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AMERICAN SUPERCONDUCTOR CORP /DE/ (AMSC) Risk Factors

Verbatim Item 1A Risk Factors from AMERICAN SUPERCONDUCTOR CORP /DE/'s latest 10-K. Filing date: 2026-05-27. Accession: 0001437749-26-018542.

This page reproduces the company's own Item 1A Risk Factors text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.

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Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

Risks Related to Our Operations

If we fail to implement our business strategy successfully, our financial performance could be harmed.

Our future financial performance and success are dependent in large part upon our ability to implement our business strategy successfully. Our business strategy envisions several initiatives, including driving revenue growth and enhancing operating results by increasing customer adoption of our products by targeting high-growth segments with commercial and system-level products as well as identifying and completing opportunistic acquisitions. We may not be able to implement our business strategy successfully or achieve the anticipated benefits of our business plan. If we are unable to do so, our long-term growth and profitability may be adversely affected. Even if we are able to implement some or all of the initiatives of our business plan successfully, our operating results may not improve to the extent we anticipate, or at all. In addition, to the extent we have misjudged the nature and extent of industry trends or our competition, we may have difficulty in achieving our strategic objectives. Any failure to implement our business strategy successfully may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may decide to alter or discontinue certain aspects of our business strategy at any time.

Our ability to implement our business strategy could also be affected by a number of factors beyond our control, such as increased competition, legal developments, government regulation, general economic conditions, including as a result of the ongoing wars between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East and trade conflicts, or increased operating costs or expenses.

We may not realize all of the sales expected from our backlog of orders and contracts.

We cannot assure you that we will realize the revenue we expect to generate from our backlog in the periods we expect to realize such revenue, or at all.

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In addition, the backlog of orders, if realized, may not result in profitable revenue. Backlog represents the value of contracts and purchase orders received for which delivery is expected in the next twelve months. Our customers have the right under some circumstances and with some penalties or consequences to terminate, reduce or defer firm orders that we have in backlog. In addition, our government contracts are subject to the risks described below. If our customers terminate, reduce or defer firm orders, we may be protected from certain costs and losses, but our sales will nevertheless be adversely affected, and we may not generate the revenue we expect.

Although we strive to maintain ongoing relationships with our customers, there is an ongoing risk that they may cancel orders or reschedule orders due to fluctuations in their business needs or purchasing budgets.

This has had, and may continue to have, an adverse effect on our ability to grow our revenues. In addition, current and future suppliers may be less likely to grant us credit, resulting in a negative impact on our working capital and cash flows.

We rely upon third-party suppliers for the components and subassemblies of many of our Grid and Wind products, making us vulnerable to supply shortages and price fluctuations, which could harm our business.

Many of our components and subassemblies are currently manufactured for us by a limited number of qualified suppliers. Any interruption in the supply of components or subassemblies, or our inability to obtain substitute components or subassemblies from alternate sources at acceptable prices in a timely manner, could impair our ability to meet the demand of our customers, which would have an adverse effect on our business and operating results. Moreover, if the costs of acquiring components and subassemblies from these suppliers significantly increase, we may not be able to identify alternative suppliers, which could adversely impact our business and operating results.

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In order to minimize costs and time to market, we have and will continue to identify local suppliers that meet our quality standards to produce certain of our subassemblies and components. These efforts may not be successful including as quality standards evolve. For example, there are increasing expectations in various jurisdictions that companies monitor the environmental, social, and/or geographic provenance of their supply chain; complying with such expectations may cause us to incur additional costs, subject us to increased scrutiny, reduce the number of acceptable suppliers, or otherwise impact our business or operations. In addition, any event that negatively impacts our supply, including, among others, wars, terrorist activities, cyberattacks, natural disasters, trade policy and outbreaks of infectious disease, could delay or suspend shipments of products or the release of new products or could result in the delivery of inferior products. Our revenues from the affected products would decline or we could incur losses until such time as we are able to restore our production processes or put in place alternative contract manufacturers or suppliers. Even though we carry business interruption insurance policies, we may suffer losses as a result of business interruptions that exceed the coverage available under our insurance policies.

We may acquire additional complementary businesses or technologies, which may require us to incur substantial costs for which we may never realize the anticipated benefits.

Our recent acquisitions have required substantial integration and management efforts. As a result of any additional acquisition we pursue, management’s attention and resources may be further diverted from our other businesses. An acquisition may also involve the payment of a significant purchase price, which could reduce our cash position or dilute our stockholders and require significant transaction-related expenses.

Achieving the benefits of any acquisition involves additional risks, including:

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difficulty integrating acquired operations, technologies and personnel;
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inability to retain management and other key personnel of the acquired business;
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changes in management or other key personnel that may harm relationships with the acquired business’s customers and employees;
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unforeseen liabilities of the acquired business;
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diversion of management’s and employees’ attention from other business matters as a result of the integration process;

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mistaken assumptions about volumes, revenues and costs associated with the acquired business, including synergies;
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limitations on indemnification from the seller;
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mistaken assumptions about the overall costs of equity or debt used to finance the acquisition; and
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unforeseen difficulties operating in new product areas, with new customers, or in new geographic areas, including in emerging markets.

We cannot provide any assurance that we will realize any of the anticipated benefits of any acquisition, including our acquisition of Comtrafo Indústria de Transformadores Elétricos S.A. (“Comtrafo”), completed in December 2025, and Megatran Industries, Inc. including its subsidiaries, completed in August 2024, and if we fail to realize these anticipated benefits, our operating performance could suffer.

Our business and operations may be materially adversely impacted in the event of a failure or security breach of our or any critical third parties' IT Systems or Confidential Information.

We rely upon the capacity, reliability, and security of information technology hardware and software infrastructure and networks (collectively, "IT Systems"), and our ability to expand and update such IT Systems in response to our changing needs. We manage certain IT Systems but also rely on IT Systems and various products and services provided by critical third-party vendors and others in the supply chain. We also collect, store, and otherwise process sensitive, personal and confidential information ("Confidential Information") in the ordinary course of our business. Any failure to manage, expand, or update our IT Systems or Confidential Information or any disruption to or failure in the operation of such IT Systems or Confidential Information could materially harm our business. In addition, the costs associated with updating and securing our IT Systems or Confidential Information are likely to increase as such security measures become more complex, which may harm our operating results and financial condition.

