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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549


FORM 10-K

(Mark One)  

ý

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended August 28, 2003

OR

o

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                              to                              

Commission file number     1-10658

Micron Technology, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware   75-1618004
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (IRS Employer
Identification No.)

8000 S. Federal Way, P.O. Box 6, Boise, Idaho

 

83707-0006
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code

 

(208) 368-4000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class
Common Stock, par value $.10 per share

 


Name of each exchange on which registered
New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None

(Title of Class)

        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. Yes ý    No o

        Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein and will not be contained, to the best of registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ý

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ý    No o

        The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based upon the closing price of such stock on September 22, 2003, as reported by the New York Stock Exchange, was approximately $7.1 billion. Shares of common stock held by each executive officer and director and by each person who owns 5% or more of the outstanding common stock have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

        The number of outstanding shares of the registrant's common stock as of October 3, 2003, was 610,606,712.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

        Portions of the Proxy Statement for registrant's 2003 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on November 21, 2003, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.





PART I

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 in "Products" regarding the Company's expectation that the CMOS imaging market is expected to grow significantly, and in "Manufacturing" regarding the Company's expectation to transition to 110 nm line-width process technology in 2004 and future product qualification and production volumes for the Company's 300 mm production line. The Company's actual results could differ materially from the Company's 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 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Certain Factors." All period references are to the Company's fiscal periods unless otherwise indicated.

General

        Micron Technology, Inc., and its subsidiaries (hereinafter referred to collectively as the "Company") manufacture and market DRAMs, Flash memory, CMOS image sensors and other semiconductor components. Micron Technology, Inc., a Delaware corporation, was incorporated in 1978. The Company's executive offices are located at 8000 South Federal Way, Boise, Idaho 83716-9632 and its telephone number is (208) 368-4000. Information about the Company is available on the internet at www.micron.com. Copies of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as any amendments to these reports, are available free of charge through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or forwarded to the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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.

        Participation in, and ultimately success in, the semiconductor memory industry is dependent upon a number of factors, including: ownership or access to design and process technology, cost effective silicon processing capability, employment and retention of key personnel, and sufficient access to capital. The Company is one of the most cost-efficient memory suppliers in the industry.

        Weak market conditions led to the Company's decision in 2003 to restructure its operations. On February 18, 2003, the Company announced a series of cost-reduction initiatives, including the shutdown of its 200 mm wafer fabrication line in Virginia, the discontinuance of certain product lines, including SRAM and TCAM products, and an approximate 10% reduction in its worldwide workforce. (See "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—Restructure and Other Charges.")

Products

        The Company offers semiconductor products with a wide variety of packaging and configuration options, architectures and performance characteristics to meet customer needs.

        Dynamic Random Access Memory    DRAM products are high density, low-cost-per-bit, random access memory devices that provide high-speed data storage and retrieval. DRAM is the Company's primary product and is the most widely used semiconductor memory component in computer systems. DRAM sales represented approximately 96%, 95% and 87% of the Company's net sales in 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively.

        In recent years, the Company has broadened its DRAM product line as the market has become more diverse. The Company offers 128 Meg, 256 Meg and 512 Meg Double Data Rate Synchronous DRAM ("DDR") and SDRAM in multiple configurations, speeds and package types. In 2003, DDR

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replaced SDRAM as the Company's highest volume type of semiconductor memory products sold. DDR accounted for 66%, 21% and 1% of the Company's DRAM sales in 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. DDR is used in computing and networking applications and in a variety of other consumer electronics. The 256 Meg DDR was the Company's primary product in 2003, accounting for 60% of net sales. The Company began shipping commercial volumes of 512 Meg and 1 Gig DDR in 2003.

        Although market demand has shifted from SDRAM to DDR devices for computing and other applications, demand for SDRAM continues for many consumer applications, such as cell phones, hand held devices and other communications equipment. The Company also provides key customers with legacy DRAM products such as extended data out ("EDO") and fast page mode ("FPM") and lower density products such as the 16 Meg and 64 Meg DRAM. The Company continues to design and develop next generation products, including DDR2, GDDR3 and certain other products, including reduced latency DRAM ("RLDRAM") and Cellular RAM.

        Flash Memory    Flash products are non-volatile semiconductor devices that retain memory content when the power is turned off, and are electrically re-writeable. Flash is used in networking applications, workstations, servers, PCs, and handheld electronic devices such as digital cellular phones, digital cameras, and digital music players. Sales of Flash devices represented approximately 1%, 2% and 3% of the Company's net sales in 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. Currently, the Company's Flash offerings are comprised of NOR-based products.

        Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor ("CMOS") Image Sensors    Image sensors are semiconductor devices that capture images and process them into pictures or video for a variety of consumer and industrial applications. The Company's CMOS image sensors are used in products such as cellular phone cameras, digital cameras, consumable pill cameras for medical use, automotive headlight dimming and motion tracking systems. CMOS imaging is a new market for the Company. The CMOS imaging market is expected to grow significantly over the next several years. Sales for CMOS image sensors accounted for less than 1% of the Company's net sales in 2003.

Manufacturing

        The Company is a leading global provider of semiconductor products with manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Italy, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and Scotland. The Company's manufacturing facilities operate 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

        The Company's process for manufacturing semiconductor products is complex, involving a number of precise steps, including wafer fabrication, assembly, burn-in and final 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 die size, number of mask layers and yield of acceptable die produced on each wafer. Other factors that contribute to manufacturing costs are wafer size, number of fabrication steps, cost and sophistication of manufacturing equipment, equipment utilization, process complexity, cost of raw materials, labor productivity, package type and cleanliness of the manufacturing environment. The Company is continuously enhancing production processes, reducing the die size of existing products and transitioning to higher density products. In 2003, the Company completed the migration of its manufacturing operations to its 130 nanometer ("nm") line-width process technology and transitioned a portion of its manufacturing operations to its 110 nm line-width process technology. The Company expects to transition a majority of its manufacturing operations to 110 nm line-width process technology in 2004.

