Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

 

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

OR

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

OR

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ____________ to ____________

 

Commission file number: 000-49842

 

CEVA, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware

77-0556376

Delaware77-0556376

(State or other jurisdiction of

(I.R.S. Employer

incorporation or organization)

Identification No.)

 
Identification No.)

15245 Shady Grove Road, Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20850

20850

1174 Castro Street, Suite 210, Mountain View, California94040

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

(650)417-7900

(240) 308-8328

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, $0.001 par value$.001 per share

CEVA

The NASDAQ GLOBAL MARKETStock Market LLC

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

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes ☐                           No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

Yes ☐                           No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes ☒                           No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of RegulationS-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Yes ☒                            No ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of RegulationS-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form10-K or any amendment to this Form10-K.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, anon-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” inRule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

                  

Large accelerated filer Accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)Smaller reporting company

Emerging growth company  ☐��

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b).  ☐ 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes ☐                           No ☒

As of June 30, 2017,2023, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held bynon-affiliates of the registrant was $666,888,000$384,171,050 based on the closing sale price as reported on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System National Market System on June 30, 2017.2023. Shares of common stock held by each officer, director, and holder of 5% or more of the outstanding common stock of the Registrant have been excluded from this calculation in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

 

Class

 

Outstanding at February 22, 2018

March 4, 2024

Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share

 22,219,42723,633,387 shares

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for its Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 17, 201821, 2024 (the “2018“2024 Proxy Statement”) are incorporated by reference into Item 5 of Part II and Items 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 of Part III.

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

PART I 
  Page
Item 1.

Business

45
Item 1A.

Risk Factors

13
Item 1B.

Unresolved Staff Comments

30
Item 1C.Cybersecurity2531
Item 2.

Properties

2532
Item 3.

Legal Proceedings

2632
Item 4.

Mine Safety Disclosures

32
  26
 
PART II 
Item 5.

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

2834
Item 6.Reserved

Selected Financial Data35

30
Item 7.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

3236
Item 7A.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

5154
Item 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

5255
Item 9.

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

5255
Item 9A.

Controls and Procedures

5255
Item 9B.

Other Information

56
  53
 
PART III 
Item 10.

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

5457
Item 11.

Executive Compensation

5457
Item 12.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stock Holder Matters

5457
Item 13.

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

5457
Item 14.

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

57
  54
 
PART IV 
Item 15.

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

58
Item 16.Form 10-K Summary5562
Financial StatementsF-1
 F-1 
Signatures 

1

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INDUSTRY DATA

This Annual Report contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that if they materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of CEVACeva to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally written in the future tense and/or are preceded by words such as “will,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “suggest,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” or other similar words. Forward-looking statements include the following:

 

Our belief that our IP licensing and royalty business model offers key advantages and is the best vehicle for a pervasive adoption of our technology;

Our belief that there is growing demand for smart edge devices and for IPs that enable smart edge devices to connect, sense and infer data more reliably and efficiently, and our strategies to take full advantage of this growing demand;

Our belief that our technical support services are a means to assist our customers to embed our highly complex technologies in their designs and products, and that effective technical support enables our customers to shorten the time to market for their applications;

Our views as to the principal competitive elements in our field and our belief that we compete effectively in these areas;

Our belief that due to rapid technological change, factors such as the technological and creative skills of our personnel, new product developments and enhancements to existing products are more important than specific legal protections of our technology in establishing and maintaining a technology leadership position;

Our expectation that we will receive fewer grants from the Israel Innovation Authority in the future relative to past periods;

Our belief that the collective experience of our cybersecurity team allows us to effectively manage risks emerging from cybersecurity threats, and that cybersecurity threats are not reasonably likely to affect our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition;

Our expectations around the opportunities for growth and value creation for our investors in connection with the refocusing of our efforts on our core strengths of IP development and licensing following the sale of the Intrinsix business;

Our belief that our portfolio of wireless communications and sensing and Edge AI technologies address some of the most important megatrends, including 5G, generative AI, industrial automation and vehicle electrification, and our belief in the continued interest in our IP portfolio due to these trends, in both traditional and new areas;

Our belief that our Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ultra Wide Band (UWB) and cellular IoT IPs allow us to address the high volume IoT industrial, consumer and smart home markets, and our expectation that the overall addressable market size will be more than 15 billion devices annually by 2027 based on research from ABI Research;

Our belief that Wi-Fi represents a significant royalty revenue opportunity in connection with our dominant market position in licensing Wi-Fi 6 and our leadership position in Wi-Fi 7 IP;

Our belief that our PentaG2 platform and digital signal processors (DSPs) for 5G mobile broadband and 5G RedCap is the most comprehensive baseband processor IP platform in the industry today and provides newcomers and incumbents with a comprehensive solution to address the need for 5G processing for smartphones, fixed wireless access, satellite communications and a range of connected devices such as robots, cars, smart cities and other devices for industrial applications;

Our belief that companies increasingly seek to license proven IPs, such as processor cores, connectivity products, memory and application-specific platforms, from silicon intellectual property companies like CEVA rather than develop those technologiesin-house;
2

 

Our belief that our PentaG RAN platform for 5G RAN settings is the most comprehensive baseband processor IP in the industry today and provides customers and incumbents with a comprehensive solution to address the need for 5G and other communications in data centers and infrastructure;

Our belief that the high volume consumer audio markets, including True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds, smartwatches, AR and VR headsets, and other wearable assisted devices, offers an incremental growth segment for our Bluetooth, Audio AI DSPs and software IPs, and our belief in the capabilities of our RealSpace Spatial Audio & Head Tracking Solution, WhisPro speech recognition technology and ClearVox voice input software to enhance the user experience and offer premium features;

Our belief that our SensPro2 sensor hub AI DSP family can address the growing demand for efficient, high-performance signal processing in sensor-based applications across various industries for applications such as smartphones, automotive safety (ADAS), autonomous driving, drones, robotics, security and surveillance, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), natural language processing and voice recognition, which enables us to address the transformation in devices enabled by these applications and expand our footprint and content in smartphones, drones, consumer cameras, surveillance, ADAS, voice-enabled devices and industrial IoT applications;

Statements regarding third-party estimates of industry growth and future market conditions, including research from Bloomberg Intelligence which forecasts that hardware revenue associated with computer vision AI products and conversational AI devices will reach $61 billion and $108 billion, respectively, by 2030, indicating the size of the market opportunity;

Our belief that our newest generation family of AI neural processing units (NPUs) present a highly efficient and high-performance architecture to enable generative and classic AI on any device including communication gateways, optically connected networks, cars, notebooks and tablets, AR/VR headsets, smartphones, and any other cloud or edge use case from the edge all the way to the cloud, and that more than 2.5 billion Edge AI devices will ship annually by 2026 based on research from Yole Group;

Our belief that our sensor fusion and spatial audio application software allows us to address an important technology piece used in personal computers, robotics, TWS earbuds, smart TVs and many other smart sensing IP products, in addition to our existing portfolio for camera-based computer vision and AI processing, and microphone-based sound processing;

Our belief that our customers can benefit from our capabilities as a complete, one-stop-shop for processing all classes and types of sensors;

Our belief that we are well positioned for long-term growth in shipments and royalty revenues derived from smart edge products as a result of our focus on silicon and software IP solutions that enable products to connect, sense and infer data;

Our belief that our ubiquitous technology and collaborative business model present a significant and secular growth prospect as the continuing digital transformation drives industries to become connected and intelligent;

Our intention to continue to capitalize on the semiconductor momentum with our portfolio of technologies to enable three main use cases associated with smart edge devices – connect, sense and infer, and to focus on four main markets which include consumer, automotive, industrial and infrastructure, and our belief that such markets are large, diversified and represent the greatest opportunities for long-term growth;

Our belief that there is a growing demand for high performance and low power signal processing IPs and specialized AI platforms incorporating all the necessary hardware and software for target applications and that we can capitalize on this industry shift;
3

 

Our belief that the adoption of our signal processing platform and artificial intelligence processors outside of the cellular baseband market continues to progress;

Our belief that our strategy will yield results amid a backdrop of difficult global, macroeconomic and industry phenomenon that continue to adversely affect the semiconductor industry and its end markets;

 

Our belief that we may benefit from the handset market transitioning from feature phones to LTE smartphones , if and when it occurs, particularly in emerging economies;

Any statements regarding sales trends and financial results for 2024 and other future periods, including our expectations with respect to future customers, contracts, revenues and expenses, regarding our customer pipeline, that a significant portion of our future revenues will continue to be generated by a limited number of customers in part due to consolidation in the semiconductor industry, that international customers will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenues for the foreseeable future, that an increasing portion of our new customers and revenues will be derived from international customers generally and sales to the Asia Pacific and China in particular, and that we can expand our customer base and revenues in Europe and the U.S.;

 

Our belief that we may benefit from the base station chip ramp up in coming years, as a large customer of ours is forecasted to start ramping up production in the second half of 2018;

Our belief that our cash and cash equivalents, short-term bank deposits and marketable securities, along with cash from operations, will provide sufficient capital to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months; and

 

Our belief that our Bluetooth andWi-Fi IPs allow us to expand further into IoT applications and increase our overall addressable market which is expected to be 35 billion devices by 2020, as per ABI Research;

Our belief that fluctuations in high interest rates within our investment portfolio will not have a material effect on our financial position on an annual or quarterly basis.

 

Our belief that our proven track record in audio/voice processing and the growing market potential for voice assisted services offer an additional market opportunity for the company in voice enabled devices such as smartphones, headsets, earbuds, smart speakers, smart home and automotive;

Our belief that our specialization and competitive edge in signal processing platforms for next generation long and short range wireless such as 5G, NB-IoT, 802.11ac and 802.11axWi-Fi technologies, and the inherent low cost, power and performance balance of our designs, put us in a strong position to simultaneously capitalize on mass market adoption of such technologies and address multiple markets and product sectors;

Our belief that our vision processing IPs, neural net software and coprocessor hardware IPs and the newly announced AI processor, offer additional growth potentials in both licensing and royalty revenues in segments such as smartphones, tablets, drones, surveillance, automotive ADAS and industrial IoT applications;

Our belief that the transformation in vision processing and neural net software and hardware needs is an opportunity for us to expand our footprint in smartphones, tablets, drones, surveillance, automotive ADAS and industrial IoT applications;

Per ABI Research, cameras equipped with vision processing are expected to exceed 2.7 billion units by 2018;

Our belief that the market opportunity for AI at the edge is on top of our existing product lines and represents a new licensing and royalty driver for the company in the coming years;

Our belief that royalty revenue growth in the next few years fornon-handset baseband applications will be a combination of higher unit shipments of Bluetooth products that bear lower ASPs, along with higher ASPs driven by base station and vision products;

Our belief that our licensing business is progressing well with strong interest, diverse customer base and a myriad of target markets;

Our anticipation that our research and developments costs will increase in 2018 as compared to prior years, partially due to accelerated strategic research and development programs for artificial intelligence processors and further collaboration with our customers to expedite their productionramp-ups, as well as from higher expenses associated with foreign currency exchange effects due to the devaluation mainly of the USD compared to the NIS and Euros;

Our anticipation that our cash and cash equivalents, short-term bank deposits and marketable securities, along with cash from operations, will provide sufficient capital to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months; and

Our belief that changes in interest rates within our investment portfolio will not have a material effect on our financial position on an annual or quarterly basis.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this report are based on information that is currently available to us and expectations and assumptions that we deem reasonable at the time the statements were made. We do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements in this report or in any of our other communications, except as required by law. All such forward-looking statements should be read as of the time the statements were made and with the recognition that these forward-looking statements may not be complete or accurate at a later date.

Many factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this report. These factors include, but are not limited to, those risks set forth in Item 1A: Risk Factors.

This report contains market data prepared by third party research firms. Actual market results may differ from their projections. This report includes trademarks and registered trademarks of CEVA.Ceva. Products or service names of other companies mentioned in this Annual Report onForm 10-K may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

4

PART I

 

ITEM 1.

BUSINESS

Company Overview

Headquartered in Mountain View, California, CEVARockville, Maryland, Ceva is the leader in innovative silicon and software IP solutions that enable smart edge products to connect, sense, and infer data more reliably and efficiently. With the industry’s only portfolio of comprehensive communications and scalable Edge AI IP, Ceva powers the connectivity, sensing, and inference in today’s most advanced smart edge products across consumer IoT, mobile, automotive, infrastructure, industrial, and personal computing. More than 17 billion of the world’s most innovative smart edge products from AI-infused smartwatches, IoT devices and wearables to autonomous vehicles, 5G mobile networks and more are powered by Ceva.

Ceva is a trusted partner to over 400 of the leading licensorsemiconductor and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) companies targeting a wide variety of signal processing platformscellular and artificial intelligence processors for a smarter, connected world. We partner with semiconductor companies and OEMs worldwide to create power-efficient, intelligent and connected devices for a range ofIoT end markets, including mobile, PC, consumer, automotive, smart-home, surveillance, robotics, industrial and IoT. Ourultra-low-power hardware IPs and software solutions address many of the most complex technologies for imaging and computer vision, neural networks, sound, long (cellular) and short range wireless and artificial intelligent (AI) processors. Our portfolio includes comprehensive platforms for 5G baseband processing for handsets and RAN, completeend-to-end offerings for cellular IoT,front-end voice software and algorithms along with DSPs for voice enabled devices and AI assistants, advanced imaging computer vision for any camera-enabled device, and a family of self-contained AI processors that address a wide range of applications. For short range wireless, we offer the industry’s most widely adopted IPs for Bluetooth (low energy and dual mode) andWi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax up to 4x4).

Our technologies are licensed to leading semiconductor and OEM companies throughout the world. These companiesmedical. The customers incorporate our IP into application-specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”)(ASICs) and application-specific standard products (“ASSPs”)(ASSPs) that they manufacture, market and sell intoto consumer electronics companies. Our application software IP is licensed primarily to OEMs who embed it in their System on Chip (SoC) designs to enhance the user experience, and OEMs also license our hardware IP products and solutions for their SoC designs to create power-efficient, intelligent, secure and connected devices.

