Item 1. BUSINESS
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Item 1. BUSINESS
The following discussion contains trend information and other forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements such as those made regarding controller development; increasing sales of DDR4, 3D NAND, and client and cloud SSD products; growth in the market for NAND products; the need to obtain additional patent licenses or renew existing license agreements; the entry into additional sales or licenses of intellectual property and partnering agreements; debt incurred to finance our capital investments; and cash expenditures for property, plant, and equipment. Our actual results could differ materially from our historical results and those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, those identified in "Item 1A. Risk Factors." All period references are to our fiscal periods unless otherwise indicated.
Overview
Micron Technology, Inc., including its consolidated subsidiaries, is an industry leader in innovative memory and storage solutions. Through our global brands – Micron®, Crucial®, and Ballistix® – our broad portfolio of high-performance memory and storage technologies, including DRAM, NAND, NOR Flash, and 3D XPoint™ memory, is transforming how the world uses information to enrich life. Backed by more than 35 years of technology leadership, our memory and storage solutions enable disruptive trends, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and autonomous vehicles in key market segments like cloud, data center, networking, and mobile.
We manufacture our products at our worldwide, wholly-owned and joint venture facilities. In recent years, we have increased our manufacturing scale and product diversity through strategic acquisitions, expansion, and various partnering arrangements.
We make significant investments to develop the proprietary product and process technology, which is implemented in our manufacturing facilities. We generally increase the density per wafer and reduce manufacturing costs of each generation of product through advancements in product and process technology, such as our leading-edge line-width process technology and 3D NAND architecture. We continue to introduce new generations of products that offer improved performance characteristics, including higher data transfer rates, reduced package size, lower power consumption, improved read/write reliability, and increased memory density. Storage products incorporating NAND, a controller, and firmware constitute a significant and increasing portion of our sales. We generally develop firmware and expect to introduce proprietary controllers into our SSDs in 2018. Development of advanced technologies enables us to diversify our product portfolio toward a richer mix of differentiated, high-value solutions and target high-growth markets.
We market our products through our internal sales force, independent sales representatives, and distributors primarily to original equipment manufacturers and retailers located around the world. We face intense competition in the semiconductor memory and storage markets and, in order to remain competitive, we must continuously develop and implement new products and technologies and decrease manufacturing costs. Our success is largely dependent on market acceptance of our diversified portfolio of semiconductor-based memory and storage solutions, efficient utilization of our manufacturing infrastructure, successful ongoing development and integration of advanced product and process technology, return-driven capital spending, and successful R&D investments.
To leverage our significant investments in R&D, we have formed, and may continue to form, strategic joint ventures that allow us to share the costs of developing memory and storage product and process technology with third parties. In addition, from time to time, we also sell and/or license technology to other parties. We continue to pursue additional opportunities to monetize our investment in intellectual property through partnering and other arrangements.
Acquisition of Inotera
Through December 6, 2016, we held a 33% ownership interest in Inotera (now known as MTTW), Nanya and certain of its affiliates held a 32% ownership interest, and the remaining ownership interest was publicly held. On December 6, 2016, we acquired the remaining 67% interest in Inotera and began consolidating Inotera's operating results. Inotera manufactures DRAM products at its 300mm wafer fabrication facility in Taoyuan City, Taiwan, and previously sold such products exclusively to us through supply agreements. The Inotera acquisition enhances our flexibility to drive new technology, optimize the deployment of capital, and adapt our product offerings to changes in market conditions. For more information regarding the
Inotera acquisition, see "Part II – Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – Acquisition of Inotera."
Business Segments
We have the following four business units, which are our reportable segments:
Compute and Networking Business Unit ("CNBU"): Includes memory products sold into compute, networking, graphics, and cloud server markets.
Storage Business Unit ("SBU"): Includes memory and storage products sold into enterprise, client, cloud, and removable storage markets. SBU also includes products sold to Intel through our IMFT joint venture.
Mobile Business Unit ("MBU"): Includes memory products sold into smartphone, tablet, and other mobile-device markets.
Embedded Business Unit ("EBU"): Includes memory products sold into automotive, industrial, connected home, and consumer electronics markets.
For more information regarding our segments, see "Part II – Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – Segment Information."