We face numerous and evolving cybersecurity risks that threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our IT Systems and Confidential Information. Our IT Systems, and those of the third-party vendors we rely on, as well as our Confidential Information, are vulnerable to disruption, compromise and damage from computer viruses (including malware and ransomware), bugs, misconfigurations or vulnerabilities, social engineering/phishing, natural disasters, human or technical error, intentional conduct, cyberattacks, unauthorized access and other similar disruptions. Because we rely on certain third party vendors that support our operations, successful cyberattacks that disrupt or result in unauthorized access to third-party IT Systems can materially impact our operations and financial results. There can also be no assurance that our cybersecurity risk management program and processes, including our policies, controls or procedures, or the processes of third-party vendors we rely on, will be fully implemented, complied with or effective in protecting our IT Systems and Confidential Information. Our business is also subject to break-ins, sabotage, and intentional acts of vandalism by third parties as well as employees.  We cannot guarantee the security or protection of any IT Systems or Confidential Information. Cyberattacks are expected to accelerate on a global basis in frequency and magnitude, particularly as threat actors, such as ransomware groups, are becoming increasingly sophisticated in using techniques and tools, including artificial intelligence, that are designed to circumvent controls, evade detection and remove or obfuscate forensic evidence. As a result, we and our third-party providers may be unable to timely or effectively anticipate, detect, investigate, remediate or recover from cyberattacks in the future or avoid material impact to our IT Systems, Confidential Information, and our business. We also face increased cyber risk due to the number of our and others' employees who are (and may continue to be) working remotely due to the challenges associated with managing remote computing assets and security vulnerabilities that are present in many non-corporate and home networks.

We and certain of our third-party providers regularly experience cyberattacks and other incidents, and we expect such attacks and incidents to continue in varying degrees. While to date no incidents have had a material impact on our operations or financial results, we cannot guarantee that material incidents will not occur in the future. Any adverse impact to the availability, integrity or confidentiality of our IT Systems or those of third parties upon which we rely could result in disruptions to our operations, and/or loss, damage or compromise Confidential Information. Any or all of the foregoing could harm our reputation, result in substantial remediation, incident response, system restoration and compliance costs, lead to lost revenues and business opportunities, lead to regulatory investigations and enforcement and/or litigation (such as class actions), and related fines or penalties, increase our insurance premiums and have other materially adverse effects on our business and results. Our insurance policies may not cover, or may be insufficient to cover, any or all costs, losses and liability associated with any cyberattacks, security incidents or other disruptions and we cannot guarantee that applicable insurance will be available to us in the future on economically reasonable terms or at all. Any or all of the foregoing could materially adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our contracts with the U.S. and Canadian governments are subject to audit, modification or termination by such governments and include certain other provisions in favor of the governments. The continued funding of such contracts may remain subject to annual legislative appropriation, which, if not approved, could reduce our revenue and lower or eliminate our profit.

As a company that contracts with the U.S. and Canadian governments, we are subject to financial audits and other reviews by such governments of our costs and performance, accounting, and general business practices relating to these contracts. Based on the results of these audits, such governments may adjust our contract-related costs and fees. We cannot be certain that adjustments arising from government audits and reviews would not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our government contracts customarily contain other provisions that give the government substantial rights and remedies, many of which are not typically found in commercial contracts, including provisions that allow the applicable government to:

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obtain certain rights to the intellectual property that we develop under the contract;
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decline to award future contracts if actual or apparent organizational conflicts of interest are discovered, or to impose organizational conflict mitigation measures as a condition of eligibility for an award;
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suspend or debar us from doing business with the government or a specific government agency; and
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pursue criminal or civil remedies under the False Claims Act, False Statements Act and similar remedy provisions unique to government contracting.

All of our U.S. and Canadian government contracts, as well as certain of our contracts with third parties that are dependent on such government contracts, can be terminated by the applicable government for its convenience. Termination-for-convenience provisions typically provide only for our recovery of costs incurred or committed, and for settlement of expenses and profit on work completed prior to termination. In addition to the right of the government to terminate its contracts with us, these government contracts are conditioned upon the continuing approval by the applicable legislature of the necessary spending to honor such contracts. The U.S. Congress often appropriates funds for a program on a fiscal year basis even though contract performance may take more than one year. Consequently, at the beginning of many major governmental programs, contracts often may not be fully funded, and additional monies are then committed to the contract only if, as and when appropriations are made by the U.S. Congress or other applicable body for future fiscal years.  In addition, government shutdowns could prevent or delay such contracts from being funded. Failure by the U.S. Congress to further suspend or increase the debt ceiling could delay or result in the loss of contracts for the procurement of our products and services, and we may be asked or required to continue to perform for some period of time on certain of our U.S. government contracts, even if the U.S. government is unable to make timely payments. There can be no assurance that we will not be adversely affected by government cost-cutting measures.

We cannot be certain that our U.S. government contracts, or our contracts with third parties that relate to projects for the U.S. government will not be terminated or suspended in the future. The U.S. government’s termination of, or failure to fully fund, one or more of our contracts would have a negative impact on our operating results and financial condition. Further, in the event that any of our government contracts are terminated for cause, it could affect our ability to obtain future government contracts which could, in turn, seriously harm our ability to develop our technologies and products.

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Changes in U.S. government defense spending could negatively impact our financial position, results of operations, liquidity and overall business.

We have several contracts with the U.S. government, including defense-related programs with the U.S. Department of Defense. Changes in U.S. government defense spending for various reasons, including as a result of potential changes in policy positions or priorities that may result from the U.S. presidential and congressional elections, could negatively impact our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. Our programs are subject to U.S. government policies, budget decisions and appropriation processes which are driven by numerous factors including: (1) geopolitical events; (2) macroeconomic conditions; (3) the ability of the U.S. government to enact relevant legislation, such as appropriations bills; and (4) the spending priorities of the U.S. Presidential Administration. In recent years, U.S. government appropriations have been affected by larger U.S. government budgetary issues and related legislation. In prior years, the U.S. government has been unable to timely complete its budget process before the end of its fiscal year, resulting in governmental shut-downs or providing only enough funds for U.S. government agencies to continue operating at prior-year levels. Significant changes in U.S. government defense spending or changes in U.S. government priorities, policies and requirements could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

Our performance on contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense may result in restrictions to our ability to repurchase our common stock or U.S. government denial of Foreign Military Sales or ceasing of assistance for international Direct Commercial Sales.

