quarter of
2007. Imaging sales for the first quarter of 2008 decreased by 31%
from the first quarter of 2007 primarily due to significant reductions in
average selling prices and reductions in units sold. The reduction in
units sold primarily reflects reduced sales of VGA and 1-megapixel products,
mitigated by increased sales of products with 2-megapixels or higher
resolution.
Gross
Margin
The
Company’s overall gross margin
percentage declined from 12% for the fourth quarter of 2007 to 0% for the
first
quarter of 2008 due to a decrease in the gross margin percentage for Memory
products. The Company’s overall gross margin percentage declined from
29% for the first quarter of 2007 to 0% for the first quarter of 2008,
reflecting decreases in the gross margin percentage for both Memory and Imaging
products.
Memory: The
Company’s gross margin percentage for Memory products for the first quarter of
2008 declined from 10% for the fourth quarter of 2007 to a negative 3% primarily
due to significant declines in average selling prices of both DRAM and NAND
Flash products. The reduction in gross margin percentage for Memory
products was also due to a shift in product mix to NAND Flash products, which
had significantly lower gross margins than DRAM products.
The
gross margin percentage for DRAM
products for the first quarter of 2008 declined from the fourth quarter of
2007,
primarily due to the 18% decline in average selling prices, partially offset
by
an 8% reduction in costs per megabit. The Company achieved cost
reductions for DRAM products through transitions to higher-density,
advanced-geometry devices.
The
Company’s gross margin percentage
on NAND Flash products for the first quarter of 2008 declined from the fourth
quarter of 2007 primarily due to the 30% decline in average selling prices,
partially offset by a 16% reduction in costs per megabit. Cost
reductions in the first quarter of 2008 reflect lower manufacturing costs
and
lower costs of NAND Flash products purchased for sale under the Company’s Lexar
brand and shifts in product mix. The Company achieved manufacturing
cost reductions for NAND Flash products primarily through increased production
of higher-density, advanced-geometry devices at the Company’s 300mm fabrication
facilities. Sales of NAND Flash products include sales from IM Flash
to Intel at long-term negotiated prices approximating cost. IM Flash
sales to Intel were $223 million for the first quarter of 2008, $65 million
for
the first quarter of 2007 and $497 million for 2007.
For
the first quarter of 2008 and
fourth quarter of 2007, the Company’s gross margins for Memory was adversely
impacted by inventory write-downs of $62 million and $20 million, respectively,
as a result of the significant decreases in average selling prices for both
DRAM
and NAND Flash products. In future periods, if estimated average
selling prices of products held in finished goods and work in process
inventories at a quarter-end date are below the manufacturing cost of these
products, the Company would record additional write-downs.
The
Company’s gross margin percentage
for Memory products declined to negative 3% for the first quarter of 2008
from
26% for first quarter of 2007 primarily due to a reduction in the gross margin
percentage on sales of DRAM products as a result of significant declines
in
average selling prices. The reduction in gross margin percentage for
Memory products was also due to a shift in product mix to NAND Flash products,
which had a significantly lower gross margin than DRAM products.
In
the first quarter of 2008, the
Company’s TECH Semiconductor Singapore Pte. Ltd. (“TECH”) joint venture
accounted for approximately 13% of the Company’s total wafer
production. TECH primarily produced DDR and DDR2 products in the
first quarter of 2008 and the fourth and first quarters of
2007. Since TECH utilizes the Company’s product designs and process
technology and has a similar manufacturing cost structure, the gross margin
on
sales of TECH products approximates gross margins on sales of similar products
manufactured by the Company’s wholly-owned operations. (See “Item 1.
Financial Statements – Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – Joint
Ventures – TECH Semiconductor Singapore Pte. Ltd.”)
Imaging: The
Company’s gross margin percentage for Imaging of 26% for the first quarter of
2008 was essentially unchanged from the fourth quarter of 2007 as declines
in
average selling prices were offset by cost reductions and shifts in product
mix
to higher resolution products that generally realized higher gross
margins. The Company’s gross margin percentage for Imaging products
for the first quarter of 2008 decreased to 26% from 42% for first quarter
of
2007, primarily due to declines in average selling prices partially offset
by
cost reductions.
Selling,
General and Administrative
Selling,
general and administrative
(“SG&A”) expenses for the first quarter of 2008 decreased 22% from the
fourth quarter of 2007 primarily due to lower legal costs. SG&A
expenses for the first quarter of 2008 decreased 38% from the first quarter
of
2007 primarily due to lower legal costs. In the first quarter of
2007, the Company recorded a $31 million charge to SG&A as a result of the
settlement of certain antitrust class action (direct purchaser)
lawsuits. Lower payroll costs due to headcount reductions also
contributed to the decrease in SG&A expenses for the first quarter of 2008
as compared to the first quarter of 2007. The Company expects
SG&A expenses to approximate $120 million to $130 million for the second
quarter of 2008. Future SG&A expense is expected to vary,
potentially significantly, depending on, among other things, the number of
legal
matters that are resolved relatively early in their life-cycle and the number
of
matters that progress to trial. The Company is involved in a number
of significant cases which are scheduled for trial in 2008. For the
Company’s Memory segment, SG&A expenses as a percentage of sales were 7% for
the first quarter of 2008, 10% for the fourth quarter of 2007 and 12% for
the
first quarter of 2007. For the Imaging segment, SG&A expenses as
a percentage of sales were 8% for the first quarter of 2008, 8% for the fourth
quarter of 2007 and 11% for the first quarter of 2007.
Research
and Development
Research
and development (“R&D”)
expenses vary primarily with the number of development wafers processed,
the
cost of advanced equipment dedicated to new product and process development,
and
personnel costs. Because of the lead times necessary to manufacture
its products, the Company typically begins to process wafers before completion
of performance and reliability testing. The Company deems development
of a product complete once the product has been thoroughly reviewed and tested
for performance and reliability. R&D expenses can vary
significantly depending on the timing of product qualification as costs incurred
in production prior to qualification are charged to R&D.
R&D
expenses for the first quarter
of 2008 decreased 11% from the fourth quarter of 2007 principally due to
reductions in NAND development wafers processed. As a result of
reimbursements received from Intel under a NAND Flash R&D cost-sharing
arrangement, R&D expenses were reduced by $53 million for the first quarter
of 2008, $67 million in the fourth quarter of 2007 and $48 million for the
first
quarter of 2007. R&D expenses for the first quarter of 2008
decreased 11% from the first quarter of 2007, principally due to decreases
in
development wafers processed. The Company expects that its R&D
expenses, net of amounts reimbursable from Intel, will approximate $160 million
to $170 million for the second quarter of 2008. For the Company’s
Memory segment, R&D expenses as a percentage of sales were 9% for the first
quarter of 2008, 11% for the fourth quarter of 2007 and 12% for the first
quarter of 2007. For the Imaging segment, R&D expenses as a
percentage of sales were 22% for the first quarter of 2008, 28% for the fourth
quarter of 2007 and 13% for the first quarter of 2007.
The
Company’s process technology
R&D efforts are focused primarily on development of successively smaller
line-width process technologies which are designed to facilitate the Company’s
transition to next-generation memory products and CMOS image
sensors. Additional process technology R&D efforts focus on
advanced computing and mobile memory architectures and new manufacturing
materials. Product design and development efforts are concentrated on
the Company’s 1 Gb and 2 Gb DDR2 and DDR3 products as well as high density and
mobile NAND Flash memory (including multi-level cell technology), CMOS image
sensors and specialty memory products.
Restructure
In
the fourth quarter of 2007, in an
effort to increase its competitiveness and efficiency, the Company began
pursuing a number of initiatives to reduce costs across its
operations. These initiatives include workforce reductions in certain
areas of the Company as its business is realigned. Additional
initiatives include establishing certain operations closer in location to
the
Company’s global customers, evaluating functions more efficiently performed
through partnerships or other outside relationships and reducing the Company’s
overhead costs to meet or exceed industry benchmarks. It is
anticipated that these initiatives will be implemented over several
quarters.
In
the first quarter of 2008, the
Company recorded a charge of $13 million, primarily related to the Memory
segment, for employee severance and related costs and a write-down of certain
facilities expected to be sold at their fair values. The Company
anticipates that it will incur some level of restructure charges through
the end
of 2008 as it continues to implement these initiatives, but is currently
unable
to estimate the aggregate amount of such charges. As of November 29,
2007, $4 million of the restructure costs remained unpaid and were included
in
accounts payable and accrued expenses.
Other
Operating (Income) Expense, Net
Other
operating (income) expense for
the first quarter of 2008 includes $38 million in receipts from the U.S.
government in connection with anti-dumping tariffs, losses of $27 million
from
changes in currency exchange rates and gains of $10 million on disposals
of
semiconductor equipment. Other operating (income) expense for the
fourth quarter of 2007 includes $18 million from gains on disposals of
semiconductor equipment and losses of $11 million from changes in currency
exchange rates. Other operating income for the first quarter of 2007
includes $30 million from the sale of certain intellectual property to Toshiba
Corporation.
Income
Taxes
Income
taxes for 2008 and 2007
primarily reflect taxes on the Company’s non-U.S. operations and, for 2007, U.S.
alternative minimum tax. The Company has a valuation allowance for
its net deferred tax asset associated with its U.S. operations. The
benefit for taxes on U.S. operations in 2008 and 2007 was substantially offset
by changes in the valuation allowance.
