KLA 10-K 2024-06-30

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

(Mark One)

OR

Commission File Number 000-09992

KLA CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (408) 875-3000

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act) Yes ☐ No x

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant based upon the closing price of the registrant’s stock, as of December 31, 2023, was approximately $78.54 billion.

The registrant had 134,425,022 shares of common stock outstanding as of July 22, 2024.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Proxy Statement for the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (“Proxy Statement”) to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A within 120 days after the registrant’s fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.

INDEX

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Securities Exchange Act”). All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. You can identify these and other forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “relies,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “intends,” “potential,” “continues,” “thinks,” “seeks,” or the negative of such terms, or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements also include the assumptions underlying or relating to any of the foregoing statements. Such forward-looking statements include those regarding, among others: forecasts of the future results of our operations, including profitability; orders for our products and capital equipment generally; sales of semiconductors; the investments by our customers in advanced technologies and new materials; growth of revenue in the semiconductor industry, the semiconductor capital equipment industry and our business; technological trends in the semiconductor industry; future developments or trends in the global capital and financial markets; our future product offerings and product features; the success and market acceptance of new products; timing of shipment of order backlog; our future product shipments and product and service revenues; our future gross margins; our future research and development (“R&D”) expenses and selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses; international sales and operations; our ability to maintain or improve our existing competitive position; success of our product offerings; creation and funding of programs for R&D; results of our investment in leading edge technologies; the effects of hedging transactions; the effect of the sale of trade receivables and promissory notes from customers; the effect of future compliance with laws and regulations; our future effective income tax rate; our recognition of tax benefits; the effects of any audits or litigation; future payments of dividends to our stockholders; the completion of any acquisitions of third parties, or the technology or assets thereof; benefits received from any acquisitions and development of acquired technologies; sufficiency of our existing cash balance, investments, cash generated from operations and the unfunded portion of our Revolving Credit Facility (as defined below in Item 1A “Risk Factors”) to meet our operating and working capital requirements, including debt service and payment thereof; future dividends, and stock repurchases; our compliance with the financial covenants under the Credit Agreement (as defined below in Item 1A “Risk Factors”) for our Revolving Credit Facility; the adoption of new accounting pronouncements; our repayment of our outstanding indebtedness; and our environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) related targets, goals and commitments.

Our actual results may differ significantly from those projected in the forward-looking statements in this report. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to:

• Our vulnerability to a weakening in the condition of the financial markets and the global economy;

*•*Risks related to our international operations;

*•*Evolving Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) of the U.S. Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) rules and regulations (the “BIS Rules”) and their impact on our ability to sell products to and provide services to certain customers in People’s Republic of China (“China”);

*•*Costly intellectual property (“IP”) disputes that could result in our inability to sell or use the challenged technology;

*•*Risks related to the legal, regulatory and tax environments in which we conduct our business;

*•*Increasing attention to ESG matters and the resulting costs, risks and impact on our business;

*•*Unexpected delays, difficulties and expenses in executing against our environmental, climate, diversity and inclusion or other ESG target, goals and commitments;

*•*Our ability to attract, retain and motivate key personnel;

*•*Our vulnerability to disruptions and delays at our third-party service providers;

•Cybersecurity threats, cyber incidents affecting our and our business partners’ systems and networks;

*•*Our inability to access critical information in a timely manner due to system failures;

*•*Our ability to identify suitable acquisition targets and successfully integrate and manage acquired businesses;

*•*Climate change, earthquake, flood or other natural catastrophic events, public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic or terrorism and the adverse impact on our business operations;

*•*The war between Ukraine and Russia, and the war between Israel and Hamas, and the significant military activity in those regions;

*•*Lack of insurance for losses and interruptions caused by terrorists and acts of war, and our self-insurance of certain risks including earthquake risk;

*•*Risks related to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;

ii

• Risks related to fluctuations in interest rates and the market values of our portfolio investments;

*•*Risks related to tax and regulatory compliance audits;

*•*Any change in taxation rules or practices and our effective tax rate;

*•*Compliance costs with federal securities laws, rules, regulations, NASDAQ requirements, and evolving accounting standards and practices;

*•*Ongoing changes in the technology industry, and the semiconductor industry in particular, including future growth rates, pricing trends in end-markets, or changes in customer capital spending patterns;

*•*Our vulnerability to a highly concentrated customer base;

*•*The cyclicality of the industries in which we operate;

*•*Our ability to timely develop new technologies and products that successfully address changes in the industry;

*•*Risks related to artificial intelligence;

*•*Our ability to maintain our technology advantage and protect proprietary rights;