Ceva’s wireless consumer, automotivecommunications, sensing and IoT companies. Ourstate-of-the-art technology has shippedEdge AI technologies are at the heart of some of today’s most advanced smart edge products. From Bluetooth connectivity, Wi-Fi, ultra-wide band (UWB) and 5G platform IP for ubiquitous, robust communications, to scalable Edge AI neural processing unit (NPU) IPs, sensor fusion processors and embedded application software that make devices smarter.

Ceva is a sustainability and environmentally conscious company. We have adopted both a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and a Sustainability Policy, in more than 9 billion chipswhich we emphasize and focus on environmental preservation, recycling, the welfare of our employees and privacy – which we promote on a corporate level. At Ceva, we are committed to date for a wide rangesocial responsibility, values of diverse end markets. One in three handsets sold worldwide is powered by CEVA.preservation and consciousness towards these purposes.

Our revenue mix comprises primarily of IP licensing fees and related revenues and royalties generated from the shipments of products deploying our IP. Related revenues include revenues from post contract support, training and sale of development systems.systems and chips.

We have built a strong network of licensing customers who relywere initially incorporated in Delaware on our technologies to deploy their silicon solutions. Our comprehensive customer base includes many ofNovember 22, 1999 under the world’s leading semiconductors and OEMs. Actions, ASR, Autotalks, Beken, Brite, Broadcom, Celeno, Cirrus Logic, Dialog Semiconductor,name DSP Group, Espressif, FujiFilm, iCatch, Intel, Leadcore, LG Electronics, Mediatek, Nextchip, Novatek, NXP, ON Semiconductor, Oticon, Panasonic, RDA, Renesas, Rockchip, Rohm, Samsung, Sanechips, Sharp, Silver Spring Networks, Socionext, Sony, Socionext, Spreadtrum, STMicroelectronics, Toshiba, Vatics, Yamaha and ZTE all leverage CEVA’s industry-leading processors, platforms and connectivity IPs.

CEVACores, Inc. The current company was created through the combination of the DSP IP licensing division of DSP Group, Inc. and Parthus Technologies plc (“Parthus”)(Parthus) in November 2002. On July 4, 2014, we acquired 100% of RivieraWaves SAS, a privately-held, French company and a provider of wireless connectivity intellectual property forWi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies.

We have over 300more than 450 employees worldwide, with research and development facilities in Israel, France, Serbia, Ireland, and the United States, the United Kingdom and from 2024 also in Greece, and sales and support offices throughout Asia Pacific (APAC), Japan, Sweden, France, Israel and the United States.

CEVA is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “CEVA”.

Industry Background

DSP Cores

Digital signal processing is a key technology that is powering many of today’s fastest growing electronics markets. Digital signal processors (DSPs) are specialized high-speed processors that are optimized for performing repetitive arithmetic calculations on an array of data. DSPs provide the foundation supporting a vast

majority of today’s electronic products that are smart and connected and enable sensing and wireless communications capabilities (e.g. LTE and 5G baseband processing, computer vision, deep neural network, sound processing and analytics).

AI Processors

Artificial intelligence processors are a new breed of processors designed to enableAI-related workloads such as classification, pattern matching, prediction and detection to be performed on a device, with no cloud connection required. These processors mimic the human brain, allowing them to perform cognitive tasks for a wide range of functions, including vision, sound, real-time translation, user behavior and malware detection. AI processors will make their way into billions of devices in the coming years, including IoT, mobile, medical, industrial and automotive applications.

Short Range Wireless IPs

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Bluetooth low energy and dual modeUWB are key technologies for any company looking to address theInternet-of-Things (“IoT”). mobile, SmartHome, Enterprise, and IoT end markets. Moreover, many companies wish to integrate these connectivity technologies into SoC designs rather than provide connectivity through an additional chip in the system. Through our connectivity business unit, we are able to expand further into theYet, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth smart connectivity markets.standards are constantly evolving, and the many new end applications are looking to benefit from these enhancements, which put further pressure on time to market on SoC vendors. The advent of IoT has resulted in significant demand for connectivity IPs that solves a crucial void in many companies’ strategies to address this burgeoning market.Wi-Fimarket, which includes smart True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds, wearables, health monitoring, smart speakers, smart home appliances, and Bluetooth standards are constantly evolving,many other consumers and the many different end applications where these technologies are being deployed require further customization.IoT devices. By licensing rather than developing these technologies in house,in-house, companies can now get access to the latest standards and profiles from CEVACeva without undertaking the expensive research and development costs required to develop these technologies internally.

Cellular IoT IPs

Cellular IoT, and specifically Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), LTE Cat-1 and the upcoming RedCap standards have become key technologies for any company wishing to connect low power IoT devices over long distances, using cellular networks. By its nature, cellular is a very complex technology, with most of the industry knowledge held within a few large companies. By providing low power cellular digital signal processor (DSP) cores and platforms, we help companies overcome the entry barriers to the cellular IoT market without undertaking the complex and expensive R&D to develop these technologies internally.

5G/5G Advanced User Equipment and Infrastructure IPs

As 5G networks continue to be deployed globally, new use cases and applications that leverage the standard’s enormous bandwidth and ultra-low latency are emerging, including fixed wireless access, private networks and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, to name but a few. Ceva’s latest generation Ceva-XC20 DSP and PentaG2 platform IP effectively lower the high entry barriers for network equipment manufacturers, IoT companies and newcomers who wish to address these huge market opportunities by providing comprehensive IPs on which to build their 5G/5G Advanced SoC and ASICs, while reducing the time-to-market, risk, effort and associated cost.

Sensor Fusion

Inertial and environmental sensors based on micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) are used in an increasing number of devices, including smartphones, laptops, robots, TWS earbuds, spatial audio headsets, smart TVs, remote controls, AR and VR headsets, drones and many other consumer and industrial devices. The software required to process the sensor data and fuse the data from multiple sensors is complex and requires unique specialization. By licensing rather than developing this sensor processing software in-house, companies can focus their efforts developing the applications that utilize the processed sensor data to create differentiated, contextually aware devices. In addition, the processors required to combine the data from these sensors and run the applications are performance intensive and increasingly require specialized architectures that can handle a combination of traditional DSP processing and AI processing. Ceva’s SensPro sensor fusion AI DSPs offer a combination of high performance single and half precision floating-point math for powertrain and Radar applications along with a large amount of 8- and 16-bit parallel processing capacity required for deep neural network (DNN) inference processing.

NPUs

Neural processing units (NPUs) are specialized processors designed to accelerate neural network computations, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. NPUs are optimized for performing complex mathematical operations required by neural networks, such as matrix multiplications and convolutions, much more efficiently than traditional processors like CPUs or GPUs. Ceva's NeuPro NPU is tailored to meet the demands of AI applications. Offering high-performance inference capabilities while being power-efficient and offering high utilization, making it suitable for a wide range of smart edge devices, including smartphones, IoT devices, automotive, surveillance, and other smart cameras.

Design Gap

The demand for smarter, better connected mobile,smart edge devices, consumer, automotive, industrial, infrastructure, mobile and IoT devices continuesPC markets continue to grow. These devices require morefaster and low power connectivity, greater feature sets and a richer user experience.experience that is aware and predictive. Semiconductor manufacturers face ever growing pressures to make smaller, feature-rich integrated circuits that are more reliable, less expensive and have greater performance. These two trends are occurring concurrently in the face of decreasing product lifecycles and constrained battery power. The advent of wireless and connectivity technologies like 5G,5G-Advanced, Wi-Fi 802.11ac 7 and Bluetooth 5 and multimedia technologiesthe diverse sensor related workloads required to make a device smart, such as advanced image enhancement, computer vision, deep learning andAI inferencing, voice and audiopre- and post-processingpost- processing, spatial audio and motion sensor fusion have further increased these pressures. While semiconductor manufacturing processes have advanced significantly to allow a substantial increase in the number of circuits placed on a single chip, resources for design capabilities have not kept pace with the advances in manufacturing processes, resulting in a growing “design gap” between the increasing manufacturing potential and the constrained design capabilities.

CEVA

Cevas Business

CEVA

Ceva addresses the requirements of the consumer, industrial, infrastructure, mobile consumer, automotive, industrial and IoTPC markets by designing and licensing a broad range of robust application-specific signal processingprocessors, platforms and software which enablestreamline the rapid design of solutions for developing a wide variety of applications, including communications & connectivity, audio & voice, imaging & visionapplication specific solutions that address the connect, sense and storage.infer use cases of smart edge devices.

Given the “design gap,” as well as the increasing complexity and the unique skill set required to develop asystem-on-chip, smart edge SoC, many semiconductor design and manufacturing companies increasingly choose to license proven intellectual property, such as processor cores (e.g. DSP, CPU, GPU and AI),NPU, connectivity products,platforms (e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ultra Wideband, 5G) and software algorithms (e.g. sensor fusion, sound, spatial audio) and memory and application-specific platforms,physical IPs from silicon intellectual property (SIP) companies like CEVACeva rather than develop those technologiesin-house. In addition, with more complex designs and shorter time to market, it is no longer

cost efficient and becoming progressively more difficult for most semiconductor companies to develop the signal processing platform, incorporating the DSP, subsystemcomplex DSPs like scalar and software, for their target application. Forvector and NPUs and related graph compilers and data connectivity with ever-evolving standardsmodem and a huge variety of uses, most semiconductor companies cannot develop and maintain this technologyin-house.PHY platforms. As a result, companies increasingly seek to license these IPs from CEVACeva or a third-party community of developers, such as CEVAnet, CEVA’s third-party network.developers.

Our IP Business Model

Our objectivemission is for our CEVA signal processingCeva to be the partner of choice for transformative IP solutions for the smart edge. Our platforms for connect, sense and AI processorsinfer use cases in smart edge devices enables us to becomeaddress the de facto technologies across the mobile,high volume markets of consumer, automotive, industrial, infrastructure, mobile and IoT markets. To enable this goal,PC and work towards we license our technologies on a worldwide basis to semiconductor and OEM companies that design and manufacture products that combine CEVA-basedCeva-based solutions with their own differentiating technology.

We believe our business model offers us some key advantages. By not focusing on manufacturing or selling silicon products, we are free to widely license our technology and free to focus most of our resources on research and development. By choosing to license our IP, manufacturers can achieve the advantage of creating their own differentiated solutions and develop their own unique product roadmaps. Through our licensing efforts, we have established a worldwide community developing CEVA-basedCeva-based solutions, and therefore we can leverage their strengths, customer relationships, proprietary technology advantages, and existing sales and marketing infrastructure. As an example, our CEVA-XCnet partner program focuses on various technology and solution providers with complimentary offerings for ourCEVA-XC communication processor addressing wireless, infrastructure, smart grid and connectivity markets. In addition, as our intellectual property is widely licensed and deployed, system OEM companies can obtain CEVA-basedCeva-based chipsets from a wide range of suppliers, thus reducing dependence on any one supplier and fostering price competition, both of which help to contain the cost of CEVA-basedCeva-based products.

We operate a licensing and royalty business model. We typically charge a license fee for access to our hardware technology and a royalty fee for each unit of silicon which incorporates our hardware or software technology.

License and related fees are invoiced in accordance with agreed-upon contractual terms. Royalties are reported and invoiced one quarter in arrearsquarterly and generally are based on a fixed unit rate or a percentage of the sale price for the CEVA-basedCeva-based silicon product.

Strategy

We believe there is a growing demand for high performanceIPs that enable smart edge devices to connect, sense and low power signal processing IPsinfer data more reliably and specialized AI platforms incorporating all the necessary hardwareefficiently. We also recognize chip design skills and softwareexpertise are scarce nowadays and more companies are deciding to develop chips in-house, creating an even greater demand for target applications. IP.

Our IP portfolio is strategically aligned to allow us to exploit the most lucrative “design gaps” in the growing demand for smarter, connectedsmart edge devices. As CEVACeva offers expertise developing complete solutions in a number of key growth markets, including cellular baseband, wirelessconsumer, automotive, industrial, infrastructure, cellular IoT, advanced imaging,mobile and PC. For these markets, we offer a comprehensive portfolio of IPs which include various types of specialized platforms for 5G, computer vision, deep neural networks, sound, AI, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, UWB, cellular-IoT solutions, sensor fusion and audio processing and analytics,Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and AI, wespatial audio. We believe we are well positionedwell-positioned to take full advantage of this growing demand. To capitalize on this industry shift, we intend to:

 

continue to develop and enhance our range of DSP cores and AI processors with additional features, performance and capabilities;

develop and enhance our range of DSP/AI processing platforms and NPUs with additional features, performance and capabilities;

 

continue to develop and invest in our short range wireless IPs, providing the newest standards and the most complete offerings to address our customers’ needs;

develop and expand our short range wireless IPs and customer base, providing the newest standards and the most complete offerings to streamline our customers’ deployments;

 

continue to develop and enhance our range of complete and highly integrated platform solutions to deliver to our licensing partners a complete and verified system solution;

continue to develop new generation of high performance platforms incorporating DSPs and AI accelerators to pursue opportunities and grow our footprint in the 5G addressable markets including infrastructure, automotive, mobile broadband and cellular IoT;

 

continue to develop an ecosystem of third party partners developing software and solutions based on our technologies;

go up the “value chain” by adding and charging for software for our wireless, AI, voice, spatial audio and IMU (Inertial Measurement Units) products;

 

continue to invest in strategic technologies that enable us to strengthen our presence in existing market or enter new addressable markets;

capitalize on our relationships and leadership within our worldwide community of semiconductor and OEM licensees who are developing CEVA-based solutions;

expand our presence in NPU for smart edge SoC by capitalizing on our AI accelerators and CDNN graph compiler software technologies;

 

capitalize on our technology leadership in the development of advanced processor technologies and connectivity IPs to create and develop new, strategic relationships with OEMs and semiconductor companies to replace their internal DSPs or incumbent DSP suppliers with CEVA-based solutions; and

continue to prudently invest in strategic technologies that enable us to strengthen our presence in existing market or enter new addressable markets;

 

capitalize on our IP licensing and royalty business model which we believe is the best vehicle for a pervasive adoption of our technology and allows us to focus our resources on research and development of new licensable technologies and applications.

capitalize on our relationships and leadership within our worldwide community of semiconductor and OEM licensees who are developing Ceva-based solutions;

capitalize on our technology leadership in the development of advanced processor technologies, connectivity IPs and sensor fusion software to create and develop new, strategic relationships with OEMs and semiconductor companies to replace their internal solutions with Ceva-based solutions; and

capitalize on our IP licensing and royalty business model which we believe is the best vehicle for a pervasive adoption of our technology and allows us to focus our resources on research and development of new licensable technologies and applications.

