AMBARELLA INC (AMBA)

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

We are a leading developer of low-power system-on-a-chip, or SoC, semiconductors providing powerful artificial intelligence, or AI, processing, advanced image signal processing and high-resolution video compression. Since inception, we have primarily served human viewing applications with video and image processors for enterprise, public infrastructure and home applications, such as internet protocol, or IP, security cameras, sports cameras, wearables, aerial drones, and aftermarket automotive video recorders. Our recent development efforts have focused on creating advanced AI technology that enables edge devices to visually perceive the environment and make decisions based on the data collected from cameras and, most recently, other types of sensors. This category of AI technology is known as edge inference AI, and our latest SoCs integrate our state-of-the-art video processor technology together with our deep learning neural network processing technology, which we refer to as CVflow™. The CVflow-architecture supports a variety of AI algorithms, including object detection, classification and tracking, semantic and instance segmentation, image processing, stereo object detection, and terrain mapping. CVflow can process other sensor modalities including lidar and radar, and allows customers to differentiate their products by porting their own, or third-party, neural networks and/or classical AI algorithms to our CVflow-based SoCs. Our latest third generation CVflow technology enables us to address incremental and computationally intense AI applications for deep fusion, deep planning, vision-language models (VLMs) and large language models (LLMs), as well as efficiently process transformer AI networks.

Our SoC designs fully integrate AI functionality, high-definition, or HD, video processing, image processing, audio processing, and system functions onto a single chip, delivering exceptional video and image quality at high compression rates, differentiated functionality and low power consumption. These AI-based technologies are allowing us to address a broader range of markets and applications requiring AI video features, including IP security cameras, a variety of automotive cameras, consumer cameras, and industrial and robotic applications. We anticipate that our AI technology will also enable us to capture more content per electronic system and increase our average selling price.

Our development efforts are focused on SoCs that provide human viewing, AI and radar detection functionalities. As a result, we believe that our future revenue growth, if any, will significantly depend upon our ability to expand within camera markets with our AI technology, particularly in the Internet of Things, or IoT, markets, as well as emerging markets such as AI-enabled security cameras, AI-based driving applications, including driver monitoring systems, advanced blind spot detection, object detection, and deep learning algorithms for HD mapping solutions, automotive advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS, applications, and industrial and robotics markets. We expect our research and development expenditures to increase in comparison to prior periods as we devote additional resources to the development of innovative video and image processing solutions with increased functionality, such as AI capabilities, and as we target new markets.

We sell our SoC solutions to leading original design manufacturers, or ODMs, and original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, globally, and in the automotive market, we also sell to Tier-1 suppliers. We refer to ODMs and Tier-1 automotive suppliers as our customers and OEMs as our end customers, except as otherwise indicated or as the context otherwise requires.

Our sales cycles typically require a significant investment of time and a substantial expenditure of resources before we can realize revenue from the sale of our solutions, if any. Our typical sales cycle consists of a multi-month sales and development process involving our customers’ system designers and management and our sales personnel and software engineers. If successful, this process culminates in a customer’s decision to use our solutions in its system, which we refer to as a design win. Our sales efforts are typically directed to the OEM of the product that will incorporate our video and image processing solution, but the eventual design and incorporation of our SoC into the product may be handled by an ODM or Tier-1 supplier on behalf of the OEM.

Volume production may begin within 12 to 18 months after a design win, but could be longer in certain markets, depending on the complexity of our customer’s product and other factors upon which we may have little or no influence. In general, design cycles will be longer in the OEM automotive and industrial and robotics markets than in the IoT markets. Once our solutions have been incorporated into a customer’s design, they are likely to be used for the life cycle of the customer’s product. Conversely, a design loss to a competitor will likely preclude any opportunity for future revenue from such customer’s product. Even if we obtain a design win and our SoC remains a component through the life cycle of a customer’s product, the volume and timing of actual sales of our SoCs to the customer depend upon the production, release and market acceptance of that product, none of which are within our control. An IoT product typically has a life cycle of 12 to 24 months. We anticipate that product life cycles will typically be longer than 24 months in the OEM automotive and industrial and robotics markets, as new product introductions occur less frequently in these markets.

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Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Highlights

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We recorded revenue of $284.9 million in fiscal year 2025, an increase of 25.8% as compared to fiscal year 2024. The increase in revenue was primarily attributable to higher product unit shipments driven by customers' new product ramps, an increased percentage of our sales from higher value AI inference processors which contributed to a higher average selling price, as well as higher nonrecurring engineering (NRE) project service revenue.

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We recorded a loss from operations of $126.6 million in fiscal year 2025, as compared to a loss from operations of $154.6 million in fiscal year 2024. The reduction in operating loss was primarily attributable to higher revenue and higher gross profit, partially offset by an increase in operating expenses. The increase in operating expenses primarily related to higher engineering-related expenses, including chip development costs, tools and equipment expenses as well as outside service expenses.

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We generated cash flows from operating activities of $33.8 million in fiscal year 2025, as compared to $19.0 million in fiscal year 2024. The increase in cash flows from operating activities was primarily attributable to lower net loss adjusted for certain non-cash items and increased liabilities driven by higher cash advances from NRE projects and development funding. The increase in cash flows from operating activities was partially offset by lower collections of accounts receivable associated with the timing of sales and increased inventory purchases based on expected future demand from customers.

Factors Affecting Our Performance

Ability to Capitalize on AI and Computer Vision Trends. We expect that AI and computer vision functionality will become an increasingly important requirement in many of our current and future markets, including IoT, automotive, industrial and robotics markets. As a result, we believe that our ability to develop advanced AI and computer vision technologies, enable and support customer product development in emerging applications, such as ADAS, advanced blind spot detection, object detection, classification and tracking, people recognition, retail analytics, and machine learning, and gain customer acceptance of our technology platform and solutions will be critical to our future success. Moreover, achieving design wins, particularly for computer vision-centric applications in the IoT, automotive, industrial and robotics markets, is vital to our ability to generate revenue growth. As such, we closely monitor our design wins with our customers. However, a design win may not successfully materialize into revenue, and even if it does result in revenue, the amount generated by each design win can vary significantly.

Ability to Develop and Introduce New or Enhanced Solutions. We operate in a dynamic environment characterized by rapidly changing technologies and technological obsolescence. To compete successfully, we must design, develop, market and sell enhanced solutions with increased levels of performance and functionality that meet the expectations of our customers, including advanced process technologies. As such, we continuously invest in our research and development projects, especially AI and computer vision technologies. However, failure to anticipate or timely develop new or enhanced solutions in response to technology shifts and trends could result in decreased revenue and our competitors achieving design wins we sought. Moreover, any reliability or quality problems with our solutions could harm our reputation, increase additional development and replacement costs, and prevent us from retaining existing customers and attracting new customers.

Pricing, Product Cost and Margin. Our pricing and margins depend on the volumes and features of the solutions we provide to our customers. Additionally, we make significant investments in new solutions for both cost improvements and new features that we expect to drive revenue and maintain margins. In general, solutions incorporated into more complex configurations, such as those used in high-performance camera applications or, in the future, advanced driver assistance systems, have higher prices and higher gross margins as compared to solutions sold into lower-performing, more competitive camera applications. Our average selling price can vary by market and application due to market-specific supply and demand, the maturation of products launched in previous years and the launch of new products by us or our competitors.

We continually monitor the cost of our solutions. As we rely on third-party manufacturers for the manufacture of our products, we maintain a close relationship with these suppliers to continually monitor production yields, component costs and design efficiencies.

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Continued Concentration of Revenue by End Markets. Historically, our revenue has been significantly concentrated in a small number of end markets and we developed technologies to provide solutions for new markets as they emerged. Since fiscal year 2018, the IoT markets and automotive markets have been our largest end markets and sales into these markets collectively generated the majority of our revenue. We believe, however, that continued expansion into new markets is required to facilitate revenue growth and customer diversification. We have recently introduced solutions to address emerging applications and markets, such as the incorporation of AI and computer vision functionalities for AI-enabled security cameras, AI-based driving applications and industrial and robotics markets. While we will continue to seek to expand our end market exposure, we anticipate that sales to a limited number of markets will continue to account for a significant percentage of our total revenue for the foreseeable future. Our concentration in a limited number of markets may cause our financial performance to fluctuate significantly from period to period based on the success or failure of products that our SoCs are designed into as well as the overall growth or decline in the video capture markets in which we compete. In addition, we derive a significant portion of our revenue from a limited number of ODMs who build products on behalf of a limited number of OEMs and from a limited number of OEMs to whom we ship directly. We believe that our operating results for the foreseeable future will continue to depend on sales to a relatively small number of customers.

Sales Volume. A typical design win that successfully launches into the marketplace can generate a wide range of sales volumes for our solutions, depending on the end market demand for our customers’ products. Our ability to accurately forecast demand can be adversely affected by a number of factors, including the reputation of the end customer, market penetration, product capabilities, size of the end market that the product addresses, our end customers’ ability to sell their products, miscalculations by our customers of their inventory requirements, changes in market conditions, adverse changes in our product order mix and fluctuating demand for our customers’ products. In certain cases, we may provide volume discounts on sales of our solutions, which may be offset by lower manufacturing costs related to higher volumes. In general, our customers with greater market penetration and better branding tend to develop products that generate larger volumes over the product life cycle.

Customer Product Life Cycle. We estimate our customers’ product life cycles based on the customer, type of product and end market. We typically commence commercial shipments from 12 to 18 months following a design win; however, in some markets, lengthier product and development cycles are possible, depending on the scope and nature of the project, such as in the automotive market. An IoT product typically has a product life cycle of 12 to 24 months. We anticipate that product development and product life cycles will typically be longer than 24 months in the OEM automotive, Tier-1 automotive suppliers and robotics markets, as new product introductions typically occur less frequently in these markets.

Impact of Global Supply Chain Conditions on Our Business. Due in part to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the semiconductor industry faced significant global supply chain challenges over the past few years. Supply chain issues can impact our business as they relate to both our suppliers and our customers. With respect to our suppliers, we have experienced supply constraints for certain chips from Samsung Electronics Corporation and we may in the future experience similar issues. With respect to our customers, to the extent customers face supply chain issues with other components needed to pair with our products in order to produce their end products or otherwise take actions in an attempt to adjust their inventory levels, such customers may delay future orders of our products or hold inventory of our products for longer periods of time. Recent supply chain challenges have subsided and we expect conditions to return to more stability in future periods. However, challenges may recur in future periods with changes in the macro-economic environment, including imposition of tariffs by the U.S. Government on imports and restrictions on exports to foreign locations.