*•*Our ability to compete in the industry;

*•*Availability and cost of the materials and parts used in the production of our products;

*•*Our ability to operate our business in accordance with our business plan;

*•*Risks related to our debt and leveraged capital structure;

*•*We may not be able to declare cash dividends at all or in any particular amount;

*•*Liability to our customers under indemnification provisions if our products fail to operate properly or contain defects or our customers are sued by third parties due to our products;

*•*Our government funding for R&D is subject to audit, and potential termination or penalties;

*•*We may incur significant restructuring charges or other asset impairment charges or inventory write offs;

*•*We are subject to risks related to receivables factoring arrangements and compliance risk of certain settlement agreements with the government; and

*•*Risks related to the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware being the sole and exclusive forum for certain actions and proceedings.

This report contains ESG-related statements based on hypothetical scenarios and assumptions as well as estimates that are subject to a high level of uncertainty, and these statements should not necessarily be viewed as being representative of current or actual risk or performance, or forecasts of expected risk or performance. In addition, historical, current, and forward-looking environmental and social-related statements may be based on standards for measuring progress that are still developing, and internal controls and processes that continue to evolve. Forward-looking and other statements in this report including regarding our corporate responsibility and sustainability progress, plans and goals, are in some instances informed by various stakeholder expectations, including certain third-party standards and frameworks; as such, the inclusion of such statements is not an indication that these matters are necessarily material for the purposes of complying with or reporting pursuant to the U.S. federal securities laws and regulations, even if we use the word “material” or “materiality” in this report or elsewhere.

For a more detailed discussion of these and other risk factors, that might cause or contribute to differences from the forward looking statements in this report, see Item 1A “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as in Item 1 “Business” and Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this report. You should carefully review these risks and also review the risks described in other parts of this report and in documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q that we will file in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, and we expressly assume no obligation and do not intend to update the forward-looking statements in this report after the date hereof.

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PART I

Specific industry and technical terms used in this section are defined in the subsection entitled “Glossary,” found at the end of this Item 1.

The Company

KLA Corporation and its majority-owned subsidiaries (“KLA” or the “Company” and also referred to as “we,” “our,” “us” or similar references) are suppliers of industry-leading equipment and services that enables innovation throughout the electronics industry. We provide advanced process control and process-enabling solutions for manufacturing wafers, reticles/masks, chemicals/materials, integrated circuits (“IC” or “chip”), packaged ICs and printed circuit boards (“PCB”), as well as comprehensive support and services across our installed base. Our suite of advanced products, coupled with our unique process control software and services, allow us to deliver the solutions our customers need to achieve their technology advancement and high volume production goals by significantly improving yields, while simultaneously reducing waste, risks and costs. This improves our customers’ overall profitability and return on investment.

KLA was formed as KLA-Tencor Corporation in April 1997 through the merger of KLA Instruments Corporation and Tencor Instruments, two long-time leaders in the semiconductor capital equipment industry that began operations in 1975 and 1976, respectively. We are organized into three reportable segments: Semiconductor Process Control; Specialty Semiconductor Process; and PCB and Component Inspection.

Within the Semiconductor Process Control segment, our comprehensive portfolio of inspection, metrology and software products, as well as related services, help IC, wafer, reticle/mask and chemical/materials manufacturers achieve target yields throughout the entire fabrication process, from R&D to high volume production. These products and services are designed to provide comprehensive solutions to help customers accelerate development and production ramp cycles, achieve higher and more stable product yields and improve their overall profitability.

Within the Specialty Semiconductor Process segment, we develop and sell advanced vacuum deposition and etch process tools, which are used by a broad range of specialty semiconductor customers, including manufacturers of microelectromechanical systems (“MEMS”), radio frequency (“RF”) communication semiconductors, and power semiconductors for automotive and industrial applications.

Within the PCB and Component Inspection segment, we sell products and services that enable electronic device manufacturers to inspect, test and measure PCBs, IC substrates and packaged ICs to verify their quality, pattern the desired electronic circuitry on the relevant substrate and perform three-dimensional shaping of metalized circuits on multiple surfaces.

Additional information about KLA is available at www.kla.com. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act are available free of charge on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Information on our website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or our other filings with the SEC. Additionally, these filings may be obtained through the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov), which contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically.

Investors and others should note that we may announce material financial information to investors using our investor relations website (ir.kla.com), which includes our SEC filings, press releases, public earnings calls and conference webcasts. The investor relations website is used to communicate with the public about us and our products, services and other matters.