Noncontrolling
Interests in Net (Income) Loss
Noncontrolling
interests for 2008 and
2007 primarily reflects the share of income or losses of the Company’s TECH
joint venture attributable to the noncontrolling interests in
TECH. On March 30, 2007, the Company acquired all of the shares of
TECH common stock held by the Singapore Economic Development Board, which
had
the effect of reducing the noncontrolling interests in TECH as of that date
from
57% to 27%. (See “Item 1. Financial Statements – Notes to
Consolidated Financial Statements – Joint Ventures – TECH Semiconductor
Singapore Pte. Ltd.”)
Stock-Based
Compensation
Total
compensation cost for the
Company’s equity plans for the first quarter of 2008, the fourth quarter of 2007
and first quarter of 2007 was $13 million, $14 million and $10 million,
respectively. As of November 29, 2007, $3 million of stock
compensation expense was capitalized and remained in inventory. As of
November 29, 2007, there was $126 million of total unrecognized compensation
cost related to equity plans, which is expected to be recognized through
the
first quarter of 2012. In 2005, the Company accelerated the vesting
of substantially all of its unvested stock options then outstanding which
reduced stock compensation recognized in subsequent periods. As a
result, the Company expects that stock-based compensation costs will continue
to
increase in future periods.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
The
Company’s liquidity is highly
dependent on average selling prices for its products and the timing of capital
expenditures, both of which can vary significantly from period to
period. As of November 29, 2007, the Company had cash and equivalents
and short-term investments totaling $2.0 billion compared to $2.6 billion
as of
August 30, 2007. The balance as of November 29, 2007, included an
aggregate of $396 million held at, and anticipated to be used in the near
term
by, IM Flash and TECH and are not anticipated to be made available to finance
the Company’s other operations.
Operating
Activities: The Company generated $276 million of cash from
operating activities in the first quarter of 2008, which principally reflects
the Company’s $262 million of net loss adjusted by $504 million for non-cash
depreciation and amortization expense and a $62 million non-cash inventory
write-down.
Investing
Activities: Net cash used by investing activities was $406
million in the first quarter of 2008, which included cash expenditures for
property, plant and equipment of $765 million partially offset by the net
effect
of purchases, sales and maturities of investment securities of $261
million. A significant portion of the capital expenditures relate to
the ramp of IM Flash facilities and 300mm conversion of manufacturing operations
at TECH. The Company believes that to develop new product and process
technologies, support future growth, achieve operating efficiencies and maintain
product quality, it must continue to invest in manufacturing technologies,
facilities and capital equipment and research and development. The
Company expects 2008 capital spending to approximate $2.5 billion to $3.0
billion, primarily for expenditures on 300mm fabrication
facilities. The Company expects that approximately $500 million of
the capital expenditure requirement will come from contributions from joint
venture partners. As of November 29, 2007, the Company had
commitments of approximately $1.4 billion for the acquisition of property,
plant
and equipment, nearly all of which are expected to be paid within one
year.
Financing
Activities: Net cash used for financing activities was $182
million in the first quarter of 2008, primarily reflecting an aggregate of
$334
million in scheduled debt payments and payments on equipment purchase contracts
partially offset by $150 million in capital contributions received from joint
venture partners.
The
Company’s TECH subsidiary has a
credit facility that, as of November 29, 2007, enabled it to borrow up to
$320
million at Singapore Interbank Offered Rate (“SIBOR”) plus 2.5%, subject to
customary covenants. The total amount TECH could borrow under the
credit facility decreased to $280 million as of December 27, 2007, and will
decline by approximately $40 million every calendar quarter thereafter until
the
facility expires in September 2009. Amounts borrowed under the
facility would be due in quarterly installments through September
2009. As of November 29, 2007, TECH had not borrowed any amounts
under the credit facility. Through December 27, 2007, TECH had
borrowed $160 million against the credit facility, reducing the amount available
under the facility to $120 million.
Access
to capital markets has
historically been important to the Company. Depending on market
conditions, the Company may issue registered or unregistered securities to
raise
capital to fund a portion of its operations.
Joint
Ventures: As of November 29, 2007, IM Flash had $285 million
of cash and marketable investment securities. Subject to certain
conditions, the Company expects to make cash contributions, net of distributions
received, of approximately $1 billion through the end of 2009, with similar
contributions to be made by Intel. The Company anticipates additional
investments as appropriate to support the growth of IM Flash’s
operations.
(See
“Item
1. Financial Statements –
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – Joint Ventures.”)
Contractual
Obligations: As of November 29, 2007, contractual obligations
for notes payable, capital lease obligations and operating leases were as
follows:
|
|
Total
|
|
|
Remainder
of 2008
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2011
|
|
|
2012
|
|
|
2013
and
thereafter
|
|
(amounts
in millions)
|
|
Notes
payable (including
interest)
|
|
$ |
1,765 |
|
|
$ |
137 |
|
|
$ |
78 |
|
|
$ |
147 |
|
|
$ |
29 |
|
|
$ |
24 |
|
|
$ |
1,350 |
|
Capital
lease
obligations
|
|
|
756 |
|
|
|
142 |
|
|
|
173 |
|
|
|
113 |
|
|
|
225 |
|
|
|
16 |
|
|
|
87 |
|
Operating
leases
|
|
|
113 |
|
|
|
22 |
|
|
|
17 |
|
|
|
14 |
|
|
|
13 |
|
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
36 |
|
Recently
Issued Accounting Standards
In
December 2007, the Financial
Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ratified Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”)
Issue No. 07-1, “Accounting for Collaborative Arrangements,” which defines
collaborative arrangements and establishes reporting and disclosure requirements
for transactions between participants in a collaborative arrangement and
between
participants in the arrangements and third parties. The Company is
required to adopt EITF No. 07-1 effective at the beginning of
2010. The Company is evaluating the impact that the adoption of EITF
No. 07-1 will have on its financial statements.
In
December 2007, the FASB issued
Statements of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 141
(revised 2007), “Business Combinations”
(“SFAS No. 141(R)”), which establishes
the principles and
requirements for how an acquirer in a business combination (1) recognizes
and measures in its financial statements the identifiable assets acquired,
the
liabilities assumed, and any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree,
(2) recognizes and measures the goodwill acquired in the business
combination or a gain from a bargain purchase, and (3) determines what
information to disclose to enable users of the financial statements to evaluate
the nature and financial effects of the business combination. The
Company is required to adopt SFAS No. 141(R) effective at the beginning of
2010. The impact of the adoption of SFAS No. 141(R) will depend on
the nature and extent of business combinations occurring on or after the
beginning of 2010.
In
December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS
No. 160, “Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements – an
amendment of ARB No. 51.” SFAS No. 160 requires that (1)
noncontrolling interests be reported as a separate component of equity,
(2) net income attributable to the parent and to the non-controlling
interest be separately identified in the income statement, (3) changes in
a
parent’s ownership interest while the parent retains its controlling interest be
accounted for as equity transactions, and (4) any retained noncontrolling
equity
investment upon the deconsolidation of a subsidiary be initially measured
at
fair value. The Company is required to adopt SFAS No. 160 effective
at the beginning of 2010. The Company is evaluating the impact that
the adoption of SFAS No. 160 will have on its financial statements.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS
No. 159, “The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities –
Including an amendment of FASB Statement No. 115.” Under SFAS No.
159, the Company may elect to measure many financial instruments and certain
other items at fair value on an instrument by instrument basis, subject to
certain restrictions. The Company is required to adopt SFAS No. 159
effective at the beginning of 2009. The impact of the adoption of
SFAS No. 159 will depend on the extent to which the Company elects to measure
eligible items at fair value.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS
No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements.” SFAS No. 157 defines fair value,
establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted
accounting principles and expands disclosures about fair value
measurements. SFAS No. 157 applies under other accounting
pronouncements that require or permit fair value measurements. The
Company is required to adopt FAS No. 157 effective at the beginning of
2009. The Company is evaluating the impact this statement will have
on its consolidated financial statements.
In
June 2006, the FASB issued
Interpretation No. 48 (“FIN 48”), “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes –
an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109.” The interpretation
contains a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain tax
positions accounted for in accordance with SFAS No. 109. The first
step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the
weight of available evidence indicates it is more likely than not that the
position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals
or
litigation processes, if any. The second step is to measure the tax
benefit as the largest amount which is more than 50% likely of being realized
upon ultimate settlement. The Company adopted FIN 48 on August 31,
2007, which did not have a significant impact on the Company’s results of
operations or financial position. The Company did not change its
policy of recognizing accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized
tax
benefits within the income tax provision with the adoption of FIN
48.
In
February 2006, the FASB issued SFAS
No. 155, “Accounting for Certain Hybrid Financial Instruments.” SFAS
No. 155 permits fair value remeasurement for any hybrid financial instrument
that contains an embedded derivative that otherwise would require
bifurcation. The Company adopted SFAS No. 155 as of the beginning of
2008. The adoption of SFAS No. 155 did not impact the Company’s
results of operations or financial condition.