On January 7, 2026, the President of the United States signed an Executive Order titled "Prioritizing the Warfighter in Defense Contracting," (the "Executive Order") which directs the Secretary of Defense to identify contractors for critical weapons, supplies, and equipment that have engaged in stock repurchases or dividend distributions and are underperforming on their contracts, not investing capital into necessary production capacity, not prioritizing contract performance, or whose production speed is insufficient (collectively, "Underperformance"). Contractors that fail to remediate their Underperformance may be subject to enforcement actions under the Defense Production Act or contract law. Future defense contract awards will contain provisions prohibiting stock repurchases or dividend distributions and capping executive base salaries during periods of Underperformance as determined by the Secretary of Defense, and will require that executive incentive compensation be linked to on-time delivery of work under defense contracts, increased production, and facilitation of investments and operating improvements. The Secretary of Defense may also deny new advocacy cases for Foreign Military Sales or cease ongoing advocacy efforts for international Direct Commercial Sales for Underperforming contractors.

Our failure to sufficiently perform and prioritize our U.S. defense contracts, invest capital into production, capacity, or perform our contracts at the appropriate speed could result in restrictions to our ability to repurchase our common stock, issue dividends, or compete for International Foreign Military Sales or Direct Commercial Sales Contracts. In addition, the U.S. government could terminate our existing contracts or withhold payment for completed work due to Underperformance. The U.S. government could also cap the base salaries for our executives based upon the Secretary of Defense's finding of Underperformance.

Given the recency of the Executive Order, it is unclear how the U.S. government will implement its enforcement provisions or what metrics or conditions the Secretary of Defense will use to identify Underperforming defense contractors. If any of the foregoing were to occur, it could materially harm our business, result in reduced revenue and profitability, damage our reputation and customer relationships, or affect our stock price and increase its volatility.

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Failure to comply with evolving data privacy and data protection laws, regulations, and other obligations, or to otherwise protect personal data, may adversely impact our business and financial results.

In connection with running our business, we receive, store, use and otherwise process information that relates to individuals and/or constitutes “personal data,” “personal information,” “personally identifiable information,” or similar terms under applicable data privacy laws (collectively, “Personal Data”).We are therefore subject to many rapidly evolving privacy and data protection laws and regulations in the United States, Europe and around the world. These laws require us to operate in a complex environment where there are significant constraints on how we can process Personal Data across our business. The scope of these laws are changing, subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent among jurisdictions. For example, the European and United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation, the California Consumer Privacy Act, and the data protection and security laws of other jurisdictions impose onerous obligations — including around transparency, data subject rights, contractual requirements, data breach reporting, and international data transfers — with respect to our processing of Personal Data. We are also subject to certain contractual obligations related to privacy, data protection and data security that may also impose onerous obligations. The legal and regulatory framework for privacy, data protection and data security worldwide is, and is likely to remain for the foreseeable future, uncertain and complex, and it is possible that these or other actual or alleged obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that we do not anticipate or that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another, and may conflict with our other legal obligations or our practices. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy, data protection and data security obligations may result in substantial fines, regulatory investigations or enforcement, reputational damage, orders to cease/change our use of data, as well as potential civil claims, including class action litigation, and could result in significant liability (including monetary penalties or requirements to alter our operations), any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Further, any significant change to applicable laws, regulations or industry practices regarding privacy, data protection, and data security could increase our costs and require us to modify our operations, possibly in a material
manner.

Our success is dependent upon attracting and retaining qualified personnel and our inability to do so could significantly damage our business and prospects.

We have attracted a highly skilled management team and specialized workforce, including scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturing, personnel, and marketing and sales professionals. Hiring and retaining good personnel for our business is challenging, and highly qualified technical personnel are likely to remain a limited resource for the foreseeable future. We may not be able to hire the necessary personnel to implement our business strategy.  In addition, we may need to provide higher compensation or more training to our personnel than we currently anticipate. Moreover, any officer or employee can terminate his or her relationship with us at any time.  Losing the services of any of our executive officers or key employees could materially and adversely impact our business.

A significant portion of our Wind segment revenues are derived from a single customer. If this customer’s business is negatively affected, it could adversely impact our business.

A significant portion of our Wind segment revenues have historically been derived from Inox and a significant decrease in revenues from Inox could adversely impact our Wind segment. Revenues from Inox are supported by supply contracts to purchase wind turbine ECS, and licenses to make, use and supply, wind turbines based on our designs. Inox has been active in the new central and state government auction regime in India and has a cumulative order book of over 3 GW. However, we cannot predict if and how successful Inox will be in executing on these orders or in obtaining new orders under the new central and state auction regime. Any failure by Inox to succeed under this regime, or any delay in Inox’s ability to deliver its wind turbines, could result in fewer ECS shipments to Inox.  Inox has historically failed to post letters of credit and take delivery of forecasted ECS quantities.

Our success in addressing the wind energy market is dependent on the manufacturers that license our designs.

Because an important element of our strategy for addressing the wind energy market involves the license of our wind turbine designs to manufacturers of those systems, the financial benefits to us from our products for the wind energy market are dependent on the success of these manufacturers in selling wind turbines based on our designs. We may not be able to enter into marketing or distribution arrangements with third parties on financially acceptable terms, or at all, and third parties may not be successful in selling our products or applications incorporating our products.

Many of our revenue opportunities are dependent upon subcontractors and other business collaborators.

Many of the revenue opportunities for our business involve projects, such as the installation of our ship protection systems and electrical system hardware in wind turbines, in which we collaborate with other companies, including suppliers of cryogenic systems, manufacturers of electric power cables and manufacturers of wind turbines. As a result, many of our current and planned revenue-generating projects involve business collaborators on whose performance our revenue is dependent. If these business collaborators fail to deliver their products or perform their obligations on a timely basis or fail to generate sufficient demand for the systems they manufacture, our revenue from the project may be delayed or decreased, and we may not be successful in selling our products.

Problems with product quality or product performance may cause us to incur warranty expenses or product liability charges and may damage our market reputation and prevent us from achieving increased sales and market share.

Consistent with customary practice in our industry, we provide various warranties or guarantees relating to our products, such as that our products and/or services will be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use and service. We generally provide a one- to three-year warranty on our products, commencing upon installation. A provision is recorded upon revenue recognition to cost of revenues for estimated warranty expense based on historical experience. The possibility of future product failures or issues related to services we provided could cause us to incur substantial expenses to repair or replace defective products or re-perform such services potentially in excess of our reserves. Furthermore, widespread product failures or other shortcomings of our products may damage our market reputation, reduce our market share, create product liability obligations or cause sales to decline.