        Wafer fabrication occurs in a highly controlled, clean environment to minimize dust and other yield-and quality-limiting contaminants. Despite stringent manufacturing controls, dust particles, equipment errors, minute impurities in materials, defects in photomasks and circuit design marginalities or other problems cause wafers to be scrapped or individual circuits to be nonfunctional. Success of the

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Company's manufacturing operations depends largely on minimizing defects and thereby maximizing yield of high-quality circuits. In this regard, the Company employs rigorous quality controls throughout the manufacturing, screening and testing processes. The Company is able to recover many nonstandard devices by testing and grading them to their highest level of functionality.

        After fabrication, silicon wafers are separated into individual die. Functional die are sorted, connected to external leads and encapsulated in plastic packages. The Company assembles products in a variety of packages, including TSOP (thin small outline package), TQFP (thin quad flat package) and FBGA (fine pitch ball grid array). Each completed package is then inspected and tested. The Company also sells semiconductor products in unpackaged die form. The Company tests its products at various stages in the manufacturing process, performs high temperature burn-in on finished products and conducts numerous quality control inspections throughout the entire production flow. In addition, the Company uses its proprietary AMBYX™ line of intelligent test and burn-in systems to perform simultaneous circuit tests of DRAM die during the burn-in process, capturing quality and reliability data and reducing testing time and cost.

        A significant portion of the Company's memory products are assembled into memory modules for sale to customers. Memory modules consist of an array of memory components attached to printed circuit boards ("PCBs") that connect to computer systems or other electronic devices. Memory components are attached to PCBs in a soldering process performed by screen printing machines and high speed automated pick and place machines. Completed modules are tested by custom equipment and visually inspected.

        The Company has established a 300 mm production line at its Virginia facility and expects to qualify its 512 Meg DDR product from that facility for production by the end of calendar 2003. The Company expects to ramp this wafer fabrication facility towards a capacity of 10,000 wafer outs per week over the next two years.

        TECH Semiconductor Singapore Pte. Ltd. ("TECH")    TECH is a memory manufacturing joint venture in Singapore among Micron Technology, Inc., the Singapore Economic Development Board, Canon Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Company. TECH's semiconductor manufacturing facilities use the Company's product and process technology. Subject to specific terms and conditions, the Company has agreed to purchase all of the products manufactured by TECH. TECH supplied approximately 30%, 20% and 25% of the total megabits of memory produced by the Company in 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. The Company generally purchases semiconductor memory products from TECH at prices determined quarterly, based on a discount from average selling prices realized by the Company for the immediately preceding quarter. The Company performs assembly and test services on product manufactured by TECH. The Company also provides certain technology, engineering and training to support TECH. All of these transactions with TECH are recognized as part of the net cost of products purchased from TECH.

Availability of Raw Materials

        The Company requires raw materials that meet exacting standards, including several custom materials. The Company generally has multiple sources of supply; however, only a limited number of suppliers are capable of delivering certain raw materials that meet the Company's standards. Various factors could reduce the availability of raw materials such as silicon wafers, photomasks, chemicals, gases, lead frames and molding compound. In addition, any transportation problems could delay the Company's receipt of raw materials. Although raw materials shortages or transportation problems have not interrupted the Company's operations in the past, shortages may occur from time to time in the future. Also, lead times for the supply of raw materials have been extended in the past. If the Company's supply of raw materials is interrupted, or lead times are extended, results of operations could be adversely affected.

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Marketing and Customers

        Markets for the Company's products are categorized into computing and consumer, networking and telecommunications, and imaging. Approximately 82% of the Company's net sales for 2003 were to the computing market. Sales to both Dell Computer Corporation and Hewlett-Packard Company (including sales to Compaq Computer Corporation before the merger with Hewlett-Packard Company) exceeded 10% of the Company's net sales in 2003, 2002 and 2001, and aggregated 28%, 28% and 24% of the Company's net sales in 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively.

        The Company markets its semiconductor products primarily through its own direct sales force. The Company maintains inventory at locations in close proximity to certain key customers to facilitate rapid delivery of product shipments. The Company's products are also offered through independent sales representatives, distributors and Crucial Technology, the Company's web-based customer direct sales division. The Company's products are offered under the Micron, SpecTek and Crucial brand names, and under other private labels. The Company maintains sales offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Japan. Sales representatives obtain orders subject to final acceptance by the Company and are compensated on a commission basis. The Company makes shipments against these orders directly to the customer. Distributors carry the Company's products in inventory and typically sell a variety of other semiconductor products, including competitors' products.

        The semiconductor memory industry is characterized by volatile market conditions, declining average selling prices, rapid technological change, frequent product introductions and enhancements, difficult product transitions and relatively short product life cycles. Technology transitions, resulting from changing market demand, can make it very difficult to optimize product mix. In addition, diversification of the DRAM market continues, with diverse memory needs being driven by the different requirements of desktop and notebook PCs, servers, workstations, handheld devices, and communications, industrial and other applications that demand specific memory solutions. Many of the Company's customers require a thorough review or qualification of semiconductor products, which may take several months. As the Company further diversifies its product lines and reduces the die sizes of existing memory products, more products become subject to qualification. There can be no assurance that new products will be qualified for purchase by existing or potential customers.

Backlog

        Volatile industry conditions make customers reluctant to enter into long-term, fixed-price contracts. Accordingly, new order volumes for the Company's semiconductor products fluctuate significantly. Orders are typically accepted with acknowledgment that the terms may be adjusted to reflect market conditions at the date of shipment. Customers can change delivery schedules or cancel orders without significant penalty. For these reasons, the Company does not believe that its order backlog as of any particular date is a reliable indicator of actual sales for any succeeding period.