Industry

Our core focus is enabling technological advances and improving manufacturing yields in the semiconductor industry. The semiconductor fabrication process begins with a bare silicon wafer - a round disk typically 200 millimeters or 300 millimeters in diameter, about as thick as a credit card and gray in color. The process of manufacturing wafers is highly sophisticated and involves the creation of large ingots of silicon by pulling them out of a vat of molten silicon. The ingots are then sliced into wafers. Prime silicon wafers are then polished to a mirror finish. Other, more specialized wafers, such as epitaxial silicon (“epi”), silicon on insulator (“SOI”), gallium nitride (“GaN”) and silicon carbide (“SiC”) are also used in the semiconductor industry.

The manufacturing cycle of an IC is grouped into three phases: design, fabrication and testing. IC design involves the architectural layout of the circuit, as well as design verification and reticle generation. The fabrication of a semiconductor chip (or “semiconductor”) is accomplished by depositing a series of film layers that act as conductors, semiconductors or insulators

on bare wafers. The deposition of these film layers is interspersed with numerous other process steps that create circuit patterns, remove portions of the film layers, and perform other functions such as heat treatment, measurement and inspection. Most advanced chip designs require hundreds of individual steps, many performed multiple times. Most chips consist of two main structures: the lower structure, typically consisting of transistors or capacitors, which performs the “smart” functions; and the upper “interconnect” structure, typically consisting of circuitry, which connects the components in the lower structure. When the layers on the wafer have been fabricated, each chip on the wafer is tested for functionality. The wafer is then cut into individual chips, and the chips that pass functional testing are packaged. Final testing is performed on all packaged chips. Packaged chips are then mounted onto PCBs for connection to the rest of the electronic system.

Our business depends upon the capital expenditures of semiconductor, semiconductor-related and electronic device manufacturers. This is driven by the current and anticipated market demand for ICs, products utilizing ICs and other electronic components. We do not consider our business to be seasonal. Still, our business has historically been cyclical with respect to the capital equipment procurement practices of semiconductor, semiconductor-related and electronic device manufacturers, and it is impacted by the investment patterns of such manufacturers in different global markets. Downturns in the semiconductor or other industries in which we operate, or slowdowns in the worldwide economy as well as customer consolidation, could have a material adverse effect on our future business and financial results.

Companies anticipating future market demands by developing and advancing new technologies and manufacturing processes are better positioned to lead in the semiconductor market. Accelerating the yield ramp and maximizing production yields of high-performance devices are critical goals of modern semiconductor and related electronics manufacturing. Ramping to high-volume production ahead of competitors can dramatically increase IC manufacturers’ revenue and profit for a given product. Leading semiconductor manufacturers invest in simultaneous production integration of multiple new process technologies, some requiring new substrate and film materials, new geometries, new transistor architectures, new power distribution schemes, advanced multi-patterning optical and extreme ultraviolet (“EUV”) lithography, and advanced packaging techniques. As design rules decrease, yields become more sensitive to the size and density of defects. Device performance characteristics (namely speed, capacity or power management) also become more sensitive to parameters such as linewidth and film thickness variation. New process materials require exte

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A description of factors that could materially affect our business, financial condition or operating results is provided below.

Risk Factors Summary

The following summarizes the most material risks that make an investment in our securities risky or speculative. If any of the following risks occur or persist, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially harmed and the price of our common stock could significantly decline.

Commercial, Operational, Financial and Regulatory Risks

• Our vulnerability to a weakening in the condition of the financial markets and the global economy;

• Risks related to our international operations, such as tariffs or similar trade impairments, and longer payment cycles or collection difficulties associated with international sales;

• Laws, rules, regulations or other orders that may limit our ability to sell our products or provide service on products previously sold to certain customers;

• IP disputes can be expensive and could result in an inability to sell our products in certain jurisdictions;

• Increasing attention to ESG matters, including any targets or other ESG initiatives, could result in additional costs or risks or adversely impact our business;

• We may be unable to attract, onboard and retain key personnel;

• Reliance on third-party service providers could result in disruptions if such third parties cannot perform services for us in a timely manner;

• Cybersecurity incidents could result in the loss of valuable information or assets or subject us to costly disruption, remediation, regulatory investigations, litigation and reputational damage;

• We may face disruptions if we cannot access critical information in a timely manner due to system failures;

• We may not find suitable acquisition candidates or fail to successfully integrate our acquisitions;

• Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, acts of terrorism or war or other catastrophic events, and the lack of insurance thereof, could significantly disrupt our operations, including affecting the global supply chain, for lengthy periods of time;

• We are exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and the market values of our portfolio investments;

• We are subject to tax and regulatory compliance audits;

• Economic, political or other conditions in the jurisdictions where we earn profits can impact the tax laws and taxes we pay in those jurisdictions, subsequently impacting our effective tax rate, cash flows and results of operations;

• Increased compliance costs with federal securities laws, rules, and regulations, as well as NASDAQ requirements; and

• Changes in accounting pronouncements and laws could have unforeseen effects.