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Many of our customers outside of the United States may be either directly or indirectly related to governmental entities, and we could be adversely affected by violations of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws outside the United States.

The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Many of our customers outside of the United States are, either directly or indirectly, related to governmental entities and are therefore subject to such anti-bribery laws. Our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws. We operate in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree, and in certain circumstances strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. Our internal control policies and procedures may not always protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our business and result in a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We have had limited success marketing and selling our superconductor products and system-level solutions, including our REG system, and our failure to more broadly market and sell our products and solutions could lower our revenue and cash flow.

To date, we have had limited success marketing and selling our superconductor products and system-level solutions and there has been no widespread commercial use of the REG system. Once our products and solutions are ready for widespread commercial use, we will have to develop a marketing and sales organization that will effectively demonstrate the advantages of our products over more traditional products, competing superconductor products and other technologies. We may not be successful in our efforts to market this technology and we may not be able to establish an effective sales and distribution organization.

We may decide to enter into arrangements with third parties for the marketing or distribution of our products, including arrangements in which our products, such as Amperium wire, are included as a component of a larger product, such as a power cable system. By entering into marketing and sales alliances, the financial benefits to us of commercializing our products will be dependent on the efforts of others.

Even if a project is funded, completion of projects can be delayed as a result of other factors.  It is possible that the market demands we currently anticipate for our products and solutions will not develop and that they will never achieve widespread commercial acceptance. In such event, we would not be able to implement our strategy, and our results of operations could be adversely affected.  Even if a commercial market were to develop, commercial terms requested by third parties, such as relating to bonding requirements, limitations of liability, warranty periods, or other contractual provisions, may not be acceptable to us, which could impede our ability to enter into contractual arrangements for the sale of our products and systems.

We or third parties on whom we depend may be adversely affected by natural disasters, including events resulting from climate change, and our business continuity and disaster recovery plans may not adequately protect us or our value chain from such events.

Natural disasters (including, but not limited to tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, storms, floods, droughts and extreme temperatures) and chronic changes in the physical environment, such as changes to meteorological or hydrological patterns, could severely disrupt our operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. Climate change may increase the frequency or intensity of such events, as well as contribute to chronic changes (such as changes in meteorological or hydrological patterns) that may result in similar risk. If a natural disaster, power outage, or other event, including human acts such as terrorism, occurred that prevented us from fully utilizing our value chain or facilities, that damaged critical infrastructure, such as the manufacturing facilities on which we rely, or that otherwise disrupted operations, it may be difficult or, in certain cases, impossible for us to continue our business for a substantial period of time. The disaster recovery and business continuity plans we have in place may prove inadequate in the event of a serious disaster or similar event. We may incur substantial expenses as a result of the limited nature of our disaster recovery and business continuity plans, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

In addition, changes in climate change-related laws or regulations, including laws relating to greenhouse gas emissions, could lead to new or additional compliance requirements and expenditures, and subject us to additional operational costs and restrictions, including increased energy and raw material costs and other compliance requirements which could negatively impact our reputation, business, capital expenditures, results of operations and financial position. For more information, please refer to our risk factor titled “Evolving and varied expectations on environmental sustainability and social initiatives could adversely impact our financial results."

Uncertainty surrounding our prospects and financial condition may have an adverse effect on our customer and supplier relationships.

Our relationships with our customers and suppliers are predicated on the belief that we will continue to operate. Our customers, particularly in the utility industry, are generally risk averse and may not enter into sales contracts with us if there is uncertainty regarding our ability to support working capital needs of large-scale projects.

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Pandemics, epidemics, or other public
health crises may
adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations
.

The occurrence or reoccurrence of regional epidemics, a global pandemic or other public health crises may adversely affect our operations, financial condition, and results of operations. The extent to which a public health crisis impacts our business going forward will depend on factors such as the duration and scope; governmental, business, and individuals' actions in response to the public health crisis; and the impact on economic activity, including the possibility of recession or financial market instability. Measures to contain a public health crisis may intensify other risks described in these Risk Factors.

Risks Related to Our Financial Performance

Changes in valuation allowance of deferred tax assets may affect our future operating results.

We are required to periodically review our deferred tax assets and determine whether, based on available evidence, a valuation allowance is necessary. In fiscal 2025, based on our evaluation of all available positive and negative evidence, we concluded that it was more-likely-than not that a significant portion of our federal and state deferred tax assets would be realized. Accordingly, we released the valuation allowance against these deferred tax assets. The assessment of the realizability of future tax assets involved considerable management judgement and required evaluation of all available evidence, including cumulative recent financial performance and forecasts of future taxable income. As a result of this assessment, we recognized a deferred income tax benefit of $118.4 million in fiscal 2025. Our judgement regarding the likelihood of realization of these deferred tax assets could change in future periods, which could result in a material impact to our income tax provision expense and our results of operations in the period in which the valuation allowance is adjusted.

If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting, our ability to produce accurate and timely financial statements could be impaired and may lead investors and other users to lose confidence in our financial data.

Maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to produce reliable financial statements. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, in connection with the preparation of our financial statements for this Annual Report on Form 10-K, management identified the following material weakness: We did not maintain effective internal controls over preparation and review of the initial purchase accounting  and the continuing fair value accounting associated with the Comtrafo Acquisition to ensure the accurate and timely reporting of our financial results related to this acquisition. Specifically, errors went undetected in amounts initially recorded to the opening balance sheet due to controls not operating at the appropriate level of precision during management's review process which could have led to a reasonable possibility of material misstatement to account balances or disclosures.

Notwithstanding the material weakness, we believe that our financial statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K fairly present our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods covered by this report in all material respects.

Our management, with the oversight of our audit committee, has initiated steps and plans to take additional measures to remediate the underlying causes of the material weakness, which we currently believe will be primarily through the development and implementation of new levels of precision of management review controls around business acquisitions.

