AMD Reports 2015 Fourth Quarter and Annual Results

AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) today announced revenue for the fourth quarter of 2015 of $958 million, operating loss of $49 million and net loss of $102 million, or $0.13 per share. Non-GAAP(1) operating loss was $39 million, non-GAAP net loss was $79 million and non-GAAP(1) loss per share was $0.10.

"AMD closed 2015 with solid execution fueled by the second straight quarter of double-digit percentage revenue growth in our Computing and Graphics segment and record annual semi-custom unit shipments," said Dr. Lisa Su, AMD president and CEO. "While 2015 was challenging from a financial perspective, key R&D investments and a sharpened focus on innovation position us well to deliver great products, improved financial results and share gains in 2016."2015 Annual Results

• Revenue of $3.99 billion, down 28 percent year-over-year, primarily due to lower client processor sales.
• Gross margin of 27 percent, down 6 percentage points year-over-year and non-GAAP gross margin of 28 percent, down 7 percentage points year-over-year. The year-over-year declines were primarily due to lower unit volumes and product mix.
• Operating loss of $481 million and non-GAAP operating loss of $253 million, compared to a loss of $155 million and non-GAAP(1) operating income of $316 million in 2014 primarily due to lower revenue and gross margin.
• Net loss of $660 million, loss per share of $0.84, and non-GAAP net loss of $419 million, non-GAAP loss per share of $0.54, compared to a net loss of $403 million, loss per share of $0.53, and non-GAAP(1) net income of $132 million, non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.16 in 2014.

Q4 2015 Results

• Revenue of $958 million, down 10 percent sequentially primarily driven by seasonally lower sales of semi-custom SoCs and down 23 percent year-over-year, primarily due to lower client processor sales.
• Gross margin of 30 percent, up 7 percentage points sequentially. Q3 2015 gross margin was negatively impacted by an inventory write-down of $65 million, or 6 percentage points. Excluding the Q3 2015 inventory write-down, non-GAAP gross margin improved 1 percentage point sequentially, primarily due to improved product mix in the Computing and Graphics segment.
• Operating loss of $49 million, compared to an operating loss of $158 million for the prior quarter. Non-GAAP(1) operating loss of $39 million, compared to non-GAAP(1) operating loss of $97 million in Q3 2015, primarily due to higher gross margin and lower operating expenses.
• Net loss of $102 million, loss per share of $0.13, and non-GAAP(1) net loss of $79 million, non-GAAP(1) loss per share of $0.10, compared to a net loss of $197 million, loss per share of $0.25 and non-GAAP(1) net loss of $136 million, non-GAAP(1) loss per share of $0.17 in Q3 2015.
• Cash and cash equivalents were $785 million at the end of the quarter, up $30 million from the end of the prior quarter, primarily due to improved operating cash flow.
• Total debt at the end of the quarter was $2.26 billion, flat from the end of the prior quarter.

Quarterly Financial Segment Summary

• Computing and Graphics segment revenue of $470 million, an increase of 11 percent sequentially and a decrease of 29 percent from Q4 2014. The sequential increase was primarily due to higher notebook processor sales, and the year-over-year decrease was primarily driven by lower client processor sales.
  o Operating loss was $99 million, compared to an operating loss of $181 million in Q3 2015 and an operating loss of $56 million in Q4 2014. The sequential improvement was driven primarily by higher sales and the absence of a Q3 2015 inventory write-down and the year-over-year decrease was primarily driven by lower sales.
  o Client average selling price (ASP) increased sequentially driven by a richer notebook processor product mix and decreased year-over-year due to a lower notebook processor ASP.
  o GPU ASP increased sequentially and year-over-year primarily due to a higher AIB channel ASP.
• Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom segment revenue of $488 million, a decrease of 23 percent sequentially primarily driven by seasonally lower sales of semi-custom SoCs. Revenue decreased 15 percent from Q4 2014 primarily driven by lower game console royalties, and server and embedded revenue.
• Operating income was $59 million compared with $84 million in Q3 2015 and $109 million in Q4 2014. The sequential decrease was primarily due to seasonally lower sales of semi-custom SoCs. The year-over-year decrease was primarily due to lower game console royalties, and server and embedded sales.
• All Other operating loss was $9 million compared with operating losses of $61 million in Q3 2015 and operating loss of $383 million in Q4 2014. The sequential improvement was primarily due to Q3 2015 restructuring and other special charges and the year-over-year improvement was primarily due to the absence of a goodwill impairment charge, lower restructuring and other special charges, net and a Q4 2014 lower of cost or market inventory adjustment.