Industry Risks

• We may not be able to keep pace with trends and technological changes in the industries in which we operate;

• We have a highly concentrated customer base;

• Prevailing local and global economic conditions may negatively affect the purchasing decisions of our customers; and

• We are exposed to risks related to the use of AI by us and our competitors.

Business Model and Capital Structure Risks

• We may not be able to maintain our technology advantage or protect our proprietary rights;

• We may not be able to compete with new products introduced by our competitors;

• We may not receive components necessary to build our products in a timely manner;

• We may fail to operate our business in a manner consistent with our business plan;

• We may fail to comply with the covenants in our Revolving Credit Facility (defined below) and Senior Notes (defined below), which could impair our ability to borrow needed funds, or require us to repay debt sooner than we planned;

• We may not have sufficient financial resources to repay our indebtedness when it becomes due, and our leveraged capital structure may divert resources from operations and other corporate uses;

• We may not be able to declare cash dividends at all or in any particular amounts;

• Risks related to our commercial terms and conditions, including our indemnification of third parties, as well as the performance of our products;

• Our government funding for R&D is subject to termination, audit and any further penalties;

• We may incur significant restructuring charges or other asset impairment charges or inventory write-offs;

• We are subject to risks related to receivables factoring arrangements, and compliance risk of certain settlement agreements with the government; and

• Our Amended and Restated Bylaws (“Bylaws”) designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole forum for certain actions, which may discourage claims against the Company.

For a more complete discussion of the material risks facing our business, see below.

Commercial, Operational, Financial and Regulatory Risks

We are exposed to risks associated with a weakening in the condition of the financial markets and the global economy.

Demand for our products is ultimately driven by the global demand for electronic devices by consumers and businesses. Economic uncertainty frequently leads to reduced consumer and business spending, and can cause our customers to decrease, cancel or delay their equipment and service orders. The tightening of credit markets, rising interest rates and concerns regarding the availability of credit can make it more difficult for our customers to raise capital, whether debt or equity, to finance their purchases of capital equipment, including the products we sell. Reduced demand, combined with delays in our customers’ ability to obtain financing (or the unavailability of such financing), has, at times in the past, adversely affected our product and service sales and revenues and, therefore, has harmed our business and operating results, and our operating results and financial condition may again be adversely impacted if economic conditions decline from their current levels.

In addition, a decline in the condition of the global financial markets could adversely impact the market values or liquidity of our investments. Our investment portfolio includes corporate and government securities, money market funds and other types of debt and equity investments. Although we believe our portfolio continues to be comprised of sound investments due to the quality and (where applicable) credit ratings of such investments, a decline in the capital and financial markets or rising interest rates would adversely impact the market value of our investments and their liquidity. If the market value of such investments were to decline, or if we were to have to sell some of our investments under illiquid market conditions, we may be required to recognize an impairment charge on such investments or a loss on such sales, either of which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results.

If we are unable to timely and appropriately adapt to changes resulting from difficult macroeconomic conditions, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

A majority of our annual revenues are derived from outside the U.S., and we maintain significant operations outside the U.S. We are exposed to numerous risks as a result of the international nature of our business and operations. We expect these conditions to continue in the foreseeable future.

Managing global operations and sites located throughout the world presents a number of challenges, including, but not limited to:

• Global trade issues and changes in and uncertainties with respect to trade policies, including the ability to obtain required import and export licenses, trade sanctions, tariffs and international trade disputes;

• Political and social attitudes, laws, rules, regulations and policies within countries that favor domestic companies over non-domestic companies, including c

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None.

Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy

We have a cybersecurity risk management process intended to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our critical systems and information. We design and assess our process based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (“NIST CSF”). This does not imply that we meet any particular technical standards, specifications or requirements, only that we use the NIST CSF as a guide to help us identify, assess and manage cybersecurity risks relevant to our business.

Our cybersecurity risk management process is integrated into our overall risk management process, and shares common methodologies, reporting channels and governance processes that apply across the risk management process to other legal, compliance, strategic, operational and financial risk areas.

Key elements of our cybersecurity risk management process include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Risk assessments designed to help identify material risks from cybersecurity threats to our critical systems and information;

• A cybersecurity team principally responsible for managing (1) our cybersecurity risk assessment processes, (2) our security controls, and (3) our response to cybersecurity incidents;

• The use of external service providers, where appropriate, to assess, test or otherwise assist with aspects of our security processes;

• Cybersecurity awareness training of our workforce;

• A cybersecurity incident response plan and processes for responding to cybersecurity incidents; and

• Risk management processes based on our assessment of the respective risk profile of key third parties.