Critical
Accounting Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements
and related disclosures in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management
to make
estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities,
revenues, expenses and related disclosures. Estimates and judgments
are based on historical experience, forecasted future events and various
other
assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable under the
circumstances. Estimates and judgments may vary under different
assumptions or conditions. The Company evaluates its estimates and
judgments on an ongoing basis. Management believes the accounting
policies below are critical in the portrayal of the Company’s financial
condition and results of operations and require management’s most difficult,
subjective or complex judgments.
Acquisitions
and
consolidations: Determination and the allocation of the
purchase price of acquired operations significantly influences the period
in
which costs are recognized. Accounting for acquisitions and
consolidations requires the Company to estimate the fair value of the as
various
forms of consideration given and the individual assets and liabilities
acquired. The estimation of the fair values of consideration given
and assets and liabilities acquired involves a number of judgments, assumptions
and estimates that could materially affect the amount and timing of costs
recognized. The Company typically obtains independent third party
valuation studies to assist in determining fair values, including assistance
in
determining future cash flows, appropriate discount rates and comparable
market
values.
Contingencies: The
Company is subject to the possibility of losses from various
contingencies. Considerable judgment is necessary to estimate the
probability and amount of any loss from such contingencies. An
accrual is made when it is probable that a liability has been incurred or
an
asset has been impaired and the amount of loss can be reasonably
estimated. The Company accrues a liability and charges operations for
the estimated costs of adjudication or settlement of asserted and unasserted
claims existing as of the balance sheet date.
Goodwill
and
intangible assets: The Company tests goodwill for impairment
annually and whenever events or circumstances make it more likely than not
that
an impairment may have occurred, such as a significant adverse change in
the
business climate or a decision to sell or dispose of a reporting
unit. Determining whether impairment has occurred requires valuation
of the respective reporting unit. If the analysis indicates goodwill
is impaired, measuring the impairment requires a fair value estimate of each
identified tangible and intangible asset. The Company tests other
identified intangible assets with definite useful lives and subject to
amortization when events and circumstances indicate the carrying value may
not
be recoverable by comparing the carrying amount to the sum of undiscounted
cash
flows expected to be generated by the asset. The Company tests
intangible assets with indefinite lives annually for impairment using a fair
value method such as discounted cash flows. Estimating fair values
involves significant assumptions, especially regarding future sales prices,
sales volumes, costs and discount rates.
Income
taxes: The Company is required to estimate its provision for
income taxes and amounts ultimately payable or recoverable in numerous tax
jurisdictions around the world. Estimates involve interpretations of
regulations and are inherently complex. Resolution of income tax
treatments in individual jurisdictions may not be known for many years after
completion of any fiscal year. The Company is also required to
evaluate the realizability of its deferred tax assets on an ongoing basis
in
accordance with U.S. GAAP, which requires the assessment of the Company’s
performance and other relevant factors when determining the need for a valuation
allowance with respect to these deferred tax assets. Realization of
deferred tax assets is dependent on the Company’s ability to generate future
taxable income. The Company adopted FIN 48 effective at the beginning
of 2008.
Inventories: Inventories
are stated at the lower of average cost or market value. Cost
includes labor, material and overhead costs, including product and process
technology costs. Determining market value of inventories involves
numerous judgments, including projecting average selling prices and sales
volumes for future periods and costs to complete products in work in process
inventories. To project average selling prices and sales volumes, the
Company reviews recent sales volumes, existing customer orders, current contract
prices, industry analysis of supply and demand, seasonal factors, general
economic trends and other information. When these analyses reflect
estimated market values below the Company’s manufacturing costs, the Company
records a charge to cost of goods sold in advance of when the inventory is
actually sold. Differences in forecasted average selling prices used
in calculating lower of cost or market adjustments can result in significant
changes in the estimated net realizable value of product inventories and
accordingly the amount of write-down recorded. For example, a 5%
variance in the estimated selling prices would have changed the estimated
fair
value of the Company’s semiconductor memory inventory by approximately $76
million at November 29, 2007. Due to the volatile nature of the
semiconductor memory industry, actual selling prices and volumes often vary
significantly from projected prices and volumes and, as a result, the timing
of
when product costs are charged to operations can vary
significantly.
U.S.
GAAP provides for products to be
grouped into categories in order to compare costs to market
values. The amount of any inventory write-down can vary significantly
depending on the determination of inventory categories. The Company’s
inventories have been categorized as Memory products or Imaging
products. The major characteristics the Company considers in
determining inventory categories are product type and markets.
Product
and
process technology: Costs incurred to acquire product and
process technology or to patent technology developed by the Company are
capitalized and amortized on a straight-line basis over periods currently
ranging up to 10 years. The Company capitalizes a portion of costs
incurred based on its analysis of historical and projected patents issued
as a
percent of patents filed. Capitalized product and process technology
costs are amortized over the shorter of (i) the estimated useful life of
the
technology, (ii) the patent term or (iii) the term of the technology
agreement.
Research
and
development: Costs related to the conceptual formulation and
design of products and processes are expensed as research and development
when
incurred. Determining when product development is complete requires
judgment by the Company. The Company deems development of a product
complete once the product has been thoroughly reviewed and tested for
performance and reliability.
Stock-based
compensation: Under the provisions of SFAS No. 123(R),
stock-based compensation cost is estimated at the grant date based on the
fair-value of the award and is recognized as expense ratably over the requisite
service period of the award. Determining the appropriate fair-value
model and calculating the fair value of stock-based awards at the grant date
requires considerable judgment, including estimating stock price volatility,
expected option life and forfeiture rates. The Company develops its
estimates based on historical data and market information which can change
significantly over time. A small change in the estimates used can
result in a relatively large change in the estimated valuation.
The
Company uses the Black-Scholes
option valuation model to value employee stock awards. The Company
estimates stock price volatility based on an average of its historical
volatility and the implied volatility derived from traded options on the
Company’s stock. Estimated option life and forfeiture rate
assumptions are derived using the simplified method accepted by the Securities
and Exchange Commission. For stock based compensation awards with
graded vesting that were granted after 2005, the Company recognizes compensation
expense using the straight-line amortization method.
Item
3. Quantitative and
Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Interest
Rate Risk
As
of November 29, 2007, $2,151 million
of the Company’s $2,217 million in total debt was at fixed interest
rates. As a result, the fair value of the debt fluctuates based on
changes in market interest rates. The estimated fair market value of
the Company’s debt was $2,001 million as of November 29, 2007 and was $2,411
million as of August 30, 2007. The Company estimates that as of
November 29, 2007, a 1% change in market interest rates would change the
fair
value of the fixed-rate debt by approximately $80 million.
Foreign
Currency Exchange Rate Risk
The
information in this section should
be read in conjunction with the information related to changes in the exchange
rates of foreign currency in “Item 1A. Risk Factors.” Changes in
foreign currency exchange rates could materially adversely affect the Company’s
results of operations or financial condition.
The
functional currency for
substantially all of the Company’s operations is the U.S. dollar. The
Company held aggregate cash and other assets in foreign currencies valued
at
U.S. $380 million as of November 29, 2007 and U.S. $448 million as of August
30,
2007. The Company also had aggregate foreign currency liabilities
valued at U.S. $811 million as of November 29, 2007 and U.S. $979 million
as of
August 30, 2007. Significant components of the Company’s assets and liabilities
denominated in foreign currencies were as follows (in U.S. dollar
equivalents):
|
|
November
29, 2007
|
|
|
August
30, 2007
|
|
|
|
Singapore
Dollars
|
|
|
Yen
|
|
|
Euro
|
|
|
Singapore
Dollars
|
|
|
Yen
|
|
|
Euro
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
|
$ |
33 |
|
|
$ |
132 |
|
|
$ |
5 |
|
|
$ |
58 |
|
|
$ |
180 |
|
|
$ |
11 |
|
Deferred
tax assets
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
|
81 |
|
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
|
76 |
|
|
|
10 |
|
Debt
|
|
|
119 |
|
|
|
141 |
|
|
|
5 |
|
|
|
258 |
|
|
|
165 |
|
|
|
5 |
|
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
|
|
143 |
|
|
|
197 |
|
|
|
61 |
|
|
|
116 |
|
|
|
168 |
|
|
|
137 |
|
The
Company estimates that, based on
its assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S.
dollar
as of November 29, 2007, a 1% change in the exchange rate versus the U.S.
dollar
would result in foreign currency gains or losses of approximately U.S. $2
million for the Singapore dollar and U.S. $1 million for the yen and the
euro.
Item
4. Controls and
Procedures
An
evaluation was carried out under the
supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including
its principal executive officer who is also acting as the principal financial
officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s
disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) as of the end of the period covered
by this report. Based upon that evaluation, the principal executive
officer (including in his capacity of performing the functions of the principal
financial officer) concluded that those disclosure controls and procedures were
effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company
in
the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in
the
Commission’s rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and
communicated to the Company’s management, including the principal executive
officer (including in his capacity of performing the functions of the principal
financial officer) to allow timely decision regarding disclosure.
During
the quarterly period covered by
this report, there were no changes in the Company’s internal control over
financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely
to
materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial
reporting.