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Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our historical operating results for the periods indicated:

The following table sets forth our historical operating results as a percentage of revenue of each line item for the periods indicated:

Revenue

We derive substantially all of our revenue from the sale of low power AI-based processing and video and image processing SoC solutions to IoT OEMs, IoT ODMs, automotive OEMs or Tier-1 automotive suppliers, either directly or through our distributors. A substantial portion of our revenue from sales was made indirectly through one of our distributors, WT Microelectronics Co., Ltd., formerly Wintech Microelectronics Co., Ltd., or WT, which serves as our non-exclusive sales representative and fulfillment partner in Asia other than Japan, and to one ODM, Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd., or Chicony, which manufactures devices incorporating our solutions on behalf of multiple end-customers.

Our average selling prices fluctuate based on the mix of our solutions sold in a period which reflects the impact of both changes in unit sales of existing solutions as well as the introduction and sales of new solutions. Our AI-based solutions generally have higher selling prices than our traditional video and image processing SoC solutions that do not enable AI functionality. Our solutions are typically characterized by a life cycle that begins with higher average selling prices and lower volumes, followed by broader market adoption, higher volumes and average selling prices that are lower than initial levels.

The end markets into which we sell our products have seen significant changes as customer preferences have evolved in response to new technologies. As a result, the composition and timing of our revenue may change in future periods. We expect shifts in use of video capture to continue to change over time, as AI specialized use cases emerge and video capture continues to proliferate.

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Gross Margin

Cost of revenue includes the cost of materials, such as wafers processed by third-party foundries, costs associated with packaging, assembly, testing and manufacturing support operations, such as logistics, planning and quality assurance, as well as personnel costs (including stock-based compensation) related to project service agreements. Cost of revenue also includes indirect costs, such as inventory valuation reserves, adverse purchase commitment reserves, facility cost allocations, amortization of developed technology and software licenses, warranty and other general overhead costs.

We expect that our gross margin may fluctuate from period to period as a result of changes in customer mix, average selling price, product mix and the introduction of new products by us or our competitors. In general, solutions incorporated into more complex configurations, such as those used in high-performance cameras, and in future advanced automotive OEM applications, have had or are expected to have higher prices and higher gross margins, as compared to solutions sold into the lower-performance, more competitive camera applications. As semiconductor products mature and unit volumes sold to customers increase, their average selling prices typically decline. These declines may be paired with improvements in manufacturing yields and lower wafer, packaging and test costs, which offset some of the margin reduction that could result from lower selling prices.

Research and Development

Research and development expense primarily consists of personnel costs, including salaries, stock-based compensation and employee benefits. The expense also includes costs of development incurred in connection with our collaborations with our foundry vendors, costs of licensing intellectual property from third parties for product development, costs of development for software and hardware tools, costs of fabrication of mask sets for prototype products, the cost and depreciation of equipment, outside services as well as allocated depreciation and facility expenses. All research and development costs are expensed as incurred. We expect our research and development expense to generally increase in absolute dollars as we continue to enhance and expand our product features and offerings and increase headcount for new SoC development and development of AI technologies.

Selling, General and Administrative

Selling, general and administrative expense primarily consists of personnel costs, including salaries, stock-based compensation and employee benefits for our sales, marketing, finance, human resources, information technology and administrative personnel. The expense also includes amortization of trade name and customer relationships, professional service costs such as accounting, tax, or legal services, and allocated depreciation and facility expenses. We expect our selling, general and administrative expense to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to maintain the infrastructure and expand the size of our sales and marketing organization to support our business strategy of addressing new opportunities with our AI technology.

Other Income, Net

Other income, net, consists primarily of interest income and yields from our cash deposits and debt security investments, realized gains and losses from equity and debt security investments, subsidies and grants issued by governments, as well as gains and losses from foreign currency transactions and remeasurements.

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes

We are incorporated and domiciled in the Cayman Islands and also conduct business in several locations such as the United States, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Italy, South Korea, Germany, and Japan, and we are subject to taxation in those jurisdictions. Our worldwide operating income is subject to varying tax rates, and our effective tax rate is highly dependent upon the geographic distribution of our earnings or losses and the tax laws and regulations in each geographical region. It is also subject to fluctuation from changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities; tax benefits from excess stock-based compensation deductions; transfer pricing adjustments and the tax effects of nondeductible compensation. We have historically had lower effective tax rates as a substantial percentage of our operations are conducted in lower-tax jurisdictions. If our operational structure were to change in such a manner that would increase the amount of operating income subject to taxation in higher-tax jurisdictions, or if we were to commence operations in jurisdictions assessing relatively higher tax rates, our effective tax rate could fluctuate significantly on a quarterly basis and/or be adversely affected.

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Significant judgment is required in evaluating our uncertain tax positions and determining our provision for income taxes. Although we believe our reserves are reasonable, no assurance can be given that the final tax outcome of these matters will not be different from that which is reflected in our historical provision for income taxes and accruals. We adjust these reserves in light of changing facts and circumstances, such as the closing of a tax audit or the refinement of an estimate. To the extent that the final tax outcome of these matters is different than the amounts recorded, such differences will impact the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made. The provision for income taxes includes the impact of uncertain tax position reserves and changes to reserves that are considered appropriate, as well as the related net interest and penalties.

Significant judgment is also required in determining any valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, we consider all available evidence, including past operating results, estimates of future taxable income, and the feasibility of tax planning strategies. In the event that we change our determination as to the amount of deferred tax assets that can be realized, we will adjust our valuation allowance with a corresponding impact to the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made.

Comparison of the Fiscal Years Ended January 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023

Revenue

Revenue increased in fiscal year 2025, as compared to fiscal year 2024, primarily as a result of higher product unit shipments driven by customers' new product ramps, an increased percentage of our sales from higher value AI inference processors which contributed to a higher average selling price, as well as higher NRE project service revenue.

Revenue decreased in fiscal year 2024, as compared to fiscal year 2023, primarily due to lower product unit shipments as a result of customer inventory level reduction efforts. The decreased revenue from lower product shipments was partially offset by continued adoption of our AI inference processors, which have higher average selling prices than video processors.

Gross Margin

Gross margin increased marginally in fiscal year 2025, as compared to fiscal year 2024, primarily due to a higher percentage of sales from higher average selling price AI inference processors, as well as increased higher margin NRE project service revenue, partially offset by higher manufacturing costs associated with advanced process technologies.

Gross margin decreased in fiscal year 2024, as compared to fiscal year 2023, primarily due to unfavorable product mix and higher indirect costs associated with amortization of intangible assets and assembly cost, partially offset by reversals of adverse purchase commitments recognized in prior fiscal years and sales of previously reserved inventory.

Research and Development

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Research and development expense increased in fiscal year 2025, as compared to fiscal year 2024, primarily due to approximately $4.2 million of additional engineering-related expenses associated with supporting our AI inference processor and radar solutions, and $3.4 million of additional SoC development cost from our foundries associated with our chip development progress. The increase was also attributable to approximately $3.4 million of additional personnel costs, including stock-based compensation expense, as a result of higher headcount in support of our AI strategy.

Research and development expense increased in fiscal year 2024, as compared to fiscal year 2023, primarily due to approximately $5.0 million of additional SoC development cost from our foundries associated with the progress, complexity and number of chips in development, $1.7 million of additional engineering-related expenses for supporting our AI-based and radar solutions, as well as $3.4 million of additional personnel costs as a result of increased stock-based compensation and employee benefit programs.

Selling, General and Administrative

Selling, general and administrative expense decreased in fiscal year 2025, as compared to fiscal year 2024, primarily due to approximately $3.0 million lower net personnel costs associated with departure of certain employees and $0.9 million of lower facility-related expenses. The decrease was partially offset by approximately $0.3 million of additional professional service costs.

Selling, general and administrative expense decreased in fiscal year 2024, as compared to fiscal year 2023, primarily due to approximately $1.1 million of lower traveling, sales support, professional service and facility-related expenses. The decrease was also attributable to approximately $0.8 million lower personnel costs as a result of lower headcount.

Other Income, Net

The increase in other income, net, in fiscal year 2025, as compared to fiscal year 2024, was primarily due to an approximately $1.2 million impairment charge relating to an equity investment recognized in the prior fiscal year that did not recur in the current fiscal year, approximately $0.9 million of higher interest income and yields from our cash deposits and debt security investments, as well as $0.8 million of net gains from a government grant and foreign currency transactions and remeasurements.

The increase in other income, net, in fiscal year 2024, as compared to fiscal year 2023, was primarily due to $5.7 million of additional yields and interest income from our debt security investments and cash deposits. The increase was partially offset by an approximately $1.2 million of increased interest expenses associated with software license purchases, lower subsidies received from a foreign government and net loss from foreign currency remeasurements. In fiscal year 2024, the increase was also negatively impacted by an approximately $1.2 million impairment recognized and an approximately $0.7 million lower fair value adjustment relating to our equity investments.

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes

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Income tax expense decreased in fiscal year 2025, as compared to fiscal year 2024, primarily due to a one-time charge of $22.7 million of valuation allowance in the prior fiscal year that did not recur in the current fiscal year, a benefit from income tax reserve release upon the lapse of the statute of limitations of $2.8 million and an increase in the proportion of profits generated in lower tax jurisdictions, partially offset by an increase in non-deductible stock-based compensation.

Income tax expense increased in fiscal 2024, as compared to fiscal year 2023, primarily due to a one-time charge of $22.7 million of valuation allowance against the Company’s remaining U.S. net deferred tax assets, a decrease in the proportion of profits generated in lower tax jurisdictions and a decrease in the benefit from FIN48 reserves upon the lapse of the statute of limitations, partially offset by a decrease in non-deductible stock-based compensation.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated:

Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities

Fiscal year 2025 compared to fiscal year 2024: Cash provided by operating activities increased primarily due to lower net loss adjusted for certain non-cash items and increased liabilities driven by higher cash advances from NRE projects and development funding, partially offset by lower collections of accounts receivable associated with the timing of sales and increased inventory purchases based on expected future demand from customers.

Fiscal year 2024 compared to fiscal year 2023: Cash provided by operating activities decreased primarily due to higher net loss adjusted for certain non-cash items, partially offset by increased working capital as a result of better management on accounts receivable and liabilities, as well as decreased inventory purchases due to lower demand from customers.

Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities

Fiscal year 2025 compared to fiscal year 2024: Net cash used in investing activities increased primarily due to approximately $36.5 million of additional cash payments for our debt security purchases and $13.5 million of less cash proceeds from maturities and sales of our debt security investments, partially offset by $1.6 million less in payment for the purchase of property and equipment.

Fiscal year 2024 compared to fiscal year 2023: Net cash provided by investing activities increased primarily due to approximately $63.3 million of less cash used in debt security purchases due to the timing of investment, $49.6 million of higher cash receipts from maturities and sales of our debt security investments, as well as $3.1 million less in payments for purchase of property, equipment and licenses, partially offset by a $0.7 million claim from an acquisition escrow account in fiscal year 2023 that did not recur in fiscal year 2024.

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

Fiscal year 2025 compared to fiscal year 2024: Net cash provided by financing activities increased primarily due to approximately $3.0 million higher cash receipts from stock activities, partially offset by approximately $1.1 million higher principal payments associated with long-term software license agreements.