Products
Our product portfolio of memory and storage solutions is based on our high-performance semiconductor memory and storage technologies, which include DRAM, NAND, 3D XPoint memory, and other technologies. We offer products in various forms, including wafers, components, and modules, as well as SSDs and multiple chip packages that combine our NAND with controllers and firmware.
DRAM
DRAM products are high-density, low-cost-per-bit, random access memory devices that provide high-speed data storage and retrieval with a variety of performance, pricing, and other characteristics. Sales of DRAM products were 64%, 58%, and 64% of our total net sales in 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively.
Wafer, Component, and Module DRAM: DDR3 and DDR4 DRAM products offer high speed and bandwidth, primarily for use in computers, servers, networking devices, communications equipment, consumer electronics, automotive, and industrial applications. In 2017, we offered DDR4 and DDR3 products in 1Gb to 8Gb densities. Sales of DDR4 products increased significantly in 2017 and we expect further increases in 2018 as DDR4 DRAM replaces DDR3 DRAM products in many applications. Aggregate sales of DDR3 and DDR4 DRAM products were 40%, 31%, and 38% of our total net sales in 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively.
LPDRAM products offer lower power consumption relative to other DRAM products and are used primarily in smartphones, tablets, automotive applications, laptop computers, and other mobile consumer devices that require low power consumption. Aggregate sales of our LPDDR4, LPDDR3, and other versions of LPDRAM products were 18% of our total net sales in each of 2017, 2016, and 2015.
We offer other DRAM products targeted to specialty markets, including DDR2 DRAM, DDR DRAM, GDDR5 and GDDR5X DRAM, SDRAM, and RLDRAM. These products are used in networking devices, servers, consumer electronics, communications equipment, computer peripherals, automotive and industrial applications, and computer memory upgrades.
Other: We offer HMC products, which are semiconductor memory devices where vertical stacks of DRAM die connected using through-silicon-via interconnects are placed above a small, high-speed logic layer.
NAND
NAND products are electrically re-writeable, non-volatile semiconductor memory and storage devices that retain content when power is turned off. NAND sales were 32%, 37%, and 33% of our total net sales in 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively. NAND is ideal for mass-storage devices due to its fast erase and write times, high density, and low cost per bit relative to other solid-state memories. NAND-based storage devices are utilized in smartphones, SSDs, tablets, computers, automotive and industrial applications, networking, and other consumer applications. Removable storage devices, such as USB and Flash
memory cards, are used with applications such as PCs, digital still cameras, and smartphones. The market for NAND products has grown rapidly and we expect it to continue to grow due to increased demand for these and other embedded and removable storage devices.
Wafer and Component NAND: Our NAND products feature a small cell structure that enables higher densities for demanding applications. We began selling commercial volumes of new products featuring our 3D NAND technology in 2016 and it composed 43% of our total Trade NAND sales in 2017. We expect 3D NAND sales to continue to increase in 2018. 3D NAND stacks layers of data storage cells vertically to create storage devices with higher capacity than competing planar NAND technologies. This enables more storage in a smaller space, bringing significant cost savings, low power usage and high performance to a range of mobile consumer devices as well as the most demanding enterprise deployments. We are currently in production of MLC and TLC versions of 3D NAND and, in 2017, TLC comprised a majority of our 3D NAND production. The significant majority of our 3D NAND products sold in 2017 featured 32 layers and we began ramping next generation 3D NAND products with 64 layers in 2017. We also offer high speed SLC, MLC, and TLC planar NAND products that are compatible with advanced interfaces in 1GB to 128GB densities.
