AMD Reports Fourth Quarter and Annual 2017 Financial Results

[btarunr]

AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) today announced revenue for the fourth quarter of 2017 of $1.48 billion, operating income of $82 million and net income of $61 million or diluted earnings per share of $0.06. Non-GAAP operating income was $103 million, non-GAAP net income was $88 million and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $0.08. For fiscal 2017, the Company reported revenue of $5.33 billion, operating income of $204 million and net income of $43 million or diluted earnings per share of $0.04. Non-GAAP operating income was $301 million, non-GAAP net income was $179 million and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $0.17.

"2017 marked a key inflection point for AMD as we re-shaped our product portfolio, delivered 25 percent annual revenue growth, expanded gross margin and achieved full-year profitability," said Dr. Lisa Su, AMD president and CEO. "We are even more excited about 2018 as we launch our next wave of high-performance products and continue to position AMD as one of the premier long-term growth companies in the technology industry."



Q4 2017 Results

• Revenue of $1.48 billion was up 34 percent year-over-year, primarily driven by strong sales of Radeon graphics and Ryzen processors. Revenue was down 10 percent sequentially, primarily driven by seasonally lower sales of semi-custom SoCs.
• Gross margin was 35 percent, up 3 percentage points year-over-year and flat sequentially.
• On a GAAP basis, operating income was $82 million compared to an operating loss of $3 million a year ago and operating income of $126 million in the prior quarter. The year-over-year increase was primarily due to higher revenue from the Computing and Graphics segment, while the sequential decrease was primarily due to seasonally lower Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom segment revenue. Net income was $61 million compared to a net loss of $51 million a year ago and net income of $71 million in the prior quarter. Diluted earnings per share was $0.06 compared to a loss per share of $0.06 a year ago and diluted earnings per share of $0.07 in the prior quarter.
• On a non-GAAP basis, operating income was $103 million compared to operating income of $26 million a year ago and $155 million in the prior quarter. The year-over-year improvement was primarily due to higher revenue from the Computing and Graphics segment, while the sequential decrease was primarily due to seasonally lower Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom segment revenue. Net income was $88 million compared to net loss of $8 million a year ago and net income of $110 million in the prior quarter. Diluted earnings per share was $0.08 compared to a loss per share of $0.01 a year ago and diluted earnings per share of $0.10 in the prior quarter.
• Cash and cash equivalents were $1.18 billion at the end of the quarter, up $306 million from the end of the prior quarter.

2017 Annual Results

• Revenue of $5.33 billion, up 25 percent on an annual basis, was driven by an increase in the Computing and Graphics segment.
• On a GAAP basis, gross margin was 34 percent, up 11 percentage points from the prior year primarily due to the absence of a $340 million charge (WSA charge) recorded in 2016 associated with an amendment to our wafer supply agreement with GLOBALFOUNDRIES. Operating income was $204 million compared to an operating loss of $372 million in the prior year. The operating income improvement was primarily due to higher revenue and gross margin expansion in 2017, and the absence of the WSA charge recorded in 2016, partially offset by higher operating expenses. Net income was $43 million compared to a net loss of $497 million in the prior year. Diluted earnings per share was $0.04 compared to a loss per share of $0.60 in 2016.
• On a non-GAAP(1) basis, gross margin was 34 percent, up 3 percentage points year-over-year primarily due to improved revenue mix from new products. Operating income was $301 million compared to an operating income of $44 million in the prior year. Operating income improvement was primarily related to higher revenue and gross margin expansion, partially offset by higher operating expenses. Net income was $179 million compared to a net loss of $117 million in the prior year. Diluted earnings per share was $0.17 compared to a loss per share of $0.14 in 2016.
• Cash and cash equivalents were $1.18 billion at the end of the year, down from $1.26 billion at the end of 2016.

