TOWER SEMICONDUCTOR LTD
For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Apr 22, 2024.
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The yearly report of a company based outside the US. It covers much of what a 10-K does, and may follow accounting rules other than US ones.
FY2023 · Filed Apr 22, 2024
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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 20-F
(Mark One)
| ☐ | REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
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OR
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023
OR
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
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OR
| ☐ | SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
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Cmmission File number:0-24790
TOWER SEMICONDUCTOR LTD.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter and translation of registrant’s name into English)
Israel
(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
Ramat Gavriel Industrial Park
P.O. Box 619, Migdal Haemek 2310502, Israel
(Address of principal executive offices)
Nati Somekh, +972-4-6506109, natiso@towersemi.com;
Ramat Gavriel Industrial Park, P.O. Box 619, Migdal Haemek 2310502, Israel
(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of Each Class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary Shares, par value New Israeli Shekels 15.00 per share | TSEM | NASDAQ Global Select Market |
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None
Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report:110,824,754 Ordinary Shares.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Yes☐ No ☒
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.
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 (section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| ☒ Large Accelerated filer | ☐ Accelerated filer | ☐ Non-accelerated filer | ☐ Emerging growth company |
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If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, 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.
Yes☒ No ☐
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 which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:
| US GAAP ☒ | International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ☐ | Other ☐ |
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If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.
Item 17 ☐ Item 18 ☐
If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes ☐ No☒
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This annual report on Form 20-F includes certain “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The use of the words “projects,” “expects,” “may,” “plans” or “intends,” or words of similar import, identifies a statement as “forward-looking”. There can be no assurance, however, that actual results will not differ materially from our expectations or projections. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations or projections include the risks and uncertainties relating to our business described in this annual report in “Item 3. Key Information-D. Risk Factors”.
We remind readers that forward-looking statements are merely predictions and therefore inherently subject to uncertainties and other factors and involve known and unknown risks that could cause the actual results, including revenues from agreements we signed, expansion of our operations, performance, activities, and our achievements, to be materially different from any forecasted results, plans to expand our operations, plans to develop and release new products, forecasted performance, planned activities, or our targeted achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
EXPLANATORY INFORMATION
In this annual report, “Tower” refers to Tower Semiconductor Ltd., an Israeli company, and “we,” “us,” “our,” and “the Company” and words of similar import, refer collectively to Tower and its then-owned and/or consolidated subsidiaries.
All references herein to “dollars,” “US dollars,” “USD” or “$” are to United States dollars, all references to “JPY” are to the Japanese Yen and all references to “Shekels” or “NIS” are to New Israeli Shekels. “U.S. GAAP” means the generally accepted accounting principles of the United States. Unless otherwise stated, all of our financial information presented in this annual report has been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
In 2008, we completed a merger with Jazz Technologies, Inc. (“Jazz Technologies”) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Jazz Semiconductor, Inc. (“Jazz Semiconductor”), an independent semiconductor foundry focused on specialty process technologies. As a result of the merger, Jazz Technologies became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tower. Subsequently, Jazz Technologies was renamed and further renamed Tower Semiconductor NPB Holdings, Inc. (“Tower NPB”) and Jazz Semiconductor was renamed Tower Semiconductor Newport Beach, Inc. (“NPB Co.”). Following a restructuring, Tower NPB is directly held by Tower US Holdings Inc. (“Tower US Holdings”), a company incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tower.
In March 2014, we acquired a 51% equity stake in TowerJazz Panasonic Semiconductor Co., Ltd., (“TPSCo”), a company formed by Panasonic Corporation (“Panasonic” or “Panasonic Corporation”). In June 2014, Panasonic transferred its shares and assigned its rights and obligations in TPSCo to its wholly owned subsidiary, Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd. (“PSCS”). In July 2020, TPSCo changed its name to Tower Partners Semiconductor Co., Ltd. In September 2020, Panasonic sold its shares in PSCS to Nuvoton Technology Corp. (“Nuvoton”), a Taiwan-based company, which is majority-owned by Winbond Electronics Corporation, a Taiwan-based company. Following the sale, the registered name of PSCS changed to Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan (“NTCJ”). TPSCo is currently operating two factories in Toyama, Japan.
In February 2016, we acquired a factory in San Antonio, Texas, from Maxim Integrated Products Inc. (“Maxim”). The assets and related business that we acquired from Maxim are held and conducted through an indirect wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Tower Semiconductor San Antonio, Inc. (“Tower SA”) (formerly named TowerJazz Texas Inc.), which is wholly owned by Tower US Holdings.
In 2021, we entered into a definitive agreement with ST Microelectronics S.r.l. (“ST”) to share a 300mm facility being built in Agrate, Italy under a collaborative arrangement, in connection with which Tower Semiconductor Italy S.r.l. (“TSIT”), a wholly-owned Italian subsidiary of Tower, was incorporated. The buildings and facilities are being established by ST. The parties are expected to share the cleanroom space and facility infrastructure, and TSIT will have the right to use one-third of the installed capacity for its foundry customers. TSIT is currently installing certain tools in the Agrate facility and developing certain processes and technologies that it expects to qualify and ramp-up at the facility.