SSDs: SSDs incorporate NAND, a controller, and firmware and are a significant portion of our net sales. We offer client, cloud, and enterprise SSDs which feature higher performance, reduced-power consumption, and enhanced reliability as compared to typical hard disk drives. Our client SSDs are targeted at notebooks, desktops, workstations, and other consumer applications. Increasingly our SSDs are being utilized in large-scale cloud environments. Using our 3D NAND process technology, our SSDs deliver read and write speeds that help improve boot and application load times and deliver higher performance than hard disk drives. Our client SSDs, including our newest line of 3D NAND SSDs, deliver world-class data storage, endurance, power efficiency, reliability, and performance for corporate users and are offered in SATA and PCIe NVMe solutions, with densities up to 2 terabytes, in 2.5-inch and M.2 form factors. Our enterprise SSDs are targeted at server and storage applications and incorporate our Extended Performance and Enhanced Reliability Technology ("XPERT") architecture, which closely incorporates the storage and controller through highly optimized firmware algorithms and hardware enhancements. The end result is a set of market-focused enterprise features that deliver ultra-low latencies, improved data transfer time, power-loss protection, and cost-effectiveness, along with higher capacities and power efficiency. We offer enterprise SSDs with PCIe NVMe, SAS, and SATA interfaces, with capacities up to 3.2 terabytes.
We generally develop firmware and expect to introduce proprietary controllers into our SSDs in 2018, which will enable us to offer additional differentiated storage solutions for our customers. Sales of our client and cloud SSDs increased significantly in 2017, both in aggregate and as a percentage of our overall sales, and we expect this trend to continue over the next several years.
MCPs and Managed NAND: We offer MCP products that combine NAND with LPDRAM to enable small form-factor solutions that combine storage and execution memory. We also offer managed NAND products including e-MMC, UFS, and embedded USB. Our e-MMC products combine NAND with a logic controller that performs media management and Error Code Correction ("ECC"), which provides reduced ECC complexity, better system performance, improved reliability, easy integration, and lower overall system costs. Our e-MCP products combine e-MMC with LPDRAM on the same substrate, which improves overall functionality and performance while simplifying system design. MCP products are used in smartphone, automotive, industrial, and other consumer applications. Our MCP and managed NAND products generally feature proprietary firmware and leverage our expertise in NAND and DRAM technologies.
3D XPoint Memory and Other
3D XPoint Memory: We introduced 3D XPoint technology, a new category of non-volatile memory, in 2015. 3D XPoint memory's innovative, transistor-less, cross point architecture creates a three-dimensional checkerboard where memory cells sit at the intersection of word lines and bit lines, allowing the cells to be addressed individually. As a result, data can be written and read in small sizes, leading to fast and efficient read/write processes. We began producing 3D XPoint memory in 2016 and significantly increased production in 2017.
Other: Other products included primarily NOR Flash, which are electrically re-writeable semiconductor memory devices that offer fast read times and are used in automotive, industrial, connected home, and consumer applications.
IMFT
Since 2006, we have owned 51% of IMFT, a joint venture between us and Intel to manufacture memory products exclusively for its members, who share the output of IMFT in proportion to their investment under a long-term supply agreement at prices approximating cost. In 2017, IMFT began to transition its manufacturing from NAND to 3D XPoint memory products. We generally share with Intel the costs of product design and process development activities for NAND and 3D XPoint memory at IMFT and our other facilities. IMFT is governed by a Board of Managers for which the number of managers appointed by each member varies based on the members' respective ownership interests. The IMFT joint venture agreement extends through 2024 and includes certain buy-sell rights. Through December 2018, Intel can put to us, and from January 2019 through December 2021, we can call from Intel, Intel's interest in IMFT, in either case, for an amount equal to the noncontrolling interest balance attributable to Intel at such time either member exercises its right. If Intel exercises its put right, we can elect to set the closing date of the transaction to be any time within two years following such election by Intel and can elect to receive financing of the purchase price from Intel for one to two years from the closing date. (See "Part II – Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – Equity – Noncontrolling Interests in Subsidiaries – IMFT.")
Manufacturing
Our manufacturing facilities are located in the United States, China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. Nearly all of our products are manufactured on 300mm wafers in facilities that generally operate 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Semiconductor manufacturing is extremely capital intensive, requiring large investments in sophisticated facilities and equipment. A significant portion of our semiconductor equipment is generally replaced every five to seven years with increasingly advanced equipment. Our DRAM, NAND, 3D XPoint memory, and NOR Flash products share a number of common manufacturing processes, enabling us to leverage our product and process technology and manufacturing infrastructure across these product lines.