Quarterly Financial Segment Summary

• Computing and Graphics segment revenue was $958 million, up 60 percent year-over-year and 17 percent sequentially. The year-over-year and sequential increases were primarily driven by strong sales of Radeon graphics and Ryzen desktop processors.
• Operating income was $85 million, compared to an operating loss of $21 million in Q4 2016 and operating income of $70 million in Q3 2017. The year-over-year and sequential improvements were primarily driven by higher revenue.
• Client average selling price (ASP) was up year-over-year driven by higher Ryzen desktop processors ASP. Client ASP was flat sequentially.
• GPU ASP increased year-over-year and sequentially due to higher desktop and professional graphics ASP.
• Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom segment revenue was $522 million, up 3 percent year-over-year driven by server revenue. Sequentially, revenue decreased 37 percent driven by seasonally lower semi-custom SoC revenue.
• Operating income was $19 million compared to $47 million in Q4 2016 and $84 million in Q3 2017. The year-over-year decrease was primarily due to the absence of a $31 million licensing gain in Q4 2016 and an increase in R&D expenses, partially offset by the benefit from a richer product mix. The sequential decrease was primarily due to seasonally lower semi-custom SoC revenue.
• All Other operating loss was $22 million compared with operating losses of $29 million in Q4 2016 and $28 million in Q3 2017. The year-over-year and sequential improvement was primarily related to lower stock-based compensation charges in Q4

Recent Corporate Highlights

• AMD expanded its presence in the datacenter with new AMD EPYC processor-powered solutions and deployments:
• Microsoft Azure became the first global cloud provider to deploy AMD EPYC processors in its datacenters for its latest L-Series of Virtual Machines.
• Baidu deployed AMD EPYC single-socket platforms to power its AI, big data, and cloud computing datacenters.
• New high-performance platforms powered by AMD EPYC CPUs are now available from ecosystem partners including ASUS, GIGABYTE Technology, and Supermicro.
• The AMD EPYC processor-powered HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen10 server started shipping in volume in December 2017, which launched with record-setting SPEC CPU performance and features leadership cost per virtual machine configurations.
• EPYC CPUs were recognized as the Linley Group Analysts' Choice Awards "Best Server Processor" and in the "Top 5 Products or Technologies to Watch" category of both the HPCWire Readers' Choice and Editors' Choice Awards.
• AMD continued its commitment to bring innovation and competition to every segment of the PC market with the launch of its Ryzen Mobile Processors with Radeon Vega graphics, including the AMD Ryzen 7 2700U processor - the world's fastest processor for ultrathin notebooks.
• Combining the power of the "Zen" CPU and "Vega" GPU architectures, Ryzen mobile processors deliver up to 3x the CPU performance, up to 2.3x the GPU performance, and up to 58 percent less power consumption compared to the previous generation AMD notebook processors.
• Ryzen mobile-based notebooks are currently available from Acer, HP, and Lenovo, with more systems expected from Dell and other OEMs in Q1 2018.
• AMD and Qualcomm announced a collaboration to bring smooth and fast PC connectivity based on Qualcomm Snapdragon LTE modem solutions to high-performance AMD Ryzen mobile processors designed for consumer and enterprise notebooks.
• At CES 2018, AMD announced details for upcoming computing and graphics products including its first 7nm product, a Radeon "Vega" GPU specifically built for machine learning applications, as well as next-generation Ryzen CPUs and desktop Ryzen APUs.
• Momentum around AMD's next-generation "Vega" graphics portfolio continues to build:
• Apple launched its most powerful Mac ever, the iMac Pro featuring AMD Radeon Pro Vega graphics.
• AMD designed a semi-custom GPU that will be integrated into the 8th Gen Intel Core processor with Radeon RX Vega M Graphics.
• AMD announced the expansion of the "Vega" family with the Radeon Vega Mobile GPU for ultrathin notebooks.
• AMD released a major update to its advanced GPU software suite for Radeon graphics, the Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition.
• AMD announced the appointment of Mark Durcan to its board of directors.
• AMD expanded its leadership team with the appointment of graphics industry leaders Mike Rayfield as senior vice president and general manager of AMD Radeon Technologies Group (RTG) and David Wang as senior vice president of engineering for RTG. Rayfield will be responsible for all aspects of strategy and business management for AMD's consumer graphics, professional graphics, and semi-custom products. Wang will be responsible for all aspects of graphics engineering, including the technical strategy, architecture, hardware, and software for AMD graphics products and technologies.