We face risks from cybersecurity threats that, if realized, are reasonably likely to materially affect us, including our operations, business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. See Part I Item 1A “Risk Factors – We depend on information technology for our business and are exposed to risks related to cybersecurity threats and cyber incidents affecting our, our customers’, suppliers’ and other service providers’ systems and networks.”

Cybersecurity Governance

Our Board considers cybersecurity risk as part of its risk oversight function and has delegated to the Audit Committee (the “Committee”) oversight of cybersecurity risks, including oversight of management’s implementation of our cybersecurity risk management process.

The Committee receives quarterly reports from management on our cybersecurity risks. In addition, management updates the Committee, where it deems appropriate, regarding cybersecurity incidents it considers to be significant or potentially significant.

The Committee reports to the full Board regarding its activities, including those related to cybersecurity. The full Board also regularly receives briefings from management on our cyber risk management process. Board members receive presentations on cybersecurity topics from management or external experts as part of the Board’s continuing education on topics that impact public companies.

Our management team, including our Chief Legal Officer and Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”), is responsible for assessing and managing our material risks from cybersecurity threats. The team has primary responsibility for our overall cybersecurity risk management process and supervises both our internal cybersecurity personnel and our retained external cybersecurity consultants. Our CISO has a degree with a focus on information technology, and is a Certified Information Systems Auditor with over 20 years of experience in information technology related roles, including building and leading cybersecurity, risk management and information protection teams. Our CISO reports to our Chief Legal Officer who oversees cybersecurity, and holds a Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute CERT Certificate for Cybersecurity Oversight. The other members of the operational cybersecurity team collectively have decades of relevant education and experience and maintain a wide range of industry certifications. We invest in regular, ongoing cybersecurity training for the cybersecurity team.

Our management team takes steps to stay informed about and monitor efforts to prevent, detect, mitigate and remediate cybersecurity risks and incidents through various means, which may include: briefings from internal security personnel; threat intelligence and other information obtained from governmental, public or private sources, including external consultants engaged by us; and alerts and reports produced by security tools deployed in our information technology environment.

Our headquarters are located in Milpitas, California. As of June 30, 2024, we owned or leased a total of approximately 5 million square feet of space for research, engineering, marketing, service, sales and administration worldwide primarily in the U.S., Singapore, Israel, India, China, and Belgium. Our operating leases expire at various times through April 1, 2052, subject to renewal, with some of the leases containing renewal option clauses at the fair market value, for additional periods up to five years. Additional information regarding these leases is incorporated herein by reference to Note 9 “Leases” to our Consolidated Financial Statements. We believe our properties are adequately maintained and suitable for their intended use and that our production facilities have capacity adequate for our current needs. We do not identify or allocate assets by operating segment.

Information regarding our principal properties as of June 30, 2024 is set forth below:

(1)Includes 421,132 square feet of property owned at our location in Serangoon, Singapore, where the land on which this building resides is leased.

The information set forth below under Note 15 “Litigation and Other Legal Matters” to our Consolidated Financial Statements is incorporated herein by reference.

Not applicable.

PART II

Our common stock is listed and traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbol “KLAC.”

On August 1, 2024, we announced that our Board of Directors had declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.45 per share to be paid on September 3, 2024 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 15, 2024.

As of July 22, 2024, there were 413 holders of record of our common stock.

Equity Repurchase Plans

The following is a summary of stock repurchases for each month during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024.

(1)Our Board of Directors has authorized a program that permits us to repurchase our common stock, including a $2.00 billion increase approved by the Board in the first quarter of fiscal 2024. As of June 30, 2024, approximately $2.18 billion remained available for repurchases under our repurchase program. All shares in the table were purchased pursuant to our publicly announced repurchase program.

(2)Our stock repurchase program has no expiration date and may be suspended at any time. Future repurchases of shares of our common stock under our repurchase program may be effected through various different repurchase transaction structures including isolated open market transactions, accelerated share repurchase agreements or systematic repurchase plans, subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements and other factors.

(3)Average price paid per share and approximate dollar value of shares that may yet be purchased under the plans or programs exclude the excise tax imposed on certain stock repurchases as part of the IRA, or other fees, costs or expenses that may be applicable to the repurchases.