Our process for manufacturing semiconductor products is complex, involving a number of precise steps, including wafer fabrication, assembly, and test. Efficient production of semiconductor products requires utilization of advanced semiconductor manufacturing techniques and effective deployment of these techniques across multiple facilities. The primary determinants of manufacturing cost are process line-width, 3D non-volatile layers, NAND cell levels, process complexity, including number of mask layers and fabrication steps, and manufacturing yield. Other factors that contribute to manufacturing costs are cost and sophistication of manufacturing equipment, equipment utilization, process complexity, cost of raw materials, labor productivity, package type, and cleanliness of our manufacturing environment. We continuously enhance our production processes, increasing bits per wafer and transitioning to higher density products. In 2017, we significantly increased our volume production of 1Xnm process node DRAM and, beginning in the first quarter of 2017, manufactured a majority of our NAND production using our first generation 32-layer 3D NAND technology. In 2017, we began ramping production of our second generation 64-layer 3D NAND technology and TLC products became the majority of our 3D NAND output.
Wafer fabrication occurs in a highly-controlled clean environment to minimize dust and other yield and quality-limiting contaminants. Despite stringent manufacturing controls, individual circuits may be nonfunctional or wafers may need to be scrapped due to equipment errors, minute impurities in materials, defects in photomasks, circuit design marginalities or defects, and air particle defects. Success of our manufacturing operations depends largely on minimizing defects to maximize yield of high-quality circuits. In this regard, we employ rigorous quality controls throughout the manufacturing, screening, and testing processes. We are able to recover certain devices by testing and grading them to their highest level of functionality.
We sell semiconductor products in both packaged and unpackaged (i.e., "bare die") forms. Our packaged products include memory modules, SSDs, MCPs, managed NAND, and HMCs. We assemble many products in-house and, in some cases, outsource assembly services where we can reduce costs and minimize our capital investment. We subcontract assembly services for the production of certain memory modules, SSDs, and MCPs.
We test our products at various stages in the manufacturing process, conduct numerous quality control inspections throughout the entire production flow, and perform high temperature burn-in on finished products. In addition, we use our proprietary AMBYX™ line of intelligent test and burn-in systems to perform simultaneous circuit tests of semiconductor memory die during the burn-in process, capturing quality and reliability data and reducing testing time and cost. We use subcontractors to perform certain testing services.
In recent years, we have produced an increasingly broad portfolio of products and system solutions, which enhances our ability to allocate resources to our most profitable products but also increases the complexity of our manufacturing operations. Although our product lines generally use similar manufacturing processes, our cost efficiency can be affected by frequent conversions to new products, the allocation of manufacturing capacity to more complex, smaller-volume parts, and the reallocation of manufacturing capacity across various product lines.
Availability of Raw Materials and Use of Service Providers
Our operations require raw materials, and in some cases, third-party services, that meet exacting standards. We generally have multiple sources of supply for our raw materials and services. However, only a limited number of suppliers are capable of delivering certain raw materials and services that meet our standards. In some cases, materials, components, or services are provided by a single supplier. Various factors could reduce the availability of raw materials or components such as chemicals, silicon wafers, gases, photoresist, controllers, substrates, lead frames, printed circuit boards, targets, and reticle glass blanks. Shortages may occur, from time to time, in the future. We and/or our suppliers could be affected by laws and regulations enacted in response to concerns regarding climate change, which could increase the cost and limit the supply of our raw materials. In addition, disruptions in transportation lines could delay our receipt of raw materials. Lead times for the supply of raw materials have been extended in the past. The disruption of our supply of raw materials or services or the extension of our lead times could have a material adverse effect on our business, result of operations, or financial condition.
Our manufacturing processes are also dependent on our relationships with outsourced semiconductor assembly and test providers, contract manufacturers, logistic carriers, and other service providers. We have supply chain risk monitoring and management to mitigate our risks associated with raw materials and service providers.
Marketing and Customers
For 2017, 20% of our net sales were to the compute and graphics market (including desktop PCs, notebooks, and workstations); 20% were to mobile; 20% were to SSD and other storage; 15% were to automotive, industrial, medical, and other embedded; and 15% were to server. Sales to Kingston Technology Corporation consisted primarily of DRAM and, as a percentage of total net sales, were 10%, 7%, and 11% for 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively. Sales to Intel, including Non-Trade sales through IMFT, as a percentage of total net sales, were 9%, 14%, and 8% for 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively. No other customer exceeded 10% of our total net sales for 2017, 2016, or 2015.