Fiscal year 2024 compared to fiscal year 2023: Net cash provided by financing activities decreased primarily due to approximately $1.1 million less in payments for the purchase of licenses.

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Stock Repurchase Program

There were no shares repurchased in fiscal years 2025, 2024 and 2023. On May 29, 2024, our Board of Directors approved an extension of our existing share repurchase program for an additional twelve months through June 30, 2025. As of January 31, 2025, there was approximately $49.0 million available for repurchases through June 30, 2025. Repurchases under the program may be made from time-to-time through open market purchases, 10b5-1 plans or privately negotiated transactions subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements and other relevant factors. The repurchase program does not obligate us to acquire any particular amount of ordinary shares, and it may be suspended at any time at the company's discretion. Repurchases are funded using working capital and any repurchased shares will be recorded as authorized but unissued shares.

Sources of Liquidity

As of January 31, 2025, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable debt securities on hand of approximately $250.3 million, compared with approximately $219.9 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable debt securities on hand as of January 31, 2024.

Operating and Capital Expenditure Requirements

We believe that our existing cash balances will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash requirements through at least the next 12 months. In the future, we may require more working capital to meet our operating and capital expenditure needs. If our available cash balances are insufficient to satisfy our future liquidity requirements, we may seek to sell equity or convertible debt securities or borrow funds commercially.

Our short-term and long-term capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the following:

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our ability to generate cash from operations;

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our ability to control our costs;

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the expansion of our research and development of new technologies and products to address new markets and applications;

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the emergence of competing or complementary technologies or products;

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global economic and political conditions, including macroeconomic conditions, high inflation and trade restrictions;

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the costs of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights or participating in litigation-related activities; and

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our acquisition of complementary businesses, products and technologies.

Contractual Obligations, Commitments and Contingencies

The following table summarizes our outstanding contractual obligations as of January 31, 2025:

(1)
Technology license obligations primarily represent future cash payments for noncancelable internal-use software licenses used in product design.

(2)
Manufacturing purchase commitments consist primarily of inventory purchase commitments with our independent contract manufacturers.

(3)
Capital commitment primarily represents future construction cost for our office building constructed in Parma, Italy.

(4)
Lease commitment represents the new office future lease payments for our headquarters located in Santa Clara, California. Refer to Note 8 Leases within Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for detail information.

(5)
Service commitment represents future cash payments for our IT infrastructure service from a third party.

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We also have lease obligations primarily for our worldwide office facilities. As of January 31, 2025, these undiscounted lease payments were a total of $5.4 million, with $2.9 million due in the next 12 months. Refer to Note 8 Leases within Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.

Stock Options and Restricted Stock Units

Grants of stock-based awards are key components of the compensation packages we provide to attract and retain employees and to align their interests with the interests of shareholders. We recognize that these stock-based awards will dilute existing shareholders and have sought to limit the number of shares granted while providing competitive compensation packages. As of January 31, 2025, we had a total of 2.9 million ordinary shares subject to outstanding stock options and unvested restricted stock units, which will dilute our existing shareholders. This potential dilution will only result if outstanding options vest and are exercised and restricted stock units vest and are settled.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 1, “Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies—Recent Accounting Pronouncements” of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Part IV, Item 15 of this report, for a full description of recent accounting standards, including the respective dates of adoption and effects on our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Management Estimates

The preparation of audited consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, requires us to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reported periods. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions, including those related to (i) write downs of excess and obsolete inventories; (ii) the estimated useful lives of long-lived assets; (iii) the valuation of stock-based compensation awards; (iv) the realization of tax assets and estimates of tax liabilities, including reserves for uncertain tax positions and recognition or release of valuation allowance on deferred tax assets. These estimates and assumptions are based on historical experience and on various other factors which we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. We may engage third-party valuation specialists to assist with estimates related to the valuation of assets and stock awards associated with various contractual arrangements. Such estimates often require the selection of appropriate valuation methodologies and significant judgment. Actual results could differ from these estimates under different assumptions or circumstances and such differences could be material.

We believe that the accounting policies discussed below are critical to understanding our historical and future performance, as these policies relate to the more significant areas involving management’s judgment and estimates:

Revenue Recognition

In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, we recognize revenue when control of goods and services is transferred to our customers. Revenue recognition is evaluated through the following five steps: (i) identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer; (ii) identification of the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determination of the transaction price; (iv) allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognition of revenue when or as a performance obligation is satisfied.

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The sale of semiconductor products accounts for the substantial majority of our consolidated revenue. Sales agreements with customers are renewable periodically and contain terms and conditions with respect to payment, delivery, warranty, supply and other rights. We consider an accepted customer purchase order, governed by sales agreement, to be the contract with the customer. For each contract, we consider the promise to transfer tangible products to be the identified performance obligation. Product sales contracts may include volume-based tiered pricing or rebates that are fulfilled in cash or product. In determining the transaction price, we account for the right of returns, cash rebates, commissions and other pricing adjustments as variable consideration, estimate these amounts based on the expected amount to be provided to customers and reduce the revenue recognized. We estimate sales returns and rebates based on our historical patterns of return and pricing credits. As our standard payment terms are 30 days to 60 days, the contracts have no financing component. For a limited number of contracts that include volume-based tiered pricing, we estimate the total consideration to be received by using the expected value method for each contract, compute weighted average selling price for each unit shipped in cases where there is a material right due to the presence of volume-based tiered pricing, allocate the total consideration between the identified performance obligations, and recognize revenue when control of goods and services is transferred to our customers. We consider product control to be transferred at a point in time upon shipment or delivery because we have a present right to payment at that time, the customer has legal title to the asset, we have transferred physical possession of the asset, and the customer has significant risk and rewards of ownership of the asset.

We also enter into various project service agreements with certain customers, including development funding agreements subject to certain refund conditions. In determining whether a development funding agreement constitutes a contract with a customer, we assess whether the substantive and genuine financial risk has been transferred to the funding party and whether the services provided to the funding party are an output of our ordinary activities in exchange for consideration. These agreements may include multiple performance obligations, such as software development services, licensing of intellectual property and post-contract customer support, or PCS. These multiple performance obligations are highly interdependent, highly interrelated, are typically not sold separately and do not have standalone selling prices. They are all inputs to generate one combined output which is incorporating our SoC into the customer’s product. Accordingly, we determine that they are not separately identifiable and shall be treated as a single performance obligation. For fixed-price project service contracts, we recognize revenue either over time as services are provided using an input method based on contract costs incurred to date compared to total estimated contract cost, or at a point in time upon completion and acceptance by the customer, depending on the terms of the arrangement. For project service contracts that are billed at a fixed rate for each hour of service provided, we recognize revenue in the amount for which we have the right to invoice as we believe the amount invoiced directly corresponds with the value to the customer of our performance completed to date.

Timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of invoicing to our customers. We record contract assets when revenue is recognized prior to invoicing. Our contract assets are primarily related to the satisfied but unbilled performance obligations associated with project service agreements at the reporting date. As of January 31, 2025 and 2024, the contract assets for these unbilled receivables were not material, respectively. Our contract liabilities consist of deferred revenue. The deferred revenue is primarily related to the nonrecurring engineering charges that are either invoiced or paid but performance obligations are not satisfied, as well as the portion of a transaction price that exceeds the weighted average selling price for products sold to date under tiered-pricing contracts that contain material rights. The deferred revenue is expected to be recognized over the period when performance obligations are satisfied associated with project service agreements, or over the course of the contract when products are delivered for future pricing below the weighted average selling price of the contract. We also elect not to disclose the value of unsatisfied or partially unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with original expected contract duration of one year or less, and elect to exclude amounts collected from customers for all sales taxes from the transaction price.

Inventory Valuation

We record inventories at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The cost includes materials and other production costs and is computed using standard cost on a first-in, first-out basis. Inventory reserves are recorded for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable inventories based on forecast of future demand and market conditions. Any adjustments to reduce the cost of inventories to their net realizable value are recognized in earnings in the current period. Once inventory is written down, a new accounting cost basis is established and, accordingly, any associated reserve is not released until the inventory is sold or scrapped.

Goodwill

We do not amortize goodwill. We test goodwill for impairment at least annually in the fourth fiscal quarter, or sooner whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset may be impaired. There is only one single reporting unit for goodwill impairment test purposes based on our business and reporting structure. We are permitted to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the two step goodwill impairment test is necessary. Further testing is only required if we determine, based on the qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that the reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying amount. Otherwise, no further impairment testing is required. Qualitative factors include industry and market considerations, overall financial performance, and other relevant events and factors affecting the reporting unit. No goodwill impairment has been identified to date based on our qualitative factors assessment.

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Stock-Based Compensation

We measure stock-based compensation for equity awards based on the estimated fair value on the grant date, and recognize that compensation as expense using the straight-line attribution method over the requisite service period, which is typically the vesting period of each award. We determine the fair value of restricted stock units with service conditions based on the fair market value of our ordinary shares on the grant date. We use the Lattice pricing model and perform Monte Carlo Simulation to evaluate the fair value of restricted stock units with market conditions. We also use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of shares to be issued under our employee stock purchase plan, or ESPP, at the commencement of an offering period. We elect to account for forfeitures as they occur.

Income Taxes

We record income taxes using the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our financial statements or tax returns. In estimating future tax consequences, generally all expected future events other than enactments or changes in the tax law or rates are considered. Valuation allowances are provided when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

We apply authoritative guidance for the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes. The guidance requires that tax effects of a position be recognized only if it is “more likely than not” to be sustained based solely on its technical merits as of the reporting date. Upon estimating our tax positions and tax benefits, we consider and evaluate numerous factors, which may require periodic adjustments and which may not reflect the final tax liabilities. We adjust our financial statements to reflect only those tax positions that are more likely than not to be sustained under examination.

As part of the process of preparing consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. We estimate actual current tax exposure together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items, such as accruals and allowances not currently deductible for tax purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets, which are included in the consolidated balance sheets. In general, deferred tax assets represent future tax benefits to be received when certain expenses previously recognized in the consolidated statements of operations become deductible expenses under applicable income tax laws, or loss or credit carryforwards are utilized.

In assessing whether deferred tax assets may be realized, we consider whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income.