PART
II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. Legal
Proceedings
Patent
Matters
On
August 28, 2000, the Company filed a
complaint against Rambus, Inc. (“Rambus”) in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Delaware seeking monetary damages and declaratory and injunctive
relief. Among other things, the Company’s complaint (as amended)
alleges violation of federal antitrust laws, breach of contract, fraud,
deceptive trade practices, and negligent misrepresentation. The
complaint also seeks a declaratory judgment (a) that certain Rambus patents
are
not infringed by the Company, are invalid, and/or are unenforceable, (b)
that
the Company has an implied license to those patents, and (c) that Rambus
is
estopped from enforcing those patents against the Company. On
February 15, 2001, Rambus filed an answer and counterclaim in Delaware denying
that the Company is entitled to relief, alleging infringement of the eight
Rambus patents named in the Company’s declaratory judgment claim, and seeking
monetary damages and injunctive relief. A number of other suits are
currently pending in Europe alleging that certain of the Company’s SDRAM and DDR
SDRAM products infringe various of Rambus’ country counterparts to its European
patent 525 068, including: on September 1, 2000, Rambus filed suit against
Micron Semiconductor (Deutschland) GmbH in the District Court of Mannheim,
Germany; on September 22, 2000, Rambus filed a complaint against the Company
and
Reptronic (a distributor of the Company’s products) in the Court of First
Instance of Paris, France; on September 29, 2000, the Company filed suit
against
Rambus in the Civil Court of Milan, Italy, alleging invalidity and
non-infringement. In addition, on December 29, 2000, the Company
filed suit against Rambus in the Civil Court of Avezzano, Italy, alleging
invalidity and non-infringement of the Italian counterpart to European patent
1
004 956. Additionally, other suits are pending alleging that certain
of our DDR SDRAM products infringe Rambus’ country counterparts to its European
patent 1 022 642, including: on August 10, 2001, Rambus filed suit against
the
Company and Assitec (an electronics retailer) in the Civil Court of Pavia,
Italy; and on August 14, 2001, Rambus filed suit against Micron Semiconductor
(Deutschland) GmbH in the District Court of Mannheim, Germany. In the
European suits against the Company, Rambus is seeking monetary damages and
injunctive relief. Subsequent to the filing of the various European
suits, the European Patent Office declared Rambus’ 525 068 and 1 004 956
European patents invalid and revoked the patents. The declaration of
invalidity with respect to the ‘068 patent has been upheld on
appeal. On January 13, 2006, Rambus filed a lawsuit against the
Company in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
alleging infringement of eighteen Rambus patents.
On
July 24, 2006, the Company filed a
declaratory judgment action against Mosaid Technologies, Inc. (“Mosaid”) in the
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California seeking, among
other
things, a court determination that fourteen Mosaid patents are invalid, not
enforceable, and/or not infringed. On July 25, 2006, Mosaid filed a
lawsuit against the Company and others in the U.S. District Court for the
Eastern District of Texas alleging infringement of nine Mosaid
patents. On August 31, 2006, Mosaid filed an amended complaint adding
two additional Mosaid patents. On October 23, 2006, the California
Court dismissed the Company’s declaratory judgment suit based on lack of
jurisdiction. The Company has appealed that decision to the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Among
other things, the above lawsuits
pertain to certain of the Company’s SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM,
RLDRAM, and image sensor products, which account for a significant portion
of
the Company’s net sales.
The
Company is unable to predict the
outcome of these suits. A court determination that the Company’s
products or manufacturing processes infringe the product or process intellectual
property rights of others could result in significant liability and/or require
the Company to make material changes to its products and/or manufacturing
processes. Any of the foregoing results could have a material adverse
effect on the Company’s business, results of operations or financial
condition.
Antitrust
Matters
On
June 17, 2002, the Company received
a grand jury subpoena from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District
of
California seeking information regarding an investigation by the Antitrust
Division of the Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) into possible antitrust
violations in the “Dynamic Random Access Memory” or “DRAM”
industry. The Company is cooperating fully and actively with the DOJ
in its investigation. The Company’s cooperation is pursuant to the
terms of the DOJ’s Corporate Leniency Policy, which provides that in exchange
for our full, continuing and complete cooperation in the pending investigation,
the Company will not be subject to prosecution, fines or other penalties
from
the DOJ.
Subsequent
to the commencement of the
DOJ investigation, a number of purported class action lawsuits have been
filed
against the Company and other DRAM suppliers. Four cases have been
filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
asserting claims on behalf of a purported class of individuals and entities
that
indirectly purchased DRAM and/or products containing DRAM from various DRAM
suppliers during the time period from April 1, 1999 through at least June
30,
2002. The complaints allege price fixing in violation of federal
antitrust laws and various state antitrust and unfair competition laws and
seek
treble monetary damages, restitution, costs, interest and attorneys’
fees. In addition, at least sixty-four cases have been filed in
various state courts asserting claims on behalf of a purported class of indirect
purchasers of DRAM. Cases have been filed in the following
states: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas,
Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina,
North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New
York,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin,
and West Virginia, and also in the District of Columbia and Puerto
Rico. The complaints purport to be on behalf of a class of
individuals and entities that indirectly purchased DRAM and/or products
containing DRAM in the respective jurisdictions during various time periods
ranging from April 1999 through at least June 2002. The complaints
allege violations of the various jurisdictions’ antitrust, consumer protection
and/or unfair competition laws relating to the sale and pricing of DRAM products
and seek treble monetary damages, restitution, costs, interest and attorneys’
fees. A number of these cases have been removed to federal court and
transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
(San Francisco) for consolidated proceedings. On June 1, 2007, the
Court granted in part and denied in part the Company’s motion to dismiss the
consolidated complaint. Plaintiffs subsequently have filed an amended
complaint, and the Company filed a response. A motion for class
certification has been filed and is expected to be heard in the first half
of
2008.
Additionally,
three cases have been
filed in the following Canadian courts: Superior Court, District of
Montreal, Province of Quebec; Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Ontario;
and
Supreme Court of British Columbia, Vancouver Registry, British
Columbia. The substantive allegations in these cases are similar to
those asserted in the cases filed in the United States.
In
addition, various states, through
their Attorneys General, have filed suit against the Company and other DRAM
manufacturers. On July 14, 2006, and on September 8, 2006 in an
amended complaint, the following Attorneys General filed suit in the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California: Alaska,
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho,
Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North
Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West
Virginia, Wisconsin and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands. Three states, Ohio, New Hampshire, and Texas, subsequently
voluntarily dismissed their claims. The remaining states filed a
third amended complaint on October 1, 2007. Alaska subsequently
voluntarily dismissed its claims. The amended complaint alleges,
among other things, violations of the Sherman Act, Cartwright Act, and certain
other states’ consumer protection and antitrust laws and seeks damages, and
injunctive and other relief. Additionally, on July 13, 2006, the
State of New York filed a similar suit in the U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York. That case was subsequently transferred
to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California for pre-trial
purposes. The State of New York filed an amended complaint on October
1, 2007.
On
February 28, 2007, February 28, 2007
and March 8, 2007, cases were filed against the Company and other manufacturers
of DRAM in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
by
All American Semiconductor, Inc., Jaco Electronics, Inc. and DRAM Claims
Liquidation Trust, respectively, that opted-out of a direct purchaser class
action suit that was settled. The complaints allege, among other
things, violations of federal and state antitrust and competition laws in
the
DRAM industry, and seek damages, injunctive relief, and other
remedies.
On
October 11, 2006, the Company
received a grand jury subpoena from the U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of California seeking information regarding an investigation by
the DOJ
into possible antitrust violations in the “Static Random Access Memory” or
“SRAM” industry. The Company believes that it is not a target of the
investigation and is cooperating with the DOJ in its investigation of the
SRAM
industry.
Subsequent
to the issuance of subpoenas
to the SRAM industry, a number of purported class action lawsuits have been
filed against the Company and other SRAM suppliers. Six cases have
been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
asserting claims on behalf of a purported class of individuals and entities
that
purchased SRAM directly from various SRAM suppliers during the period from
January 1, 1998 through December 31, 2005. Additionally, at least
seventy-four cases have been filed in various U.S. District Courts asserting
claims on behalf of a purported class of individuals and entities that
indirectly purchased SRAM and/or products containing SRAM from various SRAM
suppliers during the time period from January 1, 1998 through December 31,
2005. The complaints allege price fixing in violation of federal
antitrust laws and state antitrust and unfair competition laws and seek treble
monetary damages, restitution, costs, interest and attorneys’ fees.
Three
purported class action SRAM
lawsuits also have been filed in Canada, on behalf of direct and indirect
purchasers, alleging violations of the Canadian Competition Act. The
substantive allegations in these cases are similar to those asserted in the
SRAM
cases filed in the United States.
In
September 2007, a number of memory
suppliers confirmed that they had received grand jury subpoenas from the
U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California seeking information
regarding an investigation by the DOJ into possible antitrust violations
in the
"Flash" industry. The Company has not received a subpoena and
believes that is not a target of the investigation.
At
least thirty-four purported class
action lawsuits have been filed against the Company and other suppliers of
Flash
memory products in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
California and other federal district courts. These cases assert
claims on behalf of a purported class of individuals and entities that purchased
Flash memory directly or indirectly from various Flash memory suppliers during
the period from January 1, 1999 through the date the various cases were
filed. The complaints generally allege price fixing in violation of
federal antitrust laws and various state antitrust and unfair competition
laws
and seek monetary damages, restitution, costs, interest, and attorneys’
fees.
Three
purported class action Flash
lawsuits also have been filed in Canada, on behalf of direct and indirect
purchasers, alleging violations of the Canadian Competition Act. The
substantive allegations in these cases are similar to those asserted in the
Flash cases filed in the United States.