Our semiconductor memory and storage products are offered under our Micron, Crucial, and Ballistix brand names and private labels. We market our semiconductor memory and storage products primarily through our own direct sales force and maintain sales or representative offices in our primary markets around the world. We sell our Crucial-branded products through a web-based customer direct sales channel, as well as through channel and distribution partners. Our products are also offered through independent sales representatives and distributors, who obtain orders subject to final acceptance by us and are compensated on a commission basis. We then make shipments against these orders directly to our customers. Distributors carry our products in inventory and typically sell a variety of other semiconductor products, including competitors' products. We maintain inventory at locations in close proximity to certain key customers to facilitate rapid delivery of products. Many of our customers require a thorough review or qualification of semiconductor products, which may take several months.
Backlog
Because of volatile industry conditions, customers are reluctant to enter into long-term, fixed-price contracts. Accordingly, new order volumes for our semiconductor products fluctuate significantly. We typically accept orders with acknowledgment that the terms may be adjusted to reflect market conditions at the date of shipment. For these reasons, we do not believe that our order backlog as of any particular date is a reliable indicator of actual sales for any succeeding period.
Product Warranty
Because the design and manufacturing process for semiconductor products is highly complex, it is possible that we may produce products that do not comply with applicable specifications, contain defects, or are otherwise incompatible with end
uses. In accordance with industry practice, we generally provide a limited warranty that our products are in compliance with applicable specifications existing at the time of delivery and will operate to those specifications during a stated warranty period. Under our standard terms and conditions of sale, liability for certain failures of product during a stated warranty period is usually limited to repair or replacement of defective items or return of, or a credit with respect to, amounts paid for such items. Under certain circumstances, we provide more extensive limited warranty coverage than that provided under our standard terms and conditions.
Competition
We face intense competition in the semiconductor memory and storage markets from a number of companies, including Intel; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; SK Hynix Inc.; Toshiba Corporation; and Western Digital Corporation. Some of our competitors are large corporations or conglomerates that may have greater resources to invest in technology, capitalize on growth opportunities, and withstand downturns in the semiconductor markets in which we compete. Consolidation of industry competitors could put us at a competitive disadvantage. In addition, some governments, such as China, have provided, and may continue to provide, significant financial assistance to some of our competitors or to new entrants. Our competitors generally seek to increase silicon capacity and bits per wafer, which may result in significant increases in worldwide supply and downward pressure on prices. Increases in worldwide supply of semiconductor memory and storage products also result from capacity expansions, either by way of new facilities, increased capacity utilization, or reallocation of other semiconductor production to semiconductor memory and storage production. Our competitors may increase capital expenditures or increase capacity at existing or new facilities, resulting in future increases in worldwide supply. Increases in worldwide supply of semiconductor memory and storage, if not accompanied by commensurate increases in demand, would lead to declines in average selling prices for our products and materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, or financial condition. Many of our high-volume memory and storage products are manufactured to industry standard specifications and, as such, have similar performance characteristics to those of our competitors. For these high-volume products, the principal competitive factors are generally price and performance characteristics including: operating speed, power consumption, reliability, compatibility, size, and form factors. For our other products, the aforementioned performance characteristics generally take precedence over pricing.
Research and Development
Our process technology R&D efforts are focused primarily on development of process technology that enables continuous improvement to cost structures and performance enhancements for our future DRAM and NAND products. We are also focused on developing new fundamentally different memory structures, materials, and packages, which are designed to facilitate our transition to next generation products. Additional process technology R&D efforts focus on the enablement of advanced computing, storage, and mobile memory architectures, the investigation of new opportunities that leverage our core semiconductor expertise, and the development of new manufacturing materials. Product design and development efforts include our high density DDR4 and DDR5 DRAM and LPDRAM products as well as high density and mobile 3D NAND (including TLC and QLC technologies), 3D XPoint memory, SSDs (including firmware and controllers), managed NAND, specialty memory, and other memory technologies and systems.
Our R&D expenses were $1.82 billion, $1.62 billion, and $1.54 billion in 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively. We generally share with Intel the costs of product design and process development activities for NAND and 3D XPoint memory. Our R&D expenses reflect net reductions of $213 million, $205 million, and $224 million for 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively, as a result of reimbursements under our cost-sharing arrangements with Intel.