We make estimates and judgments about our future taxable income based on assumptions that are consistent with our plans and estimates. Should the actual amounts differ from estimates, the amount of valuation allowance could be materially impacted. Any adjustment to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance would be recorded in the consolidated statements of operations for the periods in which the adjustment is determined to be required.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

We are a leading developer of low-power system-on-a-chip, or SoC, semiconductors providing powerful artificial intelligence, or AI, processing, advanced image signal processing and high-resolution video compression. Since inception, we have primarily served human viewing applications with video and image processors for enterprise, public infrastructure and home applications, such as internet protocol, or IP, security cameras, sports cameras, wearables, aerial drones, and aftermarket automotive video recorders. Our recent development efforts have focused on creating advanced AI technology that enables edge devices to visually perceive the environment and make decisions based on the data collected from cameras and, most recently, other types of sensors. This category of AI technology is known as computer vision or edge inference AI, and our CV SoCs integrate our state-of-the-art video processor technology together with our deep learning neural network processing technology, which we refer to as CVflow™. The CVflow-architecture supports a variety of CV algorithms, including object detection, classification and tracking, semantic and instance segmentation, image processing, stereo object detection, and terrain mapping. CVflow can process other sensor modalities including lidar and radar, and allows customers to differentiate their products by porting their own, or third party, neural networks and/or classical CV algorithms to our CVflow-based SoCs. Our latest third generation CVflow technology enables us to address incremental and computationally intense AI applications for deep fusion, deep planning, and large language models (LLMs), as well as efficiently process transformer AI networks.

Our SoC designs fully integrate AI, computer vision functionality, high-definition, or HD, video processing, image processing, audio processing, and system functions onto a single chip, delivering exceptional video and image quality at high compression rates, differentiated functionality and low power consumption. These CV-based technologies are allowing us to address a broader range of markets and applications requiring AI video features, including IP security cameras, a variety of automotive cameras, consumer cameras, and industrial and robotic applications. We anticipate that our CV technology will also enable us to capture more content per electronic system and increase our average selling price.

Our development efforts are focused on SoCs that provide human viewing, computer vision and radar detection functionalities. As a result, we believe that our future revenue growth, if any, will significantly depend upon our ability to expand within camera markets with our AI and computer vision technology, particularly in the Internet of Things, or IoT, markets, as well as emerging markets such as AI-enabled security cameras, AI-based driving applications, including driver monitoring systems, advanced blind spot detection, object detection, and deep learning algorithms for HD mapping solutions, automotive advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS, applications, and industrial and robotics markets. We expect our research and development expenditures to increase in comparison to prior periods as we devote additional resources to the development of innovative video and image processing solutions with increased functionality, such as AI and CV capabilities, and as we target new markets.

We sell our SoC solutions to leading original design manufacturers, or ODMs, and original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, globally, and in the automotive market, we also sell to Tier-1 suppliers. We refer to ODMs and Tier-1 automotive suppliers as our customers and OEMs as our end customers, except as otherwise indicated or as the context otherwise requires.

Our sales cycles typically require a significant investment of time and a substantial expenditure of resources before we can realize revenue from the sale of our solutions, if any. Our typical sales cycle consists of a multi-month sales and development process involving our customers’ system designers and management and our sales personnel and software engineers. If successful, this process culminates in a customer’s decision to use our solutions in its system, which we refer to as a design win. Our sales efforts are typically directed to the OEM of the product that will incorporate our video and image processing solution, but the eventual design and incorporation of our SoC into the product may be handled by an ODM or Tier-1 supplier on behalf of the OEM.

Volume production may begin within 9 to 18 months after a design win, but could be longer in certain markets, depending on the complexity of our customer’s product and other factors upon which we may have little or no influence. In general, design cycles will be longer in the OEM automotive and industrial and robotics markets than in the IoT markets. Once our solutions have been incorporated into a customer’s design, they are likely to be used for the life cycle of the customer’s product. Conversely, a design loss to a competitor will likely preclude any opportunity for future revenue from such customer’s product. Even if we obtain a design win and our SoC remains a component through the life cycle of a customer’s product, the volume and timing of actual sales of our SoCs to the customer depend upon the production, release and market acceptance of that product, none of which are within our control. An IoT product typically has a life cycle of 6 to 24 months. We anticipate that product life cycles will typically be longer than 24 months in the OEM automotive and industrial and robotics markets, as new product introductions occur less frequently in these markets.

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Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Highlights and Trends

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We recorded revenue of $226.5 million in fiscal year 2024, a decrease of 32.9% as compared to fiscal year 2023. The decrease in revenue was primarily attributable to lower product unit shipments as a result of customer inventory level reduction efforts. The decreased revenue from lower product shipments was partially offset by continued adoption of our CV-based solutions, which have higher average selling prices than non-CV solutions.

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We recorded a loss from operations of $154.6 million in fiscal year 2024, as compared to a loss from operations of $74.3 million in fiscal year 2023. The increased loss from operations was primarily due to a decrease in revenue and gross profit, as well as an increase in operating expenses. The increase in operating expenses primarily related to higher chip tape-out costs from our foundries associated with the progress, complexity and number of chips in development, increased engineering-related expenses for supporting our CV-based and radar solutions, as well as increased personnel costs.

•
We generated cash flows from operating activities of $19.0 million in fiscal year 2024, as compared to $44.1 million in fiscal year 2023. The lower cash flows from operating activities were primarily attributable to higher net loss adjusted for certain non-cash items, partially offset by increased working capital as a result of better management on accounts receivable and liabilities, and decreased inventory purchase due to lower demand from customers.

Factors Affecting Our Performance

Impact of Global Supply Chain Conditions on Our Business. Uncertainty in customer demand as well as the worldwide economy, in general, have increased volatility in our sales and revenues. Some customers have indicated they are reducing their inventory levels, as some component lead times contract toward normal levels, which has reduced and may continue to reduce demand for our products. Uncertain market demand may be exacerbating these customers’ inventory reduction efforts. Supply chain issues can impact our business as they relate to both our suppliers and our customers. With respect to our suppliers, we have in the past experienced supply constraints for certain chips from Samsung Electronics Corporation and we may in the future experience similar issues. With respect to our customers, to the extent customers face supply chain issues with other components needed to pair with our products in order to produce their end products, such customers may delay future orders of our products or hold inventory of our products for longer periods of time. We believe that our customers are making progress with their inventory reduction efforts, and we expect conditions to return to more stability in future periods.

Ability to Capitalize on AI and Computer Vision Trends. We expect that AI and computer vision functionality will become an increasingly important requirement in many of our current and future markets, including IoT, automotive, industrial and robotics markets. As a result, we believe that our ability to develop advanced AI computer vision technology, enable and support customer product development in emerging applications, such as ADAS, advanced blind spot detection, object detection, classification and tracking, people recognition, retail analytics, and machine learning, and gain customer acceptance of our technology platform and solutions will be critical to our future success. Moreover, achieving design wins, particularly for computer vision-centric applications in the IoT, automotive, industrial and robotics markets, is vital to our ability to generate revenue growth. As such, we closely monitor our design wins with our customers. However, a design win may not successfully materialize into revenue, and even if it does result in revenue, the amount generated by each design win can vary significantly.

Ability to Develop and Introduce New or Enhanced Solutions. We operate in a dynamic environment characterized by rapidly changing technologies and technological obsolescence. To compete successfully, we must design, develop, market and sell enhanced solutions with increased levels of performance and functionality that meet the expectations of our customers. As such, we continuously invest in our research and development projects, especially AI and computer vision technologies. However, failure to anticipate or timely develop new or enhanced solutions in response to technology shifts and trends could result in decreased revenue and our competitors achieving design wins we sought. Moreover, any reliability or quality problems with our solutions could harm our reputation, increase additional development and replacement costs, and prevent us from retaining existing customers and attracting new customers.

Pricing, Product Cost and Margin. Our pricing and margins depend on the volumes and features of the solutions we provide to our customers. Additionally, we make significant investments in new solutions for both cost improvements and new features that we expect to drive revenue and maintain margins. In general, solutions incorporated into more complex configurations, such as those used in high-performance camera applications or, in the future, advanced driver assistance systems, have higher prices and higher gross margins as compared to solutions sold into lower-performing, more competitive camera applications. Our average selling price can vary by market and application due to market-specific supply and demand, the maturation of products launched in previous years and the launch of new products by us or our competitors.

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We continually monitor the cost of our solutions. As we rely on third-party manufacturers for the manufacture of our products, we maintain a close relationship with these suppliers to continually monitor production yields, component costs and design efficiencies.

Continued Concentration of Revenue by End Market. Historically, our revenue has been significantly concentrated in a small number of end markets and we developed technologies to provide solutions for new markets as they emerged. Since fiscal year 2018, the IoT markets and automotive markets have been our largest end markets and sales into these markets collectively generated the majority of our revenue. We believe, however, that continued expansion into new markets is required to facilitate revenue growth and customer diversification. We have recently introduced solutions to address emerging applications and markets, such as the incorporation of AI and computer vision functionalities for AI-enabled security cameras, AI-based driving applications and industrial and robotics markets. While we will continue to seek to expand our end market exposure, we anticipate that sales to a limited number of markets will continue to account for a significant percentage of our total revenue for the foreseeable future. Our concentration in a limited number of markets may cause our financial performance to fluctuate significantly from period to period based on the success or failure of products that our SoCs are designed into as well as the overall growth or decline in the video capture markets in which we compete. In addition, we derive a significant portion of our revenue from a limited number of ODMs who build products on behalf of a limited number of OEMs and from a limited number of OEMs to whom we ship directly. We believe that our operating results for the foreseeable future will continue to depend on sales to a relatively small number of customers.

Sales Volume. A typical design win that successfully launches into the marketplace can generate a wide range of sales volumes for our solutions, depending on the end market demand for our customers’ products. Our ability to accurately forecast demand can be adversely affected by a number of factors, including the reputation of the end customer, market penetration, product capabilities, size of the end market that the product addresses, our end customers’ ability to sell their products, miscalculations by our customers of their inventory requirements, changes in market conditions, adverse changes in our product order mix and fluctuating demand for our customers’ products. In certain cases, we may provide volume discounts on sales of our solutions, which may be offset by lower manufacturing costs related to higher volumes. In general, our customers with greater market penetration and better branding tend to develop products that generate larger volumes over the product life cycle.

Customer Product Life Cycle. We estimate our customers’ product life cycles based on the customer, type of product and end market. We typically commence commercial shipments from 9 to 18 months following a design win; however, in some markets, lengthier product and development cycles are possible, depending on the scope and nature of the project, such as in the automotive market. An IoT product typically has a product life cycle of 6 to 24 months. We anticipate that product development and product life cycles will typically be longer than 24 months in the OEM automotive, Tier-1 automotive suppliers and robotics markets, as new product introductions typically occur less frequently in these markets.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our historical operating results for the periods indicated:

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The following table sets forth our historical operating results as a percentage of revenue of each line item for the periods indicated:

Revenue

We derive substantially all of our revenue from the sale of HD and Ultra HD video and image processing SoC solutions to IoT OEMs, IoT ODMs, automotive OEMs or Tier-1 automotive suppliers, either directly or through our distributors. In recent years, our SoC solutions have been primarily used in IoT camera markets, such as IP security, automotive video recorder, drone and wearable cameras. Although we expect these human viewing camera markets to continue to generate revenue for the foreseeable future, we have recently introduced new SoCs targeting emerging AI and computer vision applications in the IoT, automotive, industrial and robotics markets. We derived a substantial portion of our revenue from sales made indirectly through one of our distributors, WT Microelectronics Co., Ltd., formerly Wintech Microelectronics Co., Ltd., or WT, which serves as our non-exclusive sales representative and fulfillment partner in Asia other than Japan, and to one ODM, Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd., or Chicony, which manufactures devices incorporating our solutions on behalf of multiple end-customers.