If we are unable to maintain effective internal controls, we may not have adequate, accurate or timely financial information, and we may be unable to meet our reporting obligations or comply with the requirements of the SEC or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which could result in the imposition of sanctions, including the inability of registered broker dealers to make a market in our common stock, or an investigation by regulatory authorities. Any such action or other negative results caused by our inability to meet our reporting requirements or to comply with legal and regulatory requirements or by our disclosure of an accounting, reporting or control issue could adversely affect the trading price of our securities and our business. Significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting could also reduce our ability to obtain financing or could increase the cost of any financing we obtain.

We have not been historically profitable, and there can be no assurance that we will sustain our recent profitability. Our operating results may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and may fall below expectations in any particular fiscal quarter.

While we achieved profitable results in fiscal
2025 and
2024, our ability to sustain profitability depends on numerous factors, many of which are outside of our control. If we are unable to maintain profitability, we could be required to take charges, including the potential restoration of some or all of the valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets, which could materially affect our financial condition and results of operations.

There remains uncertainty in our business, which makes it difficult to evaluate our business and future prospects. In addition, our operating results historically have been difficult to predict and have at times fluctuated from quarter to quarter due to a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control. As a result of all of these factors, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful, and you should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance.  In addition, we have in the past provided, and may continue to, provide public guidance on our expected operating and financial results for future periods. Such guidance is comprised of forward-looking statements subject to the risks and uncertainties described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other public filings and statements. Our actual results may not always be in line with or exceed the guidance we have provided.  If our revenue or operating results fall below the expectations of investors or any securities analysts that follow our company in any period or we do not meet our guidance, the trading price of our common stock would likely decline.

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Our operating expenses do not always vary directly with revenue and may be difficult to adjust in the short term. As a result, if revenue for a particular quarter is below our expectations, we may not be able to proportionately reduce operating expenses for that quarter, and therefore such a revenue shortfall would have a disproportionate effect on our operating results for that quarter.

While we generated positive operating cash flow in fiscal 2025 and the prior year, we have a history of negative operating cash flows, and we may require additional financing in the future, which may not be available to us.

At
March 31, 2026, we had approximately $
147.6 million of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, and during the fiscal year ended
March 31, 2026, $
23.1 million in cash was provided by our operating activities. In the current period, we experienced net income and positive operating cash flows. In prior years, we have experienced net losses and negative operating cash flows.

Our liquidity is highly dependent on our ability to profitably grow our revenues, control our operating costs, and secure additional financing, if required.  We may require additional capital to conduct our business and adequately respond to future business challenges or opportunities, including, but not limited to, the need to develop new products or enhance existing products, maintain or expand research and development projects, collateralize performance bonds or letters of credit, acquire new businesses or assets, and the need to build inventory or to invest other cash to support business growth.  In order to raise additional capital, we may offer shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of each of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our common stockholders.

In the event that additional liquidity is required, there can be no assurance that such financing would be available or, if available, that such financing could be obtained upon terms acceptable to us, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and prospects.

In addition, the Company maintains the majority of its cash and cash equivalents in accounts with major U.S. and multi-national financial institutions, and our deposits at certain institutions exceed insured limits. Market conditions can impact the viability of these institutions. In the event of failure of any of the financial institutions where we maintain our cash and cash equivalents, there can be no assurance that we will be able to access uninsured funds in a timely manner or at all.

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Changes in exchange rates could adversely affect our results of operations.

Currency exchange rate fluctuations could have an adverse effect on our revenues and results of operations, and we could experience losses with respect to hedging activities. In fiscal
2025,
52% of our revenues were recognized from sales outside of the United States. In addition, approximately
16% and
7% of our revenues in fiscal
2025 were derived under sales contracts where prices were denominated in the Euro and Real, respectively. Unfavorable currency fluctuations could require us to increase prices to foreign customers, which could result in a lesser value of orders, and therefore lower revenues, from such customers. Alternatively, if we do not adjust the prices for our products in response to unfavorable currency fluctuations, our results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, most sales made by our foreign subsidiaries are denominated in the currency of the country in which these products are sold, and the currency they receive in payment for such sales could be less valuable at the time of receipt as a result of exchange rate fluctuations.  However, we cannot be certain that our efforts will be adequate to protect us against significant currency fluctuations or that such efforts will not expose us to additional exchange rate risks.

We may be required to issue performance bonds, which restricts our ability to access any cash used as collateral for the bonds.

While we have been required to provide performance bonds in the form of surety bonds or other forms of security and letters of credit in the past, the size of the bonds and letters of credit was not material. In recent years, we have entered into contracts that require us to post bonds and deliver letters of credit of significant magnitude. Similarly, in many other instances, we have been required to deposit cash in escrow accounts as collateral for these instruments, which is unavailable to us for general use for significant periods of time. Should we be unable to obtain performance bonds or letters in the future, significant future potential revenue could become unavailable to us. Further, should our working capital situation deteriorate, we would not be able to access the restricted cash to meet working capital requirements.

Risks Related to Our Markets

Adverse changes in domestic and global economic conditions could adversely affect our operating results.

We have become increasingly subject to the risks arising from adverse changes in domestic and global economic conditions, including as a result of governmental policies and actions in the United States. In recent years, financial markets have been volatile and the state of both the domestic and global economies has been uncertain. Governmental policies and actions in the United States, such as new tariffs, trade restrictions and resulting trade conflicts, cuts in government spending or the failure to increase the federal debt ceiling, could lead to further financial market volatility and harm the economy. Adverse credit conditions in the future could have a negative impact on our ability to execute on future strategic activities.  In addition, if credit is difficult to obtain in the future, some customers may delay or reduce purchases. Similarly, inflationary pressures have increased and may increase our costs or force us to increase prices for our products. These economic events have resulted or could in the future result in higher product costs, reductions in sales of our products, longer sales cycles, slower adoption of new technologies, increased accounts receivable and inventory write-offs and increased price competition. If recessionary conditions exist and continue for an extended period of time, our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected. We also purchase large amounts of commodity-based raw materials. Prevailing prices for such commodities are subject to fluctuations due to changes in supply and demand, tariffs, and a variety of additional factors beyond our control, such as global political and economic conditions. Any of these events would likely harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran has disrupted global energy markets and supply chains and could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations

In February 2026, the United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes against Iran, which retaliated with missile attacks across the region. Although we do not have material operations in the Middle East, the ongoing conflict and any further escalation has and could continue to lead to significant disruption of global energy supplies and increases in global energy prices, which could affect demand for our Grid and Wind products and solutions in multiple ways. Higher energy prices and energy market volatility may alter utility and industrial customer spending patterns and priorities, potentially accelerating investment in grid infrastructure and resilience in certain markets while constraining capital budgets in others. The conflict could also increase the cost or reduce the availability of commodity-based raw materials we depend on, including stainless steel, nickel, and copper, and disrupt global supply chains on which we and our suppliers rely. In addition, further escalation could heighten inflationary pressures on our input costs, adversely affect global financial markets, increase currency exchange rate volatility, including with respect to Brazilian Real and the Euro, in which a significant portion of our revenues and costs are denominated, and elevate interest rates, which could increase the cost of future debt financing and affect our ability to execute our acquisition-driven growth strategy on favorable terms. The conflict could also affect U.S. defense spending priorities and appropriations, which could positively or negatively impact funding for our ship protection systems and other defense-related programs with the U.S. Navy. Finally, increased geopolitical instability in the Middle East could adversely affect our ability to pursue business opportunities in the region, including in countries where we have existing or prospective customer relationships. While the impacts of the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations, we are unable to predict the extent or nature of these impacts at this time.

Our international operations are subject to risks that we do not face in the United States, which could have an adverse effect on our operating results.

In recent years, a substantial amount of our consolidated revenues were recognized from customers outside of the United States. For example, 52% of our revenues in fiscal 2025 and 31% of our revenues in fiscal 2024 were recognized from sales outside the United States. We also manufacture certain of our products and purchase a portion of our raw materials and components from suppliers in other foreign countries. The ongoing wars between Ukraine and Russia and the Middle East have caused increased raw material costs and material shortages and, as a result, adversely impacted certain of our suppliers. Our international operations are subject to a variety of risks that we do not face in the United States, including:

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potentially longer payment cycles for sales in foreign countries and difficulties in collecting accounts receivable;
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difficulties in staffing and managing our foreign offices and the increased travel, infrastructure and legal compliance costs associated with multiple international locations;
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additional withholding taxes or other taxes on our foreign income and repatriated cash, and tariffs or other restrictions on foreign trade or investment, including export duties and quotas, trade and employment restrictions;
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imposition of, or unexpected adverse changes in, foreign laws or regulatory requirements;
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increased exposure to foreign currency exchange rate risk;
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reduced protection for intellectual property rights in some countries; and
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natural disasters, pandemics, political unrest, war or acts of terrorism.

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Trade tensions between the U.S. and China, the U.S. and Russia, as well as those between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico and other countries have been escalating in recent years. Increased tariffs, sanctions, and other trade restrictions, as well as the existing and potential further responses from countries subject to such tariffs, sanctions, and other trade restrictions, could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We cannot predict with certainty the effect that new quotas, tariffs, taxes or other trade barriers upon the importation or exportation of our products or gauge the effect that new barriers would have on our financial position or results of operations.  These new tariffs or any additional tariffs or other trade barriers may cause our costs to increase, our products to be less competitive, and our business, results of operations and financial position to be materially adversely affected. Moreover, in February 2026, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ("IEEPA") to impose tariffs was not permitted, invalidating a significant portion of U.S. tariffs that had been in effect since April 2025. The Administration responded by invoking a 10% global tariff pursuant to section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 for 150 days, effective February 24, 2026. The Administration also initiated trade investigations that could result in additional future tariffs. The ruling, and the Administration's subsequent actions, have created substantial uncertainty regarding the tariff environment, including with respect to (i) the timing and scope of any new tariffs that may be imposed under alternative mechanisms and (ii) the potential for further legal challenges to any such tariffs.

Our overall success in international markets depends, in part, upon our ability to succeed in differing legal, regulatory, economic, social and political conditions. We may not be successful in developing and implementing policies and strategies that will be effective in managing these risks in each country where we do business or conduct operations. Our failure to manage these risks successfully could harm our international operations and reduce our international sales, thus lowering our total revenue and increasing losses.

Our products face competition, which could limit our ability to acquire or retain customers.

The markets for our products are competitive and many of our competitors have substantially greater financial resources and research and development, manufacturing and marketing capabilities than we do. In addition, as our target markets develop, other large industrial companies may enter these fields and compete with us.

We face competition across our product lines from companies like ABB, Hitachi, Ingeteam, Mitsubishi and Siemens. We face more local competition in a subset of our business like power quality by companies that include, Southern States, Controllix, Powerside, Elgin Power, Scott Manufacturing and QVARx. Additionally, we face competition on our power transformers and power supplies from companies like Friem, Dynapower, Nidec, Espey Manufacturing, Hammond, WEG S.A., and Kraft Powercon.

With our HTS-based REG product, we are offering a new approach that provides alternatives to utilities for power system design. Therefore, we believe that we compete with traditional approaches such as new full-sized substations, overhead and underground transmission, and urban power transformers.

We believe we are currently the only company that can offer HTS-based SPS products that have been fully qualified for use aboard U.S. Navy surface combatants.  Therefore, the primary competition for our SPS products is currently coming from defense contractors that provide the copper-based systems that our lighter, more efficient HTS versions have been developed to replace.  Companies such as Ultra Maritime, L3 Harris, and Raytheon have the bulk of the copper-based business today.

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As the HTS systems markets develop, other large industrial companies may enter those fields and compete with us. If we are unable to compete successfully, it may harm our business, which in turn may limit our ability to acquire or retain customers.

With respect to our Wind business, other companies that serve the wind turbine components industry include ABB. We also face indirect competition in the wind energy market from global manufacturers of wind turbines, such as Siemens, Vestas, and Suzlon. We face competition for the supply of wind turbine engineering design services from design engineering firms such as Aerovide and W2E.

The competition in these markets could adversely affect our operating results by reducing the volume of the products we sell or the prices we can charge. These competitors may be able to respond more rapidly than us to new or emerging technologies or changes in customer requirements. They may also devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products than we do. Our success depends significantly upon our ability to enhance our products and technologies and to develop and introduce, on a timely and cost-effective basis, new products and features that meet changing customer requirements and incorporate technological enhancements, which may include artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other advanced digital technologies that are increasingly central to product development, manufacturing efficiency, and customer engagement. If we are unable to develop new products and enhance functionalities or technologies to adapt to these changes, our business will suffer. We can provide no assurance that we will continue to effectively compete against our current competitors or additional companies that may enter our markets.