Product Warranty

        Because the design and production process for semiconductor products is highly complex, it is possible that the Company may produce products that do not comply with customer specifications, contain defects or are otherwise incompatible with end uses. In accordance with industry practice, the Company generally provides a limited warranty that its products are in compliance with Company specifications existing at the time of delivery. Under the Company's general 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 the Company may provide more extensive limited warranty coverage and general legal principles may impose more extensive liability than that provided under the Company's general terms and conditions.

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Competition

        The Company faces intense competition from a number of companies, including Elpida Memory, Inc., Hynix Semiconductor, Inc., Infineon Technologies AG and Samsung Electronics, Inc. Some of these competitors are large corporations or conglomerates that may have greater resources to withstand downturns in the semiconductor markets in which the Company competes, invest in technology and capitalize on growth opportunities. These competitors seek to increase silicon capacity, improve yields, reduce die size and minimize mask levels in their product designs. These factors have significantly increased worldwide supply and put downward pressure on prices.

        Historically, various governments have provided economic assistance to international competitors, which has enabled, or artificially supported, competitors' production of semiconductor memory, particularly DRAM. This factor is expected to lead to a continued increase in the supply of DRAM and other semiconductor products in future periods.

Research and Development

        To compete in the semiconductor memory industry, the Company must continue to develop technologically advanced products and processes. The Company believes that expansion of its semiconductor product offerings is necessary to meet expected market demand for specific memory solutions.

        Research and development ("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. The Company deems development of a product complete once the product has been thoroughly reviewed and tested for performance and reliability and is internally qualified for sale to customers. Because of the lead times necessary to manufacture the Company's products, the Company typically begins to process a significant volume of product before it is internally qualified. As a result, R&D expenses can vary significantly depending on the timing of product qualification. Product development costs are recorded as R&D expense. The Company's R&D expenses were $656.4 million, $561.3 million and $489.5 million in 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively.

        The Company's process technology R&D efforts are focused on its 110 nm, 95 nm and 80 nm line-width process technologies, which are designed to facilitate the Company's transition to next generation products. Additional R&D efforts include processes to support 300 mm wafer manufacturing, Flash, CMOS imagers, and new memory manufacturing materials. In addition to its process technology efforts, the Company continues to emphasize product designs that utilize advanced process technology. The Company has several product design centers around the world, the largest located at its headquarters in Boise, Idaho. Efforts toward the design and development of new products are concentrated on the Company's 512 Meg and 1 Gig DDR, DDR2, GDDR3, Flash memory products, CMOS imagers and other DRAM products, including reduced latency DRAM ("RLDRAM") and Cellular RAM. In addition, the Company has a facility at its Boise, Idaho site to develop leading edge photolithography mask technology.

International Sales

        Sales to customers outside the United States totaled $1.7 billion for 2003 and included $736.9 million in sales to the Asia Pacific region, $612.4 million in sales to Europe and $260.1 million in sales to Japan. International sales totaled $1.4 billion for 2002 and $1.8 billion for 2001. (See "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—Geographic Information.")

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Patents and Licenses

        The Company owns approximately 9,600 United States patents and 700 foreign patents. In addition, the Company has numerous United States and foreign patent applications pending. The Company's patents have terms expiring from 2003 through 2022.

        As is typical in the semiconductor and other high technology industries, from time to time, others have asserted, and may in the future assert, that the Company's products or processes infringe their product or process technology rights. The Company is currently engaged in litigation with Rambus, Inc. ("Rambus") relating to certain of Rambus' patents and certain of the Company's claims and defenses. Lawsuits between Rambus and the Company are pending in the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy. The Company is unable to predict the outcome of the Rambus suits or of other assertions of infringements made against the Company. A court determination that the Company's manufacturing processes or products infringe the product or process rights of others could result in significant liability and/or require the Company to make material changes to its products and/or manufacturing processes. Any of the foregoing results could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, results of operations or financial condition.

        The Company has a number of patent and intellectual property license agreements. Some of these license agreements require the Company to make one time or periodic payments. The Company may need to obtain additional patent licenses or renew existing license agreements in the future. The Company is unable to predict whether these license agreements can be obtained or renewed on acceptable terms.

Employees

        As of August 28, 2003, the Company had approximately 16,600 employees, including approximately 10,900 in the United States, 2,700 in the Asia Pacific region, 1,900 in Europe and 1,100 in Japan. The Company's employees in Italy are represented by labor organizations that have entered into national and local labor contracts with the Company. The Company's employment levels can vary depending on market conditions and the level of the Company's production, research and product and process development. Many of the Company's employees are highly skilled, and the Company's continued success depends in part upon its ability to attract and retain such employees. The loss of key Company personnel could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, results of operations or financial condition.

Environmental Compliance

        Government regulations impose various environmental controls on discharges, emissions and solid wastes from the Company's manufacturing processes. In 2003, the Company's wafer fabrication facilities continued to conform to the requirements of ISO 14001 certification. To continue certification, the Company met 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 the Company has not experienced any materially adverse effects on its operations from environmental or other government regulations, changes in the regulations could necessitate additional capital expenditures, modification of operations or other compliance actions.

Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant

        Officers of the Company are appointed annually by the Board of Directors. Directors of the Company are elected annually by the shareholders of the Company. Any directors appointed by the Board of Directors to fill vacancies on the Board serve until the next election by the shareholders. All

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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 28, 2003, the following executive officers and directors of the Company were subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Name

  Age
  Position
Steven R. Appleton   43   Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
Kipp A. Bedard   44   Vice President of Corporate Affairs
Robert M. Donnelly   64   Vice President of Computing and Consumer Group
Jan du Preez   46   Vice President of Networking and Communications Group
D. Mark Durcan   42   Chief Technical Officer and Vice President of Research and Development
Robert J. Gove   49   Vice President of Imaging
Jay L. Hawkins   43   Vice President of Operations
Roderic W. Lewis   48   Vice President of Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Michael W. Sadler   45   Vice President of Worldwide Sales
Wilbur G. Stover, Jr.   50   Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer
James W. Bagley   64   Director
Robert A. Lothrop   77   Director
Thomas T. Nicholson   67   Director
Gordon C. Smith   74   Director
William P. Weber   63   Director

        Steven R. Appleton joined the Company in February 1983 and has served in various capacities with the Company and its subsidiaries. Mr. Appleton first became an officer of the Company in August 1989 and has served in various officer positions with the Company since that time. From April 1991 until July 1992 and since May 1994, Mr. Appleton has served on the Company's Board of Directors. Since September 1994, Mr. Appleton has served as the Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company. Mr. Appleton is a member of the Board of Directors of National Semiconductor Corporation. Mr. Appleton holds a BA in Business Management from Boise State University.

        Kipp A. Bedard joined the Company in November 1983 and has served in various capacities with the Company and its subsidiaries. Mr. Bedard first became an officer of the Company in April 1990 and has served in various officer positions since that time. Since January 1994, Mr. Bedard has served as Vice President of Corporate Affairs for the Company. Mr. Bedard holds a BBA in Accounting from Boise State University.

        Robert M. Donnelly joined the Company in September 1988 and has served in various technical positions with the Company and its subsidiaries. Mr. Donnelly first became an officer of the Company in August 1989 and has served in various officer positions since that time. Mr. Donnelly holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Louisville.

        Jan du Preez joined the Company in June 2002 as Vice President of Networking and Communications Group. Mr. du Preez served as the President of Infineon Technologies North America Corporation from August 2000 until he joined the Company in June 2002. From October 1996 through July 2000, Mr. du Preez served as the Vice President of Memory Products Group for Infineon

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Technologies North America Corporation (formerly Siemens Semiconductors). Mr. du Preez holds Bachelors Degrees in Public Administration and Business Economics from the University of Pretoria and a Masters Degree in Commerce from Rand University.

        D. Mark Durcan joined the Company in June 1984 and has served in various technical positions with the Company and its subsidiaries since that time. Mr. Durcan served as Vice President, Process Research and Development from June 1996 through June 1997, at which time he became Chief Technical Officer and Vice President of Research and Development. Mr. Durcan holds a BS and MChE in Chemical Engineering from Rice University.

        Robert J. Gove joined the Company in March 1999 as Senior Director of Engineering and has served in various positions with the Company. In March 2002, he was appointed Vice President of Imaging. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Gove served as Vice President, Engineering, of Equator Technologies, Inc. Mr. Gove holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington and an MS in Electrical Engineering and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University.

        Jay L. Hawkins joined the Company in March 1984 and has served in various manufacturing positions for the Company and its subsidiaries. Mr. Hawkins served as Vice President, Manufacturing Administration from February 1996 through June 1997, at which time he became Vice President of Operations. Mr. Hawkins holds a BBA in Marketing from Boise State University.

        Roderic W. Lewis joined the Company in August 1991 and has served in various capacities with the Company and its subsidiaries. Mr. Lewis has served as Vice President of Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since July 1996. Mr. Lewis holds a BA in Economics and Asian Studies from Brigham Young University and a JD from Columbia University School of Law.

        Michael W. Sadler joined the Company in September 1992 as a Regional Sales Manager and has held various sales and marketing positions since that time. Mr. Sadler first became an officer of the Company in July 1997 and has served as Vice President of Worldwide Sales since November 2001. Mr. Sadler holds a BS in Information Systems and an MBA from the University of Santa Clara.

        Wilbur G. Stover, Jr.    joined the Company in June 1989 and has served in various financial positions with the Company and its subsidiaries. Since September 1994, Mr. Stover has served as the Company's Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Stover holds a BA in Business Administration from Washington State University.

        James W. Bagley became the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lam Research Corporation ("Lam"), a supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, in August 1997, upon consummation of a merger of OnTrak Systems, Inc. into Lam. Mr. Bagley is a member of the Board of Directors of Teradyne, Inc. He has served on the Company's Board of Directors since June 1997. Mr. Bagley holds a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State University.

        Robert A. Lothrop served as Senior Vice President of J.R. Simplot Company, an agribusiness company, from January 1986 until his retirement in January 1991. From August 1986 until July 1992 and since May 1994, Mr. Lothrop has served on the Board of Directors of the Company. Mr. Lothrop holds a BS in Engineering from the University of Idaho.

        Thomas T. Nicholson has served as Vice President and a Director of Honda of Seattle and Toyota of Seattle since 1988. Mr. Nicholson served from 1982 to May 2000 as President, and since May 2000 as Vice President, of Mountain View Equipment Company. He has served on the Company's Board of Directors since May 1980. Mr. Nicholson holds a BS in Agriculture from the University of Idaho.

        Gordon C. Smith has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of G.C. Smith L.L.C., a holding company for ranch operations and other investments, since May 2000. Mr. Smith served in various management positions from July 1980 until May 1988 for the J.R. Simplot Company. From

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May 1988 until his retirement in March 1994, Mr. Smith served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of J.R. Simplot Company. Prior to becoming Chief Executive Officer of J.R. Simplot Company, Mr. Smith served as its Chief Financial Officer for seven years. From September 1996 until September 1999, he served as President of Wesmar, Inc., a food service company. From February 1982 until February 1984 and since September 1990, he has served on the Company's Board of Directors. Mr. Smith holds a BS in Accounting from Idaho State University.

        William P. Weber served in various capacities with Texas Instruments Incorporated, a semiconductor manufacturing company, and its subsidiaries from 1962 until April 1998. From December 1986 until December 1993 he served as the President of Texas Instruments' worldwide semiconductor operations and from December 1993 until his retirement in April 1998, he served as Vice Chairman of Texas Instruments Incorporated. He has served on the Company's Board of Directors since July 1998. Mr. Weber holds a BS in Engineering from Lamar University and a MS in Engineering from Southern Methodist University.