Products

We are the leading licensor of signal processing platformssilicon and a primary player insoftware IP that enables smart edge devices to connect, sense and infer data more reliably and efficiently. Our wireless communications, sensing and Edge AI technologies are at the heart of some of today’s most advanced smart edge products. From Bluetooth connectivity, Wi-Fi, UWB and 5G platform IP for ubiquitous, robust communications, to scalable Edge AI NPU IPs, sensor fusion processors for semiconductor companies and OEMs servingembedded application software that make devices smarter, we have the mobile, consumer, automotive, industrialbroadest portfolio of IP to connect, sense and IoT markets. Our portfolio includes comprehensive platforms for 5G baseband processing for handsetsinfer data more reliably and infrastructure, completeend-to-end offerings for cellular IoT,front-end voice software and algorithm along with DSPs for voice enabled devices, advanced imaging and computer vision, deep neural network for any camera-enabled device, and a family of self-contained AI processors that address a wide range of applications. For short range wireless, we offer the industry’s most widely adopted IPs for Bluetooth (low energy and dual mode) andWi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax up to 4x4).

efficiently. Our categories of products include the following:

 

 

1)

Communications5G Mobile and Infrastructure

Ceva-XC vector DSPs for 5G handsets, 5G RAN, and general purpose baseband processing

PentaG2 - 5G NR modem platform for UE and for non-handset 5G vertical markets like Fixed Wireless Access, Industry 4.0, robotics and AR/VR devices that requires ultra-low-latency systems

PentaG-RAN

2)

Wireless IoT

RivieraWaves’ Bluetooth 5dual mode and low energy platforms

RivieraWaves’ Wi-Fi (6 and 7 up to 4x4) platforms

 

5G DSPs for gNodeB
8


PentaG—5G modem platform for UE (announced in 2018)

Dragonfly—Completeend-to-end offering for narrowband IoT(NB-IoT)

SDR DSPs for complex signal processing targeting V2X, satellites, smart grid, G.fast andWi-Fi

 

 2)

Imaging & vision

UWB platform

 

Imaging and computer vision platforms, including processors, accelerators and software framework for any camera-enabled device

Deep neural network software

 3)

Sound

Cellular IoT and RedCap platforms

 

DSPs, algorithms and software for sound-enabled application, including complete voicefront-end software package for near andfar-field voice-enabled devices

 

4)3)

AI at the edgeSense & Inference Processors & Platforms

 

NeuPro family of specialized AI processors designed to target any neural network workload (vision, sound, user behavior, real-time translation etc.) and scaling in performance to address IoT through to automotive (announced in 2018)

 5)

Connectivity

NeuPro-M NPU family to address multiple markets like automotive, surveillance, mobile and more

 

RivieraWaves Bluetooth 5 dual mode and low energy platforms

SensPro2 sensor hub AI platforms addressing imaging, vision, powertrain, applications, including DSP processors, AI accelerators and a comprehensive software portfolio

 

RivieraWavesWi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac platforms

Ceva-BX1, Ceva-BX2 Audio AI DSPs

 

Wi-Fi 802.11ax platforms, scaling in performance to address low power wearables through to access points and infrastructure

4)

Sensing and Audio Software

RealSpace Spatial Audio software package for immersive spatial audio with head-tracking,

WhisPro speech recognition

ClearVox, a complete voice front-end software package for near and far-field voice-enabled devices

CDNN: deep neural network graph compiler that enables AI developers to automatically compile, optimize and run pre-trained networks onto embedded devices.

We deliver our DSP cores, platforms, AI DSPs and AI processorsNPUs in the form of a hardware description language definition (known as a soft core or a synthesizable core). All CEVA coresCeva hardware IPs can be manufactured on any process using any physical library, and all are accompanied by a complete set of tools and an integrated development environment. An extensive third-party network supports CEVA DSP cores,Ceva platforms, AI DSPs and AI processorsNPUs with a wide range of complementing software and platforms. In addition, we provide development platforms, software development kits and software debug tools, which facilitate system design, debug and software development.

In order to reduce the cost, complexity, and risk in bringing products to market, CEVACeva has developed a suite of system platforms and solutions. These platforms and solutions combine the hardware and software elements that are essential for designers deploying CEVA’sCeva’s state-of-the-art platforms, AI DSP cores platforms and AI processors. Platforms typically integrate a CEVA DSP core, hardware accelerators and coprocessors, optimized software, libraries and tool chain.NPUs. Our family ofDSP-based platforms are targeted for baseband processing within mobile, cellular handsets, Machine to Machine (M2M) typeIoT devices and base stationsstation RAN, wiredsatellite communications, advanced imaging, computer vision, radar application and deep neural networks, and audio, voice &and sensing andInternet-of-Things related applications.

Customers

We have licensed our signal processing cores, platforms, AI processorsDSPs, NPUs and wireless connectivity IPs to leading semiconductor and OEM companies throughout the world. These companies incorporate our IP into application-specific chipsets or custom-designed chipsets that they manufacture, market and sell to consumer electronics companies. We also license our technologies to OEMs directly. Included among our licensees are the following customers: Actions, Ambiq, AIC Semi, Artosyn, ASPEED, ASR Micro, Atmosic, Autotalks, Beken, Brite,Bestechnic, Broadcom, Celeno, Ceragon, Cirrus Logic, Dialog Semiconductor, DSP Group, Espressif, FujiFilm, GCT Semi, Goodix, iCatch, ICOM, InPlay, Intel, iRobot, Itron, Leadcore, LG Electronics, LifeSignals, Mediatek, Microchip, MorningCore, Nations, Nextchip, Nokia, Nordic Semi, Novatek, Nurlink, NXP, ON Semiconductor,Semi, Sanechip, Synaptics, Optek, Oticon, Panasonic, RDA,Picocom, Renesas, Rockchip, Rohm, Samsung, Sanechips, Sharp, Silver Spring Networks,SiFive, SiFlower, SigmaStar, Socionext, Sony, Socionext, Spreadtrum,Sonova, STMicroelectronics, Toshiba, Unisoc, Vatics, YamahaWinner Micro and ZTE.Yamaha.

We derive a significant amount of revenues from a limited number of customers.

International Sales to Spreadtrum represented 23%, 27% and 31%Operations

Customers based in Europe and Middle East (EME) and Asia Pacific (APAC) accounted for 90% of our total revenues for 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. With respect to our royalty revenues, two royalty paying customers each represented 10% or more of our total royalty revenues for 2017, and collectively represented 70% of our total royalty revenues for 2017; two royalty paying customers each represented 10% or more of our total royalty revenues for 2016, and collectively represented 80% of our total royalty revenues for 2016, and two royalty paying customers each represented 10% or more of our total royalty revenues for 2015, and collectively represented 72% of our total royalty revenues for 2015. In 2017, we concluded forty five new licensing deals, of which sixteen were with first time new customers and forty four were for non-handset baseband applications.

International Sales and Operations

Customers based in EME (Europe and Middle East) and APAC (Asia Pacific) accounted for 92%2023, 88% of our total revenues for 2017, 87%2022 and 84% for 2021, with customers in China accounting for 59%, 63% and 59% of our total revenues for 20162023, 2022 and 84% for 2015. Customers in each of China and South Korea accounted for greater than 10% of our total revenues for 2017, 2016 and 2015. Information2021, respectively. Additional information on the geographic breakdown of our revenues and location of our long-lived assets is contained in Note 1012 to our consolidated financial statements, which appear elsewhere in this annual report.

Moreover, the majority

Sales and Marketing

We license our technology through a direct sales force. As of December 31, 2017,2023, we had 3629 employees in sales and marketing. We have sales offices and representation in Asia Pacific (APAC)APAC region, Sweden, Israel, France and the United States.

Maintaining close relationships with our customers and strengthening these relationships are central to our strategy. From time to time, we develop a new signal processors, platforms, software solutions or connectivity products within close alignment with a number oftier-one industry players which signifies to the market that we are focused on viable applications that meet broad industry needs or try to get similar inputs and insight for our new developments from our marketing team. Generally, these industry leaders become licensees for these products which allows us to create a roadmap for the future development of existing cores and application platforms and connectivity products and helps us to anticipate the next potential applications for the market. We seek to use our customer relationships to deliver new products in a faster time to market.

We use a variety of marketing initiatives to stimulate demand and brand awareness in our target markets. These marketing efforts include contacts with industry analysts, presenting at key industry trade shows and conferences, and a comprehensive digital marketing program aimed at developing and nurturing relationships with potential customers. Our marketing group runs competitive benchmark analyses to help us maintain our competitive position.

Technical Support

We offer technical support services through our offices in Israel, Ireland, Asia Pacific (APAC)APAC region, Sweden, France and the United States. As of December 31, 2017,2023, we had 2328 employees in technical support. Our technical support services include:

 

assistance with implementation, responding to customer-specific inquiries, training and, when and if they become available, distributing updates and upgrades of our products;

assistance with implementation, responding to customer-specific inquiries, training and, when and if they become available, distributing updates and upgrades of our products;

 

application support, consisting of providing general hardware and software design examples,ready-to-use software modules and guidelines to our licensees to assist them in using our technology; and

application support, consisting of providing general hardware and software design examples, ready-to-use software modules and guidelines to our licensees to assist them in using our technology; and

 

design services, consisting of creating customer-specific implementations of our signal processing IPs and application platforms.

design services, consisting of creating customer-specific implementations of our signal processing IPs and application platforms.

We believe that our technical support services are a means to assist our licensees to embed our cores and platforms in their designs and products. Our technology is highly complex, combining sophisticated signal processing IP core architectures, integrated circuit designs and development tools. Effective customer support in helping our customers to implement our solutions enables them to shorten the time to market for their applications. Our support organization is made up of experienced engineers and professional support personnel. We conduct technical training for our licensees and their customers and meet with them from time to time to track the implementation of our technology.

Research and Development

Our research and development team is focused on improving and enhancing our existing products, as well as developing new products to broaden our offerings and market opportunities. These efforts are largely driven by current and anticipated customer and market needs.

Our research and development team consistingconsists of 228322 engineers as of December 31, 2017, work2023, working in sixseven development centers located in Israel, France, Ireland and the United Kingdom. This team consists ofStates, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Serbia, and from 2024 also in Greece. Our engineers who possess significant experience in developing AI DSP cores, application platforms,NPUs and tools for 5G, computer vision, AI , connectivity products(Wi-Fi

(Wi-Fi, UWB and Bluetooth), NB-IoT, and serial storage technology (SATAsensor processing and SAS).sensor fusion software. In addition, we engage third party contractors with specialized skills as required to support our research and development efforts. Our research and development expenses, net

We encourage our research and development personnel to maintain active roles in various international organizations that develop and maintain standards in the electronics and related industries. This involvement allows us to influence the development of new standards;standards, keeps us informed as to important new developments regarding standards;standards and allows us to demonstrate our expertise to existing and potential customers who also participate in these standards-setting bodies.

Competition

The markets in which we operate are intensely competitive. They are subject to rapid change and are significantly affected by new product introductions. We compete with other suppliers of licensed signal processing IPs. We believe that the principal competitive elements in our field are signal processing IP and NPU performance, overall chip cost, power consumption, flexibility, reliability, communication and multimedia software and algorithms availability, design cycle time, tool chain, customer support, financial strength, name recognition and reputation. We believe that we compete effectively in each of these areas but can offer no assurance that we will have the financial resources, technical expertise, and marketing or support capabilities to compete successfully in the future.

The markets in which we compete are dominated by large, highly competent semiconductor companies that have significant brand recognition, a large installed base and a large network of support and field application engineers. We face directThe following industry players and indirect competition from:factors may have a significant impact on our competitiveness:

 

IP vendors that offer programmable or configurable DSP cores;

we compete directly in the signal processing cores space with Verisilicon, Cadence and Synopsys;

we compete with CPU IP or configurable CPU IP (offering DSP configured CPU and/or DSP acceleration and/or connectivity capabilities to their IP) providers, such as ARM, Synopsys and Cadence and the RISC-V open source;

we compete with custom ASIC providers and internal engineering teams at companies such as Marvell, Broadcom, ST and NXP that may design programmable DSP core products and signal processing cores in-house and therefore not license our technologies;

we compete in the short-range wireless markets with Mindtree, Synopsys and internal engineering teams at companies such as Infineon, Silicon Labs and NXP;

we compete in embedded imaging and vision market with Cadence, Synopsys, Videantis, Arm and Verisilicon;

we compete in AI processor market with AI processor and accelerator providers, including Arm, Cadence, Synopsys, Cambricon, Digital Media Professionals (DMP), Expedera, Imagination Technologies, Nvidia open source NVDLA and Verisilicon;

we compete in the audio and voice applications market with ARM, Cadence, Synopsys and Verisilicon; and

we compete in the embedded 3D Audio and Motion Sensing software market with Waves, Dolby and CyweeMotion. 

 

IP vendors that offer vision processing units for computer vision applications;

IP vendors that offer neural network processing units for AI applications;

IP vendors that offer voice software packages, including beamforming, directionIn addition, we may face increased competition from smaller, niche semiconductor design companies in the future. Some of arrival and echo cancellation;

IP vendors that offer Bluetooth andWi-Fi connectivity IPs;

IP vendors that offer hardware-based DSP implementation as opposedour customers also may decide to software-based DSP, which is our specialization; and

internal design groupssatisfy their needs through in-house design. We compete on the basis of large chip companies or OEMs that develop proprietary signal processing IP cores or enginesperformance, first-to-market availability for their own application-specific chipsets.