On
May 5, 2004, Rambus filed a
complaint in the Superior Court of the State of California (San Francisco
County) against the Company and other DRAM suppliers. The complaint
alleges various causes of action under California state law including a
conspiracy to restrict output and fix prices on Rambus DRAM (“RDRAM”) and unfair
competition. The complaint seeks treble damages, punitive damages,
attorneys’ fees, costs, and a permanent injunction enjoining the defendants from
the conduct alleged in the complaints.
The
Company is unable to predict the
outcome of these lawsuits and investigations. The final resolution of
these alleged violations of antitrust laws could result in significant liability
and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of
operations or financial condition.
Security
Matters
On
February 24, 2006, a putative class
action complaint was filed against the Company and certain of its officers
in
the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho alleging claims under Section
10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Rule
10b-5 promulgated thereunder. Four substantially similar complaints
subsequently were filed in the same Court. The cases purport to be
brought on behalf of a class of purchasers of the Company’s stock during the
period February 24, 2001 to February 13, 2003. The five lawsuits have
been consolidated and a consolidated amended class action complaint was filed
on
July 24, 2006. The complaint generally alleges violations of federal
securities laws based on, among other things, claimed misstatements or omissions
regarding alleged illegal price-fixing conduct or the Company’s operations and
financial results. The complaint seeks unspecified damages, interest,
attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses.
In
addition, on March 23, 2006 a
shareholder derivative action was filed in the Fourth District Court for
the
State of Idaho (Ada County), allegedly on behalf of and for the benefit of
the
Company, against certain of the Company’s current and former officers and
directors. The Company also was named as a nominal
defendant. An amended complaint was filed on August 23,
2006. The complaint is based on the same allegations of fact as in
the securities class actions filed in the U.S. District Court for the District
of Idaho and alleges breach of fiduciary duty, abuse of control, gross
mismanagement, waste of corporate assets, unjust enrichment, and insider
trading. The complaint seeks unspecified damages, restitution,
disgorgement of profits, equitable and injunctive relief, attorneys’ fees,
costs, and expenses. The complaint is derivative in nature and does
not seek monetary damages from the Company. However, the Company may
be required, throughout the pendency of the action, to advance payment of
legal
fees and costs incurred by the defendants. On May 29, 2007, the Court
granted the Company's motion to dismiss the complaint but provided plaintiffs
leave to file an amended complaint. On June 29, 2007, plaintiffs
filed an amended complaint.
The
Company is unable to predict the
outcome of these cases. A court determination in any of these actions
against the Company could result in significant liability and could have
a
material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations or
financial condition.
Lexar
Matters
In
March 2006, following the Company’s
announcement of a definitive agreement to acquire Lexar Media, Inc. (“Lexar”) in
a stock-for-stock merger, four purported class action complaints were filed
in
the Superior Court for the State of California (Alameda County) on behalf
of
shareholders of Lexar against Lexar and its directors. Two of the
complaints also name the Company as a defendant. The complaints
allege that the defendants breached, or aided and abetted the breach of,
fiduciary duties owed to Lexar shareholders by, among other things, engaging
in
self-dealing, failing to engage in efforts to obtain the highest price
reasonably available, and failing to properly value Lexar in connection with
a
merger transaction between Lexar and the Company. The plaintiffs
seek, among other things, injunctive relief preventing, or an order of
rescission reversing, the merger, compensatory damages, interest, attorneys’
fees, and costs. On May 19, 2006, the plaintiffs filed a motion for
preliminary injunction seeking to block the merger. On May 31, 2006,
the Court denied the motion. An amended consolidated complaint was
filed on October 10, 2006. On June 14, 2007, the Court granted
Lexar's and the Company's motions to dismiss the amended complaint but allowed
plaintiffs leave to file a further amended complaint. On November 8,
2007, the Court granted Lexar’s and the Company’s renewed motion to dismiss the
case as to all parties with prejudice.
(See
“Item 1A. Risk Factors.”)
Item
1A. Risk
Factors
In
addition to the factors discussed
elsewhere in this Form 10-Q, the following are important factors which could
cause actual results or events to differ materially from those contained
in any
forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company.
We
have experienced dramatic declines in average selling prices for our
semiconductor memory products which have adversely affected our
business.
In
the first quarter of 2008 average
selling prices for DRAM products and NAND Flash products decreased 18% and
30%,
respectively, as compared to the fourth quarter of 2007. In 2007,
average selling prices for DRAM products and NAND Flash products decreased
23%
and 56%, respectively, as compared to 2006. In other recent years, we
also have experienced significant annual decreases in per megabit average
selling prices for our memory products including: 34% in 2006, 24% in 2005,
17%
in 2003, 53% in 2002 and 60% in 2001. At times, average selling
prices for our memory products have been below our costs. We recorded
inventory write-downs of $62 million in the first quarter of 2008 and $20
million in the fourth quarter of 2007 as a result of significant decreases
in
average selling prices for our semiconductor memory products. If the estimated
market values of products held in finished goods and work in process inventories
at a quarter end date are below the manufacturing cost of these products,
we
recognize charges to cost of goods sold to write down the carrying value
of our
inventories to market value. Future charges for inventory write-downs
could be significantly larger than the amount recorded in the first quarter
of
2008. If average selling prices for our memory products remain
depressed or decrease faster than we can decrease per megabit costs, as they
recently have, our business, results of operations or financial condition
could
be materially adversely affected.
We
may be unable to reduce our per megabit manufacturing costs at the same rate
as
we have in the past.
Our
gross margins are dependent upon
continuing decreases in per megabit manufacturing costs achieved through
improvements in our manufacturing processes, including reducing the die size
of
our existing products. In future periods, we may be unable to reduce
our per unit manufacturing costs at sufficient levels to increase gross margins
due to factors, including, but not limited to, strategic product diversification
decisions affecting product mix, the increasing complexity of manufacturing
processes, changes in process technologies or products that inherently may
require relatively larger die sizes. Per unit manufacturing costs may
also be affected by the relatively smaller production quantities and shorter
product lifecycles of Imaging and certain specialty memory
products.
The
semiconductor memory industry is highly competitive.
We
face intense competition in the
semiconductor memory market from a number of companies, including Elpida
Memory,
Inc.; Hynix Semiconductor Inc.; Qimonda AG ADS; Samsung Electronics Co.,
Ltd.;
SanDisk Corporation; Toshiba Corporation and from emerging companies in Taiwan
and China, who have significantly expanded the scale of their
operations. Some of our competitors are large corporations or
conglomerates that may have greater resources to withstand downturns in the
semiconductor markets in which we compete, invest in technology and capitalize
on growth opportunities.
Our
competitors seek to increase
silicon capacity, improve yields, reduce die size and minimize mask levels
in
their product designs. The transitions to smaller line-width process
technologies and 300mm wafers in the industry have resulted in significant
increases in the worldwide supply of semiconductor memory and will likely
lead
to future increases. Increases in worldwide supply of semiconductor
memory also result from semiconductor memory fab capacity expansions, either
by
way of new facilities, increased capacity utilization or reallocation of
other
semiconductor production to semiconductor memory production. We and
several of our competitors have significantly increased production in recent
periods through construction of new facilities or expansion of existing
facilities. Increases in worldwide supply of semiconductor memory, if
not accompanied with commensurate increases in demand, would lead to further
declines in average selling prices for our products and would materially
adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial
condition.
Our
plans to significantly increase our NAND Flash memory production and sales
have
numerous risks.
We
plan to significantly increase our
NAND Flash production and sales in future periods. As part of this
plan, we have formed several manufacturing joint ventures with Intel and
made
substantial investments in capital expenditures for equipment, new facilities
and research and development. Our plans also require significant
investments in capital expenditures and research and development. We
currently expect our capital spending for 2008 to approximate $2.5 billion
to
$3.0 billion, with a majority of the expenditures being made to support our
NAND
operations. These investments involve numerous risks. In
addition, we are required to devote a significant portion of our existing
semiconductor manufacturing capacity to the production of NAND Flash instead
of
the Company's other products. We are party to a contract with Apple
Inc. to provide NAND Flash products for an extended period of time at
contractually determined prices. We currently have a relatively small
share of the world-wide market for NAND Flash.
Our
NAND Flash strategy involves
numerous risks, and may include the following:
·
|
increasing
our exposure to changes in average selling prices for NAND
Flash;
|
·
|
difficulties
in establishing new production operations at multiple
locations;
|
·
|
increasing
capital expenditures to increase production capacity and modify
existing
processes to produce NAND Flash;
|
·
|
raising
funds or increasing debt to finance future
investments;
|
·
|
diverting
management’s attention from DRAM and CMOS image sensor
operations;
|
·
|
managing
larger operations and facilities and employees in separate geographic
areas; and
|
·
|
hiring
and retaining key employees.
|
Our
NAND Flash strategy may not be
successful and could materially adversely affect our business, results of
operations or financial condition.
We
may be unable to generate sufficient cash flows to fund our operations and
make
adequate capital investments.