        There is no family relationship between any director or executive officer of the Company.


Item 2. Properties

        The Company's corporate headquarters and principal semiconductor manufacturing, engineering, research and development, administrative and support facilities are located in Boise, Idaho.

        The Company has a number of other properties including wafer fabrication facilities located in Avezzano, Italy, Nishiwaki-City, Japan, and Manassas, Virginia; an assembly and test facility located on leased property in Singapore; a test facility located in Nampa, Idaho; and module assembly and test facilities located in East Kilbride, Scotland and leased in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The Company has a semiconductor manufacturing facility located in Lehi, Utah, being used to perform test operations.

        The Company also owns and leases a number of smaller facilities in locations throughout the world that are used for design, research and development, and sales and marketing activities.


Item 3. Legal Proceedings

        On August 28, 2000, the Company filed a declaratory judgment action against Rambus, Inc. ("Rambus") in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. On February 1, 2001, the Company amended its complaint. Pursuant to its amended complaint, the Company is seeking: (1) relief under the federal antitrust laws for violations by Rambus of Section 2 of the Sherman Act; (2) a declaratory judgment (a) that certain Rambus patents are not infringed by the Company, are invalid, and/or are unenforceable due to, among other reasons, Rambus' fraudulent conduct in misusing and enforcing those patents, (b) that the Company has an implied license to those patents and (c) that Rambus is estopped from enforcing those patents against the Company because of its conduct in the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council, a standard-setting organization; and (3) damages and declaratory relief for Rambus' breach of contract, fraud, deceptive trade practices, negligent misrepresentation, and conduct requiring the application of equitable estoppel. On February 15, 2001, Rambus filed an answer and counterclaim against the Company in Delaware denying the Company is entitled to relief, alleging infringement of the eight Rambus patents named in the Company's declaratory judgment claim, and seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief. A number of other suits between Rambus and the Company have been filed in Europe. On September 1, 2000, Rambus filed suit against Micron Semiconductor (Deutschland) GmbH in the District Court of Mannheim, Germany, alleging that certain SDRAM and DDR SDRAM products infringe German patent and utility model counterparts to European patent 525 068. On September 13, 2000, Rambus filed suit against Micron Europe Limited in the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division in London, England, alleging that certain SDRAM and DDR SDRAM products infringe the U.K. counterpart to European patent 525 068. On September 22, 2000, Rambus filed a complaint against the Company and Reptronic (a distributor of the Company's

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products) in Court of First Instance of Paris, France, alleging that certain SDRAM and DDR SDRAM products infringe the French counterpart to European patent 525 068. On September 29, 2000, the Company filed suit against Rambus in the Civil Court of Milan, Italy, alleging invalidity and non-infringement of the Italian counterpart to European patent 525 068. On September 29, 2000, Rambus filed a preliminary proceeding against the Company and EBV (a distributor of the Company's products) in the Civil Court of Monza, Italy, alleging that certain SDRAM products infringe the Italian counterpart to European patent 525 068, and seeking the seizure of certain materials and the entry of a preliminary injunction as to products manufactured at the Company's Avezzano, Italy, site. On December 21, 2000, an appeals panel of the Court of Monza held that the Monza trial court had no jurisdiction to adjudicate the seizure matter. The Monza trial court order that technical review proceedings continue with respect to the issue of preliminary injunction. On May 24, 2001, the trial court rejected Rambus' assertions of infringement and denied its request for a preliminary injunction. Rambus' appeal from the trial judge's ruling was rejected by the Monza appeals panel on July 18, 2001. On December 29, 2000, the Company filed suit against Rambus in the Civil Court of Avezzano, Italy, alleging invalidity and non-infringement of the Italian counterpart to European patent 1 004 956. On August 10, 2001, Rambus filed suit against the Company and Assitec (an electronics retailer) in the Civil Court of Pavia, Italy, alleging that certain DDR SDRAM products infringe the Italian counterpart to European patent 1 022 642. In its various European suits against the Company, Rambus is seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief. The Company is unable to predict the outcome of these suits. A court determination that the Company's manufacturing processes or products infringe the product or process rights of others could result in significant liability and/or require the Company to make material changes to its products and/or manufacturing processes. Any of the foregoing results could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, results of operations or financial condition.

        On June 17, 2002, the Company received a grand jury subpoena from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California seeking information regarding an investigation by the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (the "DOJ") into possible antitrust violations in the "Dynamic Random Access Memory" or "DRAM" industry. The Company is cooperating fully and actively with the DOJ in its investigation. Subsequent to the commencement of the DOJ investigation, a number of purported class action lawsuits were filed against the Company and other DRAM suppliers. Sixteen cases were filed between June 21, 2002, and September 19, 2002, in the following federal district courts: one in the Southern District of New York, five in the District of Idaho and ten in the Northern District of California. Each of the federal district court cases purports to be on behalf of a class of individuals and entities who purchased DRAM directly from the various DRAM suppliers during a specified time period commencing on or after October 1, 2001. The complaints allege price-fixing in violation of the Sherman Act and seek treble monetary damages, costs, attorneys' fees, and an injunction against the allegedly unlawful conduct. The foregoing federal district court cases have been transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (San Francisco) for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings. Eight additional cases were filed between August 2, 2002, and March 11, 2003, in the following California state superior courts: five in San Francisco County, one in Santa Clara County, one in Los Angeles County and one in Humbolt County. Each of the California state cases purports to be on behalf of a class of individuals and entities who indirectly purchased DRAM during a specified time period commencing December 1, 2001. The complaints allege violations of California's Cartwright Act and state unfair competition law and unjust enrichment and seek treble monetary damages, restitution, costs, attorneys' fees, and an injunction against the allegedly unlawful conduct. The foregoing California state cases have been transferred to San Francisco County Superior Court for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings. The Company is unable to predict the outcome of these suits. Based upon the Company's analysis of the claims made and the nature of the DRAM industry, the Company believes that class treatment of these cases is not appropriate and that any purported injury alleged by plaintiffs would be more appropriately resolved on a customer-by-customer basis. The Company can give no assurance that the final resolution will not result in significant liability

11



and will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, results of operations or financial condition.