We face direct competition in the DSP and configurable core space mainly from Verisilicon, Cadence and Synopsys, which licenses DSP cores in addition to their respective semiconductor and EDA businesses. In AI processors, we face direct competition from EDA players in addition to a host of companies offering AI cores and accelerators such as Digital Media Professionals, (DMP), Imagination, AImotive, Cambricon and Graphcore. In the short rangelatest generation wireless space, we face direct competition from Arm Limited, Imagination Technologies, Mindtree and STMicroelectronics (previously ST Ericsson).

In recent years, we also have faced competition from companies that offer Central Processor Unit (CPU) intellectual property. These companies’ products are used for host functions in various applications, such as in mobile and home entertainment products. These applications typically also incorporate a programmable DSP or neural network accelerator that is responsible forstandards, overall chip cost, power consumption, flexibility, reliability, communication and video/audio/voice-related tasks, neural network or in some cases connectivity capabilities. CPU companies, such as Arm Limited, Cadence, Imagination

multimedia software availability, design cycle time, tool chain, customer support, name recognition, reputation and financial strength. Our inability to compete effectively on these bases could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Technologies and Synopsys have added DSP acceleration, CNN acceleration and /or connectivity solutions and make use of it to provide platform solutions in the areas of baseband, video, imaging, vision, AI, audio and connectivity.

With respect to certain large potential customers, we also compete with internal engineering teams, which may design programmable signal processing IP core productsin-house. Companies such as Mediatek, Qualcomm,Marvell, Samsung, Huawei and STMicroelectronics license our designs for some applications and use their own proprietary cores for other applications. These companies also may choose to license their proprietary signal processing IP cores to third parties and, as a result, become direct competitors.

Aside from thein-house research and development groups, we do not compete with any individual company across the range

11

 

in audio and voice applications market – Arm Limited, Cadence, Synopsys and Verisilicon.

Proprietary Rights

Our success and ability to compete are dependent on our ability to develop and maintain the proprietary aspects of our intellectual property and to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of others. We rely on a combination of patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright laws and contractual restrictions to protect the proprietary aspects of our technology. These legal protections afford only limited protection of our technology. We also seek to limit disclosure of our intellectual property and trade secrets by requiring employees and consultants with access to our proprietary information to execute confidentiality agreements with us and by restricting access to our source code and other intellectual property. Due to rapid technological change, we believe that factors such as the technological and creative skills of our personnel, new product developments and enhancements to existing products are more important than specific legal protections of our technology in establishing and maintaining a technology leadership position.

We have an active program to protect our proprietary technology through the filing of patents. Our patents relate to our signal processing IP cores and application-specific platform technologies. As of December 31, 2017,2023, we hold 5246 patents in the United States, foureight patents in Canada, 3790 patents in the EME (Europe and Middle East) region and seven13 patents in Asia Pacific (APAC) region, totaling 100157 patents, with expiration dates between 20182024 and 2035.2039. In addition, as of December 31, 2017,2023, we have 11eight patent applications pending in the United States, five pending patent applications in Canada, 10eight pending patent applications in the EME region, three pending global (PCT) patent applications and seventhree pending patent applications in the APAC region, totaling 3322 pending patent applications.

We actively pursue foreign patent protection in countries where we feel it is prudent to do so. Our policy is to apply for patents or for other appropriate statutory protection when we develop valuable new or improved technology. The status of patents involves complex legal and factual questions, and the breadth of claims allowed is uncertain. Accordingly, there are no assurances that any patent application filed by us will result in a patent being issued, or that our issued patents, and any patents that may be issued in the future, will afford us adequate protection against competitors with similar technology; nor can we be assured that patents issued to us will not be infringed or that others will not design around our technology. In addition, the laws of certain countries in which our products are or may be developed, manufactured or sold may not protect our products and intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. We can provide no assurance that our pending patent applications or any future applications will be approved or will not be challenged by third parties, that any issued patents will effectively protect our technology, or that patents held by third parties will not have an adverse effect on our ability to do business.

The semiconductor industry is characterized by frequent litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. Questions of infringement in the semiconductor field involve highly technical and subjective analyses. In addition, patent infringement claims are increasingly being asserted by patent holding companies(so-called (so-called patent “trolls”), which do not use technology and whose sole business is to enforce patents against companies, such as us, for monetary gain. Because such patent holding companies do not provide services or use technology, the assertion of our own patents by way of counter-claim may be ineffective. Litigation may in the future be necessary to enforce our patents and other intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets, to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others, or to defend against claims of infringement or invalidity. We cannot assure you that we would be able to prevail in any such litigation or be able to devote the financial resources required to bring such litigation to a successful conclusion.

In any potential dispute involving our patents or other intellectual property, our licensees also could become the targets of litigation. We are generally bound to indemnify licensees under the terms of our license agreements. Although our indemnification obligations are generally subject to a maximum amount, these obligations could nevertheless result in substantial expenses. In addition to the time and expense required for us to indemnify our licensees, a licensee’s development, marketing and sale of products embodying our solutions could be severely disrupted or shut down as a result of litigation.

We also rely on trademark, copyright and trade secret laws to protect our intellectual property. We have registered trademark in the United States for our name CEVACeva and the related CEVACeva logo, and currently market our signal processing cores and other technology offerings under this trademark.

Employees

Human Capital Resources

The table below presents the number of employees of CEVACeva as of December 31, 20172023 by function and geographic location.

 

 

Number

Total employees

313

424

Function

 

Research and development

228

322

Sales and marketing

36

29

Administration

26

45

Technical support

23

28

Location

 

Israel

202

248

France

44

60

Ireland

13

11

China

15

16

United States

13

33

United KingdomSerbia

12

31

Elsewhere

25

14

We believe we are a respected employer in the countries where we have operations, and, with the help of our employees, we strive to be a responsible global corporate citizen and a more sustainable company. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics sets the standards of conduct of our directors, officers and employees. In addition, in 2020, we adopted a Sustainability Policy that addresses matters related to our employees as well as data privacy and security, resource conservation and recycling, and other environmental matters. In particular, our Sustainability Policy reflects our commitment to diversity and equal opportunity, a harassment-free workplace, training, development and employee engagement, and human rights, health and safety, and other matters relevant to employee well-being and the Ceva culture. The code is reviewed and updated periodically by our Board or Directors, and both the code and our Sustainability Policy are available on our website at www.ceva-ip.com.

Our employees are not represented by any collective bargaining agreements, and we have never experienced a work stoppage. We believe our employee relations are good.

A number of our employees are located in Israel. Certainhowever, certain provisions of Israeli law and the collective bargaining agreements between the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) and the Coordination Bureau of Economic Organizations (the Israeli federation of employers’ organizations) apply to our Israeli employees.

We have never experienced a work stoppage. We believe our employee relations are good, as is their general well-being, which is one of management’s top priorities.

In 2004, we finalized and adopted a new Code of Business Conduct and Ethics regarding the standards of conduct of our directors, officers and employees. The code is reviewed and updated periodically by our Board or Directors and is available on our website atwww.ceva-dsp.com.

Corporate History

Our company was incorporated in Delaware on November 22, 1999 under the name DSP Cores, Inc. We changed our name to ParthusCeva, Inc. in November 2002 and to CEVA, Inc. in December 2003.

Available Information

Our annual reports on Form10-K, quarterly reports on Form10-Q, current reports on Form8-K and amendments to reports pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are available, free of charge, on our website atwww.ceva-dsp.com, www.ceva-ip.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are also available on the SEC’s website atwww.sec.gov. www.sec.gov.

Our website and the information contained therein or connected thereto are not intended to be incorporated into this Annual Report on Form10-K.

 

ITEM 1A.

RISK FACTORS

We caution you that the following important factors, among others, could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of us in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, press releases, communications with investors and oral statements. Any or all of our forward-looking statements in this annual report, and in any other public statements we make, may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions we might make or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Many factors mentioned in the discussion below will be important in determining future results. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are advised, however, to consult any further disclosures we make in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Summary Risk Factors

Risks Related to Our Industry and Markets

The markets in which we operate are highly competitive, and as a result we could experience a loss of sales, lower prices and lower revenues.

Because our IP solutions are components of end products, if semiconductor companies and electronic equipment manufacturers do not incorporate our solutions into their end products or if the end products of our customers do not achieve market acceptance, we may not be able to generate adequate sales of our products.

We depend on market acceptance of third-party semiconductor intellectual property.

If we are unable to meet the changing needs of our end-users or address evolving market demands, our business may be harmed.

Our operating results are affected by the highly cyclical nature of and general economic conditions in the semiconductor industry, including as a result of significant supply chain disruptions.

Risks Related to Our Global Operating Business

Our quarterly operating results fluctuate from quarter to quarter due to a variety of factors, including our lengthy sales cycle, and may not be a meaningful indicator of future performance.

We rely significantly on revenues derived from a limited number of customers who contribute to our royalty and license revenues.

Our business is dependent on IP licensing and related revenues, which may vary from period to period.

Royalty and other payment rates could decrease for existing and future license agreements and other customer agreements, which could materially adversely affect our operating results.

We generate a significant amount of our total revenues, especially royalty revenues, from the mobile market (for mobile handsets) and our business and operating results may be materially adversely affected if our solutions are not incorporated in end products in these highly competitive markets.

Because we have significant international operations, with a significant concentration of revenues in China, we may be susceptible to political, economic and other conditions relating to our international operations that could increase our operating expenses and disrupt our revenues and business. In addition, new tariffs, trade measures and other geopolitical risks and instability could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

In order to sustain the future growth of our business, we must penetrate new end markets and our new products must achieve widespread market acceptance, but such additional revenue opportunities may not be implemented and may not be achieved.

Our success will depend on our ability to successfully manage our geographically dispersed operations.

Our operations in Israel may be adversely affected by instability in the Middle East region, including with respect to the war between Israel and Hamas that began on October 7, 2023. In addition, terrorist attacks, acts of war or military actions and/or other civil unrest may adversely affect the territories in which we operate, and our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our research and development expenses will increase relative to past periods due to our receiving fewer grants from the Israeli government.

We depend on a limited number of key personnel who would be difficult to replace, and changes in our management and sales teams may adversely affect our operations.

The sales cycle for our IP and related solutions is lengthy, and even approved projects may have structured payment terms, which makes forecasting of our customer orders and revenues difficult.

We may seek to expand our business in ways that could result in diversion of resources and extra expenses, and our product development efforts may not generate an acceptable return, if any.

Because our IP and related solutions are complex, the detection of errors in our products may be delayed, and if we deliver products with defects, our credibility will be harmed, the sales and market acceptance of our products may decrease and product liability claims may be made against us.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property, and our business will suffer if we are sued for infringement of the intellectual property rights of third parties or if we cannot obtain licenses to these rights on commercially acceptable terms.

Cybersecurity threats or other security breaches could compromise sensitive information belonging to us or our customers and could harm our business and our reputation.

Risks Related to Finance, Accounting and Taxation

The nature of our business requires the application of complex revenue recognition rules. Significant changes in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, including the adoption of the new revenue recognition rules, could materially affect our financial position and results of operations.

Changes in our tax rates or exposure to additional income tax liabilities or assessments could adversely impact our cash flow, financial condition and results of operations.

The Israeli and French tax benefits that we currently receive and the government programs in which we participate require us to meet certain conditions and may be terminated or reduced in the future, which could increase our tax expenses.

We are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

We are exposed to the credit and liquidity risk of our customers, and to credit exposure in weakened markets, which could result in material losses.

If we determine that our goodwill and intangible assets have become impaired, we may incur impairment charges, which would negatively impact our operating results.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

The anti-takeover provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could prevent or discourage a third party from acquiring us.

Our stock price may be volatile so you may not be able to resell your shares of our common stock at or above the price you paid for them.

Risks Related to Our Industry and Markets

The markets in which we operate are highly competitive, and as a result we could experience a loss of sales, lower prices and lower revenues.

The markets for the products in which our technology is incorporated are highly competitive. Aggressive competition could result in substantial declines in the prices that we are able to charge for our intellectual property or losethe loss of design wins to competitors. Many of our competitors are striving to increase their share of the growing signal processing IP and wireless connectivity markets and are reducing their licensing and royalty fees to attract customers. The following industry players and factors may have a significant impact on our competitiveness:

 

we compete directly in the signal processing cores space with Verisilicon, Cadence and Synopsys;

we compete directly in the signal processing cores space with Verisilicon, Cadence and Synopsys;

 

we compete with CPU IP or configurable CPU IP (offering DSP configured CPU and/or DSP acceleration and/or connectivity capabilities to their IP) providers, such as Arm Limited (acquired by SoftbBank), Imagination Technologies (acquired by Canyon Bridge), Synopsys and Cadence;

we compete with CPU IP or configurable CPU IP providers (offering DSP configured CPU and/or DSP acceleration and/or connectivity capabilities to their IP), such as Arm, Synopsys and Cadence and the RISC-V open source;

 

we compete with internal engineering teams at companies such as Mediatek, Qualcomm, Samsung, Huawei and NXP that may design programmable DSP core products and signal processing coresin-house and therefore not license our technologies;

we compete with custom ASIC providers and internal engineering teams at companies such as Marvell, Broadcom, ST, and NXP that may design programmable DSP core products and signal processing cores in-house and therefore not license our technologies;

 

we compete in the short range wireless markets with Arm Limited, Mindtree, Imagination Technologies and STMicroelectronics;

we compete in embedded imaging and vision market with Cadence, Synopsys, Videantis, Verislicon, Arm Limited (NEON technology) and GPU IP providers such as Arm Limited, Imagination Technologies and Verisilicon;

we compete in the short-range wireless markets with Mindtree, Synopsys and internal engineering teams at companies such as Infineon, Silicon Labs and NXP;

 

we compete in AI processor marketing with AI processor and accelerator providers, including AImotive, Arm Limited, Digital Media Professionals (DMP), Imagination, Cambricon and Graphcore; and

we compete in embedded imaging and vision market with Cadence, Synopsys, Videantis, Arm and Verisilicon;

 

we compete in the audio and voice applications market with Arm Limited, Synopsys, Cadence and Verisilicon.

we compete in the AI processor market with AI processor and accelerator providers, including Arm, Cadence, Synopsys, Cambricon, Digital Media Professionals (DMP), Expedera, Imagination Technologies, Nvidia open source NVDLA and Verisilicon;

we compete in the audio and voice applications market with Arm, Cadence, Synopsys and Verisilicon; and

we compete in the embedded 3D Audio and Motion Sensing software market with Waves, Dolby, and CyweeMotion.