Our
cash flows from operations depend
primarily on the volume of semiconductor memory and CMOS image sensors sold,
average selling prices and per unit manufacturing costs. To develop
new product and process technologies, support future growth, achieve operating
efficiencies and maintain product quality, we must make significant capital
investments in manufacturing technology, facilities and capital equipment,
research and development, and product and process technology. We
expect capital spending for 2008 to approximate $2.5 billion to $3.0
billion. Cash and investments of IM Flash and TECH are generally not
available to finance our other operations. In addition to cash
provided by operations, we have from time to time utilized external sources
of
financing. Access to capital markets has historically been very
important to us. Depending on market conditions, we may issue
registered or unregistered securities to raise capital to fund a portion
of our
operations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to
generate sufficient cash flows to fund our operations, make adequate capital
investments or access capital markets on acceptable terms, and an inability
to
do so could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of
operations.
New
product development may be unsuccessful.
We
are developing new products that
complement our traditional memory products or leverage their underlying design
or process technology. We have made significant investments in
product and process technologies and anticipate expending significant resources
for new semiconductor product development over the next several
years. The process to develop NAND Flash, Imaging and certain
specialty memory products requires us to demonstrate advanced functionality
and
performance, many times well in advance of a planned ramp of production,
in
order to secure design wins with our customers. There can be no
assurance that our product development efforts will be successful, that we
will
be able to cost-effectively manufacture these new products, that we will
be able
to successfully market these products or that margins generated from sales
of
these products will recover costs of development efforts.
The
future success of our Imaging
business will be dependent on continued market acceptance of our products
and
the development, introduction and marketing of new Imaging
products.
We
face competition in the image sensor
market from a number of suppliers of CMOS image sensors including MagnaChip
Semiconductor Ltd.; OmniVision Technologies, Inc.; Samsung Electronics Co.,
Ltd;
Sony Corporation; STMicroelectronics NV; Toshiba Corporation and from a number
of suppliers of CCD image sensors including Matsushita Electric Industrial
Co.,
Ltd.; Sharp Corporation and Sony Corporation. In recent periods, a
number of new companies have entered the CMOS image sensor
market. Competitors include many large domestic and international
companies that have greater presence in key markets, better access to certain
customer bases, greater name recognition and more established strategic and
financial relationships than the Company.
In
2007, our Imaging net sales and
gross margins decreased and we faced increased competition. There can
be no assurance that we will be able to grow or maintain our market share
or
gross margins for Imaging products in the future. The success of our
Imaging business will depend on a number of factors, including:
·
|
development
of products that maintain a technological advantage over the products
of
our competitors;
|
·
|
accurate
prediction of market requirements and evolving standards, including
pixel
resolution, output interface standards, power requirements, optical
lens
size, input standards and other
requirements;
|
·
|
timely
completion and introduction of new Imaging products that satisfy
customer
requirements;
|
·
|
timely
achievement of design wins with prospective customers, as manufacturers
may be reluctant to change their source of components due to the
significant costs, time, effort and risk associated with qualifying
a new
supplier; and
|
·
|
efficient,
cost-effective manufacturing as we transition to new products and
higher
volumes.
|
The
Company is exploring business model
alternatives for its Imaging business including partnering
arrangements. To
the extent we
forma partnering
arrangement, the resulting
business model may not be successful and the Imaging operations revenues
and
margins could be adversely affected. We may incur significant costs
to convert Imaging operations to a new business structure and
operations could be
disrupted. If our efforts to restructure the Imaging business are
unsuccessful, our business, results of operations or financial condition
could
be materially adversely affected.
We
expect to make future acquisitions and alliances, which involve numerous
risks.
Acquisitions
and the formation of
alliances such as joint ventures and other partnering arrangements, involve
numerous risks including the following:
·
|
difficulties
in integrating the operations, technologies and products of acquired
or
newly formed entities,
|
·
|
increasing
capital expenditures to upgrade and maintain
facilities,
|
·
|
increasing
debt to finance any acquisition or formation of a new
business,
|
·
|
diverting
management’s attention from normal daily
operations,
|
·
|
managing
larger or more complex operations and facilities and employees
in separate
geographic areas, and
|
·
|
hiring
and retaining key employees.
|
Acquisitions
of, or alliances with,
high-technology companies are inherently risky, and any future transactions
may
not be successful and may materially adversely affect our business, results
of
operations or financial condition.
We
may incur additional restructure charges or not realize the expected benefits
of
new initiatives to reduce costs across our operations.
We
are pursuing a number of initiatives
to reduce costs across our operations. These initiatives include workforce
reductions in certain areas as we realign our business. Additional
initiatives include establishing certain operations closer in location to
our
global customers, evaluating functions more efficiently performed through
partnerships or other outside relationships and reducing our overhead costs
to
meet or exceed industry benchmarks. In the first quarter of 2008 and
the fourth quarter of 2007, we incurred restructure charges of $13 million
and
$19 million, respectively, consisting primarily of employee severance and
related costs resulting from a reduction in our workforce and, for the first
quarter of 2008, a write-down of certain facilities that are expected to
be sold
to their fair values. We anticipate that we will incur some level of
restructure charges through the end of 2008 as we continue to implement these
initiatives. We may not realize the expected benefits of these new
initiatives. As a result of these initiatives, we expect to incur
restructuring or other infrequent charges and we may experience disruptions
in
our operations, loss of key personnel and difficulties in delivering products
timely.
Our
net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards may be limited.
We
have significant net operating loss
and tax credit carryforwards. We have provided significant valuation
allowances against the tax benefit of such losses as well as certain tax
credit
carryforwards. Utilization of these net operating losses and credit
carryforwards is dependent upon us achieving sustained
profitability. As a consequence of prior business acquisitions,
utilization of the tax benefits for some of the tax carryforwards is subject
to
limitations imposed by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code and some
portion
or all of these carryforwards may not be available to offset any future taxable
income. The determination of the limitations is complex and requires
significant judgment and analysis of past transactions.
Changes
in foreign currency exchange rates could materially adversely affect our
business, results of operations or financial condition.
Our
financial statements are prepared
in accordance with U.S. GAAP and are reported in U.S. dollars. Across
our multi-national operations, there are transactions and balances denominated
in other currencies, primarily the euro, yen and Singapore dollar. We
estimate that, based on our assets and liabilities denominated in currencies
other than U.S. dollar as of November 29, 2007, a 1% change in the exchange
rate
versus the U.S. dollar would result in foreign currency gains or losses of
approximately U.S. $2 million for the Singapore dollar and U.S. $1 million
for the yen and the euro. In the event that the U.S. dollar weakens
significantly compared to the Singapore dollar, euro or yen, our results
of
operations or financial condition will be adversely affected.
An
adverse determination that our products or manufacturing processes infringe
the
intellectual property rights of others could materially adversely affect
our
business, results of operations or financial condition.
As
is typical in the semiconductor and
other high technology industries, from time to time, others have asserted,
and
may in the future assert, that our products or manufacturing processes infringe
their intellectual property rights. In this regard, we are engaged in
litigation with Rambus, Inc. ("Rambus") relating to certain of Rambus' patents
and certain of our claims and defenses. On August 28, 2000, we filed
a complaint (subsequently amended) against Rambus in the U.S. District Court
for
the District of Delaware seeking monetary damages and declaratory and injunctive
relief. Among other things, our amended complaint alleges violation
of federal antitrust laws, breach of contract, fraud, deceptive trade practices,
and negligent misrepresentation. The complaint also seeks a
declaratory judgment (a) that certain Rambus patents are not infringed by
us,
are invalid, and/or are unenforceable, (b) that we have an implied license
to
those patents, and (c) that Rambus is estopped from enforcing those patents
against us. On February 15, 2001, Rambus filed an answer and
counterclaim in Delaware denying that we are entitled to relief, alleging
infringement of the eight Rambus patents named in our declaratory judgment
claim, and seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief. A number
of other suits are pending in Europe alleging that certain of our SDRAM and
DDR
SDRAM products infringe various of Rambus' country counterparts to its European
patent 525 068, including: on September 1, 2000, Rambus filed suit against
Micron Semiconductor (Deutschland) GmbH in the District Court of Mannheim,
Germany; on September 22, 2000, Rambus filed a complaint against us and
Reptronic (a distributor of our products) in the Court of First Instance
of
Paris, France; and on September 29, 2000, we filed suit against Rambus in
the
Civil Court of Milan, Italy, alleging invalidity and
non-infringement. In addition, on December 29, 2000, we filed suit
against Rambus in the Civil Court of Avezzano, Italy, alleging invalidity
and
non-infringement of the Italian counterpart to European patent 1 004
956. Additionally, other suits are pending alleging that certain of
our DDR SDRAM products infringe Rambus' country counterparts to its European
patent 1 022 642, including: on August 10, 2001, Rambus filed suit against
us
and Assitec (an electronics retailer) in the Civil Court of Pavia, Italy;
and on
August 14, 2001, Rambus filed suit against Micron Semiconductor (Deutschland)
GmbH in the District Court of Mannheim, Germany. In the European
suits against us, Rambus is seeking monetary damages and injunctive
relief. Subsequent to the filing of the various European suits, the
European Patent Office declared Rambus' 525 068 and 1 004 956 European
patents
invalid and revoked the patents. The declaration of invalidity with
respect to the ‘068 patent has been upheld on appeal. A hearing will
be held at the European Patent Office on the invalidity determination on
the
‘956 patent in the second quarter. On
January 13, 2006, Rambus filed a lawsuit against us in the U.S. District
Court
for the Northern District of California alleging infringement of eighteen
Rambus
patents. We are also engaged in litigation with Mosaid Technologies,
Inc. ("Mosaid"). On July 24, 2006, we filed a declaratory judgment
action against Mosaid in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District
of
California seeking, among other things, a court determination that fourteen
Mosaid patents are invalid, not enforceable, and/or not infringed. On
July 25, 2006, Mosaid filed a lawsuit against us and others in the U.S. District
Court for the Eastern District of Texas alleging infringement of nine Mosaid
patents. On August 31, 2006, Mosaid filed an amended complaint adding
two additional Mosaid patents. On October 23, 2006, the California
Court dismissed our declaratory judgment suit based on lack of
jurisdiction. We have appealed that decision to the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Among
other things, the above lawsuits
pertain to certain of our SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, RLDRAM,
and
image sensor products, which account for a significant portion of our net
sales.