We have operations in, and depend on sales in, emerging markets, including Latin America and India, and global conditions could negatively affect our operating results or limit our ability to expand our operations outside of these markets. Changes in Brazil's or India’s political, social, regulatory and economic environment may affect our financial performance.

We have operations in emerging markets, including Brazil and India. Our financial performance depends upon our ability to carry on our operations and sell our products in such emerging markets.  We are, and will continue to be, subject to financial, political, economic and business risks in connection with our operations and sales in these emerging markets. In addition to the business risks inherent in developing and servicing these markets, economic conditions may be more volatile, legal and regulatory systems less developed and predictable, and the possibility of various types of adverse governmental action more pronounced in emerging markets. In addition, inflation, fluctuations in currency and interest rates, competitive factors, civil unrest, public health emergencies and labor problems could affect our revenues, expenses and results of operations. Our operations could also be adversely affected by acts of war, terrorism or the threat of any of these events as well as government actions such as controls on imports, exports and prices, tariffs, new forms of taxation, or changes in fiscal regimes and increased government regulation in the countries in which we operate or service customers. Unexpected or uncontrollable events or circumstances in any of these markets could have a material adverse effect on our financial results and cash flows.

Our financial performance could be affected by the political and social environment in Brazil and India.  In recent years, India has experienced civil unrest and terrorism and has been involved in conflicts with neighboring countries.  The potential for hostilities between India and Pakistan has been high in light of tensions related to recent terrorist incidents in India and the unsettled nature of the regional geopolitical environment.

With respect to our activities in all emerging markets, we may be impacted by issues with managing foreign sales operations, including long payment cycles, potential difficulties in accounts receivable collection and, especially from significant customers, fluctuations in the timing and amount of orders. The adverse effect of any of these issues on our business could be increased due to the concentration of our business with a small number of customers. Operations in foreign countries also expose us to risks relating to difficulties in enforcing our proprietary rights, currency fluctuations and adverse or deteriorating economic conditions. For example, the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia has caused increased raw material costs and material shortages for, and adversely impacted, certain of our suppliers. If we experience problems with obtaining registrations, compliance with foreign country or applicable U.S. laws, or if we experience difficulties in payments or intellectual property matters in foreign jurisdictions, or if significant political, economic or regulatory changes occur, our results of operations would be adversely affected.

Industry consolidation could result in more powerful competitors and fewer customers.

Competitors in the industries in which we operate are consolidating. If our competitors consolidate, they likely will increase their market share, gain economies of scale that enhance their ability to compete with us and/or acquire additional products and technologies that could displace our product offerings. Our customer base also is undergoing consolidation. Consolidation within our customers’ industries could affect our customers and their relationships with us. If one of our competitors’ customers acquires any of our customers, we may lose that business. Additionally, if our customers become larger and more concentrated, they could exert pricing pressure on all suppliers, including us. If we were to lose market share or customers or face pricing pressure due to consolidation of our customers, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

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Evolving and varied expectations on environmental sustainability and social initiatives could adversely impact our business and financial results.

There has been evolving and varied expectations by investors, customers, environmental activists, the media and governmental and nongovernmental organizations on climate, human capital, and other environmental, social and similar sustainability matters. If we are not effective in addressing environmental, social and other sustainability matters affecting our business, including any relevant sustainability goals, our reputation and financial results may suffer. While we may at times engage in voluntary initiatives (such as voluntary disclosures, certifications, or goals, among others) to improve our environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") profile or respond to certain stakeholder expectations, such initiatives may be costly and may not have the desired effect. For example, methodologies and data relevant to many ESG matters are evolving, in some cases quite rapidly; as a result, actions or statements that we may take based on information or processes we currently believe to be reasonable may subsequently be determined to be erroneous or not in keeping with current or future best practice. Moreover, we may not be able to successfully complete such initiatives due to factors that are within or outside of our control. Even if this is not the case, we cannot guarantee that our approaches or results will align with the expectations of any particular stakeholder. Stakeholder expectations are not uniform, and both advocates and opponents to certain ESG matters are increasingly resorting to a range of activism forms, including media campaigns and litigation, to advance their perspectives.

There are also evolving regulatory requirements related to various ESG matters. For example, various jurisdictions have adopted, or are considering adopting, requirements for the disclosure of climate- or other ESG-related information, or certain substantive considerations regarding ESG in operations, which may require significant additional costs to comply. As with other stakeholder expectations, such regulations are divergent and, at times, conflict, which may increase the costs and complexity of compliance and any associated risks. Any failure to successfully navigate regulatory developments and other stakeholder expectations may result in additional costs, difficulties in attracting or retaining customers or employees, reputational harm, regulatory or investor engagement, or other adverse impacts. Additionally, many of our customers and suppliers may be subject to similar expectations, which may augment or create additional risks, including risks that may not be known to us.

Growth of the wind energy market depends largely on the availability and size of government subsidies, economic incentives and legislative programs designed to support the growth of wind energy.

At present, the cost of wind energy exceeds the cost of conventional power generation in many locations around the world. Various governments have used different policy initiatives to encourage or accelerate the development and adoption of wind energy and other renewable energy sources. Renewable energy policies are in place in the European Union, certain countries in Asia, including India, China, Japan and South Korea, and many of the states in Australia and the United States. Examples of government sponsored financial incentives include capital cost rebates, feed-in tariffs, tax credits, net metering and other incentives to end-users, distributors, system integrators and manufacturers of wind energy products to promote the use of wind energy and to reduce dependency on other forms of energy. Governments, however, may decide to reduce or eliminate these economic incentives, or curtail legislative programs supportive of wind energy technologies for political, financial or other reasons. In the United States, various legislation and regulations designed to support the growth of wind energy had been implemented or proposed, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, Production Tax Credit for Renewable Energy ("PTC") and the Clean Power Plan. However, actions by the current U.S. administration, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (the "OBBBA"), have significantly curtailed those programs and tax credits in the U.S. and generally made it more difficult to develop and construct wind energy products. Any reductions in, or eliminations of, government subsidies, economic incentives or favorable legislative programs before the wind energy industry reaches a sufficient scale to be cost-effective in a non-subsidized marketplace could reduce demand for our products and adversely affect our business prospects and results of operations.

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Lower prices for other energy sources may reduce the demand for wind energy development, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to grow our Wind business.