Stock Performance Graph and Cumulative Total Return

Notwithstanding any statement to the contrary in any of our previous or future filings with the SEC, the following information relating to the price performance of our common stock shall not be deemed “filed” with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act and shall not be incorporated by reference into any such filings.

The following graph compares the cumulative five-year total return attained by stockholders on our common stock relative to the cumulative total returns of the S&P 500 Index and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (“PHLX”). The graph tracks the performance of a $100 investment in our common stock and in each of the indices (with the reinvestment of all dividends) from June 30, 2019 to June 30, 2024.

Our fiscal year ends June 30. The comparisons in the graph above are based upon historical data and are not necessarily indicative of, nor intended to forecast, future stock price performance.

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes included in Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including but not limited to those discussed in Part I Item 1A “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (see “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”). Discussions and analysis of fiscal year 2023 as compared against fiscal year 2022 have been omitted and can be found in Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, filed with the SEC.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

We are a leading supplier of process control and yield management solutions and services for the semiconductor and related electronics industries. Our broad portfolio of inspection and metrology products, and related service, software and other offerings, support R&D and manufacturing of ICs, wafers and reticles. Our products, services and expertise are used by our customers to measure, detect, analyze and resolve critical and nanometric level product defects, helping them to manage manufacturing process challenges and to obtain higher finish product yields at lower cost. We also offer advanced technology solutions to address various manufacturing needs of PCBs, FPDs, specialty semiconductor devices and other electronic components, including advanced packaging, LED, power devices, compound semiconductor, and data storage industries, as well as general materials research.

Our semiconductor customers generally operate in one or both of the major semiconductor device manufacturing markets: memory and foundry/logic. The pervasive and increasing needs for semiconductors in many consumer and industrial products, the rapid proliferation of new applications for more advanced semiconductor devices, and the increasing complexity associated with leading edge semiconductor manufacturing drive demand for our process control and yield management solutions. Continuing advancement of innovation spurred by the performance, power and price benefits of being at the leading edge, increasing involvement in legacy nodes as semiconductor content increases, and innovation and growth of new enabling technologies are fueling long-term growth for the semiconductor equipment industry. End-market demand drivers that are expected to continue in the long term are related to high performance computing, AI including 2-nanometer chip technology, the deployment of 5G telecommunications technology and associated high-end mobile devices, the electrification and digitization of the automotive industry, the revival of personal computer demand and associated innovations to support remote work, virtual collaboration, remote learning and entertainment, and the growth of the IoT.

Recently, the semiconductor industry environment has improved as the emergence of disruptive technologies such as AI and continuing advancement of innovation, as well as rising semiconductor content across end-markets and strategic investments in legacy nodes fuel growth. Our foundry/logic customers are slowly increasing their capital intensity, as they continue to scale and incorporate new technologies. Additionally, technology development investments supporting AI and high bandwidth memory are improving the environment for memory device manufacturers. While we continue to invest in technological innovation, factors such as delays from customers, in adopting new chips and technology methods, could impact process control capital intensity. Push out or cancellation of deliveries to our customers could still cause earnings volatility, due to the timing of revenue recognition as well as increased risk of inventory-related charges.

We are organized into three reportable segments, as follows:

• Semiconductor Process Control: a comprehensive portfolio of inspection, metrology and data analytics products as well as related service offerings that help IC manufacturers achieve target yields throughout the semiconductor fabrication process, from R&D to final volume production.

• Specialty Semiconductor Process: advanced vacuum deposition and etching process tools used by a broad range of specialty semiconductor customers.

• PCB and Component Inspection: a range of inspection, testing and measurement, and direct imaging for patterning products used by manufacturers of PCBs, FPDs, advanced packaging, MEMS and other electronic components. In March 2024, we made the decision to exit the Display business by announcing the end of manufacturing of most Display products by December 31, 2024, but we will continue to provide services to the installed base of Display products for existing customers.

A majority of our revenues are derived from outside the U.S., and include geographic regions such as China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Europe and Israel, and Rest of Asia. China remains a major region for manufacturing of legacy node logic and memory chips, adding to its role as the world’s largest consumer of ICs. Additionally, a significant portion of global FPD and PCB manufacturing has migrated to China. Chinese government initiatives around self-sustainability are propelling China to expand its domestic manufacturing capacity and attracting investment from semiconductor manufacturers from Taiwan, Korea, Japan and the U.S. Although China is currently seen as an important long-term growth region for the semiconductor and electronics capital equipment sector, Commerce has adopted regulations and added certain China-based entities to the U.S. Entity List (a list of parties that are generally ineligible to receive U.S.-regulated items without prior licensing from BIS), restricting our ability to provide products and services to such entities without a license. In addition, Commerce has imposed export licensing requirements on China-based customers that are military end users or engaged in military end uses, as well as requiring our customers to obtain an export license when they use certain semiconductor capital equipment based on U.S. technology to manufacture products connected to certain entities on the U.S. Entity List.