A
court determination that our products
or manufacturing processes infringe the intellectual property rights of others
could result in significant liability and/or require us to make material
changes
to our products and/or manufacturing processes. We are unable to
predict the outcome of assertions of infringement made against
us. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our
business, results of operations or financial condition.
We
have a number of patent and
intellectual property license agreements. Some of these license
agreements require us to make one time or periodic payments. We may
need to obtain additional patent licenses or renew existing license agreements
in the future. We are unable to predict whether these license
agreements can be obtained or renewed on acceptable terms.
Allegations
of anticompetitive conduct.
On
June 17, 2002, we received a grand
jury subpoena from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
California seeking information regarding an investigation by the Antitrust
Division of the Department of Justice (the "DOJ") into possible antitrust
violations in the "Dynamic Random Access Memory" or "DRAM"
industry. We are cooperating fully and actively with the DOJ in its
investigation of the DRAM industry. Our cooperation is pursuant to
the terms of the DOJ's Corporate Leniency Policy, which provides that in
exchange for our full, continuing and complete cooperation in the pending
investigation, we will not be subject to prosecution, fines or other penalties
from the DOJ.
Subsequent
to the commencement of the
DOJ investigation, a number of purported class action lawsuits have been
filed
against us and other DRAM suppliers. Four cases have been filed in
the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California asserting
claims
on behalf of a purported class of individuals and entities that indirectly
purchased DRAM and/or products containing DRAM from various DRAM suppliers
during the time period from April 1, 1999 through at least June 30,
2002. The complaints allege price fixing in violation of federal
antitrust laws and various state antitrust and unfair competition laws and
seek
treble monetary damages, restitution, costs, interest and attorneys'
fees. In addition, at least sixty-four cases have been filed in
various state and federal courts (five of which have been dismissed) asserting
claims on behalf of a purported class of indirect purchasers of
DRAM. Cases have been filed in the following states: Arkansas,
Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine,
Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin,
and
West Virginia, and also in the District of Columbia and Puerto
Rico. The complaints purport to be on behalf of individuals and
entities that indirectly purchased DRAM and/or products containing DRAM in
the
respective jurisdictions during various time periods ranging from April 1999
through at least June 2002. The complaints allege violations of
various jurisdictions' antitrust, consumer protection and/or unfair competition
laws relating to the sale and pricing of DRAM products and seek treble monetary
damages, restitution, costs, interest and attorneys' fees. A number
of these cases have been removed to federal court and transferred to the
U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California (San Francisco) for
consolidated proceedings. On June 1, 2007, the Court granted in part
and denied in part our motion to dismiss the consolidated
complaint. Plaintiffs subsequently have filed an amended complaint,
and the Company filed a response. A motion for class certification
has been filed and is expected to be heard in the first half of
2008.
Additionally,
three cases have been
filed in the following Canadian courts: Superior Court, District of Montreal,
Province of Quebec; Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Ontario; and Supreme
Court of British Columbia, Vancouver Registry, British Columbia. The
substantive allegations in these cases are similar to those asserted in the
cases filed in the United States.
In
addition, various states, through
their Attorneys General, have filed suit against us and other DRAM
manufacturers. On July 14, 2006, and on September 8, 2006 in an
amended complaint, the following Attorneys General filed suit in the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California: Alaska, Arizona,
Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois,
Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina,
North
Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin
and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The amended
complaint alleges, among other things, violations of the Sherman Act, Cartwright
Act, and certain other states' consumer protection and antitrust laws and
seeks
damages, and injunctive and other relief. Additionally, on July 13,
2006, the State of New York filed a similar suit in the U.S. District Court
for
the Southern District of New York. That case was subsequently
transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
for pre-trial purposes. Four states, Alaska, Ohio, New Hampshire, and
Texas, subsequently have withdrawn from the complaint.
In
February and March 2007, All
American Semiconductor, Inc., Jaco Electronics, Inc., and the DRAM Claims
Liquidation Trust each filed suit against the Company and other DRAM suppliers
in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California after
opting-out of a direct purchaser class action suit that was
settled. The complaints allege, among other things, violations of
federal and state antitrust and competition laws in the DRAM industry, and
seek
damages, injunctive relief, and other remedies.
On
October 11, 2006, we received a
grand jury subpoena from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District
of
California seeking information regarding an investigation by the DOJ into
possible antitrust violations in the "Static Random Access Memory" or "SRAM"
industry. We believe that we are not a target of the investigation
and we are cooperating with the DOJ in its investigation of the SRAM
industry.
Subsequent
to the issuance of subpoenas
to the SRAM industry, a number of purported class action lawsuits have been
filed against us and other SRAM suppliers. Six cases have been filed
in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California asserting
claims on behalf of a purported class of individuals and entities that purchased
SRAM directly from various SRAM suppliers during the period from January
1, 1998
through December 31, 2005. Additionally, at least seventy-four cases
have been filed in various U.S. District Courts asserting claims on behalf
of a
purported class of individuals and entities that indirectly purchased SRAM
and/or products containing SRAM from various SRAM suppliers during the time
period from January 1, 1998 through December 31, 2005. The complaints
allege price fixing in violation of federal antitrust laws and state antitrust
and unfair competition laws and seek treble monetary damages, restitution,
costs, interest and attorneys' fees.
Three
purported class action SRAM
lawsuits also have been filed in Canada, on behalf of direct and indirect
purchasers, alleging violations of the Canadian Competition Act. The
substantive allegations in these cases are similar to those asserted in the
SRAM
cases filed in the United States.
In
September 2007, a number of memory
suppliers confirmed that they had received grand jury subpoenas from the
U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California seeking information
regarding an investigation by the DOJ into possible antitrust violations
in the
"Flash" industry. We have not received a subpoena and believe that we
are not a target of the investigation.
At
least thirty-four purported class
action lawsuits have been filed against the Company and other suppliers of
Flash
memory products in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
California and other federal district courts. These cases assert
claims on behalf of a purported class of individuals and entities that purchased
Flash memory directly or indirectly from various Flash memory suppliers during
the period from January 1, 1999 through the date the various cases were
filed. The complaints generally allege price fixing in violation of
federal antitrust laws and various state antitrust and unfair competition
laws
and seek monetary damages, restitution, costs, interest, and attorneys'
fees.
Three
purported class action Flash
lawsuits also have been filed in Canada, on behalf of direct and indirect
purchasers, alleging violations of the Canadian Competition Act. The
substantive allegations in these cases are similar to those asserted in the
Flash cases filed in the United States.
On
May 5, 2004, Rambus filed a
complaint in the Superior Court of the State of California (San Francisco
County) against us and other DRAM suppliers. The complaint alleges
various causes of action under California state law including conspiracy
to
restrict output and fix prices on Rambus DRAM ("RDRAM"), and unfair
competition. The complaint seeks treble damages, punitive damages,
attorneys' fees, costs, and a permanent injunction enjoining the defendants
from
the conduct alleged in the complaints.
We
are unable to predict the outcome of
these lawsuits and investigations. The final resolution of these
alleged violations of antitrust laws could result in significant liability
and
could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations
or
financial condition.
Allegations
of violations of securities laws.
On
February 24, 2006, a putative class
action complaint was filed against us and certain of our officers in the
U.S.
District Court for the District of Idaho alleging claims under Section 10(b)
and
20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Rule 10b-5
promulgated thereunder. Four substantially similar complaints
subsequently were filed in the same Court. The cases purport to be
brought on behalf of a class of purchasers of our stock during the period
February 24, 2001 to February 13, 2003. The five lawsuits have been
consolidated and a consolidated amended class action complaint was filed
on July
24, 2006. The complaint generally alleges violations of federal
securities laws based on, among other things, claimed misstatements or omissions
regarding alleged illegal price-fixing conduct. The complaint seeks
unspecified damages, interest, attorneys' fees, costs, and
expenses.
In
addition, on March 23, 2006 a
shareholder derivative action was filed in the Fourth District Court for
the
State of Idaho (Ada County), allegedly on behalf of and for our benefit,
against
certain of our current and former officers and directors. We were
also named as a nominal defendant. An amended complaint was filed on
August 23, 2006. The complaint is based on the same allegations of
fact as in the securities class actions filed in the U.S. District Court
for the
District of Idaho and alleges breach of fiduciary duty, abuse of control,
gross
mismanagement, waste of corporate assets, unjust enrichment, and insider
trading. The complaint seeks unspecified damages, restitution,
disgorgement of profits, equitable and injunctive relief, attorneys' fees,
costs, and expenses. The complaint is derivative in nature and does
not seek monetary damages from us. However, we may be required,
throughout the pendency of the action, to advance payment of legal fees and
costs incurred by the defendants. On May 29, 2007, the Court granted
our motion to dismiss the complaint but provided plaintiffs leave to file
an
amended complaint. On September 6, 2007, plaintiffs filed an amended
complaint.