Current Outlook
AMD's outlook statements are based on current expectations. The following statements are forward-looking, and actual results could differ materially depending on market conditions and the factors set forth under "Cautionary Statement" below.

For Q1 2018, AMD expects revenue to be approximately $1.55 billion, plus or minus $50 million, an increase of 32 percent year-over-year, primarily driven by the strength of the ramp of new Ryzen, GPU and EPYC products.
Guidance for Q1 2018 and the year-over-year comparison are under the new revenue recognition accounting standard (ASC 606). AMD is adopting the new revenue recognition standard by applying the "full retrospective" method. For comparative purposes under the new standard, Q1 2017 restated revenue was $1.18 billion and Q4 2017 restated revenue was $1.34 billion.
For fiscal 2018, AMD expects the impact of the new standard on revenue to be immaterial.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[AnarchoPrimitiv]

Sweet

 

[cdawall]

Ah AMD the company saved by mining.

 

[R0H1T]

It's like all the stars have finally aligned for AMD again, after a decade or so, meanwhile ~ Leak confirms CEO dumped Intel shares after Meltdown and Spectre processor flaw

Ah AMD the company saved by mining.

More like semi custom & embedded, which saved them.

 

[RejZoR]

Ah AMD the company saved by mining.

Not really, they were saved by excellent Ryzen and good market positioning of Polaris. And Vega, despite being slower than GeForce, was a decent offering still. People just need to stop comparing it to GTX1080Ti. Because that's as stupid as comparing RX580 to vanilla GTX1080...

 

[cdawall]

It's like all the stars have finally aligned for AMD again, after a decade or so, meanwhile ~ Leak confirms CEO dumped Intel shares after Meltdown and Spectre processor flaw
More like semi custom & embedded, which saved them.

You reading the same report I am?

Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom segment revenue was $522 million, up 3 percent year-over-year driven by server revenue. Sequentially, revenue decreased 37 percent driven by seasonally lower semi-custom SoC revenue.

522 million and up 3% yoy.

Computing and Graphics segment revenue was $958 million, up 60 percent year-over-year and 17 percent sequentially. The year-over-year and sequential increases were primarily driven by strong sales of Radeon graphics and Ryzen desktop processors

Now I'm no mathematician but one of these has gained more revenue than the other.

Not really, they were saved by excellent Ryzen and good market positioning of Polaris. And Vega, despite being slower than GeForce, was a decent offering still. People just need to stop comparing it to GTX1080Ti. Because that's as stupid as comparing RX580 to vanilla GTX1080...

I'm going to say Polaris was on the shelf ready availability until mining hit. Now every card from the rx 550 to vega fe is nearly impossible to come by. That wasn't marketing position per card. They sold out because people found a use for them other than gaming.

 

[R0H1T]

You reading the same report I am?

You said this ~

Ah AMD the company saved by mining.

AMD were never saved by mining, the semi custom & embedded products have been their lifeline over the last 3~5 years, with dGPU a distant second.

 

[medi01]

Now I'm no mathematician but one of these has gained more revenue than the other.

I want to see "CPU vs GPU" split of that.

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

You reading the same report I am?



522 million and up 3% yoy.



Now I'm no mathematician but one of these has gained more revenue than the other.



I'm going to say Polaris was on the shelf ready availability until mining hit. Now every card from the rx 550 to vega fe is nearly impossible to come by. That wasn't marketing position per card. They sold out because people found a use for them other than gaming.

I think your overstating your opinion, Ryzen lines launching wasn't as insignificant as your implying , yes mining helped but finally launching and selling Ryzen helped too.
I doubt Amd (even could)ramped gpu production much to help ,since fab time and bare , forgot what their called damit but asic substrate that chips are made on are in short supply, more coffee required quick

 

[W1zzard]

I think your overstating your opinion, Ryzen lines launching wasn't as insignificant as your implying , yes mining helped but finally launching and selling Ryzen helped too.
I doubt Amd (even could)ramped gpu production much to help ,since fab time and bare , forgot what their called damit but asic substrate that chips are made on are in short supply, more coffee required quick

Lisa's wording in the call sounded like they have plenty of GPUs, but lack memory. It was in the Q&A section iirc

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

Lisa's wording in the call sounded like they have plenty of GPUs, but lack memory. It was in the Q&A section iirc

Fair enough and reasonable, i feel the launch into x86 high end did it's share too though.