Our average selling prices fluctuate based on the mix of our solutions sold in a period which reflects the impact of both changes in unit sales of existing solutions as well as the introduction and sales of new solutions. Our CV-based solutions generally have higher selling prices than our traditional video and image processing SoC solutions that do not enable CV functionality. Our solutions are typically characterized by a life cycle that begins with higher average selling prices and lower volumes, followed by broader market adoption, higher volumes and average selling prices that are lower than initial levels.

The end markets into which we sell our products have seen significant changes as consumer preferences have evolved in response to new technologies. As a result, the composition and timing of our revenue may differ meaningfully during periods of technology or consumer preference changes. We expect shifts in consumer use of video capture to continue to change over time, as AI and computer vision specialized use cases emerge and video capture continues to proliferate.

Cost of Revenue and Gross Margin

Cost of revenue includes the cost of materials, such as wafers processed by third-party foundries, costs associated with packaging, assembly, testing and manufacturing support operations, such as logistics, planning and quality assurance, as well as personnel costs (including stock-based compensation) related to project service agreements. Cost of revenue also includes indirect costs, such as inventory valuation reserves, adverse purchase commitment reserves, facility cost allocations, amortization of developed technology and software licenses, warranty and other general overhead costs.

We expect that our gross margin may fluctuate from period to period as a result of changes in customer mix, average selling price, product mix and the introduction of new products by us or our competitors. In general, solutions incorporated into more complex configurations, such as those used in high-performance cameras, and in future advanced automotive OEM applications, have had or are expected to have higher prices and higher gross margins, as compared to solutions sold into the lower-performance, more competitive camera applications. As semiconductor products mature and unit volumes sold to customers increase, their average selling prices typically decline. These declines may be paired with improvements in manufacturing yields and lower wafer, packaging and test costs, which offset some of the margin reduction that could result from lower selling prices.

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Research and Development

Research and development expense consists primarily of personnel costs, including salaries, stock-based compensation and employee benefits. The expense also includes costs of development incurred in connection with our collaborations with our foundry vendors, costs of licensing intellectual property from third parties for product development, costs of development for software and hardware tools, costs of fabrication of mask sets for prototype products, the cost and depreciation of equipment, outside services as well as allocated depreciation and facility expenses. All research and development costs are expensed as incurred. We expect our research and development expense to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to enhance and expand our product features and offerings and increase headcount for new SoC development and development of computer vision technology.

Selling, General and Administrative

Selling, general and administrative expense consists primarily of personnel costs, including salaries, stock-based compensation and employee benefits for our sales, marketing, finance, human resources, information technology and administrative personnel. The expense also includes amortization of trade name and customer relationships, professional service costs related to accounting, tax, legal services, and allocated depreciation and facility expenses. We expect our selling, general and administrative expense to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to maintain the infrastructure and expand the size of our sales and marketing organization to support our business strategy of addressing new opportunities with our computer vision technology.

Other Income, Net

Other income, net, consists primarily of interest income and yields from our cash deposits and debt security investments, realized gains and losses from equity and debt security investments, subsidies granted by foreign governments, as well as gains and losses from foreign currency transactions and remeasurements.

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes

We are incorporated and domiciled in the Cayman Islands and also conduct business in several countries such as the United States, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Italy, South Korea, Germany, and Japan, and we are subject to taxation in those jurisdictions. Our worldwide operating income is subject to varying tax rates, and our effective tax rate is highly dependent upon the geographic distribution of our earnings or losses and the tax laws and regulations in each geographical region. It is also subject to fluctuation from changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities; tax benefits from excess stock-based compensation deductions; transfer pricing adjustments and the tax effects of nondeductible compensation. We have historically had lower effective tax rates as a substantial percentage of our operations are conducted in lower-tax jurisdictions. If our operational structure were to change in such a manner that would increase the amount of operating income subject to taxation in higher-tax jurisdictions, or if we were to commence operations in jurisdictions assessing relatively higher tax rates, our effective tax rate could fluctuate significantly on a quarterly basis and/or be adversely affected.

Significant judgment is required in evaluating our uncertain tax positions and determining our provision for income taxes. Although we believe our reserves are reasonable, no assurance can be given that the final tax outcome of these matters will not be different from that which is reflected in our historical provision for income taxes and accruals. We adjust these reserves in light of changing facts and circumstances, such as the closing of a tax audit or the refinement of an estimate. To the extent that the final tax outcome of these matters is different than the amounts recorded, such differences will impact the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made. The provision for income taxes includes the impact of uncertain tax position reserves and changes to reserves that are considered appropriate, as well as the related net interest and penalties.

Significant judgment is also required in determining any valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, we consider all available evidence, including past operating results, estimates of future taxable income, and the feasibility of tax planning strategies. In the event that we change our determination as to the amount of deferred tax assets that can be realized, we will adjust our valuation allowance with a corresponding impact to the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made. Consequently, in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024, we recorded an additional valuation allowance of $22.7 million on certain U.S. deferred tax assets resulting from our evaluation of cumulative taxable income and future projections in the U.S., and determined that it was more likely than not that these assets will be unrealizable in the future.

Comparison of the Fiscal Years Ended January 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022

Revenue

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Revenue decreased in fiscal year 2024, as compared to fiscal year 2023, primarily due to lower product unit shipments as a result of customer inventory level reduction efforts. The decreased revenue from lower product shipments was partially offset by continued adoption of our CV-based solutions, which have higher average selling prices than non-CV solutions.

Revenue increased in fiscal year 2023, as compared to fiscal year 2022, primarily due to continued adoption of our CV-based solutions, which have higher average selling prices, and increased NRE project services, partially offset by lower product unit shipments driven by customer inventory level reductions as a result of improved supply chain lead times across the semiconductor industry.

Gross Margin

Gross margin decreased in fiscal year 2024, as compared to fiscal year 2023, primarily due to unfavorable product mix and higher indirect costs associated with amortization of intangible assets and assembly cost, partially offset by reversals of adverse purchase commitments recognized in prior fiscal years and sales of previously reserved inventory.

Gross margin decreased in fiscal year 2023, as compared to fiscal year 2022, primarily due to additional charges from inventory reserves and adverse purchase commitments, as well as the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, partially offset by a higher percentage of our total revenue from higher gross margin CV-based solutions and higher margin NRE project service revenue contracts.

Research and Development

Research and development expense increased in fiscal year 2024, as compared to fiscal year 2023, primarily due to approximately $5.0 million of additional SoC development cost from our foundries associated with the progress, complexity and number of chips in development, $1.7 million of additional engineering-related expenses for supporting our CV-based and radar solutions, as well as $3.4 million of additional personnel costs as a result of increased stock-based compensation and employee benefit programs.

Research and development expense increased in fiscal year 2023, as compared to fiscal year 2022, primarily due to increased personnel costs, engineering-related expenses and SoC development cost. In fiscal year 2023, personnel costs increased by approximately $22.6 million as a result of higher stock-based compensation expense and an increase of approximately 85 employees throughout the fiscal year, including 44 engineering personnel added due to the acquisition of Oculii in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2022. Engineering-related expenses, including the cost and depreciation of equipment and tools, amortization of licensed intellectual property, outside services and facility related expenses in support of new SoCs and related applications, increased by approximately $9.3 million. The increased research and development expense was also attributable to approximately $5.7 million of additional SoC development cost due to process node technological changes, increased licensed intellectual property associated with the new chips, as well as the number of chips in development.

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Selling, General and Administrative

Selling, general and administrative expense decreased in fiscal year 2024, as compared to fiscal year 2023, primarily due to approximately $1.1 million of lower traveling, sales support, professional service and facility-related expenses. The decrease was also attributable to approximately $0.8 million lower personnel costs as a result of lower headcount.

Selling, general and administrative expense increased in fiscal year 2023, as compared to fiscal year 2022, primarily due to increased personnel costs, marketing, travel, and facility-related expenses as well as the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets. Personnel costs increased by approximately $8.2 million as a result of higher stock-based compensation expense and an increase of more than 20 employees. The increase was also attributable to approximately $1.4 million of additional marketing, travel, and facility-related expenses to support our business development and an additional $1.4 million of amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets. The increase was partially offset by approximately $3.1 million less in acquisition-related costs associated with the acquisition of Oculii in the prior fiscal year.

Other Income, Net

The increase in other income, net, in fiscal year 2024, as compared to fiscal year 2023, was primarily due to $5.7 million of additional yields and interest income from our debt security investments and cash deposits. The increase was partially offset by an approximately $1.2 million of increased interest expenses associated with software license purchases, lower subsidies received from a foreign government and net loss from foreign currency remeasurements. In fiscal year 2024, the increase was also negatively impacted by an approximately $1.2 million impairment recognized and an approximately $0.7 million lower fair value adjustment relating to our equity investments.

The increase in other income, net, in fiscal year 2023, as compared to fiscal year 2022, was primarily due to higher yields from our debt security investments driven by security purchases at discounts and higher interest rates. Subsidies received from a foreign government, as well as gains from foreign currency transactions and remeasurements also contributed to the increase.

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes

Income tax expense increased in fiscal 2024, as compared to fiscal year 2023, primarily due to a one-time charge of $22.7 million of valuation allowance against the Company’s remaining U.S. net deferred tax assets, a decrease in the proportion of profits generated in lower tax jurisdictions and a decrease in the benefit from FIN48 reserves upon the lapse of the statute of limitations, partially offset by a decrease in non-deductible stock-based compensation.

Income tax benefit increased in fiscal 2023, as compared to fiscal year 2022, primarily due to a decrease in the proportion of profits generated in higher tax jurisdictions and the release of prior FIN48 reserves upon the lapse of the statute of limitations, partially offset by an increase in non-deductible stock-based compensation.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated:

Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities

Fiscal year 2024 compared to fiscal year 2023: Cash provided by operating activities decreased primarily due to higher net loss adjusted for certain non-cash items, partially offset by increased working capital as a result of better management on accounts receivable and liabilities, as well as decreased inventory purchases due to lower demand from customers.

Fiscal year 2023 compared to fiscal year 2022: Cash provided by operating activities increased primarily due to higher collections of accounts receivable associated with the timing of sales and lower inventory purchases due to customer inventory level reductions as a result of improved supply chain lead times across the semiconductor industry, partially offset by increased net loss adjusted for certain non-cash items and decreased liabilities associated with employee benefit payments and the timing of payments to our suppliers.

Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities

Fiscal year 2024 compared to fiscal year 2023: Net cash provided by investing activities increased primarily due to approximately $63.3 million of less cash used in debt security purchases due to the timing of investment, $49.6 million of higher cash receipts from maturities and sales of our debt security investments, as well as $3.1 million less in payments for purchase of property, equipment and licenses, partially offset by a $0.7 million claim from an acquisition escrow account in fiscal year 2023 that did not recur in fiscal year 2024.