In
March 2006, following our
announcement of a definitive agreement to acquire Lexar Media, Inc. ("Lexar")
in
a stock-for-stock merger, four purported class action complaints were filed
in
the Superior Court for the State of California (Alameda County) on behalf
of
shareholders of Lexar against Lexar and its directors. Two of the
complaints also name us as a defendant. The complaints allege that
the defendants breached, or aided and abetted the breach of, fiduciary duties
owed to Lexar shareholders by, among other things, engaging in self-dealing,
failing to engage in efforts to obtain the highest price reasonably available,
and failing to properly value Lexar in connection with a merger transaction
between Lexar and us. The plaintiffs seek, among other things,
injunctive relief preventing, or an order of rescission reversing, the merger,
compensatory damages, interest, attorneys' fees, and costs. On May
19, 2006, the plaintiffs filed a motion for preliminary injunction seeking
to
block the merger. On May 31, 2006, the Court denied the
motion. An amended consolidated complaint was filed on October 10,
2006. On June 14, 2007, the Court granted Lexar's and our motions to
dismiss the amended complaint but allowed plaintiffs leave to file a further
amended complaint. On July 16, 2007, plaintiffs filed an amended
complaint. On November 8, 2007, the Court granted Lexar’s and the Company’s
renewed motion to dismiss the case as to all parties with
prejudice.
We
are unable to predict the outcome of
these cases. A court determination in any of the class actions
against us could result in significant liability and could have a material
adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial
condition.
We
face risks associated with our international sales and operations that could
materially adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial
condition.
Sales
to customers outside the United
States approximated 72% of our consolidated net sales for the first quarter
of
2008. In addition, we have manufacturing operations in China, Italy,
Japan, Puerto Rico and Singapore. Our international sales and
operations are subject to a variety of risks, including:
·
|
currency
exchange rate fluctuations,
|
·
|
export
and import duties, changes to import and export regulations, and
restrictions on the transfer of
funds,
|
·
|
political
and economic instability,
|
·
|
problems
with the transportation or delivery of our
products,
|
·
|
issues
arising from cultural or language differences and labor
unrest,
|
·
|
longer
payment cycles and greater difficulty in collecting accounts receivable,
and
|
·
|
compliance
with trade and other laws in a variety of
jurisdictions.
|
These
factors may materially adversely
affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
If
our manufacturing process is disrupted, our business, results of operations
or
financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
We
manufacture products using highly
complex processes that require technologically advanced equipment and continuous
modification to improve yields and performance. Difficulties in the
manufacturing process or the effects from a shift in product mix can reduce
yields or disrupt production and may increase our per megabit manufacturing
costs. Additionally, our control over operations at our IM Flash,
TECH and MP Mask joint ventures may be limited by our agreements with our
partners. From time to time, we have experienced minor disruptions in
our manufacturing process as a result of power outages or equipment
failures. If production at a fabrication facility is disrupted for
any reason, manufacturing yields may be adversely affected or we may be unable
to meet our customers' requirements and they may purchase products from other
suppliers. This could result in a significant increase in
manufacturing costs or loss of revenues or damage to customer relationships,
which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations
or
financial condition.
Disruptions
in our supply of raw materials could materially adversely affect our business,
results of operations or financial condition.
Our
operations require raw materials
that meet exacting standards. We generally have multiple sources of
supply for our raw materials. However, only a limited number of
suppliers are capable of delivering certain raw materials that meet our
standards. Various factors could reduce the availability of raw
materials such as silicon wafers, photomasks, chemicals, gases, lead frames
and
molding compound.
Shortages
may occur from time to time
in the future. In addition, disruptions in transportation lines could
delay our receipt of raw materials. Lead times for the supply of raw
materials have been extended in the past. If our supply of raw
materials is disrupted or our lead times extended, our business, results
of
operations or financial condition could be materially adversely
affected.
Products
that fail to meet specifications, are defective or that are otherwise
incompatible with end uses could impose significant costs on us.
Products
that do not meet
specifications or that contain, or are perceived by our customers to contain,
defects or that are otherwise incompatible with end uses could impose
significant costs on us or otherwise materially adversely affect our business,
results of operations or financial condition.
Because
the design and production
process for semiconductor memory is highly complex, it is possible that we
may
produce products that do not comply with customer specifications, contain
defects or are otherwise incompatible with end uses. If, despite
design review, quality control and product qualification procedures, problems
with nonconforming, defective or incompatible products occur after we have
shipped such products, we could be adversely affected in several ways, including
the following:
·
|
we
may replace product or otherwise compensate customers for costs
incurred
or damages caused by defective or incompatible product,
and
|
·
|
we
may encounter adverse publicity, which could cause a decrease in
sales of
our products.
|
Economic
and political conditions may harm our business.
Global
economic conditions and the
effects of military or terrorist actions may cause significant disruptions
to
worldwide commerce. If these disruptions result in delays or
cancellations of customer orders, a decrease in corporate spending on
information technology or our inability to effectively market, manufacture
or
ship our products. Global economic conditions may also affect
consumer demand for devices that incorporate our products such as mobile
phones,
personal computers, Flash memory cards and USB devices. As a result,
our business, results of operations or financial condition could be materially
adversely affected.
Item
2. Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
During
the first quarter of 2008, the
Company acquired, as payment of withholding taxes in connection with the
vesting
of restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards, 187,665 shares of its
common stock at an average price per share of $10.46.
Period
|
|
(a)
Total number of shares purchased
|
|
|
(b)
Average price paid per share
|
|
|
(c)
Total number of shares (or units) purchased as part of publicly
announced
plans or programs
|
|
|
(d)
Maximum number (or approximate dollar value) of shares (or units)
that may
yet be purchased under the plans or programs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
August
31 – October 4
|
|
|
137,120 |
|
|
$ |
10.80 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
October
5 – November 1
|
|
|
15,582 |
|
|
$ |
10.37 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
November
2 – November 29
|
|
|
34,963 |
|
|
$ |
9.16 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
|
187,665 |
|
|
$ |
10.46 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In
the first quarter of 2008, the
Company retired the 187,665 shares acquired in the first quarter of 2008
and the
35,440 shares of its common stock acquired in the fourth quarter of
2007.
Item
4. Submission of
Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
The
Company’s 2007 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders was held on December 4, 2007. At the meeting, the
following items were submitted to a vote of the shareholders:
(a)
The
following nominees for
Directors were elected. Each person elected as a Director will serve until
the
next annual meeting of shareholders or until such person’s successor is elected
and qualified.
Name
of Nominee
|
|
Votes
Cast For
|
|
|
Votes
Cast Against/Withheld
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Teruaki
Aoki
|
|
|
598,733,637 |
|
|
|
26,912,505 |
|
Steven
R. Appleton
|
|
|
605,000,258 |
|
|
|
20,645,884 |
|
James
W. Bagley
|
|
|
579,973,231 |
|
|
|
45,672,911 |
|
Robert
L. Bailey
|
|
|
608,248,709 |
|
|
|
17,397,433 |
|
Mercedes
Johnson
|
|
|
579,923,531 |
|
|
|
45,722,611 |
|
Lawrence
N. Mondry
|
|
|
593,020,761 |
|
|
|
32,625,381 |
|
Robert
E. Switz
|
|
|
605,716,122 |
|
|
|
19,930,020 |
|
(b)
The
proposal by the Company
to approve the Company’s 2007 Equity Incentive Plan with 30,000,000 shares
reserved for issuance thereunder was approved with 415,127,339 votes in favor,
74,771,943 votes against, 5,434,885 abstentions and 130,311,975 broker
non-votes.
(c)
The
ratification of the
appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Independent Registered Public
Accounting Firm of the Company for the fiscal year ending August 28, 2008,
was
approved with 610,034,230 votes in favor, 10,488,076 votes against, and
5,123,836 abstentions.
Item
6. Exhibits
Exhibit
|
|
Number
|
Description
of
Exhibit
|
|
|
3.1
|
Restated
Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant (1)
|
3.2
|
Bylaws
of the Registrant, as amended (2)
|
10.48
|
2007
Equity Incentive Plan (3)
|
10.49
|
2007
Equity Incentive Plan Forms of Agreements (3)
|
31.1
|
Rule
13a-14(a) Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer
|
32.1
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Pursuant
to 18
U.S.C. 1350
|
________________
(1)
|
Incorporated
by reference to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter
ended
May 31, 2001
|
(2)
|
Incorporated
by reference to Current Report on Form 8-K dated December 5,
2006
|
(3)
|
Incorporated
by reference to Registration Statement on Form S-8 (Registration
No.
333-148357)
|
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report
to
be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly
authorized.
|
Micron
Technology,
Inc.
|
|
(Registrant)
|
|
|
|
|
Date: January
7, 2008
|
/s/
Steven R.
Appleton
|
|
Steven
R. Appleton
Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal
Executive Officer and performing functions of Principal Financial
Officer)
|
40