The wind energy market is affected by the price and availability of other energy sources, including nuclear, coal, natural gas and oil, as well as other sources of renewable energy. To the extent renewable energy, particularly wind energy, becomes less cost-competitive due to reduced government targets, increases in the cost of wind energy, new regulations, incentives that favor other energy sources, cheaper alternatives or otherwise, demand for wind energy and other forms of renewable energy could decrease. Slow growth or a long-term reduction in the demand for renewable energy could have a material adverse effect on our ability to grow our Wind business.

Risks Related to Our Technologies

Our technology and products could infringe intellectual property rights of others, which may require costly litigation and, if we are not successful, could cause us to pay substantial damages and disrupt our business.

In recent years, there has been significant litigation involving patents and other intellectual property rights in many technology-related industries. There may be patents or patent applications in the United States or other countries that are pertinent to our products or business of which we are not aware. The technology that we incorporate into and use to develop and manufacture our current and future products, including the technologies we license, may be subject to claims that they infringe the patents or proprietary rights of others. The success of our business will also depend on our ability to develop new technologies without infringing or misappropriating the proprietary rights of others. Third parties may allege that we infringe patents, trademarks or copyrights, or that we misappropriated trade secrets. These allegations could result in significant costs and diversion of the attention of management. If a successful claim were brought against us and we are found to infringe a third party’s intellectual property rights, we could be required to pay substantial damages, including treble damages if it is determined that we have willfully infringed such rights, or be enjoined from using the technology deemed to be infringing, or using, making or selling products deemed to be infringing. If we have supplied infringing products or technology to third parties, we may be obligated to indemnify these third parties for damages they may be required to pay to the patent holder and for any losses they may sustain as a result of the infringement. In addition, we may need to attempt to license the intellectual property right from such third party or spend time and money to design around or avoid the intellectual property. Any such license may not be available on reasonable terms, or at all. An adverse determination may subject us to significant liabilities and/or disrupt our business.

We may be unable to adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information.

We rely on trade secrets to protect the majority of our proprietary technologies, especially where we do not believe patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect. We rely, in part, on confidentiality agreements with our employees, contractors, consultants, outside scientific collaborators and other advisors to protect our trade secrets and other proprietary information. These agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of confidential information and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. In addition, others may independently discover our trade secrets or independently develop processes or products that are similar or identical to our trade secrets and courts outside the United States may be less willing to protect trade secrets. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position.

Our patents may not provide meaningful or long-term protection for our technology, which could result in us losing some or all of our market position.

We own or have licensing rights under many patents and pending patent applications. However, the patents that we own or license may not provide us with meaningful or long-term protection of our technologies and may not prevent our competitors from using similar technologies for a variety of reasons, such as:

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the patent applications that we or our licensors file may not result in patents being issued;
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our existing patents may expire;
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any patents issued may be challenged by third parties; and
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others may independently develop similar technologies not protected by our patents or design around the patented aspects of any technologies we develop.

In particular, if any material patents expire, we may not be able to prevent competitors from producing products similar to ours, possibly at lower prices, which could adversely impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Moreover we could incur substantial litigation costs in defending the validity of or enforcing our own patents. We also rely on trade secrets and proprietary know-how to protect our intellectual property. However, our confidentiality agreements and other safeguards may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets and other proprietary information. If the patents that we own or license or our trade secrets and proprietary know-how fail to protect our technologies, our market position may be adversely affected.

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Third parties have or may acquire patents that cover the materials, processes and technologies we use or may use in the future to manufacture our Amperium products, and our success depends on our ability to license such patents or other proprietary rights.

We expect that some or all of the HTS materials, processes and technologies we use in designing and manufacturing our products are or will become covered by patents issued to other parties, including our competitors. The owners of these patents may refuse to grant licenses to us, or may be willing to do so only on terms that we find commercially unreasonable. If we are unable to obtain these licenses, we may have to contest the validity or scope of those patents or re-engineer our products to avoid infringement claims by the owners of these patents. It is possible that we will not be successful in contesting the validity or scope of a patent, or that we will not prevail in a patent infringement claim brought against us. Even if we are successful in such a proceeding, we could incur substantial costs and diversion of management resources in prosecuting or defending such a proceeding.

There are a number of technological challenges that must be successfully addressed before our superconductor products can gain widespread commercial acceptance, and our inability to address such technological challenges could adversely affect our ability to acquire customers for our products.

Many of our superconductor products are in the early stages of commercialization, while others are still under development. There are a number of technological challenges that we must successfully address to complete our development and commercialization efforts for superconductor products. We will also need to improve the performance and reduce the cost of our Amperium wire to expand the number of commercial applications for it. We may be unable to meet such technological challenges or to sufficiently improve the performance and reduce the costs of our Amperium wire. Delays in development, as a result of technological challenges or other factors, may result in the introduction or commercial acceptance of our superconductor products later than anticipated.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

Our common stock has experienced, and may continue to experience, market price and volume fluctuations, which may prevent our stockholders from selling our common stock at a profit and could lead to costly litigation against us that could divert our management’s attention.

The market price of our common stock has historically experienced volatility and may continue to experience such volatility in the future. Factors such as our financial performance, liquidity requirements, technological achievements by us and our competitors, the establishment of development or strategic relationships with other companies, strategic acquisitions, new customer orders and contracts, and our introduction of commercial products have had and may in the future have a significant effect on the market price of our common stock. The stock market in general, and the stock of high technology companies, in particular, have, in recent years, experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations, which are often unrelated to the performance or condition of particular companies. Such broad market fluctuations have and could continue to adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Due to these factors, the price of our common stock may decline, and investors may be unable to resell their shares of our common stock for a profit. Following periods of volatility in the market price of a particular company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. In the past, we have been subject to a number of class action lawsuits which were filed against us on behalf of certain purchasers of our common stock. If we become subject to additional litigation of this kind in the future, it could result in additional litigation costs, a damages award against us and the further diversion of our management’s attention.

General Risk Factors

Unfavorable results of legal proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

From time to time, we may become subject to legal proceedings and claims that arise in or outside the ordinary course of business. Results of legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty. Our insurance coverage may be insufficient, our assets may be insufficient to cover any amounts that exceed our insurance coverage, and we may have to pay damage awards or otherwise may enter into settlement arrangements in connection with such claims. Any such payments or settlement arrangements in legal proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition. Regardless of merit, legal proceedings could result in substantial costs and significantly and adversely impact our reputation and divert management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition. In addition, such lawsuits may make it more difficult to finance our operations.

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