Fiscal year 2023 compared to fiscal year 2022: Net cash used in investing activities decreased primarily due to $307.0 million of net cash paid for the Oculii acquisition in fiscal year 2022, partially offset by approximately $290.0 million less net cash receipts from debt security investments and approximately $5.4 million additional payments for purchase of property and equipment and licenses.

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

Fiscal year 2024 compared to fiscal year 2023: Net cash provided by financing activities decreased primarily due to approximately $1.1 million less in payments for the purchase of licenses.

Fiscal year 2023 compared to fiscal year 2022: Net cash provided by financing activities decreased primarily due to approximately $4.7 million less cash proceeds from option exercises and employee stock purchase withholdings.

Stock Repurchase Program

There were no shares repurchased in fiscal years 2024, 2023 and 2022. On May 26, 2023, our Board of Directors approved an extension of the existing share repurchase program for an additional twelve months through June 30, 2024. As of January 31, 2024, there was approximately $49.0 million available for repurchases through June 30, 2024. Repurchases under the program may be made from time-to-time through open market purchases, 10b5-1 plans or privately negotiated transactions subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements and other relevant factors. The repurchase program does not obligate us to acquire any particular amount of ordinary shares, and it may be suspended at any time at the company's discretion. Repurchases are funded using working capital and any repurchased shares will be recorded as authorized but unissued shares.

Sources of Liquidity

As of January 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable debt securities on hand of approximately $219.9 million, compared with approximately $206.9 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable debt securities on hand as of January 31, 2023.

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Operating and Capital Expenditure Requirements

As of January 31, 2024, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable debt securities on hand of approximately $219.9 million. We believe that our existing cash balances will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash requirements through at least the next 12 months. In the future, we may require more working capital to meet our operating and capital expenditure needs. If our available cash balances are insufficient to satisfy our future liquidity requirements, we may seek to sell equity or convertible debt securities or borrow funds commercially. The sale of equity and convertible debt securities may result in dilution to our shareholders, and those securities may have rights senior to those of our ordinary shares. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of convertible debt securities or borrowing funds commercially, we may become subject to covenants that would restrict our operations. We may require additional capital beyond our currently anticipated amounts. Additional capital may not be available to us on reasonable terms, or at all.

Our short-term and long-term capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the following:

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our ability to generate cash from operations;

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our ability to control our costs;

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the expansion of our research and development of new technologies and products to address new markets and applications;

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the emergence of competing or complementary technologies or products;

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global economic and political conditions, including macroeconomic conditions, high inflation and trade restrictions;

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the costs of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights or participating in litigation-related activities; and

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our acquisition of complementary businesses, products and technologies.

Contractual Obligations, Commitments and Contingencies

The following table summarizes our outstanding contractual obligations as of January 31, 2024:

(1)
Technology license obligations represent future cash payments for noncancelable internal-use software licenses used in product design.

(2)
Manufacturing purchase commitments consist primarily of inventory purchase commitments with our independent contract manufacturers.

(3)
Capital commitment represents future construction cost and lease payments for our office building constructed in Parma, Italy.

(4)
Unrecognized tax benefits, including interest, represent our liabilities for uncertain tax positions as of January 31, 2024. We are unable to reasonably estimate the timing of payments in individual years due to uncertainties in the timing of the effective settlement of tax positions.

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We also have lease obligations primarily for our worldwide office facilities. As of January 31, 2024, these lease obligations were a total of $5.5 million, with $3.6 million due in the next 12 months. Refer to Note 9 Leases within Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.

Stock Options and Restricted Stock Units

Grants of stock-based awards are key components of the compensation packages we provide to attract and retain employees and to align their interests with the interests of shareholders. We recognize that these stock-based awards will dilute existing shareholders and have sought to limit the number of shares granted while providing competitive compensation packages. As of January 31, 2024, we had a total of 2.7 million ordinary shares subject to outstanding stock options and unvested restricted stock units, which will dilute our existing shareholders. This potential dilution will only result if outstanding options vest and are exercised and restricted stock units vest and are settled.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 1, “Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies—Recent Accounting Pronouncements” of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Part IV, Item 15 of this report, for a full description of recent accounting standards, including the respective dates of adoption and effects on our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Management Estimates

The preparation of audited consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, requires us to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reported periods. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions, including those related to (i) business combinations; (ii) write downs of excess and obsolete inventories; (iii) the estimated useful lives of long-lived assets; (iv) the valuation of stock-based compensation awards; (v) the realization of tax assets and estimates of tax liabilities, including reserves for uncertain tax positions and recognition or release of valuation allowance on deferred tax assets. These estimates and assumptions are based on historical experience and on various other factors which we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. We may engage third-party valuation specialists to assist with estimates related to the valuation of assets and stock awards associated with various contractual arrangements. Such estimates often require the selection of appropriate valuation methodologies and significant judgment. Actual results could differ from these estimates under different assumptions or circumstances and such differences could be material.

We believe that the accounting policies discussed below are critical to understanding our historical and future performance, as these policies relate to the more significant areas involving management’s judgment and estimates:

Business Combination

In the application of purchase accounting in a business combination, we allocate the purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values. The excess of the purchase price over the fair values of the identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. We identify an acquired intangible asset apart from goodwill whenever the intangible asset arises from contractual or other legal rights, or when it can be separately sold, transferred, licensed, rented or exchanged. Intangible assets consist primarily of developed technology, customer relationships and trade name. When determining the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, especially with respect to the intangible assets, we are required to make significant estimates and assumptions. Critical estimates and assumptions used in valuation techniques include, but are not limited to, revenue growth, technology migration curve, customer attrition rate, royalty rates and risk-adjusted discount rates. Our estimates are based on historical data, various internal estimates, and external sources that we believe to be reasonable upon the acquisition date. Actual results could differ from these estimates under different assumptions or circumstances and such differences could be material.

Revenue Recognition

In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, we recognize revenue when control of goods and services is transferred to our customers. Revenue recognition is evaluated through the following five steps: (i) identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer; (ii) identification of the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determination of the transaction price; (iv) allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognition of revenue when or as a performance obligation is satisfied.

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The sale of semiconductor products accounts for the substantial majority of our consolidated revenue. Sales agreements with customers are renewable periodically and contain terms and conditions with respect to payment, delivery, warranty, supply and other rights. We consider an accepted customer purchase order, governed by sales agreement, to be the contract with the customer. For each contract, we consider the promise to transfer tangible products to be the identified performance obligation. Product sales contracts may include volume-based tiered pricing or rebates that are fulfilled in cash or product. In determining the transaction price, we account for the right of returns, cash rebates, commissions and other pricing adjustments as variable consideration, estimate these amounts based on the expected amount to be provided to customers and reduce the revenue recognized. We estimate sales returns and rebates based on our historical patterns of return and pricing credits. As our standard payment terms are 30 days to 60 days, the contracts have no financing component. For a limited number of contracts that include volume-based tiered pricing, we estimate the total consideration to be received by using the expected value method for each contract, compute weighted average selling price for each unit shipped in cases where there is a material right due to the presence of volume-based tiered pricing, allocate the total consideration between the identified performance obligations, and recognize revenue when control of goods and services is transferred to our customers. We consider product control to be transferred at a point in time upon shipment or delivery because we have a present right to payment at that time, the customer has legal title to the asset, we have transferred physical possession of the asset, and the customer has significant risk and rewards of ownership of the asset.

We also enter into various project service agreements with certain customers. These agreements may include multiple performance obligations, such as software development services, licensing of intellectual property and post-contract customer support, or PCS. These multiple performance obligations are highly interdependent, highly interrelated, are typically not sold separately and do not have standalone selling prices. They are all inputs to generate one combined output which is incorporating our SoC into the customer’s product. Accordingly, we determine that they are not separately identifiable and shall be treated as a single performance obligation. For fixed-price project service contracts, we recognize revenue either over time as services are provided using an input method based on contract costs incurred to date compared to total estimated contract cost, or at a point in time upon completion and acceptance by the customer, depending on the terms of the arrangement. For project service contracts that are billed at a fixed rate for each hour of service provided, we recognize revenue in the amount for which we have the right to invoice as we believe the amount invoiced directly corresponds with the value to the customer of our performance completed to date.

Timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of invoicing to our customers. We record contract assets when revenue is recognized prior to invoicing. Our contract assets are primarily related to the satisfied but unbilled performance obligations associated with project service agreements at the reporting date. As of January 31, 2024 and 2023, the contract assets for these unbilled receivables were not material, respectively. Our contract liabilities consist of deferred revenue. The deferred revenue is primarily related to the nonrecurring engineering charges that are either invoiced or paid but performance obligations are not satisfied, as well as the portion of a transaction price that exceeds the weighted average selling price for products sold to date under tiered-pricing contracts that contain material rights. The deferred revenue is expected to be recognized over the period when performance obligations are satisfied associated with project service agreements, or over the course of the contract when products are delivered for future pricing below the weighted average selling price of the contract. During fiscal year 2024, we recognized approximately $2.2 million of revenue that was included in the deferred revenue balance at January 31, 2023.

As of January 31, 2024, the amount of remaining unsatisfied performance obligations on contracts, primarily consisting of product purchase orders with original contract duration of more than one year, was approximately $6.9 million, of which approximately 96% is expected to be recognized within the next 12 months. We also elect not to disclose the value of unsatisfied or partially unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with original expected contract duration of one year or less, and elect to exclude amounts collected from customers for all sales taxes from the transaction price.

Inventory Valuation

We record inventories at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The cost includes materials and other production costs and is computed using standard cost on a first-in, first-out basis. Inventory reserves are recorded for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable inventories based on forecast of future demand and market conditions. Any adjustments to reduce the cost of inventories to their net realizable value are recognized in earnings in the current period. Once inventory is written down, a new accounting cost basis is established and, accordingly, any associated reserve is not released until the inventory is sold or scrapped.

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Goodwill

We do not amortize goodwill. We test goodwill for impairment at least annually in the fourth fiscal quarter, or sooner whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset may be impaired. There is only one single reporting unit for goodwill impairment test purposes based on our business and reporting structure. We are permitted to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the two step goodwill impairment test is necessary. Further testing is only required if we determine, based on the qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that the reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying amount. Otherwise, no further impairment testing is required. Qualitative factors include industry and market considerations, overall financial performance, and other relevant events and factors affecting the reporting unit. No goodwill impairment has been identified to date based on our qualitative factors assessment.