        (See "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Certain Factors.")


Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

        There were no matters submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter of 2003.

12



PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

Market for Common Stock

        The Company's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is traded under the symbol "MU." The following table represents the high and low closing sales prices for the Company's common stock for each quarter of the Company's fiscal years 2003 and 2002, as reported by Bloomberg L.P.

 
  High
  Low
2003:            
  4th quarter   $ 15.38   $ 11.14
  3rd quarter     11.22     7.42
  2nd quarter     15.81     6.76
  1st quarter     18.76     11.75
2002:            
  4th quarter   $ 24.45   $ 17.25
  3rd quarter     39.50     22.47
  2nd quarter     39.01     27.16
  1st quarter     37.61     17.25

Holders of Record

        As of October 3, 2003, there were 3,978 shareholders of record of the Company's common stock.

Dividends

        The Company has not declared or paid cash dividends since 1996 and does not intend to pay cash dividends on its common stock for the foreseeable future.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

        The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the information set forth in Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

13




Item 6. Selected Financial Data

 
  2003
  2002
  2001
  2000
  1999
 
 
  (amounts in millions except per share amounts)

 
Net sales   $ 3,091.3   $ 2,589.0   $ 3,935.9   $ 6,362.4   $ 2,575.1  
Gross margin     (20.7 )   (110.6 )   110.7     3,248.1     628.1  
Operating income (loss)     (1,186.5 )   (1,025.3 )   (976.5 )   2,392.7     (19.6 )
Income (loss) from continuing operations     (1,273.2 )   (907.0 )   (521.2 )   1,547.7     (59.0 )
Loss from discontinued PC Operations, net of taxes and minority interest             (103.8 )   (43.5 )   (9.9 )
Net income (loss)     (1,273.2 )   (907.0 )   (625.0 )   1,504.2     (68.9 )

Diluted earnings (loss) per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  Continuing operations   $ (2.11 ) $ (1.51 ) $ (0.88 ) $ 2.63   $ (0.11 )
  Discontinued operations             (0.18 )   (0.07 )   (0.02 )
  Net income (loss)     (2.11 )   (1.51 )   (1.05 )   2.56     (0.13 )

Cash and short-term investments

 

$

921.8

 

$

985.7

 

$

1,678.3

 

$

2,466.4

 

$

1,613.5

 
Total current assets     2,037.0     2,118.8     3,137.7     4,720.1     2,689.6  
Property, plant and equipment, net     4,510.5     4,699.5     4,704.1     4,171.7     3,749.1  
Total assets     7,158.2     7,555.4     8,363.2     9,391.9     6,773.5  
Total current liabilities     993.0     752.7     687.0     1,447.1     731.2  
Long-term debt     997.1     360.8     445.0     931.4     1,527.5  
Total shareholders' equity     4,971.0     6,306.4     7,134.8     6,432.0     3,964.1  

        On August 6, 2001, Micron Electronics, Inc. ("MEI") completed its merger with Interland, Inc., in a stock-for-stock acquisition (the "Interland Merger"). Upon completion of the Interland Merger, MEI changed its name to Interland, Inc. ("Interland") and the Company's ownership interest was reduced from 61% to 43% of Interland's outstanding common stock. On August 30, 2001, the Company contributed all of its shares of Interland common stock to the Micron Technology Foundation.

        On May 31, 2001, MEI, then a 61% owned subsidiary of the Company, completed the disposition of its PC business. The selected financial data above presents the net effect of discontinued PC Operations separate from the results of the Company's continuing operations.

        Per share amounts reflect a two-for-one stock dividend on May 1, 2000.

        See "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Certain Factors" and "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements."

14



Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

        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 in "Gross Margin" regarding manufacturing cost reductions in future periods, the estimated amount of write-down remaining in inventory at the end of the first quarter of 2004 and relative gross margins on TECH products in the first quarter of 2004; in "Research and Development" regarding expenses related to, and initial product qualifications of, the Company's 300 mm production line; in "Restructure and Other Charges" regarding the effect of the restructure and the estimated cost savings in future periods; "Income Taxes" regarding taxes from the Company foreign operations and in "Liquidity and Capital Resources" regarding achievement of certain milestones associated with the Intel investment and regarding capital spending in 2004. The Company's actual results could differ materially from the Company's 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 "Certain Factors." This discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. All per share amounts are presented on a diluted basis. All tabular dollar amounts are in millions.

        The Company's fiscal year is the 52 or 53-week period ending on the Thursday closest to August 31. Fiscal years 2003, 2002 and 2001 each contained 52 weeks and ended on August 28, 2003, August 29, 2002, and August 30, 2001, respectively. The Company's fiscal 2004, which ends on September 2, 2004, contains 53 weeks and the first quarter of fiscal 2004, which ends on December 4, 2003, contains 14 weeks. All period references are to the Company's fiscal periods unless otherwise indicated.

Critical Accounting Policies

        The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and related disclosures. Estimates and judgments are based on historical experience, forecasted future events and various other assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Estimates and judgments may vary under different assumptions or conditions. The Company evaluates its estimates and judgments on an ongoing basis. Management believes the accounting policies below are critical in the portrayal of the Company's financial condition and results of operations and require management's most difficult, subjective or complex judgments.

        Contingencies:    The Company is subject to the possibility of various loss contingencies. Considerable judgment is necessary to estimate the probability and amount of any loss from such contingencies. An accrual is made when it is probable that a liability has been incurred or an asset has been impaired and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company accrues a liability and charges operations for the estimated costs of adjudication or settlement of asserted and unasserted claims existing as of the balance sheet date.