To compete in the semiconductor memory and storage markets, we must continue to develop technologically advanced products and processes. We believe that expansion of our semiconductor product offerings is necessary to meet expected market demand for specific memory and storage products and solutions. Our process, design, and package development efforts occur at multiple locations across the world, with our largest R&D center located in Boise, Idaho and other significant R&D centers in Japan, China, Italy, Singapore, and other sites in the United States. In 2017, we began ramping operations in an expansion of our R&D facility in Boise.
R&D expenses vary primarily with the number of development wafers processed, the cost of advanced equipment dedicated to new product and process development, and personnel costs. Because of the lead times necessary to manufacture our products, we typically begin to process wafers before completion of performance and reliability testing. Development of a
product is deemed complete when it is qualified through thorough reviews and tests for performance and reliability. R&D expenses can vary significantly depending on the timing of product qualification.
Geographic Information
Sales to customers outside the United States totaled $17.56 billion for 2017 and included sales of $10.39 billion in China, $2.54 billion in Taiwan, $1.36 billion in Europe, $1.03 billion in Japan, and $1.81 billion in the rest of the Asia Pacific region. Sales to customers outside the United States totaled $10.47 billion for 2016 and $13.63 billion for 2015. As of August 31, 2017, we had net property, plant, and equipment of $6.52 billion in Taiwan, $5.26 billion in Singapore, $4.25 billion in the United States, $2.83 billion in Japan, $453 million in China, and $118 million in other countries. (See "Part II – Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data – Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements – Geographic Information" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors.")
Patents and Licenses
In recent years, we have been recognized as a leader in per capita and quality of patents issued. As of August 31, 2017, we owned approximately 15,500 U.S. patents and 5,000 foreign patents. In addition, we have thousands of U.S. and foreign patent applications pending. Our patents have various terms expiring through 2037.
We have a number of patent and intellectual property license agreements and have, from time to time, licensed or sold our intellectual property to third parties. Some of these license agreements require us to make one-time or periodic payments while others have resulted in us receiving payments. We may need to obtain additional licenses or renew existing license agreements in the future, and we may enter into additional sales or licenses of intellectual property and partnering arrangements. We are unable to predict whether these license agreements can be obtained or renewed on terms acceptable to us.
Employees
As of August 31, 2017, we had approximately 34,100 employees.
Environmental Compliance
We approach environmental stewardship and sustainability proactively to ensure we meet all government regulations regarding raw materials, discharges, emissions, and solid wastes from our manufacturing processes. Our wafer fabrication facilities continued to conform to the requirements of the International Organization for Standardization ("ISO") 14001 environmental management systems standard to ensure we are continuously improving our performance. As part of the ISO 14001 framework, we must meet annual requirements in environmental policy, compliance, planning, management, structure and responsibility, training, communication, document control, operational control, emergency preparedness and response, record keeping, and management review. While we have not experienced any material adverse effects to our operations from environmental regulations, changes in the regulations could necessitate additional capital expenditures, modification of our operations, or other compliance actions.
Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant
Our executive officers are appointed annually by our Board of Directors (the "Board") and our directors are elected annually by our shareholders. Any directors appointed by the Board to fill vacancies on the Board serve until the next election by our shareholders. All officers and directors serve until their successors are duly chosen or elected and qualified, except in the case of earlier death, resignation, or removal.
As of August 31, 2017, the following executive officers and directors were subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| April S. Arnzen | 46 | Senior Vice President, Human Resources | ||
| Scott J. DeBoer | 51 | Executive Vice President, Technology Development | ||
| Ernest E. Maddock | 59 | Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||
| Sanjay Mehrotra | 59 | President and Chief Executive Officer, Director | ||
| Joel L. Poppen | 53 | Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary | ||
| Sumit Sadana | 48 | Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer | ||
| Steven L. Thorsen, Jr. | 52 | Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales | ||
| Robert L. Bailey | 60 | Director | ||
| Richard M. Beyer | 68 | Director | ||
| Patrick J. Byrne | 56 | Director | ||
| Mercedes Johnson | 63 | Director | ||
| Lawrence N. Mondry | 57 | Director | ||
| Robert E. Switz | 70 | Chairman of the Board of Directors |
April S. Arnzen joined us in December 1996 and has served in various leadership positions since that time. Ms. Arnzen became an officer in January 2015 and was named Senior Vice President, Human Resources in June 2017. Ms. Arnzen holds a BS in Human Resource Management and Marketing from the University of Idaho.