In addition, in October 2022, BIS issued the 2022 BIS Rules, which imposed export licensing requirements for certain U.S. semiconductor and high-performance computing technology (including wafer fab equipment), for the use of such

technology for certain end uses in China, and for the provision of support by U.S. Persons to certain advanced IC fabs located in China. In particular, the 2022 BIS Rules impose export license requirements effectively on all KLA products and services to customers located in China that fabricate:

a. Non-planar ICs (e.g., FinFet or GaaFeT) or 14/16nm and below logic ICs;

b. NAND ICs at 128 layers and above; and

c. DRAM ICs using a “production” technology node of 18 nanometer half-pitch or less.

KLA is also restricted from providing certain U.S. origin tools, software and technology to certain wafer fab equipment manufacturers located in China, absent an export license.

In October 2023, BIS issued additional rules that went into effect in November 2023. These 2023 BIS Rules are designed to update export controls on advanced computing semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, as well as items that support supercomputing applications and end-uses, to arms embargoed countries, including China. The 2023 BIS Rules adjust the parameters included in the 2022 BIS Rules that determine whether an advanced computing chip is restricted and impose new measures to address risks of circumvention of the controls established by the 2022 BIS Rules. The 2023 BIS Rules are very co

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We are exposed to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and marketable equity security prices. To mitigate these risks, we utilize derivative financial instruments, such as foreign currency hedges. All of the potential changes noted below are based on sensitivity analyses performed on our financial position as of June 30, 2024. Actual results may differ materially.

As of June 30, 2024, we had an investment portfolio of fixed income securities of $1.71 billion. These securities, as with all fixed income instruments, are subject to interest rate risk and will decline in value if market interest rates increase. If market interest rates were to increase immediately and uniformly by 100 bps from levels as of June 30, 2024, the fair value of the portfolio would have declined by $16.1 million.

The fair market value of our long-term fixed interest rate Senior Notes is subject to interest rate risk. Generally, the fair market value of fixed interest rate notes will increase as market interest rates fall and decrease as market interest rates rise. As of June 30, 2024, the fair value and the book value of our Senior Notes due in various fiscal years ranging from 2025 to 2063 were $6.26 billion and $6.63 billion, respectively.

We have in place a Revolving Credit Facility that allows us to borrow up to $1.50 billion, has a maturity date of June 8, 2027 with two one-year extension options, and may be increased by an amount up to $250.0 million in the aggregate. As of June 30, 2024, we had no borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility. Each Term SOFR Loan will bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Adjusted Term SOFR rate, which is equal to the applicable Term SOFR rate plus 10 bps that shall not be less than zero, plus a spread ranging from 75 bps to 125 bps, as determined by our credit ratings at the time. The fair value of the borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility is subject to interest rate and credit risk due to the timing of the rate resets and changes in the market’s assessment of risk of default, respectively. Pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement, we are also obligated to pay an annual commitment fee on the daily undrawn balance of the Revolving Credit Facility at a rate that ranges from 4.5 bps to 12.5 bps, depending upon our then prevailing credit rating. As of June 30, 2024 the annual commitment fee was 6 bps. Additionally, as of June 30, 2024, if our credit ratings were downgraded to be below investment grade, the maximum potential increase to our annual commitment fee for the Revolving Credit Facility, using the highest range of the ranges discussed above, is estimated to be approximately $1 million.

Our equity investment in a publicly traded company is subject to market price risk, which we typically do not attempt to reduce or eliminate through hedging activities. As of June 30, 2024, the fair value of our investment in the marketable equity security, which began publicly trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on April 5, 2021, was $25.6 million. Assuming a decline of 50% in market prices, the aggregate value of our investment in the marketable equity security could decrease by approximately $13 million, based on the value as of June 30, 2024.

See Note 5 “Marketable Securities” to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8; “Liquidity and Capital Resources” in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II Item 7; and “Risk Factors” in Part I Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of recent market events that may affect the value of the investments in our portfolio that we held as of June 30, 2024.

As of June 30, 2024, we had net forward and option contracts to purchase $254.1 million in foreign currency in order to hedge certain currency exposures (see Note 17 “Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities” to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional details). If we had entered into these contracts on June 30, 2024, the U.S. dollar equivalent would have been $274.9 million. A 10% adverse move in all currency exchange rates affecting the contracts would decrease the fair value of the contracts by $124.1 million. However, if this occurred, the fair value of the underlying exposures hedged by the contracts would increase by a similar amount. Accordingly, we believe that, as a result of the hedging of certain of our foreign currency exposure, changes in most relevant foreign currency exchange rates should have no material impact on our results of operations or cash flows.