Stock-Based Compensation

We measure stock-based compensation for equity awards granted to employees and directors based on the estimated fair value on the grant date, and recognize that compensation as expense using the straight-line attribution method for service condition awards or using the graded-vesting attribution method for awards with performance conditions over the requisite service period, which is typically the vesting period of each award. We determine the fair value of restricted stock and restricted stock units with service or performance conditions based on the fair market value of our ordinary shares on the grant date. We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of stock options. Determining the fair value of stock options on the grant date requires the input of various assumptions, including stock price of the underlying ordinary share, the exercise price of the stock option, expected volatility, expected term, risk-free interest rate and dividend rate. We calculate expected volatility based on our own historical stock price for a period commensurate with the expected term, which is computed based on our own historical exercise behavior. The risk-free interest rate is derived from an average of the U.S. Treasury constant maturity rates for the respective periods most closely commensurate with the expected term. The expected dividend yield is zero because we have not historically paid dividends and have no present intention to pay dividends. We use the Lattice pricing model and perform Monte Carlo Simulations to evaluate the fair value of awards with market conditions, including assumptions of historical volatility and risk-free interest rate commensurate with the vesting term. We elect to account for forfeitures as they occur.

Income Taxes

We record income taxes using the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our financial statements or tax returns. In estimating future tax consequences, generally all expected future events other than enactments or changes in the tax law or rates are considered. Valuation allowances are provided when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

We apply authoritative guidance for the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes. The guidance requires that tax effects of a position be recognized only if it is “more likely than not” to be sustained based solely on its technical merits as of the reporting date. Upon estimating our tax positions and tax benefits, we consider and evaluate numerous factors, which may require periodic adjustments and which may not reflect the final tax liabilities. We adjust our financial statements to reflect only those tax positions that are more likely than not to be sustained under examination.

As part of the process of preparing consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. We estimate actual current tax exposure together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items, such as accruals and allowances not currently deductible for tax purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets, which are included in the consolidated balance sheets. In general, deferred tax assets represent future tax benefits to be received when certain expenses previously recognized in the consolidated statements of operations become deductible expenses under applicable income tax laws, or loss or credit carryforwards are utilized.

In assessing whether deferred tax assets may be realized, we consider whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income.

We make estimates and judgments about our future taxable income based on assumptions that are consistent with our plans and estimates. Should the actual amounts differ from estimates, the amount of valuation allowance could be materially impacted. Any adjustment to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance would be recorded in the consolidated statements of operations for the periods in which the adjustment is determined to be required.

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

We are a leading developer of low-power system-on-a-chip, or SoC, semiconductors providing powerful artificial intelligence, or AI, processing, advanced image signal processing and high-resolution video compression. Since inception, we have primarily served human viewing applications with video and image processors for enterprise, public infrastructure and home applications, such as internet protocol, or IP, security cameras, sports cameras, wearables, aerial drones, and aftermarket automotive video recorders. Our recent development efforts have focused on creating advanced AI technology that enables edge devices to visually perceive the environment and make decisions based on the data collected from cameras and, most recently, other types of sensors. This category of AI technology is known as computer vision, or CV, and our CV SoCs integrate our state-of-the-art video processor technology together with our deep learning neural network processing technology, which we refer to as CVflow™. The CVflow-architecture supports a variety of CV algorithms, including object detection, classification and tracking, semantic and instance segmentation, image processing, stereo object detection, terrain mapping, and face recognition. CVflow can process other sensor modalities including lidar and radar, and allows customers to differentiate their products by porting their own, or third party, neural networks and/or classical CV algorithms to our CVflow-based SoCs. Our SoC designs fully integrate AI, computer vision functionality, high-definition, or HD, video processing, image processing, audio processing, and system functions onto a single chip, delivering exceptional video and image quality at high compression rates, differentiated functionality and low power consumption. These CV-based technologies are allowing us to address a broader range of markets and applications requiring AI video features, including IP security cameras, a variety of automotive cameras, consumer cameras, and industrial and robotic applications. We anticipate that our CV technology will also enable us to capture more content per electronic system and increase our average selling price.

Our development efforts are focused on SoCs that provide human viewing, computer vision and radar detection functionalities. As a result, we believe that our future revenue growth, if any, will significantly depend upon our ability to expand within camera markets with our AI and computer vision technology, particularly in the Internet of Things, or IoT, markets, as well as emerging markets such as AI-enabled security cameras, AI-based driving applications, including driver monitoring systems, advanced blind spot detection, object detection, and deep learning algorithms for HD mapping solutions, automotive advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS, applications, and industrial and robotics markets. We expect our research and development expenditures to increase in comparison to prior periods as we devote additional resources to the development of innovative video and image processing solutions with increased functionality, such as AI and CV capabilities, and as we target new markets.

We sell our SoC solutions to leading original design manufacturers, or ODMs, and original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, globally, and in the automotive market, we also sell to Tier-1 suppliers. We refer to ODMs and Tier-1 automotive suppliers as our customers and OEMs as our end customers, except as otherwise indicated or as the context otherwise requires.

Our sales cycles typically require a significant investment of time and a substantial expenditure of resources before we can realize revenue from the sale of our solutions, if any. Our typical sales cycle consists of a multi-month sales and development process involving our customers’ system designers and management and our sales personnel and software engineers. If successful, this process culminates in a customer’s decision to use our solutions in its system, which we refer to as a design win. Our sales efforts are typically directed to the OEM of the product that will incorporate our video and image processing solution, but the eventual design and incorporation of our SoC into the product may be handled by an ODM or Tier-1 supplier on behalf of the OEM.

Volume production may begin within 9 to 18 months after a design win, but could be longer in certain markets, depending on the complexity of our customer’s product and other factors upon which we may have little or no influence. In general, design cycles will be longer in the OEM automotive and industrial and robotics markets than in the IoT markets. Once our solutions have been incorporated into a customer’s design, they are likely to be used for the life cycle of the customer’s product. Conversely, a design loss to a competitor will likely preclude any opportunity for future revenue from such customer’s product. Even if we obtain a design win and our SoC remains a component through the life cycle of a customer’s product, the volume and timing of actual sales of our SoCs to the customer depend upon the production, release and market acceptance of that product, none of which are within our control. An IoT product typically has a life cycle of 6 to 24 months. We anticipate that product lifecycles will typically be longer than 24 months in the OEM automotive and industrial and robotics markets, as new product introductions occur less frequently in these markets.

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Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Highlights and Trends

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We recorded revenue of $337.6 million in fiscal year 2023, an increase of 1.7% as compared to fiscal year 2022. The increase in revenue was primarily due to continued adoption of our CV-based solutions, which have higher average selling prices, and increased non-recurring engineering (NRE) project services, partially offset by lower product unit shipments driven by customer inventory level reductions as a result of improved supply chain lead times across the semiconductor industry.

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We recorded an operating loss of $74.3 million in fiscal year 2023, as compared to an operating loss of $29.6 million in fiscal year 2022. The higher operating loss was primarily due to higher operating expenses, partially offset by increased revenue and gross profit. The increased operating expenses primarily related to higher personnel costs, including stock-based compensation, as a result of the acquisition of Oculii Corporation, or Oculii, in late fiscal year 2022 and benefit programs. The increases were also attributable to higher chip tape-out costs due to the timing and number of chips in development and increased engineering-related expenses for supporting automotive, robotic and industrial applications of our CV-based vision and radar solutions. The increased operating expenses were partially offset by decreased acquisition-related costs associated with the acquisition of Oculii in the prior fiscal year.

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We generated cash flows from operating activities of $44.1 million in fiscal year 2023, as compared to $38.8 million in fiscal year 2022. The higher cash flows from operating activities were primarily attributable to higher collections of accounts receivable associated with the timing of sales and lower inventory purchases due to customer inventory level reductions as a result of improved supply chain lead times across the semiconductor industry, partially offset by increased net loss adjusted for certain non-cash items and decreased liabilities associated with employee benefit payments and the timing of payments to our suppliers.

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In the second quarter of fiscal year 2023, we resumed our investments in money market funds and debt securities after a full liquidation of our investments to finance the Oculii acquisition in fiscal year 2022. The debt security investment portfolio consists of commercial paper, debt securities of corporations or corporate bonds, asset-backed securities and U.S. government securities. All of the investments are denominated in United States dollars and are reported at a fair value of approximately $101.2 million with unrealized losses of $0.5 million in our consolidated balance sheets.

Factors Affecting Our Performance

Impact of Global Supply Shortages on Our Business. Global supply shortages, and uncertainty in customer demand as well as the worldwide economy, in general, have continued as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and may be further exacerbated by the impacts of high inflation. Supply chain issues impact our business as they relate to both our suppliers and our customers. With respect to our suppliers, we have in the past experienced supply constraints for certain chips from Samsung Electronics Corporation and we may in the future experience similar issues. With respect to our customers, to the extent customers face supply chain issues with other components needed to pair with our products in order to produce their end products, such customers may delay future orders of our products or hold inventory of our products for longer periods of time. As a result, we may experience increased volatility in our sales and revenues in the near future, primarily owing to uncertainty around demand for semiconductor products, in general. In addition, recently, some customers have indicated they are reducing their inventory levels, as some component lead times contract toward normal levels. This may reduce such customers’ demand for our products. The magnitude and duration of such volatility is uncertain and thus its impact on our business cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

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Ability to Capitalize on AI and Computer Vision Trends. We expect that AI and computer vision functionality will become an increasingly important requirement in many of our current and future markets, including IoT, automotive, industrial and robotics markets. As a result, we believe that our ability to develop advanced AI computer vision technology, enable and support customer product development in emerging applications, such as ADAS, advanced blind spot detection, object detection, classification and tracking, people recognition, retail analytics, and machine learning, and gain customer acceptance of our technology platform and solutions will be critical to our future success. Moreover, achieving design wins, particularly for computer vision-centric applications in the IoT, automotive, industrial and robotics markets, is vital to our ability to generate revenue growth. As such, we closely monitor design wins by our customers. However, a design win may not successfully materialize into revenue, and even if it does result in revenue, the amount generated by each design win can vary significantly.

Ability to Develop and Introduce New or Enhanced Solutions. We operate in a dynamic environment characterized by rapidly changing technologies and technological obsolescence. To compete successfully, we must design, develop, market and sell enhanced solutions with increased levels of performance and functionality that meet the expectations of our customers. As such, we continuously invest in our research and development projects, especially AI and computer vision technologies. However, failure to anticipate or timely develop new or enhanced solutions in response to technology shifts and trends could result in decreased revenue and our competitors achieving design wins we sought. Moreover, any reliability or quality problems with our solutions could harm our reputation, increase additional development and replacement costs, and prevent us from retaining existing customers and attracting new customers.

Pricing, Product Cost and Margin. Our pricing and margins depend on the volumes and features of the solutions we provide to our customers. Additionally, we make significant investments in new solutions for both cost improvements and new features that we expect to drive revenue and maintain margins. In general, solutions incorporated into more complex configurations, such as those used in high-performance camera applications or, in the future, advanced driver assistance systems, have higher prices and higher gross margins as compared to solutions sold into lower-performing, more competitive camera applications. Our average selling price can vary by market and application due to market-specific supply and demand, the maturation of products launched in previous years and the launch of new products by us or our competitors.