On February 15, 2022, we entered into a merger agreement with Intel FS Inc. and Intel Corporation (“Intel”) (the “Merger Agreement”), under which Intel was to acquire all of Tower’s outstanding ordinary shares for cash consideration of $53 per share. In August 2023, having received no indications regarding certain required regulatory approval, Intel and Tower mutually agreed to terminate the Merger Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, and in connection with the termination, Intel paid Tower a reverse termination fee equal to $353 million.
In September 2023, Tower and Intel entered into an agreement under which Tower will have access to a 300mm capacity corridor in Intel’s facility in New Mexico, the United States, which we refer to as Fab 11. Under the agreement, Tower will invest up to $300 million to acquire equipment and other fixed assets to be owned by Tower and located in Intel’s facility.
During the first quarter of 2024, we announced the re-organization and re-structure of our Israeli operations, through the cessation of our Fab 1 operations within approximately one year and the integration of a portion of our 6”, Fab 1 operations (150mm) into our 8”, Fab 2 operations (200mm), in order to optimize our operations due to anticipated changes in market dynamics and customer demand.
The consolidated financial statements included in this annual report include the results and balances of Tower and its following subsidiaries: (i) its wholly-owned indirect subsidiary Tower NPB, (ii) its majority-owned subsidiary TPSCo (iii) its wholly-owned indirect subsidiary Tower SA, and (iv) its wholly-owned subsidiary TSIT.
As used in this annual report: “Fab 1” means the factory located in Migdal Haemek, Israel that Tower acquired from National Semiconductor, Inc. (“National Semiconductor”) in 1993. “Fab 2” means the factory located in Migdal Haemek, Israel that Tower established in 2003. “Fab 3” means the factory NPB Co. operates in Newport Beach, California. “Arai E” means the factory TPSCo operated through mid-2022 in Kurihara 4-5-1, Myoko-shi, Niigata, Japan “Uozu E” means the factory TPSCo operates in Higashiyama 800, Uozu-shi, Toyama, Japan. “Tonami CD” means the factory TPSCo operates in Higashi-Kaihotsu 271, Tonami-shi, Toyama, Japan. “Fab 9” means the factory Tower SA operates in San Antonio, Texas. “Fab 10” means the factory that ST is establishing in Agrate, Italy in which TSIT is expected to share capacity with ST. “Fab 11” means a 300mm Intel-owned factory in New Mexico, the United States, to which Tower will get access under a capacity corridor agreement signed in September 2023.
Trademarks
We have proprietary rights to trademarks used in this annual report that are important to our business, many of which are registered under applicable intellectual property laws. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this annual report may appear without the “®” or “™” symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent possible under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trademarks, trade names or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies. Each trademark, trade name or service mark of any other company appearing in this annual report is the property of its respective holder.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| PART I | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| ITEM 1. | IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISORS | 1 |
| ITEM 2. | OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE | 1 |
| ITEM 3. | KEY INFORMATION | 1 |
| ITEM 4. | INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY | 20 |
| ITEM 4A. | UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS | 39 |
| ITEM 5. | OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS | 39 |
| ITEM 6. | DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES | 48 |
| ITEM 7. | MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS | 63 |
| ITEM 8. | FINANCIAL INFORMATION | 65 |
| ITEM 9. | THE OFFER AND LISTING | 65 |
| ITEM 10. | ADDITIONAL INFORMATION | 66 |
| ITEM 11. | QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK | 78 |
| ITEM 12. | DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES | 80 |
| PART II | 80 | |
| ITEM 13. | DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES | 80 |
| ITEM 14. | MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS | 80 |
| ITEM 15. | CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES | 80 |
| ITEM 16. | RESERVED | 81 |
| ITEM 16A. | AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT | 81 |
| ITEM 16B. | CODE OF ETHICS | 81 |
| ITEM 16C. | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES | 81 |
| ITEM 16D. | EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES | 82 |
| ITEM 16E. | PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS | 82 |
| ITEM 16F. | CHANGE IN REGISTRANT'S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT | 82 |
| ITEM 16G. | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | 82 |
| ITEM 16H. | MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE | 84 |
| ITEM 16I. | DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS | 84 |
| ITEM 16J. | INSIDER TRADING POLICIES | 84 |
| ITEM 16K. | CYBERSECURITY | 84 |
| PART III | 86 | |
| ITEM 17. | FINANCIAL STATEMENTS | 86 |
| ITEM 18. | FINANCIAL STATEMENTS | 86 |
| ITEM 19. | EXHIBITS | 87 |
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.