In addition, we may face increased competition from smaller, niche semiconductor design companies in the future. Some of our customers also may decide to satisfy their needs throughin-house design. We compete on the basis of signal processing IP performance, first-to-market availability for latest generation wireless standards, overall chip cost, power consumption, flexibility, reliability, communication and multimedia software availability, design cycle time, tool chain, customer support, name recognition, reputation and financial strength. Our inability to compete effectively on these bases could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Because our IP solutions are components of end products, if semiconductor companies and electronic equipment manufacturers do not incorporate our solutions into their end products, or if the end products of our customers do not achieve market acceptance, we may not be able to generate adequate sales of our products.

We do not sell our IP solutions directly to end-users; we license our technology primarily to semiconductor companies and electronic equipment manufacturers, who then incorporate our technology into the products they sell. As a result, we rely on our customers to incorporate our technology into their end products at the design stage. Once a company incorporates a competitor’s technology into its end product, it becomes significantly more difficult for us to sell our technology to that company because changing suppliers involves significant cost, time, effort and risk for the company. As a result, we may incur significant expenditures on the development of a new technology without any assurance that our existing or potential customers will select our technology for incorporation into their own product and without this “design win,” it becomes significantly more difficult to sell our IP solutions. Moreover, even after a customer agrees to incorporate our technology into its end products, the design cycle is long and may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, which may result in the end product incorporating our technology not reaching the market until long after the initial “design win” with such customer. From initial product design-in to volume production, many factors could impact the timing and/or amount of sales actually realized from the design-in. These factors include, but are not limited to, changes in the competitive position of our technology, our customers’ financial stability, and our customers' ability to ship products according to our customers’ schedule. Moreover, current economic conditions may further prolong a customer’s decision-making process and design cycle.

Further, because we do not control the business practices of our customers, we do not influence the degree to which they promote our technology or set the prices at which they sell products incorporating our technology. We cannot assure you that our customers will devote satisfactory efforts to promote their end products which incorporate our IP solutions.

In addition, our royalties from licenses and therefore the growth of our business, are dependent upon the success of our customers in introducing products incorporating our technology and the success of those products in the marketplace. The primary customers for our products are semiconductor design and manufacturing companies, system OEMs and electronic equipment manufacturers. All of the industries we license into are highly competitive, cyclical and have been subject to significant economic downturns at various times. These downturns are characterized by production overcapacity and reduced revenues, which at times may encourage semiconductor companies or electronic product manufacturers to reduce their expenditure on our technology. If we do not retain our current customers and continue to attract new customers, our business may be harmed.

We depend on market acceptance of third-party semiconductor intellectual property.

The semiconductor intellectual property (SIP) industry is a relatively small and emerging industry. Our future growth will depend on the level of market acceptance of our third-party licensable intellectual property model, the variety of intellectual property offerings available on the market, and a shift in customer preference away from in-house development of proprietary signal processing IP towards licensing open signal processing IP cores and platforms. Furthermore, the third-party licensable intellectual property model is highly dependent on the market adoption of new services and products with standards that continue to advance, such as ubiquitous connectivity, and the increased use of advanced audio, voice, vision and motion sensing in conjunction with AI in the consumer, industrial, infrastructure, automotive, mobile and PC markets in which we participate. Such market adoption is important because the increased cost associated with ownership and maintenance of the more complex architectures needed for the advanced services and products may motivate companies to license third-party intellectual property rather than design them in-house.

The trends that would enable our growth are largely beyond our control. Semiconductor customers also may choose to adopt a multi-chip, off-the-shelf chip solution versus IP licensing or using highly-integrated chipsets that embed our technologies. If the above referenced market shifts do not materialize or third-party SIP does not achieve market acceptance, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially harmed.

If we are unable to meet the changing needs of our end-users or address evolving market demands, our business may be harmed.

The markets for our IP solutions are characterized by rapidly changing technology, emerging markets and new and developing end-user needs, requiring significant expenditures for research and development. We cannot assure you that we will be able to introduce systems and solutions that reflect prevailing industry standards on a timely basis, meet the specific technical requirements of our end-users, or avoid significant losses due to rapid decreases in market prices of our products, the failure of which could seriously harm our business. Further, we cannot assure you that the markets we chose to invest in will continue to be significant sources of revenue in the future. For example, while in May 2023, we acquired VisiSonics’ spatial audio business to bolster our position in wearables, we may not realize the benefits from this acquisition.

Our operating results are affected by the highly cyclical nature of and general economic conditions in the semiconductor industry, including in connection with significant supply chain disruptions.

We operate within the semiconductor industry, which experiences significant fluctuations in sales and profitability. Downturns in the semiconductor industry are characterized by diminished product demand, excess customer inventories, accelerated erosion of prices and excess production capacity. The semiconductor industry may be negatively impacted by factors such as decreased consumer spending, macroeconomic uncertainty and slow or negative economic growth. Each of these factors could decrease consumer spending and business investment in technologies and products that contain semiconductors. We have previously experienced a reduction in revenue and operating losses during downturns in the semiconductor industry, and various market data suggests that the semiconductor industry may be facing such a negative cycle presently. During such downturns, we typically experience new design start push outs, greater pricing pressure and shifts in product and customer mix, which can adversely affect our gross margin and net income. The semiconductor industry is also affected by seasonal shifts in demand, and as a result, we may experience short-term fluctuation in our results of operations from one period to the next. We are unable to predict the timing, duration or severity of any current or future downturns in the semiconductor industry.

We have also been subject to industry-wide supply constraints and inflationary price pressures, which have resulted in long lead times for new designs and supply chain disruptions for selling integrated circuits containing our technologies. For example, the semiconductor industry faced significant global supply chain disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, both as a consequence of increased demand for devices enabling wireless connectivity and remote environments and supply constraints arising from the imposition of government restrictions on staffing and facility operations. Further, the high interest rate environment, macroeconomic trends and geopolitical concerns, including those related to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, unrest in the Middle East arising from the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and economic slowdown in China, among other things, can negatively impact general consumer and IoT demand, chill the market for new technology investments and adversely affect our revenues. To the extent the impact of such disruptive events and adverse economic trends continue or worsen, we anticipate having greater difficulty obtaining, or waiting longer to obtain, certain equipment, supplies and other materials necessary for performance of the services we provide to our customers, leading to volatility or declines in the semiconductor industry which could cause substantial fluctuations or declines in our revenues and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Global Operating Business

Our quarterly operating results fluctuate from quarter to quarter due to a variety of factors, including our lengthy sales cycle, and may not be a meaningful indicator of future performance.

In some quarters our operating results could be below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, which could cause our stock price to fall. Factors that may affect our quarterly results of operations in the future include, among other things:

 

the gain or loss of significant licensees, partly due to our dependence on a limited number of customers generating a significant amount of quarterly revenues;

any delay in execution of any anticipated IP licensing arrangement during a particular quarter;

delays in revenue recognition for some license agreements based on percentage of completion of customized work or other accounting reasons;

the timing and volume of orders and production by our customers, as well as fluctuations in royalty revenues resulting from fluctuations in unit shipments by our licensees;

royalty pricing pressures and reduction in royalty rates due to an increase in volume shipments by customers, end-product price erosion and competitive pressures;

 

earnings or other financial announcements by our major customers that include shipment data or other information that implicates expectations for our future royalty revenues;

the mix of revenues among IP licensing and related revenues, and royalty revenues;

the timing of the introduction of new or enhanced technologies by us and our competitors, as well as the market acceptance of such technologies;

the discontinuation, or public announcement thereof, of product lines or market sectors that incorporate our technology by our significant customers;

our lengthy sales cycle and specifically in the third quarter of any fiscal year during which summer vacations slow down decision-making processes of our customers in executing contracts;

delays in the commercialization of end products that incorporate our technology;

currency fluctuations, mainly the Euro and the New Israeli Shekel versus the U.S. dollar;

fluctuations in operating expenses and gross margins associated with the introduction of, and research and development investments in, new or enhanced technologies and adjustments to operating expenses resulting from restructurings;

the approvals, amounts and timing of Israeli research and development government grants from the Israeli Innovation Authority of the Ministry of Economy and Industry in Israel (the “IIA”), EU grants and French research tax credits;

the impact of new accounting pronouncements, including the new revenue recognition rules;

the timing of our payment of royalties to the IIA, which is impacted by the timing and magnitude of license agreements and royalty revenues derived from technologies that were funded by grant programs of the IIA;

statutory changes associated with research tax benefits applicable to French technology companies;

our ability to scale our operations in response to changes in demand for our technologies;

entry into new end markets that utilize our signal processing IPs, software and platforms;

changes in our pricing policies and those of our competitors;

 

delays in revenue recognition for some license agreements based on percentage of completion of customized work or other accounting reasons;

restructuring, asset and goodwill impairment and related charges, as well as other accounting changes or adjustments, such as our third quarter 2022 write off of deferred tax assets, and the fourth quarter 2023 tax charges related to Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) Section 174;

 

the timing and volume of orders and production by our customers, as well as fluctuations in royalty revenues resulting from fluctuations in unit shipments by our licensees;

general political conditions, including global trade wars resulting from tariffs and business restrictions and bans imposed by government entities, like the well publicized 2018 ban associated with ZTE and the October 2023 announcement of the further tightening of restrictions on the transfer to China of certain advanced AI chips, semiconductors and supercomputing items, as well as other regulatory actions and changes that may adversely affect the business environment;

 

royalty pricing pressures and reduction in royalty rates due to an increase in volume shipments by customers,end-product price erosion and competitive pressures;

general economic conditions, including the current economic conditions, and its effect on the semiconductor industry and sales of consumer products into which our technologies are incorporated;

 

earnings or other financial announcements by our major customers that include shipment data or other information that implicates expectations for our future royalty revenues;

delays in final product delivery due to unexpected issues introduced by our service or EDA tool providers;

 

the mix of revenues among licensing and related revenues, and royalty revenues;

delays in ratification of standards for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB or cellular standards that can affect the introduction of new products;

 

the timing of the introduction of new or enhanced technologies by us and our competitors, as well as the market acceptance of such technologies;

constraints on chip manufacturing capacity due to high demand or shutdowns of semiconductor fabrication plants and other manufacturing facilities; and

 

the discontinuation, or public announcement thereof, of product lines or market sectors that incorporate our technology by our significant customers;

reductions in demand for consumer and digital devices due to lockdowns or overall financial difficulties caused by future pandemic outbreaks or public health threats.

 

our lengthy sales cycle and specifically in the third quarter of any fiscal year during which summer vacations slow down decision-making processes of our customers in executing contracts;

delays in the commercialization of end products that incorporate our technology;

currency fluctuations, mainly the EURO and the NIS versus the U.S. dollar;

fluctuations in operating expenses and gross margins associated with the introduction of, and research and development investments in, new or enhanced technologies and adjustments to operating expenses resulting from restructurings;

the approvals, amounts and timing of Israeli R&D government grants from the Israeli Innovation Authority of the Ministry of Economy and Industry in Israel (the “IIA”), EU grants and French research tax credits;

the impact of new accounting pronouncements, including the new revenue recognition rules;

the timing of our payment of royalties to the IIA, which is impacted by the timing and magnitude of license agreements and royalty revenues derived from technologies that were funded by grant programs of the IIA;

statutory changes associated with research tax benefits applicable to French technology companies;

our ability to scale our operations in response to changes in demand for our technologies;

entry into new end markets that utilize our signal processing IPs, software and platforms;

changes in our pricing policies and those of our competitors;

restructuring, asset and goodwill impairment and related charges, as well as other accounting changes or adjustments; and

general economic conditions, including the current economic conditions, and its effect on the semiconductor industry and sales of consumer products into which our technologies are incorporated.

Each of the above factors is difficult to forecast and could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, we license our technology to OEMs and semiconductor companies for incorporation into their end products for consumer, markets, including handsetsmobile and consumer electronicsindustrial products. The royalties we generate are reported by our customers.

Our royalty revenues are affected by seasonal buying patterns of consumer products sold by OEMs, partially by our OEMdirect customers and partially by semiconductor customers that incorporate our technology into their end products and the market acceptance of such end products supplied by our OEM customers. In accordance with the new revenue recognition rules, the royalties we generate will be based on royalty reports of units shipped during the quarter as estimated by our customers, not a quarter in arrears that we previously reported.products. The first quarter in any given year therefore will beis usually a sequentially down quarter for us in relation to royalty revenues as this period represents lower post-Christmaspost-holiday fourth quarter consumer and mobile product shipments. However, the magnitude of this first quarter decrease varies annually and has been impacted by global economic conditions, market share changes, exiting or refocusing of market sectors by our customers and the timing of introduction of new and existing handsetmobile devices powered by CEVACeva technology sold in any given quarter compared to the prior quarter. The high interest rate environment and macroeconomic concerns related to slowdown may continue throughout the first half of 2024, or longer, and distort more traditional seasonality trends.

Moreover, the semiconductor and consumer electronics industries remain volatile, which makes it extremely difficult for our customers and us to accurately forecast financial results and plan for future business activities. As a result, our past operating results should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance.

We rely significantly on revenues derived from a limited number of customers who contribute to our royalty and license revenues.