Scott J. DeBoer joined us in February 1995 and has served in various leadership positions since that time. Dr. DeBoer became an officer in May 2007 and was named Executive Vice President, Technology Development in June 2017. Dr. DeBoer holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and an MS in Physics from Iowa State University. He completed his undergraduate degree at Hastings College.
Ernest E. Maddock joined us as an officer in June 2015 and was named Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in June 2017. From April 2013 until he joined us, Mr. Maddock served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Riverbed Technology. From October 2008 to April 2013, Mr. Maddock served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Lam Research Corporation after serving as Lam's Vice President of Global Operations from October 2003 to September 2008. Mr. Maddock also served as a member of the Board of Directors for Intersil Corporation from July 2015 to February 2017. Mr. Maddock holds a BS in Industrial Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Georgia State University.
Sanjay Mehrotra joined us in May 2017 as our President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director. Mr. Mehrotra co-founded and lead SanDisk Corporation as a start-up in 1988 until its eventual sale in May 2016, serving as its President and Chief Executive Officer from January 2011 to May 2016, and as a member of its Board of Directors from July 2010 to May 2016. Mr. Mehrotra currently serves on the Board of Directors of Cavium, Inc. Mr. Mehrotra served as a member of the Board of Directors for Western Digital Corp. from May 2016 to February 2017. Mr. Mehrotra holds a BS and an MS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley and is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program.
Joel L. Poppen joined us in October 1995 and has held various leadership positions since that time. He became an officer in December 2013 and was named Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary in June 2017. Mr. Poppen holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois and a JD from the Duke University School of Law.
Sumit Sadana joined us in June 2017 as our Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer. From April 2010 to May 2016, Mr. Sadana served in various roles at SanDisk Corporation, including most recently as Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, and General Manager, Enterprise Solutions. Mr. Sadana serves on the Board of Directors of Silicon Laboratories, Inc. Mr. Sadana holds a B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India and an MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Steven L. Thorsen, Jr. joined us in September 1988 and has served in various leadership positions since that time. He became an officer in April 2012 and was named Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales in June 2017. Mr. Thorsen holds a BA in Business Administration from Washington State University.
Robert L. Bailey has served as Chief Executive Officer of Blue Willow Systems, Inc. since August 2017 and as Blue Willow's Chairman since March 2015. Blue Willow is a software as a service resident safety platform for senior living facilities. Mr. Bailey was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of PMC-Sierra, Inc. from 2005 until May 2011 and also served as PMC's Chairman from February 2000 until February 2003. Mr. Bailey served as a director of PMC from October 1996 to May 2011. He also served as the Chief Executive Officer of PMC from July 1997 until May 2008. Within the past five years, Mr. Bailey also served on the Board of Directors of Entropic Communications. Mr. Bailey holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Bridgeport and an MBA from the University of Dallas. Mr. Bailey has served on our Board since 2007.
Richard M. Beyer was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. from 2008 through June 2012 and served as a director with Freescale until April 2013. Prior to Freescale, Mr. Beyer was President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Intersil Corporation from 2002 to 2008. He has also previously served in executive management roles at FVC.com, VLSI Technology, and National Semiconductor Corporation. Within the past five years, Mr. Beyer served on the Board of Directors of Analog Devices, Inc. and Freescale. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Dialog Semiconductor and Microsemi Corporation. Mr. Beyer served three years as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He holds a BA and an MA in Russian from Georgetown University and an MBA in Marketing and International Business from Columbia University Graduate School of Business. Mr. Beyer has served on our Board since 2013.