We continually monitor the cost of our solutions. As we rely on third-party manufacturers for the manufacture of our products, we maintain a close relationship with these suppliers to continually monitor production yields, component costs and design efficiencies.

Continued Concentration of Revenue by End Market. Historically, our revenue has been significantly concentrated in a small number of end markets and we developed technologies to provide solutions for new markets as they emerged. Since fiscal year 2018, the IoT markets and automotive markets have been our largest end markets and sales into these markets collectively generated the majority of our revenue. We believe, however, that continued expansion into new markets is required to facilitate revenue growth and customer diversification. We have recently introduced solutions to address emerging applications and markets, such as the incorporation of AI and computer vision functionalities for AI-enabled security cameras, AI-based driving applications and industrial and robotics markets. While we will continue to seek to expand our end market exposure, we anticipate that sales to a limited number of markets will continue to account for a significant percentage of our total revenue for the foreseeable future. Our limited market concentration may cause our financial performance to fluctuate significantly from period to period based on the success or failure of products that our SoCs are designed into as well as the overall growth or decline in the video capture markets in which we compete. In addition, we derive a significant portion of our revenue from a limited number of ODMs who build products on behalf of a limited number of OEMs and from a limited number of OEMs to whom we ship directly. We believe that our operating results for the foreseeable future will continue to depend on sales to a relatively small number of customers.

Ability to Capitalize on Connectivity Trends. Mobile connected devices are ubiquitous today and play an increasingly prominent role in consumers’ lives. The constant connectivity provided by these devices has created a demand for connected electronic peripherals such as video and image capture devices. Our ability to capitalize on these trends by supporting our end customers in the development of connected peripherals that seamlessly cooperate with other connected devices and allow consumers to distribute and share video and images with online media platforms is critical for our success. We incorporate wireless communication functionality into our solutions for wearable, IP security, aerial drone and automotive video recorder cameras. The combination of our compression technology with wireless connectivity enables wireless video streaming and uploading of videos and images to the Internet. Our solutions enable IP security camera systems to stream video content to either cloud infrastructure or connected mobile devices, and our solutions for wearable and aerial drone cameras allow consumers to quickly stream or upload video and images to social media platforms.

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Sales Volume. A typical design win that successfully launches into the marketplace can generate a wide range of sales volumes for our solutions, depending on the end market demand for our customers’ products. Our ability to accurately forecast demand can be adversely affected by a number of factors, including the reputation of the end customer, market penetration, product capabilities, size of the end market that the product addresses, our end customers’ ability to sell their products, miscalculations by our customers of their inventory requirements, changes in market conditions, adverse changes in our product order mix and fluctuating demand for our customers’ products. In certain cases, we may provide volume discounts on sales of our solutions, which may be offset by lower manufacturing costs related to higher volumes. In general, our customers with greater market penetration and better branding tend to develop products that generate larger volumes over the product life cycle.

Customer Product Life Cycle. We estimate our customers’ product life cycles based on the customer, type of product and end market. We typically commence commercial shipments from 9 to 18 months following a design win; however, in some markets, lengthier product and development cycles are possible, depending on the scope and nature of the project, such as in the automotive market. An IoT product typically has a product life cycle of 6 to 24 months. We anticipate that product development and product life cycles will typically be longer than 24 months in the OEM automotive, Tier-1 automotive suppliers and robotics markets, as new product introductions typically occur less frequently in these markets.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our historical operating results for the periods indicated:

The following table sets forth our historical operating results as a percentage of revenue of each line item for the periods indicated:

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Revenue

We derive substantially all of our revenue from the sale of HD and Ultra HD video and image processing SoC solutions to IoT OEMs, IoT ODMs, OEM or Tier-1 automotive suppliers, either directly or through our distributors. In recent years, our SoC solutions have been primarily used in IoT camera markets, such as IP security, automotive video recorder, drone and wearable cameras. Although we expect these human viewing camera markets to continue to generate revenue for the foreseeable future, we have recently introduced new SoCs targeting emerging AI and computer vision applications in the IoT, automotive, industrial and robotics markets. We derive a substantial portion of our revenue from sales made indirectly through one of our distributors, WT Microelectronics Co., Ltd., formerly Wintech Microelectronics Co., Ltd., or WT, and directly to one of our ODM customers, Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd., or Chicony.

The continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and persistent supply chain challenges have negatively affected our business performance and revenues this year, and may continue in the next fiscal year. Our average selling prices fluctuate based on the mix of our solutions sold in a period which reflects the impact of both changes in unit sales of existing solutions as well as the introduction and sales of new solutions. Our CV-based solutions generally have higher selling prices than our traditional video and image processing SoC solutions that do not enable CV functionality. Our solutions are typically characterized by a life cycle that begins with higher average selling prices and lower volumes, followed by broader market adoption, higher volumes and average selling prices that are lower than initial levels.

The end markets into which we sell our products have seen significant changes as consumer preferences have evolved in response to new technologies. As a result, the composition and timing of our revenue may differ meaningfully during periods of technology or consumer preference changes. We expect shifts in consumer use of video capture to continue to change over time, as AI and computer vision specialized use cases emerge and video capture continues to proliferate.

Cost of Revenue and Gross Margin

Cost of revenue includes the cost of materials, such as wafers processed by third-party foundries, costs associated with packaging, assembly, testing and manufacturing support operations, such as logistics, planning and quality assurance, as well as personnel costs (including stock-based compensation) related to project service agreements. Cost of revenue also includes indirect costs, such as inventory valuation reserves, adverse purchase commitments, allocation of facility costs, amortization of developed technology, warranty and other general overhead costs.

We expect that our gross margin may fluctuate from period to period as a result of changes in customer mix, average selling price, product mix and the introduction of new products by us or our competitors. In general, solutions incorporated into more complex configurations, such as those used in high-performance cameras, and in future advanced automotive OEM applications, have had or are expected to have higher prices and higher gross margins, as compared to solutions sold into the lower-performance, more competitive camera applications. As semiconductor products mature and unit volumes sold to customers increase, their average selling prices typically decline. These declines may be paired with improvements in manufacturing yields and lower wafer, packaging and test costs, which offset some of the margin reduction that could result from lower selling prices.

Research and Development

Research and development expense consists primarily of personnel costs, including salaries, stock-based compensation and employee benefits. The expense also includes costs of development incurred in connection with our collaborations with our foundry vendors, costs and amortization of licensing intellectual property from third parties for product development, costs of development for software and hardware tools, costs of fabrication of mask sets for prototype products, equipment expenses, outside services as well as allocated depreciation and facility expenses. All research and development costs are expensed as incurred. We expect our research and development expense to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to enhance and expand our product features and offerings and increase headcount for new SoC development and development of computer vision technology.

Selling, General and Administrative

Selling, general and administrative expense consists primarily of personnel costs, including salaries, stock-based compensation and employee benefits for our sales, marketing, finance, human resources, information technology and administrative personnel. The expense also includes amortization of trade name and customer relationships, professional service costs related to accounting, tax, legal services, and allocated depreciation and facility expenses. We expect our selling, general and administrative expense to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to maintain the infrastructure and expand the size of our sales and marketing organization to support our business strategy of addressing new opportunities with our computer vision technology.

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Other Income, Net

Other income, net, consists primarily of interest income and realized gains and losses from our cash deposits and debt security investments, subsidies granted by a foreign government as well as gains and losses from foreign currency transactions and remeasurements.

Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes

We are incorporated and domiciled in the Cayman Islands and also conduct business in several countries such as the United States, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Italy, South Korea, Germany, and Japan, and we are subject to taxation in those jurisdictions. Our worldwide operating income is subject to varying tax rates, and our effective tax rate is highly dependent upon the geographic distribution of our earnings or losses and the tax laws and regulations in each geographical region. It is also subject to fluctuation from changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities; tax benefits from excess stock-based compensation deductions; transfer pricing adjustments and the tax effects of nondeductible compensation. We have historically had lower effective tax rates as a substantial percentage of our operations are conducted in lower-tax jurisdictions. If our operational structure were to change in such a manner that would increase the amount of operating income subject to taxation in higher-tax jurisdictions, or if we were to commence operations in jurisdictions assessing relatively higher tax rates, our effective tax rate could fluctuate significantly on a quarterly basis and/or be adversely affected.

Significant judgment is required in evaluating our uncertain tax positions and determining our provision for income taxes. Although we believe our reserves are reasonable, no assurance can be given that the final tax outcome of these matters will not be different from that which is reflected in our historical provision for income taxes and accruals. We adjust these reserves in light of changing facts and circumstances, such as the closing of a tax audit or the refinement of an estimate. To the extent that the final tax outcome of these matters is different than the amounts recorded, such differences will impact the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made. The provision for income taxes includes the impact of uncertain tax position reserves and changes to reserves that are considered appropriate, as well as the related net interest and penalties.

Significant judgment is also required in determining any valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, we consider all available evidence, including past operating results, estimates of future taxable income, and the feasibility of tax planning strategies. In the event that we change our determination as to the amount of deferred tax assets that can be realized, we will adjust our valuation allowance with a corresponding impact to the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made.

Comparison of the Fiscal Years Ended January 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021

Revenue

Revenue increased for fiscal year 2023, as compared to fiscal year 2022, primarily due to continued adoption of our CV-based solutions, which have higher average selling prices, and increased NRE project services, partially offset by lower product unit shipments driven by customer inventory level reductions as a result of improved supply chain lead times across the semiconductor industry.

Revenue increased for fiscal year 2022, as compared to fiscal year 2021, primarily due to higher product unit shipments driven by higher customer inventory levels as a result of supply chain constraints across the semiconductor industry. The increased revenue was also attributable to continued adoption of our CV-based solutions which have higher average selling prices.

Cost of Revenue and Gross Margin

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While per unit cost of product shipped largely remained unchanged, cost of revenue increased for fiscal year 2023, as compared to fiscal year 2022, primarily due to $3.6 million of additional inventory reserves and adverse purchase commitments recognized in fiscal year 2023 caused by lower demand from customers, as well as $2.1 million of additional amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets associated with business acquisitions, partially offset by lower product unit shipments driven by customer inventory level reductions as a result of improved supply chain lead times across the semiconductor industry.

Cost of revenue increased for fiscal year 2022, as compared to fiscal year 2021, primarily due to increased revenue.

Gross margin decreased in fiscal year 2023, as compared to fiscal year 2022, primarily due to additional charges from inventory reserves and adverse purchase commitments, as well as the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, partially offset by a higher percentage of our total revenue from higher gross margin CV-based solutions and higher margin NRE project service revenue contracts.

Gross margin increased in fiscal year 2022, as compared to fiscal year 2021, primarily due to a favorable product mix. A customer concentration shift from China to the Asia region other than China and to North America also contributed to an improvement in gross margin in fiscal year 2022.

Research and Development