Recent Highlights

• AMD provided a glimpse at its next-generation GPU architecture and delivered innovative new graphics, embedded, and desktop component technologies.
  o AMD previewed its revolutionary 14nm FinFET Polaris GPU Architecture, highlighting significant architectural improvements including High Dynamic Range (HDR) monitor support and a 2x performance-per-watt improvement over the prior generation. The GPUs deliver a remarkable generational jump in power efficiency, and are designed for fluid frame rates in graphics, gaming, VR, and multimedia applications on small form-factor thin and light computer designs.
  o AMD released its re-architected graphics software suite, Radeon Software Crimson Edition, giving users 12 new or enhanced features, up to 20 percent more graphics performance2, adjustability that can nearly double generational energy efficiency3, and stability across the full spectrum of AMD graphics products.
  o AMD introduced the AMD Radeon R9 380X GPU, conceived to play the most detailed and demanding games at 1080p and 1440p. The GPU offers a 256-bit interface and 4GB of high-performance GDDR5 memory and features including compatibility for both AMD FreeSync and AMD LiquidVR technologies plus Virtual Super Resolution.
  o AMD announced the new AMD FirePro W4300 graphics card, its highest performing professional graphics card optimized for Computer-Aided Design (CAD) that fits in both small and full-size workstations, offering unprecedented flexibility in its class.
  o AMD achieved high-end embedded performance leadership with the introduction of the AMD Embedded R-Series SOC processors designed for digital signage, retail signage, medical imaging, electronic gaming, media storage, and communications and networking.
  o AMD announced the AMD FX 6330 CPU for the China market with a new, near-silent stock cooler and offering excellent 6-core performance, control, and reliability for productivity, entertainment, and multi-tasking workloads.
• AMD launched its first 64-bit ARM based product -- the AMD Opteron A1100 SoC - designed to accelerate time-to-market deployment of ARM-based systems for the datacenter and improve enterprise-class ecosystem support for 64-bit ARM in key markets. AMD is working with technology partners and customers including Red Hat, Silver Lining Solutions, SoftIron, and SUSE on AMD Opteron A1100 SoC-based hardware and software solutions that provide high-speed network and storage connectivity, energy efficiency, and a balanced total cost of ownership for storage, web, and networking workloads.
• AMD collaborated with industry leaders to bring powerful new embedded, professional graphics, and gaming solutions to market.
  o AMD further solidified its No. 1 position in the thin client space with the introduction of the new AMD Embedded R-Series and AMD FirePro-based HP t730, the world's first thin client with native quad UHD/4K support.
  o AMD announced several new AMD FirePro professional graphics design wins with Dell, including the new Dell Precision 3510, 7510, and 7710 mobile workstations delivering exceptional graphics performance and GPU compute capability. In particular the Dell Precision 7710 features nearly 3 TFLOPS of single-precision GPU compute power for GPU-accelerated applications and workflows.
  o AMD expanded its leadership position in virtual reality (VR), announcing a collaboration with Oculus and Dell to equip Oculus Ready PCs with AMD Radeon GPUs.
  o Lenovo introduced the AMD FX CPU and Radeon R9 graphics-based Lenovo Y700, the first notebook validated to support AMD FreeSync technology.
• AMD provided developers with new tools designed to simplify software development and more fully harness the capabilities of its GPUs.
  o AMD launched the "Boltzmann Initiative", a suite of tools designed to dramatically simplify GPU computing on AMD FirePro Graphics by leveraging Heterogeneous Systems Architecture's (HSA's) ability to harness both CPU and GPU for maximum compute efficiency through software.
  o AMD announced the GPUOpen initiative to help address the evolving demands of graphics and unlock game and application development through open source software. The initiative enables game developers to better harness the investments they've made on console development, introduces a new compiler for heterogeneous computing, and demonstrates AMD's renewed commitment to Linux with its Linux Open Source Strategy.