        Income taxes:    The Company is required to estimate its provision for income taxes and amounts ultimately payable or recoverable in numerous tax jurisdictions around the world. Estimates involve interpretations of regulations and are inherently complex. Resolution of income tax treatments in individual jurisdictions may not be known for many years after completion of any fiscal year. The Company is also required to evaluate the realizability of its deferred tax assets on an ongoing basis in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which requires the assessment of the Company's performance and other relevant factors when determining the need for a valuation allowance with respect to these deferred tax assets. Realizability of deferred tax assets is dependent on the Company's ability to generate future taxable income.

15



        Inventories:    Inventories are stated at the lower of average cost or market value. Cost includes labor, material and overhead costs, including product and process technology costs. Determining market value of inventories involves numerous judgments, including projecting average selling prices and sales volumes for future periods and costs to complete products in work in process inventories. To project average selling prices and sales volumes, the Company reviews recent sales volumes, existing customer orders, current contract prices, industry analysis of supply and demand, seasonal factors, general economic trends and other information. When these analyses reflect estimated market values below the Company's manufacturing costs, the Company records a charge to cost of goods sold in advance of when the inventory is actually sold. Differences in forecasted average selling prices used in calculating lower of cost or market adjustments can result in significant changes in the estimated net realizable value of product inventories and accordingly the amount of write-down recorded. Due to the volatile nature of the semiconductor memory industry, actual selling prices and volumes often vary significantly from projected prices and volumes and, as a result, the timing of when product costs are charged to operations can vary significantly. For example, a 5% variance in the estimated selling prices would have changed the estimated fair value of the Company's inventory by approximately $35 million at the end of the fourth quarter of 2003.

        U.S. GAAP provides for products to be grouped into categories in order to compare costs to market values. The amount of any inventory write-down can vary significantly depending on the determination of inventory categories. A majority of the Company's inventory has been categorized as volatile (primarily DRAM) or non-volatile (Flash). The major characteristics the Company considers in determining inventory categories are product type and markets.

        Product and process technology:    Costs incurred to acquire product and process technology or to patent technology developed by the Company are capitalized and amortized on a straight-line basis over periods currently ranging up to 10 years. The Company capitalizes a portion of costs incurred based on its analysis of historical and projected patents issued as a percent of patents filed. Capitalized product and process technology costs are amortized over the shorter of (i) the estimated useful life of the technology, (ii) the patent term or (iii) the term of the technology agreement.

        Property, plant and equipment:    The Company reviews for impairment the carrying value of property, plant and equipment when events and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset or group of assets may not be recoverable from the estimated future cash flows expected to result from its use and/or disposition. In cases where undiscounted expected future cash flows are less than the carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized equal to the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value of the assets. The estimation of future cash flows involves numerous assumptions which require judgment by the Company, including, but not limited to, future use of the assets for Company operations versus sale or disposal of the assets, future selling prices for the Company's products and future production and sales volumes. In addition, judgment is required by the Company in determining the groups of assets for which impairment tests are separately performed.

        Research and development:    Costs related to the conceptual formulation and design of products and processes are expensed as research and development when incurred. Determining when product development is complete requires judgment by the Company. The Company deems development of a product complete once the product has been thoroughly reviewed and tested for performance and reliability and is internally qualified for sale to customers. Subsequent to product qualification, product costs are valued in inventory.

16



Results of Operations

 
  2003
  2002
  2001
 
 
  (amounts in millions and as a percent of net sales)

 
Net sales   $ 3,091.3   100.0 % $ 2,589.0   100.0 % $ 3,935.9   100.0 %
Gross margin     (20.7 ) (0.7 )%   (110.6 ) (4.3 )%   110.7   2.8 %
Selling, general and administrative     358.2   11.6 %   332.3   12.8 %   524.1   13.3 %
Research and development     656.4   21.2 %   561.3   21.7 %   489.5   12.4 %
Restructure and other charges     116.3   3.8 %            
Operating loss     (1,186.5 ) (38.4 )%   (1,025.3 ) (39.6 )%   (976.5 ) (24.8 )%

        The Company's operating results in recent periods have been significantly affected by the timing of inventory write-downs and restructure charges. In the second quarter of 2003, the Company announced a series of cost-reduction initiatives including the shutdown of its 200 mm wafer fabrication line in Virginia, the discontinuance of certain product lines, including SRAM and TCAM products, and an approximate 10% reduction in its worldwide workforce. In connection with its restructure plan, the Company's results of operations for 2003 include restructure and related charges of $116.3 million. (See "Restructure and Other Charges" and "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—Restructure and Other Charges.")

        The following table summarizes the Company's operating losses absent the inventory write-downs and the estimated aggregate effects of previous write-downs and restructure charges. These adjusted amounts have not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, however the Company believes this information may be useful in assessing the effects of inventory write-downs and the restructure and related charges on the Company's operating loss and analyzing the Company's operating loss trends.

 
  2003
  2002
  2001
 
Operating loss:                    
  As reported   $ (1,186.5 ) $ (1,025.3 ) $ (976.5 )
  Period-end inventory write-down     4.2     173.6     465.8  
  Estimated net effect of previous write-downs     (179.1 )   (497.8 )   98.8  
  Restructure and related charges     116.3          
   
 
 
 
  As adjusted   $ (1,245.1 ) $ (1,349.5 ) $ (411.9 )
   
 
 
 

        The Company acquired substantially all of the assets of Toshiba Corporation's ("Toshiba") DRAM business as conducted by Dominion Semiconductor L.L.C. in Virginia on April 22, 2002. The Company's results of operations include results from these acquired operations after the acquisition date. The total purchase price of $327.9 million included cash and 1.5 million shares of the Company's common stock. The Company granted Toshiba an option to require the Company to repurchase on October 21, 2003, all of these shares for $67.5 million cash. Toshiba has exercised the option and the Company will redeem these shares in the first quarter of 2004. (See "Item 8. Financial Statements—Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—Redeemable Common Stock, and Acquisition of Toshiba Corporation DRAM Assets.")