We derive a significant amount of revenues from a limited number of customers. One customer,Sales to UNISOC (formerly Spreadtrum Communications, Inc.), accounted for 23%13%, 27%16% and 31%21% of our total revenues for 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 2015,2021, respectively. With respect to our royalty revenues, two royalty paying customers each represented 10% or more of our total royalty revenues for 2017,2023, and collectively represented 70%45% of our total royalty revenues for 2017; two2023. Two royalty paying customers each represented 10% or more of our total royalty revenues for 2016,2022, and collectively represented 80%46% of our total royalty revenues for 2016,2022, and twothree royalty paying customers each represented 10% or more of our total royalty revenues for 2015,2021, and collectively represented 72%57% of our total royalty revenues for 2015.2021. We expect that a significant portion of our future revenues will continue to be generated by a limited number of customers. The loss of any significant royalty paying customer could adversely affect our near-term future operating results. Furthermore, consolidation among our customers may negatively affect our revenue source, increase our existing customers’ negotiation leverage and make us further dependent on a limited number of

customers. Moreover, the discontinuation of product lines or market sectors that incorporate our technology by our significant customers or a change in direction of their business and our inability to adapt our technology to their new business needs could have material negative implications for our future royalty revenues.

Our business is dependent on IP licensing and related revenues, which may vary period to period.

License agreements for our signal processing IP coresproducts and platforms have not historically provided for substantial ongoing license payments, so past IP licensing revenues may not be indicative of the amount of such revenues in any future period. We believe that there is a similar risk with RivieraWaves’ operations associated with Bluetooth andWi-Fi connectivity technologies. Significant portions of our anticipated future revenues, therefore, will likely depend upon our success in attracting new customers or expanding our relationships with existing customers. However, revenues recognized from licensing arrangements vary significantly from period to period, depending on the number and size of deals closed during a quarter, and isare difficult to predict. In addition, as we expand our business into thenon-handset baseband markets, our licensing deals may be smaller but greater in volume which may further fluctuate our licensing revenues quarter to quarter. Our ability to succeed in our licensing efforts will depend on a variety of factors, including the performance, quality, breadth and depth of our current and future products, including our newly announced AI processor coresproduct portfolio as well as our sales and marketing skills. In addition, some of our licensees may in the future decide to satisfy their needs throughin-house design and production. Our failure to obtain future licensing customers wouldcould impede our future revenue growth and could materially harm our business.

Royalty and other payment rates could decrease for existing and future license agreements and other customer agreements, which could materially adversely affect our operating results.

Royalty payments to us under existing and future license agreements could be lower than currently anticipated for a variety of reasons. Average selling prices for semiconductor products generally decrease over time during the lifespan of a product. In addition, there is increasing downward pricing pressures in the semiconductor industry on end products incorporating our technology, especially end products for the handsets and consumer electronics markets.technology. As a result, notwithstanding the existence of a license agreement, our customers may demand that royalty rates for our products be lower than our historic royalty rates. We have in the past and may be pressured in the future to renegotiate existing license agreements with our customers. In addition, certain of our license agreements provide that royalty rates may decrease in connection with the sale of larger quantities of products incorporating our technology. Furthermore, our competitors may lower the royalty rates for their comparable products to win market share which may force us to lower our royalty rates as well. As a consequence of the above referenced factors, as well as unforeseen factors in the future, the royalty rates we receive for use of our technology could decrease, thereby decreasing future anticipated revenues and cash flow. Royalty revenues were approximately 51%41%, 56%38%, and 46%44% of our total revenues for 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 2015,2021, respectively. Therefore, a significant decrease in our royalty revenues could materially adversely affect our operating results.

Moreover,

Furthermore, royalty rates may be negatively affected by macroeconomic trends or changes in products mix. Furthermore,mix, and consolidation among our customers may increase the negotiation leverage of our existing customers to extract concessions from us in royalty rates.customers. Moreover, changes in products mix such as an increase in lower royalty bearing products shipped in high volumevolumes, likelow-cost feature phones Bluetooth-based and Bluetooth-basedcellular IoT products, in lieu of higher royalty bearing products like LTE phonesembedded application software could lower our royalty revenues.

We generate a significant amount

Our total revenues derived solely from baseband for handset and for other devices represented 64%, 69% and 68% of our total revenues for 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Any adverse change in our ability to

compete and maintain our competitive position in the handset baseband market, including through the introduction by competitors of enhanced technologies that attract OEM customers that target those markets, would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, the handset baseband market is extremely competitive and is facing intense pricing pressures, and we expect that competition and pricing pressures will only increase. Furthermore, it can be very volatile with regards to volume shipments of different phones, standards and connected devices due to inventory build out or consumer demand changes or geographical macroeconomics, pricing changes, product discontinuations due to technical issues and timing of introduction of new phones and products. Our existing OEM customers also may fail to introduce new handset devices that attract consumers, or encounter significant delays in developing, manufacturing or shipping new or enhanced products in those markets or find alternative technological solutions and suppliers. The inability of our OEM customers to compete would result in lower shipments of products powered by our technologies which in turn would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Since a significant portion of our revenues are derived from the handset baseband market, adverse conditions in this market would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Because our IP solutions are components of end products, if semiconductor companies and electronic equipment manufacturers do not incorporate our solutions into their end products or if the end products of our customers do not achieve market acceptance, we may not be able to generate adequate sales of our products.

We do not sell our IP solutions directly toend-users; we license our technology primarily to semiconductor companies and electronic equipment manufacturers, who then incorporate our technology into the products they sell. As a result, we rely on our customers to incorporate our technology into their end products at the design stage. Once a company incorporates a competitor’s technology into its end product, it becomes significantly more difficult for us to sell our technology to that company because changing suppliers involves significant cost, time, effort and risk for the company. As a result, we may incur significant expenditures on the development of a new technology without any assurance that our existing or potential customers will select our technology for incorporation into their own product and without this “design win,” it becomes significantly difficult to sell our IP solutions. Moreover, even after a customer agrees to incorporate our technology into its end products, the design cycle is long and may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, which may result in the end product incorporating our technology not reaching the market until long after the initial “design win” with such customer. From initial productdesign-in to volume production, many factors could impact the timing and/or amount of sales actually realized from thedesign-in. These factors include, but are not limited to, changes in the competitive position of our technology, our customers’ financial stability, and our customers’ ability to ship products according to our customers’ schedule. Moreover, current economic conditions may further prolong a customer’s decision-making process and design cycle.

Further, because we do not control the business practices of our customers, we do not influence the degree to which they promote our technology or set the prices at which they sell products incorporating our technology. We cannot assure you that our customers will devote satisfactory efforts to promote their end products which incorporate our IP solutions.

In addition, our royalties from licenses and therefore the growth of our business, are dependent upon the success of our customers in introducing products incorporating our technology and the success of those products in the marketplace. The primary customers for our products are semiconductor design and manufacturing companies, system OEMs and electronic equipment manufacturers, particularly in the telecommunications field. All of the industries we license into are highly competitive, cyclical and have been subject to significant economic downturns at various times. These downturns are characterized by production overcapacity and reduced revenues, which at times may encourage semiconductor companies or electronic product manufacturers to reduce their expenditure on our technology. If we do not retain our current customers and continue to attract new customers, our business may be harmed.

We depend on market acceptance of third-party semiconductor intellectual property.

The semiconductor intellectual property (SIP) industry is a relatively small and emerging industry. Our future growth will depend on the level of market acceptance of our third-party licensable intellectual property model, the variety of intellectual property offerings available on the market, and a shift in customer preference away fromin-house development of proprietary signal processing IP towards licensing open signal processing IP cores and platforms. Furthermore, the third-party licensable intellectual property model is highly dependent on the market adoption of new services and products, such as low cost smartphones in emerging markets,LTE-based smartphones, mobile broadband, small cell base stations and the increased use of advanced audio, voice, computational photography and embedded vision in mobile, automotive and consumer products, as well as in IoT and connectivity applications. Such market adoption is important because the increased cost associated with ownership and maintenance of the more complex architectures needed for the advanced services and products may motivate companies to license third-party intellectual property rather than design themin-house.

The trends that would enable our growth are largely beyond our control. Semiconductor customers also may choose to adopt a multi-chip,off-the-shelf chip solution versus licensing or using highly-integrated chipsets that embed our technologies. If the above referenced market shifts do not materialize or third-party SIP does not achieve market acceptance, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially harmed.

Because we have significant international operations, with a significant concentration of revenues in China, we may be subjectsusceptible to political, economic and other conditions relating to our international operations that could increase our operating expenses and disrupt our revenues and business.

Approximately 92%90% of our total revenues for 2017, 87%2023, 88% for 20162022 and 84% for 20152021 were derived from customers located outside of the United States. Revenues from customers located in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region account for a substantial portion of these revenues, with significant concentration of revenues in China, which accounted for 59%, 63% and 59% of total revenues for 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We expect that international customers generally, and sales to the APAC region and China in particular, will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenues for the foreseeable future. AsWhile we anticipate that we can expand our customer base and revenues in Europe and the U.S., the present concentration of revenues from a result,single country significantly increases our risk profile, and the occurrence of any negative international political, economic or geographic events, including any financial crisis, trade restrictions or disputes or other major event causing business disruption in China, such as the heightening of tensions between China and Taiwan, the broader APAC region and other international jurisdictions, could result in significant revenue shortfalls.  These shortfalls could cause our business, financial condition and results of operations to be harmed.  Some of the risks of doing business internationally include:

 

unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;

fluctuations in the exchange rate for the U.S. dollar;

imposition of tariffs and other barriers and restrictions, including trade tensions such as U.S.-China trade tensions;

burdens of complying with a variety of foreign laws, treaties and technical standards;

uncertainty of laws and enforcement in certain countries relating to the protection of intellectual property;

multiple and possibly overlapping tax structures and potentially adverse tax consequences;

political and economic instability, including military activities, terrorist attacks and protectionist policies; and

changes in diplomatic and trade relationships.

For example, in October 2023 the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security tightened restrictions and compliance burdens on the transfer to China of certain advanced artificial intelligence chips, semiconductors and supercomputing items, software and technology subject to U.S. export controls, in addition to restricting sales to certain semiconductor fab facilities in China. Moreover, restrictions were implemented on U.S. persons’ activities in support of the transfer of certain items not subject to U.S. export controls. We continue to assess the potential impact of these restrictions on our operations, and these restrictions are in addition to existing license requirements and company-specific designations affecting trade in the APAC region. Actions of any nature, including future new trade controls, could affect specific customers, industries and technologies produced inside and outside the United States, and may reduce our revenues and adversely affect our business and financial results.

New tariffs, trade measures and other geopolitical risks and instability could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have been escalating since 2018 and are not fully resolved yet, and a number of factors may exacerbate these tensions in the future. In addition, Russian military activities in Ukraine have resulted in increased sanctions and export controls against Russia and Belarus, and could also increase China/Taiwan political tensions and a worsening of U.S./China trade and other relations. Trade tensions between the U.S. and China and other geopolitical instabilities have resulted, and could in the future result, in significant tariff increases, sanctions against specified entities, and the broadening of restrictions and license requirements for specified transfers and uses of products. For example, the ongoing geopolitical and economic uncertainty between the U.S. and China, the unknown impact of current and future U.S. and Chinese trade regulations and other geopolitical risks with respect to China and Taiwan, may cause disruptions in the semiconductor industry and its supply chain, decreased demand from customers for the ultimate products using our IP solutions, or other disruptions which may, directly or indirectly, materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

fluctuations

In addition, critical metals and materials used in semiconductors, such as Palladium, are sourced in Russia, and sanctions against Russia could impact the exchange rate for the U.S. dollar;

imposition ofsemiconductor supply chain. While tariffs and other barriersretaliatory trade measures imposed by other countries on U.S. goods have not yet had a significant impact on our business or results of operations, our revenues are increasingly concentrated in China and restrictions;the broader APAC region, and we cannot predict further developments. Thus, existing or future tariffs could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flow. Further changes in U.S. trade policy could trigger retaliatory actions by affected countries, which could impose restrictions on our ability to do business in or with affected countries or prohibit, reduce or discourage purchases of our products by foreign customers, and higher prices for our products in foreign markets. For example, there are risks that the Chinese government may, among other things, require the use of local suppliers, compel companies that do business in China to partner with local companies to conduct business and provide incentives to government-backed local customers to buy from local suppliers. Changes in, and responses to, U.S. trade policy could reduce the competitiveness of our products and cause our sales and revenues to drop, which could materially and adversely impact our business and results of operations.

In order to sustain the future growth of our business, we must penetrate new markets and our new products must achieve widespread market acceptance, but such additional revenue opportunities may not be implemented and may not be achieved.

In order to expand our business and increase our revenues, we must penetrate new markets and introduce new products. We have invested significant resources in pursuing potential opportunities for revenue growth and to diversify our revenue streams. Our continued success will depend significantly on our ability to accurately anticipate changes in industry standards and to continue to appropriately fund development efforts to enhance our existing products or introduce new products in a timely manner to keep pace with technological developments. However, there are no assurances that we will develop products relevant for the marketplace or gain significant market share in those competitive markets. Moreover, if any of our competitors implement new technologies before us, those competitors may be able to provide products that are more effective or at lower prices, which could adversely impact our sales and impact our market share. Our inability to penetrate new markets and increase our market share in those markets or lack of customer acceptance of our new products may harm our business and potential growth.

Our success will depend on our ability to successfully manage our geographically dispersed operations.

Most of our research and development staff is located in Israel. We also have research and development teams in France, Ireland, United Kingdom, the United States, and we most recently opened a design center in Serbia in April 2023 and in Greece in January 2024. Accordingly, our ability to compete successfully will depend in part on the ability of a limited number of key executives located in geographically dispersed offices to manage our research and development staff and integrate them into our operations to effectively address the needs of our customers and respond to changes in our markets. If we are unable to effectively manage and integrate our geographically dispersed operations, our business may be materially harmed.

Our operations in Israel may be adversely affected by instability in the Middle East region.