Patrick J. Byrne has served as Senior Vice President of Fortive Corporation since July 2016, when Danaher Corporation completed the separation of its Test & Measurement and Industrial Technologies segments. Mr. Byrne was President of Tektronix, a subsidiary of Danaher, from July 2014 to July 2016. Previously, he was Vice President of Strategy and Business Development and Chief Technical Officer of Danaher from November 2012 to July 2014. Danaher designs, manufactures, and markets innovative products and services to professional, medical, industrial, and commercial customers. Mr. Byrne served as Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of Intermec, Inc. from 2007 to May 2012. Within the past five years, Mr. Byrne served on the Board of Directors of Flow International and Intermec, Inc. Mr. Byrne holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and an MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. Mr. Byrne has served on our Board since 2011.
Mercedes Johnson was the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Avago Technologies Limited, a supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial, and consumer applications, from December 2005 to August 2008. She also served as the Senior Vice President, Finance of Lam Research Corporation from June 2004 to January 2005 and as Lam's Chief Financial Officer from May 1997 to May 2004. Ms. Johnson holds a degree in Accounting from the University of Buenos Aires and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Juniper Networks, Inc., Teradyne, Inc., and Synopsys, Inc. She also served on the Board of Directors for Intersil Corporation from August 2005 to February 2017. Ms. Johnson is the Chairman of the Board of Directors' Audit Committee and Finance Committee and has served on our Board since 2005.
Lawrence N. Mondry has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Stream Gas & Electric, Ltd., a provider of energy, mobile and protective services, since February 2016. Mr. Mondry was the Chief Executive Officer of Apollo Brands, a consumer products portfolio company, from February 2014 to February 2015. Mr. Mondry was the Chief Executive Officer of Flexi Compras Corporation, a rent-to-own retailer, from June 2013 to February 2014. Mr. Mondry was the President and Chief Executive Officer of CSK Auto Corporation, a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, from August 2007 to July 2008. Prior to his appointment at CSK, Mr. Mondry served as the Chief Executive Officer of CompUSA Inc. from November 2003 to May 2006. Mr. Mondry is the Chairman of the Board of Directors' Compensation Committee and Governance and Sustainability Committee and has served on our Board since 2005.
Robert E. Switz was the Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of ADC Telecommunications, Inc., a supplier of network infrastructure products and services, from August 2003 until December 2010, when Tyco Electronics Ltd. acquired ADC. Mr. Switz joined ADC in 1994 and throughout his career there held numerous leadership positions. Within the past five years, Mr. Switz served on the Board of Directors of GT Advanced Technologies Inc., Broadcom Corporation, Cyan, Inc., Pulse Electronics Corporation, and Leap Wireless International, Inc. Mr. Switz currently serves on the Board of Directors for Marvell Technology Group Ltd., Gigamon, Inc., and FireEye, Inc. Mr. Switz holds an MBA from the University of Bridgeport and a BS in Business Administration from Quinnipiac University. Mr. Switz was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2012 and has served on our Board since 2006.
There are no family relationships between any of our directors or executive officers.
Available Information
Micron, a Delaware corporation, was incorporated in 1978. Our executive offices are located at 8000 South Federal Way, Boise, Idaho 83716-9632 and our telephone number is (208) 368-4000. Information about us is available at our website, www.micron.com. Also available on our website are our: Corporate Governance Guidelines, Governance and Sustainability Committee Charter, Compensation Committee Charter, Audit Committee Charter, Finance Committee Charter, and Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. Any amendments or waivers of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics will also be posted on our website within four business days of the amendment or waiver. Copies of these documents are available to shareholders upon request. Information contained or referenced on our website is not incorporated by reference and does not form a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We use our investor relations website, http://investors.micron.com, as a routine channel for distribution of important information, including news releases, analyst presentations, and financial information. Our filings are available free of charge on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual and quarterly reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, our proxy statements, and any amendments to those reports or statements. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s ("SEC") website, www.sec.gov, contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. Materials filed or furnished by us with the SEC are also available at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room is available by calling (800) SEC-0330. The content on any website referred to in this Form 10-K is not incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K unless expressly noted.
Additional Information
Micron, Crucial, Ballistix, any associated logos, and all other Micron trademarks are the property of Micron. 3D XPoint is a trademark of Intel in the United States and/or other countries. Other product names or trademarks that are not owned by Micron are for identification purposes only and may be the registered or unregistered trademarks of their respective owners.
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