Wolfspeed, Inc. announced its results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 and the full 2024 fiscal year.

Quarterly Financial Highlights (Continuing operations only. All comparisons are to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023.)

  • Consolidated revenue of approximately $201 million, as compared to approximately $203 million
    • Mohawk Valley Fab contributed approximately $41 million in revenue
  • Power device design-ins of $2.0 billion
  • Quarterly design-wins of $0.5 billion
  • GAAP gross margin of 1%, compared to 29%
  • Non-GAAP gross margin of 5%, compared to 31%
    • GAAP and non-GAAP gross margins for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 include the impact of $24 million of underutilization costs. See “Start-up and Underutilization Costs” below for additional information.

Full Fiscal Year Financial Highlights (all comparisons are to fiscal 2023)

  • Consolidated revenue of approximately $807 million, as compared to approximately $759 million
  • GAAP gross margin of 10% as compared to 32%
  • Non-GAAP gross margin of 13% as compared to 35%
    • GAAP and non-GAAP gross margins for fiscal 2024 include the impact of approximately $124 million of underutilization costs. See “Start-up and Underutilization Costs” below for additional information.

“We have two priorities we are focused on: optimizing our capital structure for both the near term and long term and driving performance in our state-of-the-art, 200-millimeter fab, and this quarter was a step forward on both of these priorities,” said Wolfspeed CEO, Gregg Lowe.

“We achieved 20% utilization at Mohawk Valley in June and continued to see strong revenue growth from that fab. Our 200mm device fab is currently producing solid results, which are at significantly lower costs than our Durham 150mm fab. This improved profitability gives us the confidence to accelerate the shift of our device fabrication to Mohawk Valley, while we assess the timing of the closure of our 150mm device fab in Durham. At the JP, we have also made great progress, installing and activating initial furnaces in the fourth quarter. We have already processed the first silicon carbide boules from the JP and the quality is in line with the high-quality materials coming out of Building 10.

“At the same time, we are taking proactive steps to slow down the pace of our CapEx by approximately $200 million in fiscal 2025 and identify areas across our entire footprint to reduce operating costs. We also remain in constructive talks with the CHIPS office on a Preliminary Memorandum of Terms for capital grants under the CHIPS Act. In addition to any potential capital grants from the CHIPS program, our long-term CapEx plan is expected to generate more than $1 billion in cash refunds from Section 48D tax credits from the IRS, of which we’ve already accrued approximately $640 million on our balance sheet,” continued Lowe.

Business Outlook:

For its first quarter of fiscal 2025, Wolfspeed targets revenue from continuing operations in a range of $185 million to $215 million. GAAP net loss is targeted at $226 million to $194 million, or $1.79 to $1.54 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net loss from continuing operations is targeted to be in a range of $138 million to $114 million, or $1.09 to $0.90 per diluted share.

Targeted non-GAAP net loss excludes $88 million to $80 million of estimated expenses, net of tax, primarily related to stockbased compensation expense, amortization of discount and debt issuance costs, net of capitalized interest, project, transformation and transaction costs and loss on Wafer Supply Agreement.

The GAAP and non-GAAP targets from continuing operations do not include any estimated change in the fair value of the shares of common stock of MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc. (MACOM) that we acquired in connection with the sale to MACOM of our RF product line (RF Business Divestiture).

Start-up and Underutilization Costs:

As part of expanding its production footprint to support expected growth, Wolfspeed is incurring significant factory start-up costs relating to facilities the Company is constructing or expanding that have not yet started revenue generating production. These factory start-up costs have been and will be expensed as operating expenses in the statement of operations.

When a new facility begins revenue generating production, the operating costs of that facility that were previously expensed as start-up costs are instead primarily reflected as part of the cost of production within the cost of revenue, net line item in our statement of operations. For example, the Mohawk Valley Fab began revenue generating production at the end of fiscal 2023 and the costs of operating this facility in fiscal 2024 and going forward are primarily reflected in cost of revenue, net.

During the period when production begins, but before the facility is at its expected utilization level, Wolfspeed expects some of the costs to operate the facility will not be absorbed into the cost of inventory. The costs incurred to operate the facility in excess of the costs absorbed into inventory are referred to as underutilization costs and are expensed as incurred to cost of revenue, net. These costs are expected to continue to be substantial as Wolfspeed ramps up the facility to the expected or normal utilization level.

Wolfspeed incurred $20.5 million of factory start-up costs and $24.0 million of underutilization costs in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. No underutilization costs were incurred in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023.

For the first quarter of fiscal 2025, operating expenses are expected to include approximately $25 million of factory start-up costs primarily in connection with materials expansion efforts. Cost of revenue, net, is expected to include approximately $24 million of underutilization costs in connection with the Mohawk Valley Fab.

Original – Wolfspeed