One of our principal research and development facilities is located in Israel, and most of our executive officers and some of our directors are residents of Israel. Although substantially all of our sales currently are made to customers outside of Israel, we are nonetheless directly influenced by the political, economic and military conditions affecting Israel, including Israel’s war with Hamas that began on October 7, 2023. For example, certain of our employees are currently obligated to perform annual reserve duty in the Israel Defense Forces and are subject to being called to active military duty at any time. It is possible that our operations could be disrupted if this situation continues for a significant period of time or further deteriorates, including if hostilities expand from other fronts, which could harm our business.

 

potential negative international community’s reaction to

Our insurance does not cover losses that may occur as a result of an event associated with the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act;

burdenssecurity situation in the Middle East or for any resulting disruption in our operations. Although the Israeli government has in the past covered the reinstatement value of complying with a variety of foreign laws, treaties and technical standards;

uncertainty of laws and enforcement in certain countries relating to the protection of intellectual property;

multiple and possibly overlapping tax structures and potentially adverse tax consequences;

political and economic instability, includingdirect damages that were caused by terrorist attacks or acts of war, we cannot be assured that this government coverage will be maintained or, if maintained, will be sufficient to compensate us fully for damages incurred and protectionist polices; and
the government may cease providing such coverage or the coverage might not suffice to cover potential damages. Any losses or damages incurred by us could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

Terrorist attacks, acts of war or military actions and/or other civil unrest may adversely affect the territories in which we operate, and our business, financial condition and operating results.

Terrorist attacks and attempted terrorist attacks, military responses to terrorist attacks, other military actions, including illegal invasion of sovereign countries, or governmental action in response to or in anticipation of a terrorist attack or civil unrest or foreign invasion, may adversely affect prevailing economic conditions, resulting in work stoppages, reduced consumer spending or reduced demand for end products that incorporate our technologies. These developments subject our worldwide operations to increased risks and, depending on their magnitude, could reduce net sales and therefore could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our research and development expenses will increase relative to past periods due to our receiving fewer grants from the Israeli government.

We currently receive research grants mainly from programs of the IIA. In 2023, such grants decreased significantly due to changes in diplomaticthe criteria adopted by the IIA regarding larger and trade relationships.

better funded corporations, in light of the high interest rate environment and difficulties for smaller companies to raise money, and we expect to receive fewer grants from the IIA in the future relative to past periods as well. We recorded aggregate research grants of $1,668,000, $4,850,000 and $3,595,000 in 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. To remain eligible for the grants we have received, we must meet certain development conditions and comply with periodic reporting obligations. Although we have met such conditions in the past, should we fail to meet such conditions in the future our research grants may be repayable, reduced or withheld. The repayment or reduction of such research grants may increase our research and development expenses which in turn may reduce our operating income. Also, the timing of such payments from the IIA may vary from year to year and quarter to quarter, and we have no control on the timing of such payments.

We depend on a limited number of key personnel who would be difficult to replace.replace, and changes in our management and sales teams may adversely affect our operations.

Our success depends to a significant extent upon certain of our key employees and senior management, the loss of whichwhom could materially harm our business. Competition for skilled employees in our field is intense.intense, and in the current environment where many employees have become accustomed to remote work environments and frequent job changes, integration of employees into our company culture and retention of employees is becoming increasingly difficult. We are dependent upon our ability to identify, attract, motivate and retain qualified engineers and other personnel with the requisite educational background and industry experience, and cannot assure you that in the future we will be successful in attracting and retaining the required personnel.

In addition, we have experienced transitions in our senior management and sales teams, including the appointment of Amir Panush as our Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2023, the appointment of Gweltaz Toquet as our Chief Commercial Officer on January 1, 2023, and the appointment of Iri Trashanski as our Chief Strategy Officer on September 21, 2023. While we believe we have engaged in an orderly transition process as we have integrated newly appointed officers and managers, we face a variety of risks and uncertainties relating to management transition and execution of our sales strategy, including diversion of management attention from business concerns, failure to retain other key personnel, loss of institutional knowledge, loss of sales prospects and inability to replenish our sales team in a manner needed to execute our sales strategy. These risks and uncertainties could result in operational and administrative inefficiencies and added costs, which could adversely impact our results of operations.

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The sales cycle for our IP and related solutions is lengthy, and even approved projects may have structured payment terms, which makes forecasting of our customer orders and revenues difficult.

The sales cycle for our IP and related solutions is lengthy, often lasting three to nine months. Our customers generally conduct significant technical evaluations, including customer trials, of our technology as well as competing technologies prior to making a purchasing decision. In addition, purchasingPurchasing decisions also may be delayed because of a customer’s internal budget approval process. Furthermore,In addition, given the current market conditions, we have less ability to predict the timing of our customers’ purchasing cycle and potential unexpected delays in such a cycle. Because of the lengthy sales cycle and potential delays, our dependence on a limited number of customers to generate a significant amount of revenues for a particular period and the size of customer orders, if orders forecasted for a specific customer for a particular period do not occur in that period, our revenues and operating results for that particular quarter could suffer. Furthermore, even approved projects may be subject to tranche or milestone-based payment structures, rather than upfront payments, which may cause delays in our performance of the relevant work and revenue recognition. Moreover, a portion of our expenses related to an anticipated order is fixed and difficult to reduce or change, which may further impact our operating results for a particular period.

We may seek to expand our business in ways that could result in diversion of resources and extra expenses.

We may in the future pursue acquisitions of businesses, products and technologies, establish joint venture arrangements, make minority equity investments or enhance our existing Cevanet partner eco-system to expand our business. We are unable to predict whether or when any prospective acquisition, equity investment or joint venture will be completed. The process of negotiating potential acquisitions, joint ventures or equity investments, as well as the integration of acquired or jointly developed businesses, technologies or products may be prolonged due to unforeseen difficulties and may require a disproportionate amount of our resources and management’s attention. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully identify suitable acquisition or investment candidates, complete acquisitions or investments, or integrate acquired businesses or joint ventures with our operations. If we were to make any acquisition or investment or enter into a joint venture, we may not receive the intended benefits of the acquisition, investment or joint venture or such an acquisition, investment or joint venture may not achieve comparable levels of revenues, profitability or productivity as our existing business or otherwise perform as expected. The expansion of our Cevanet partner eco-system also may not achieve the anticipated benefits. The occurrence of any of these events could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations. Future acquisitions, investments or joint ventures may require substantial capital resources, which may require us to seek additional debt or equity financing.

Future acquisitions, joint ventures or minority equity investments by us could result in the following, any of which could seriously harm our results of operations or the price of our stock:

issuance of equity securities that would dilute our current stockholders’ percentages of ownership;

large one-time write-offs or equity investment impairment write-offs;

incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities;

difficulties in the assimilation and integration of operations, personnel, technologies, products and information systems of the acquired companies;

inability to realize cost efficiencies or synergies, thereby incurring higher operating expenditures as a result of the acquisition;

diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns;

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contractual disputes;

risks of entering geographic and business markets in which we have no or only limited prior experience; and

potential loss of key employees of acquired organizations.

Because our IP and related solutions are complex, the detection of errors in our products may be delayed, and if we deliver products with defects, our credibility will be harmed, the sales and market acceptance of our products may decrease and product liability claims may be made against us.

Our IP and related solutions are complex and may contain errors, defects and bugs when introduced. If we deliver products with errors, defects or bugs, our credibility and the market acceptance and sales of our products could be significantly harmed. Furthermore, the nature of our products may also delay the detection of any such error or defect. If our products contain errors, defects and bugs, then we may be required to expend significant capital and resources to alleviate these problems. This could result in the diversion of technical and other resources from our other development efforts. Any actual or perceived problems or delays may also adversely affect our ability to attract or retain customers. Furthermore, the existence of any defects, errors or failure in our products could lead to product liability claims or lawsuits against us or against our customers. A successful product liability claim could result in substantial cost and divert management’s attention and resources, which would have a negative impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our success will depend on our ability to successfully manage our geographically dispersed operations.

Most of our employees are located in Israel. We also added French employees after the RivieraWaves acquisition in 2014. Accordingly, our ability to compete successfully will depend in part on the ability of a limited number of key executives located in geographically dispersed offices to integrate management, address the needs of our customers and respond to changes in our markets. If we are unable to effectively manage and integrate our remote operations, our business may be materially harmed.

Our operations in Israel may be adversely affected by instability in the Middle East region.

One of our principal research and development facilities is located in Israel, and most of our executive officers and some of our directors are residents of Israel. Although substantially all of our sales currently are being made to customers outside Israel, we are nonetheless directly influenced by the political, economic and military conditions affecting Israel. Any major hostilities involving Israel could significantly harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

In addition, certain of our employees are currently obligated to perform annual reserve duty in the Israel Defense Forces and are subject to being called to active military duty at any time. Although we have operated effectively under these requirements since our inception, we cannot predict the effect of these obligations on the company in the future. Our operations could be disrupted by the absence, for a significant period, of one or more of our key employees due to military service.

Terrorist attacks, acts of war or military actions and/or other civil unrest may adversely affect the territories in which we operate, and our business, financial condition and operating results.

Terrorist attacks such as those that have occurred in France, where we have our wireless connectivity operations as a result of our acquisition of RivieraWaves, and attempted terrorist attacks, military responses to terrorist attacks, other military actions, or governmental action in response to or in anticipation of a terrorist attack, or civil unrest, may adversely affect prevailing economic conditions, resulting in work stoppages, reduced consumer spending or reduced demand for end products that incorporate our technologies. These developments subject our worldwide operations to increased risks and, depending on their magnitude, could reduce net sales and therefore could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our research and development expenses may increase if the grants we currently receive from the Israeli government are reduced or withheld.

We currently receive research grants mainly from programs of the IIA. We recorded an aggregate of $4,417,000, $6,410,000 and $4,997,000 in 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. To be eligible for these grants, we must meet certain development conditions and comply with periodic reporting obligations. Although we have met such conditions in the past, should we fail to meet such conditions in the future our research grants may be repayable, reduced or withheld. The repayment or reduction of such research grants may increase our research and development expenses which in turn may reduce our operating income. Also, the timing of such payments from the IIA may vary from year to year and quarter to quarter, and we have no control on the timing of such payment. For example, in 2017, the amount of grants approved by the IIA was substantially lower than prior years due to different allocation and methodology that IIA has implemented. As a result, our research and developments costs increased in 2017 as compared to prior years.

Recently enacted tax legislation in the United States may impact our business.

We are subject to taxation in the United States, as well as a number of foreign jurisdictions. On December 22, 2017, the U.S. President signed into law federal tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”). The Tax Act provides for significant and wide-ranging changes to the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. The reforms are complex, and it will take some time to assess the implications thoroughly. Broadly, the implications most relevant to the company include: a) a reduction in the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, with various “base erosion” rules that may effectively limit the tax deductibility of certain payments made by U.S. entities tonon-U.S. affiliates and additional limitations on deductions attributable to interest expense; and b) adopting elements of a territorial tax system. To transition into the territorial tax system, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes aone-time tax on cumulative retained earnings of U.S.-owned foreign subsidiaries, at a rate of 15.5% for earnings represented by cash or cash equivalents and 8.0% for the balance of such earnings. Taxpayers may make an election to pay this tax over eight years. These tax reforms will give rise to significant consequences, both immediately in terms ofone-off impacts relating to the transition tax and the measurement of deferred tax assets and liabilities and going forward in terms of the company’s taxation expense. An initial review and estimate has been undertaken by us, which will be updated over the coming weeks and months as we work through these complex changes with our advisors. The Tax Act could be subject to potential amendments and technical corrections, any of which could lessen or increase adverse impacts of the law. The final transitional impact of the Tax Act may differ from the estimates provided in this Annual Report, due to, among other things, changes in interpretations of the Tax Act, any legislative action to address questions that arise because of the Tax Act, any changes in accounting standards for income taxes or related interpretations in response to the Tax Act, or any updates or changes to estimates we utilized to calculate the transitional impacts, including impacts related to changes to current year earnings estimates and the amount of the repatriation tax. Given the unpredictability of these and other tax laws and related regulations, and their potential interdependency, it is difficult to currently assess the overall effect of such changes. Nonetheless, any material negative effect of such changes to our earnings and cash flow could adversely impact our financial results.

The nature of our business requires the application of complex revenue recognition rules. Significant changes in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, including the adoption of the new revenue recognition rules, could materially affect our financial position and results of operations.

We prepare our financial statements in accordance with GAAP, which is subject to interpretation or changes by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, the SEC, and other various bodies formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. New accounting pronouncements and changes in accounting principles have occurred in the past and are expected to occur in the future, which may have a significant effect on our financial results. For example, pursuant to the new revenue recognition rules, an entity recognizes sales- and usage-based royalties as revenue only when the later of the following events occurs: (1) the subsequent sale or usage occurs or (2) the performance obligation to which some or all of the sales-based or usage-based royalty allocated has been satisfied (or partially satisfied). Recognizing royalty revenue on a lag time basis is not permitted. As a result, the royalties we generate from customers will be based on royalty of units shipped during the quarter as estimated by our customers, not a quarter in arrears that we previously report. We are continuing to evaluate the impact of the adoption of this standard on our financial statements and our preliminary assessments are subject to change. Adoption of this standard and any difficulties in implementation of changes in accounting principles, including uncertainty associated with royalty revenues for the quarter based on estimates provided by our customer, could cause us to fail to meet our financial reporting obligations, which could result in regulatory discipline and harm investors’ confidence in us.

The Israeli tax benefits that we currently receive and the government programs in which we participate require us to meet certain conditions and may be terminated or reduced in the future, which could increase our tax expenses.

We enjoy certain tax benefits in Israel, particularly as a result of the “Approved Enterprise” and the “Benefited Enterprise” status of our facilities and programs. To maintain our eligibility for these tax benefits, we must continue to meet certain conditions, relating principally to adherence to the investment program filed with the Investment Center of the Israeli Ministry of Industry and Trade and to periodic reporting obligations. Should we fail to meet such conditions in the future, these benefits would be cancelled and we would be subject to corporate tax in Israel at the standard corporate rate (24% in 2017) and could be required to refund tax benefits already received. In addition, we cannot assure you that these tax benefits will be continued in the future at their current levels or otherwise. The tax benefits under our active investment programs are scheduled to gradually expire starting in 2020. The termination or reduction of certain programs and tax benefits (particularly benefits available to us as a result of the “Approved Enterprise” and the “Benefited Enterprise” status of our facilities and programs) or a requirement to refund tax benefits already received may seriously harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our failure to maintain certain research tax benefits applicable to French technology companies may adversely affect the results of operations of our RivieraWaves operations.