KLA CORPORATION

Consolidated Balance Sheets

See accompanying notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

KLA CORPORATION

Consolidated Statements of Operations

See accompanying notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

KLA CORPORATION

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

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None.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act (“Disclosure Controls”) as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Report”) required by Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b). The evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures was conducted under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”). Based on this evaluation, the CEO and CFO have concluded that as of June 30, 2024, the end of the period covered by this Report, our Disclosure Controls were effective at a reasonable assurance level.

Attached as exhibits to this Report are certifications of the CEO and CFO, which are required in accordance with Rule 13a-14 of the Securities Exchange Act. This Controls and Procedures section includes the information concerning the controls evaluation referred to in the certifications, and it should be read in conjunction with the certifications for a more complete understanding of the topics presented.

Definition of Disclosure Controls

Disclosure Controls are controls and procedures designed to reasonably assure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act, such as this Report, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms. Disclosure Controls are also designed to reasonably assure that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our CEO and CFO, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our Disclosure Controls include components of our internal control over financial reporting, which consists of control processes designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. To the extent that components of our internal control over financial reporting are included within our Disclosure Controls, they are included in the scope of our annual controls evaluation.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act. Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our CEO and CFO, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on criteria established in the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this evaluation, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of June 30, 2024.

The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2024 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which appears in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Limitations on the Effectiveness of Controls

Our management, including our CEO and CFO, does not expect that our Disclosure Controls or internal control over financial reporting will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Controls can also be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is based in part on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving our stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance with policies or procedures. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rule 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act that occurred during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024 that have materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plans Adopted by Officers and Directors During the Fourth Quarter

During the three months ended June 30, 2024, the following officers of the Company adopted trading plans to sell and/or gift shares of our common stock that have been or will be issued upon the vesting of RSUs, or purchased in our Employee Stock Purchase Plan, that are intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions set forth in Rule 10b5-1(c) under the Securities Exchange Act. The material terms of the trading plans other than pricing conditions are set forth in the table below:

• Due to pricing conditions in the trading plans, the number of shares actually sold under the trading plans may be less than the maximum number of shares that can be sold. Shares sold under plans upon the vesting of PRSUs where the performance conditions have not been met at the time of plan adoption or are to be purchased in the future under our employee stock purchase plan are calculated at the maximum number of shares that may be issued, with fractional shares disregarded.

^ For RSUs that have not vested, the maximum number of shares to be sold does not take into account shares withheld for taxes.

** Mr. Higgins’ trading plan terminates when the last trade is placed under the plan. The last scheduled trade is on May 22, 2025; provided that if any scheduled trades are not placed because of trading conditions set forth in the plan, the trading plan will terminate on June 30, 2025.

Not applicable.

PART III

For the information required by this Item, see “Information About the Board of Directors and its Committees,” “Information About Executive Officers,” “Our Corporate Governance Practices - Standards of Business Conduct; Whistleblower Hotline and Website,” “Our Corporate Governance Practices - Insider Trading Policy,” “Report of the Audit Committee,” and, if applicable, “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management - Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports,” in the Proxy Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.

For the information required by this Item, see “Executive Compensation and Other Matters,” “Information About the Board of Directors and Its Committees - Director Compensation,” “Our Corporate Governance Practices - Compensation and Talent Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation,” “Compensation and Talent Committee Report,” and “Information About the Board of Directors and Its Committees - Compensation and Talent Committee - Risk Considerations in Our Compensation Programs” in the Proxy Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.

For the information required by this Item, see “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” and “Equity Compensation Plan Information” in the Proxy Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.

For the information required by this Item, see “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” and “Information About the Board of Directors and Its Committees - The Board of Directors” in the Proxy Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.

For the information required by this Item, see “Proposal Two: Ratification of Appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as Our Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2025” in the Proxy Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.

PART IV

(a) The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

1. Financial Statements:

The following financial statements and schedules of the Registrant are contained in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

2. Financial Statement Schedule:

The following financial statement schedule of the Registrant is filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and should be read in conjunction with the financial statements:

All other schedules are omitted because they are either not applicable or the required information is shown in the Consolidated Financial Statements or notes thereto.

3. Exhibits

The information required by this item is set forth below.

None.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Richard P. Wallace and Bren D. Higgins, and each or any of them, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, each acting alone, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments or supplements (including post-effective amendments) to this Report, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.