 

[HD64G]

Lisa's wording in the call sounded like they have plenty of GPUs, but lack memory. It was in the Q&A section iirc

Hey @W1zzard! Do you mean that AMD Vega GPU shortage is mainly due to HBM2 shortage?

 

[Pan]

Props to Lisa Su for turning AMD around.

 

[W1zzard]

Hey @W1zzard! Do you mean that AMD Vega GPU shortage is mainly due to HBM2 shortage?

I don't remember the exact words, but iirc correctly Lisa suggested their production is constrained by both GDDR5 and HBM supply. By how much, she didn't say. https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/mjsqz7is

 

[cdawall]

Hey @W1zzard! Do you mean that AMD Vega GPU shortage is mainly due to HBM2 shortage?

I talked with venders from sapphire and they would have had to pause production because of ram had Samsung not pushed more out. That is why the latest batch of cards seemed to be all Samsung.

You said this ~AMD were never saved by mining, the semi custom & embedded products have been their lifeline over the last 3~5 years, with dGPU a distant second.
View attachment 96580
View attachment 96581

Everytime you post that revenue made my dGPU has been higher two of the three years. Semi custom production is sold at minor markup to keep cost down on consoles and while yes it helped as a revenue stream you are looking at a year over year quarterly decline between q4 2016 and q4 2017 of 37%.

In the past those sales were all amd had. This year dGPU sales are up and up a lot thanks to mining. There is a reason amd was up over 100 million in profit this year. It was not consoles custom soc.

I think your overstating your opinion, Ryzen lines launching wasn't as insignificant as your implying , yes mining helped but finally launching and selling Ryzen helped too.
I doubt Amd (even could)ramped gpu production much to help ,since fab time and bare , forgot what their called damit but asic substrate that chips are made on are in short supply, more coffee required quick

These are annual results with 4th quarter information mixed in. AMD is up for the year. I am sure ryzen has helped, but it hasn't even broken roi for investment time yet. They need more volume from those chips.

 

[Fx]

Ah AMD the company saved by mining.

Definitely a baiting statement. Surely you don't believe that.

I mean, they only released Ryzen...

 

[cdawall]

Definitely a baiting statement. Surely you don't believe that.

I mean, they only released Ryzen...

They released Ryzen this quarter. The sales are nowhere close to doing over 100 million in profit.

 

[Fx]

They released Ryzen this quarter. The sales are nowhere close to doing over 100 million in profit.

Correct, but we were both a bit too focused on one aspect.

It is all relative. This is why they do demonstrations and paper launches. They did this with their CPU and GPU lines. They utilized the synergies and momentum on multiple platforms to gain leverage.

AMD has been executing very well to gain market share and mind share to ultimately make sales. It wasn't merely GPU sales, nor was it just Ryzen. They pitched excitement and for the most part delivered.

 

[cdawall]

Correct, but we were both a bit too focused on one aspect.

It is all relative. This is why they do demonstrations and paper launches. They did this with their CPU and GPU lines. They utilized the synergies and momentum on multiple platforms to gain leverage.

AMD has been executing very well to gain market share and mind share to ultimately make sales. It wasn't merely GPU sales, nor was it just Ryzen. They pitched excitement and for the most part delivered.

I would argue their GPU sales are a bit portion of that. CPU sales have trended up, but not like GPU sales have. We didn't exactly see stores run out of Ryzen for the past 3-4 months.

 

[Arjai]

I think, despite the arguments on who saved who, Lisa is undoubtedly to blame for the rise of AMD. Make no mistake. Her leadership is why we are debating any of this right now.

Thank you Dr. Lisa Su for bringing AMD out of the toilet and making it a viable alternative to the overpriced alternatives. I look forward to the new products from AMD and for the possibility of effecting computer pricing, like they have in the past.