        Net sales for 2003 increased by 19% as compared to 2002, primarily due to a 44% increase in megabits of memory sold. This increase was partially offset by a 17% decrease in average selling prices in 2003 as compared to 2002 for the Company's semiconductor memory products following a 53% decrease in average selling prices in 2002 as compared to 2001. The average selling price for the Company's primary product, the 256 Meg DDR, decreased approximately 30% comparing the fourth

17


quarter of 2003 to the fourth quarter of 2002. DDR products constituted 61% of the Company's megabits sold in 2003. Megabits produced increased 43% in 2003 compared to 2002 principally due to completion of the Company's process technology migration to 130 nanometer ("nm") and continuing transition to 110 nm geometries and improved manufacturing yields. Megabits sold in 2003 slightly outpaced production resulting in lower levels of finished goods inventories at the end of 2003 as compared to the end of 2002. Average selling prices for the fourth quarter of 2003 increased by approximately 15% as compared to the third quarter of 2003.

        Net sales for 2002 decreased by 34% as compared to 2001, primarily due to the 53% decline in average selling prices for the Company's semiconductor products. Megabits sold increased by approximately 45% in 2002 as compared to 2001.

        The Company's gross margin has been significantly affected by the timing of inventory write-downs. In recent periods, average selling prices for the Company's semiconductor products have been below costs, and accordingly, the Company's results of operations, cash flows and financial condition have been adversely affected. If the estimated market values of products held in finished goods and work in process inventories at a quarter end date are below the Company's manufacturing cost of these products, the Company recognizes a charge to cost of goods sold to write down the carrying value of inventories to their estimated market values. In recent years, the Company recorded charges to cost of goods sold to write down the carrying value of its inventories to their estimated market values. As these charges are recorded in advance of when inventory subject to the write-down is sold, gross margins in the period of sale are higher than they would be absent the effect of the previous write-downs.

        The following table sets forth adjusted gross margins absent the inventory write-downs and the estimated net effect of previous write-downs. These adjusted amounts have not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, however the Company believes this information may be useful in assessing the effects of inventory write-downs on the Company's gross margin and analyzing the Company's gross margin trends.

 
  2003
  2002
  2001
 
 
  (amounts in millions and as a percent of net sales)

 
Gross margin:                                
As reported   $ (20.7 ) (0.7 )% $ (110.6 ) (4.3 )% $ 110.7   2.8 %
Period-end inventory write down     4.2         173.6         465.8      
Estimated net effect of previous write-downs     (179.1 )       (497.8 )       98.8      
   
     
     
     
As adjusted   $ (195.6 ) (6.3 )% $ (434.8 ) (16.8 )% $ 675.3   17.2 %
   
     
     
     

        The Company's reported gross margin for 2003 improved as compared to 2002, primarily due to a decrease in per megabit manufacturing costs, partially offset by the 17% decrease in average selling prices for the Company's semiconductor products and the net effects of current and previous period inventory write-downs. The Company was able to significantly reduce per megabit manufacturing costs in 2003 through improvements in manufacturing efficiencies. During 2003, the Company completed its migration to 130 nm process technology and continued to transition to 110 nm technology. The Company expects to achieve further manufacturing cost reductions over the next several quarters in connection with the continued transition to 110 nm devices. The Company's gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2003 of $169.5 million benefited from the approximate 15% increase in average selling prices as compared to the third quarter of 2003. In the fourth quarter of 2003, the Company recognized a write-down of $4.2 million to record work in process and finished goods inventories, consisting primarily of Flash products, at their estimated market values.

18



        The Company's reported gross margin for 2002 decreased as compared to 2001, primarily due to the 53% decrease in average selling prices per megabit of memory, partially offset by the effects of inventory write-downs and reductions in per megabit manufacturing costs for the Company's semiconductor products.

        Of the cumulative inventory write-downs recognized, the Company estimates that approximately $65 million is associated with product remaining in inventory as of August 28, 2003. The Company estimates that approximately half of this amount will remain in inventory at the end of the first quarter of 2004.

        Subject to specific terms and conditions, the Company has agreed to purchase all of the products manufactured by its joint venture memory manufacturing operation, TECH Semiconductor Singapore Pte. Ltd. ("TECH"). TECH supplied approximately 30%, 20% and 25% of the total megabits of memory produced by the Company in 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. The Company generally purchases semiconductor memory products from TECH at prices determined quarterly, based on a discount from average selling price realized by the Company for the immediately preceding quarter. The Company performs assembly and test services on product manufactured by TECH. The Company also provides certain technology, engineering and training support to TECH. All of these transactions with TECH are recognized as part of the net cost of products purchased from TECH.

        Depending on market conditions, the gross margin from the sale of TECH products may be higher or lower than the gross margin from the sale of products manufactured by the Company's wholly-owned facilities. The Company realized significantly higher gross margin percentages on sales of TECH products than for products manufactured by its wholly-owned facilities in 2003 and 2002 and lower gross margins on sales of TECH products for 2001. The Company expects gross margins on sales of TECH products in the first quarter of 2004 to be higher than gross margins realized on products manufactured by the Company's wholly-owned facilities.

        Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses increased in 2003 as compared to 2002, primarily due to costs associated with outstanding legal matters. SG&A decreased in 2002 as compared to 2001. SG&A for 2001 included a contribution charge of $94.1 million for the market value of the Company's equity interest in Interland, which was contributed to the Micron Technology Foundation, and $62.6 million from the Company's Web-hosting Operations, which were disposed of in August 2001. In addition, technical and professional fees associated with the implementation of the Company's business software and legal costs were lower in 2002 as compared to 2001. (See "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note