Pursuant to our acquisition of the RivieraWaves operations, we will benefit from certain research tax credits applicable to French technology companies, including, for example, the Crédit Impôt Recherche (“CIR”). The CIR is a French tax credit aimed at stimulating research activities. The CIR can be offset against French corporate income tax due and the portion in excess (if any) may be refunded every three years. The French Parliament can decide to eliminate, or reduce the scope or the rate of, the CIR benefit, at any time or challenge our eligibility or calculations for such tax credits, all of which may have an adverse impact on our results of operations and future cash flows.

We are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

A significant portion of our business is conducted outside the United States. Although most of our revenues are transacted in U.S. dollars, we may be exposed to currency exchange fluctuations in the future as business

practices evolve and we are forced to transact business in local currencies. Moreover, the majority of our expenses are denominated in foreign currencies, mainly New Israeli Shekel (NIS) and the EURO, which subjects us to the risks of foreign currency fluctuations. Our primary expenses paid in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are employee salaries. Increases in the volatility of the exchange rates of currencies other than the U.S. dollar versus the U.S. dollar could have an adverse effect on the expenses and liabilities that we incur in currencies other than the U.S. dollar when remeasured into U.S. dollars for financial reporting purposes. We have instituted a foreign cash flow hedging program to minimize the effects of currency fluctuations. However, hedging transactions may not successfully mitigate losses caused by currency fluctuations, and our hedging positions may be partial or may not exist at all in the future. We also review our monthly expectednon-U.S. dollar denominated expenditure and look to hold equivalentnon-U.S. dollar cash balances to mitigate currency fluctuations. However, in some cases, we expect to continue to experience the effect of exchange rate currency fluctuations on an annual and quarterly basis. For example, our EURO cash balances increase significantly on a quarterly basis beyond our EURO liabilities from the CIR, which is generally refunded every three years.

We are exposed to the credit risk of our customers, which could result in material losses.

As we diversify and expand our addressable market, we will enter into licensing arrangements with first time customers with whom we don’t have full visible of their creditworthiness. Furthermore, we have increased business activities in the Asia Pacific region. As a result, our future credit risk exposure may increase. Although we monitor and attempt to mitigate credit risks, there can be no assurance that our efforts will be effective. Although any losses to date relating to credit exposure of our customers have not been material, future losses, if incurred, could harm our business and have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

Our product development efforts are time-consuming and expensive and may not generate an acceptable return, if any.

Our product development efforts require us to incur substantial research and development expense.expenses. Our research and development expenses were approximately $40.4$72.7 million, $30.8$70.3 million and $28.1$69.1 million for 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 2015,2021, respectively. We may not be able to achieve an acceptable return, if any, on our research and development efforts.

The development of our products is highly complex. We occasionally have experienced delays in completing the development and introduction of new products and product enhancements, and we could experience delays in the future. Unanticipated problems in developing products could also divert substantial engineering resources, which may impair our ability to develop new products and enhancements and could substantially increase our costs. Furthermore, we may expend significant amounts on research and development programs that may not ultimately result in commercially successful products. Our research and development expense levels have increased steadily in the past few years. As a result of these and other factors, we may be unable to develop and introduce new products successfully and in a cost-effective and timely manner, and any new products we develop and offer may never achieve market acceptance. Any failure to successfully develop future products would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to meet the changing needs of ourend-users or address evolving market demands, our business may be harmed.

The markets for signal processing IPs are characterized by rapidly changing technology, emerging markets and new and developingend-user needs, and requiring significant expenditure for research and development. We cannot assure you that we will be able to introduce systems and solutions that reflect prevailing industry standards, on a timely basis, meet the specific technical requirements of ourend-users or avoid significant losses due to rapid decreases in market prices of our products, and our failure to do so may seriously harm our business.

We may seek to expand our business in ways that could result in diversion of resources and extra expenses.

We may in the future pursue acquisitions of businesses, products and technologies, establish joint venture arrangements, make minority equity investments or enhance our existing CEVAnet partnereco-system to expand our business. We are unable to predict whether or when any prospective acquisition, equity investment or joint venture will be completed. The process of negotiating potential acquisitions, joint ventures or equity investments, as well as the integration of acquired or jointly developed businesses, technologies or products may be prolonged due to unforeseen difficulties and may require a disproportionate amount of our resources and management’s attention. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully identify suitable acquisition or investment candidates, complete acquisitions or investments, or integrate acquired businesses or joint ventures with our operations. If we were to make any acquisition or investment or enter into a joint venture, we may not receive the intended benefits of the acquisition, investment or joint venture or such an acquisition, investment or joint venture may not achieve comparable levels of revenues, profitability or productivity as our existing business or otherwise perform as expected. The expansion of our CEVAnet partnereco-system also may not achieve the anticipated benefits. The occurrence of any of these events could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations. Future acquisitions, investments or joint ventures may require substantial capital resources, which may require us to seek additional debt or equity financing.

Future acquisitions, joint ventures or minority equity investments by us could result in the following, any of which could seriously harm our results of operations or the price of our stock:

issuance of equity securities that would dilute our current stockholders’ percentages of ownership;

largeone-time write-offs or equity investment impairment write-offs;

incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities;

difficulties in the assimilation and integration of operations, personnel, technologies, products and information systems of the acquired companies;

inability to realize cost efficiencies or synergies, thereby incurring higher operating expenditures as a result of the acquisition;

diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns;

contractual disputes;

risks of entering geographic and business markets in which we have no or only limited prior experience; and

potential loss of key employees of acquired organizations.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property.

Our success and ability to compete depend in large part upon the protection of our proprietary technologies. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, mask work and other intellectual property rights, confidentiality procedures and IP licensing arrangements to establish and protect our proprietary rights. These agreements and measures may not be sufficient to protect our technology from third-party infringement or protect us from the claims of others. As a result, we face risks associated with our patent position, including the potential need to engage in significant legal proceedings to enforce our patents, the possibility that the validity or enforceability of our patents may be denied, the possibility that third parties will be able to compete against us without infringing our patents and the possibility that our products may infringe patent rights of third parties.

Our trade names or trademarks may be registered or utilized by third parties in countries other than those in which we have registered them, impairing our ability to enter and compete in those markets. If we were forced to change any of our brand names, we could lose a significant amount of our brand identity.

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Our business will suffer if we are sued for infringement of the intellectual property rights of third parties or if we cannot obtain licenses to these rights on commercially acceptable terms.

We are subject to the risk of adverse claims and litigation alleging infringement of the intellectual property rights of others. There are a large number of patents held by others, including our competitors, pertaining to the broad areas in which we are active. We have not, and cannot reasonably, investigate all such patents. From time to time, we have become aware of patents in our technology areas and have sought legal counsel regarding the validity of such patents and their impact on how we operate our business, and we will continue to seek such counsel when appropriate in the future. In addition, patent infringement claims are increasingly being asserted by patent holding companies(so-called (so-called patent “trolls”), which do not use technology and whose sole business is to enforce patents against companies, such as us, for monetary gain. Because such patent holding companies do not provide services or use technology, the assertion of our own patents by way of counter-claim may be ineffective. Infringement claims may require us to enter into license arrangements or result in protracted and costly litigation, regardless of the merits of these claims. Any necessary licenses may not be available or, if available, may not be obtainable on commercially reasonable terms. If we cannot obtain necessary licenses on commercially reasonable terms, we may be forced to stop licensing our technology, and our business would be seriously harmed.

The future growth of our business depends in part on our ability to license to system OEMs andsmall-to-medium-sized semiconductor companies directly and to expand our sales geographically.

Historically, a substantial portion of our licensing revenues has been derived in any given period from a relatively small number of licensees. Because of the substantial license fees we charge, our customers tend to be large semiconductor companies or vertically integrated system OEMs. Part of our current growth strategy is to broaden the adoption of our products by small andmid-size companies by offering different versions of our products targeted at these companies. If we are unable to develop and market effectively our intellectual property through these models, our revenues will continue to be dependent on a smaller number of licensees and a less geographically dispersed pattern of licensees, which could materially harm our business and results of operations.

Our operating results are affected by the highly cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry.

We operate within the semiconductor industry which experiences significant fluctuations in sales and profitability. Downturns in the semiconductor industry are characterized by diminished product demand, excess customer inventories, accelerated erosion of prices and excess production capacity. These factors could cause substantial fluctuations in our revenues and in our results of operations.

We may dispose of or discontinue existing product lines and technology developments, which may adversely impact our future results.

On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our various product offerings and technology developments in order to determine whether any should be discontinued or, to the extent possible, divested. We cannot guarantee that we have correctly forecasted, or will correctly forecast in the future, the right product lines and technology developments to dispose or discontinue or that our decision to dispose of or discontinue various investments, products lines and technology developments is prudent if market conditions change. In addition, there are no assurances that the discontinuance of various product lines will reduce our operating expenses or will not cause us to incur material charges associated with such decision. Furthermore, the discontinuance of existing product lines entails various risks, including the risk that we will not be able to find a purchaser for a product line or the purchase price obtained will not be equal to at least the book value of the net assets for the product line. Other risks include managing the expectations of, and maintaining good relations with, our customers who previously purchased products from our disposed or discontinued product lines, which could prevent us from selling other products to them in the future. We may also incur other significant liabilities and costs associated with our disposal or discontinuance of product lines, including employee severance costs and excess facilities costs.

Cybersecurity threats or other security breaches could compromise sensitive information belonging to us or our customers and could harm our business and our reputation.

We store sensitive data, including intellectual property, proprietary business information and our customer and employee information. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions that could result in unauthorized disclosure or loss of sensitive data. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to networks, or to sabotage systems, change frequently and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Furthermore, in the operation of our business we also use third-party vendors that store certain sensitive data. AnyIf we are unable to protect sensitive data, including complying with evolving information security, breachdata protection and privacy regulations, our customers or governmental authorities could investigate the adequacy of our own or a third-party vendor’s systemsthreat mitigation and detection processes and procedures, and could causebring actions against us to benon-compliantfor noncompliance with applicable laws or regulations, subject us to legal claims or proceedings, disruptand regulations. Moreover, depending on the severity of an incident, our operations, damagecustomers’ data, our reputation,employees’ data, our intellectual property (including trade secrets and cause a loss of confidence in our productsresearch, development and services, any ofengineering know-how), and other third-party data (such as subcontractors, suppliers and vendors) could be compromised, which could adversely affect our business.

Our corporate

Risks Related to Finance, Accounting and Taxation

The nature of our business requires the application of complex revenue recognition rules. Significant changes in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, including the adoption of the new revenue recognition rules, could materially affect our financial position and results of operations.

We prepare our financial statements in accordance with GAAP, which is subject to interpretation or changes by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, the SEC, and other various bodies formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. New accounting pronouncements and changes in accounting principles have occurred in the past and are expected to occur in the future, which may have a significant effect on our financial results. For example, pursuant to the new revenue recognition rules, effective as of January 1, 2018, an entity recognizes sales and usage-based royalties as revenue only when the later of the following events occurs: (1) the subsequent sale or usage occurs or (2) the performance obligation to which some or all of the sales-based or usage-based royalty allocated has been satisfied (or partially satisfied). Recognizing royalty revenue on a lag time basis is not permitted. As a result, the royalties we generate from customers is based on royalty of units shipped during the quarter as estimated by our customers, not a quarter in arrears that we previously report. Adoption of this standard and any difficulties in implementation of changes in accounting principles, including uncertainty associated with royalty revenues for the quarter based on estimates provided by our customer, could cause us to fail to meet our financial reporting obligations, which could result in regulatory discipline and harm investors’ confidence in us.

Changes in our tax rate may increase, whichrates or exposure to additional income tax liabilities or assessments could adversely impact our cash flow, financial condition and results of operations.

We haveare subject to income taxes in the United States and various foreign jurisdictions. In addition to our significant operations in Israel, as wellwe have operations in Ireland, France, the RepublicUnited Kingdom, Serbia, China, Japan and starting from January 2024, in Greece. Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes and other tax liabilities. In the ordinary course of Irelanda global business, there are many intercompany transactions and France. Acalculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Due to the potential for changes to tax laws and regulations or changes to the interpretation thereof, the ambiguity of tax laws and regulations, the subjectivity of factual interpretations, the complexity of our intercompany arrangements, uncertainties regarding the geographic mix of earnings in any particular period, the potential decision or need to transfer cash or other assets from one jurisdiction to another, potential for tax authorities to challenge the manner in which our subsidiaries’ profits are currently recognized, and other factors, our estimates of effective tax rate and income tax assets and liabilities can be incorrect, we could lose the ability to use certain deferred tax assets, we could incur significant additional taxes in connection with a specific transaction, our overall tax expenses could increase, and our business, cash flow, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. The impact of the factors referenced in this paragraph may also be substantially different from period-to-period.

For example, a substantial portion of our taxable income historically has been generated in Israel. Currently,Israel, as well as France starting in 2020. Although our Israeli and Irish subsidiaries historically, and starting in 2022 our French subsidiary, are taxed at rates lower than the U.S. tax rates.rates, the tax rates in these jurisdictions could nevertheless result in a substantial increase as a result of withholding tax expenses with respect to which we are unable to obtain a refund from the relevant tax authorities. If our Israeli, French and Irish subsidiaries were to no longer to qualify for these lower tax rates or if the applicable tax laws were rescinded or changed, our operating results could be materially adversely affected.  Moreover, if A mix of our revenues in each of these locations may change the mix of our taxable income, and as a result, our overall tax rate may increase, as we encountered in 2021, specifically due to higher taxes in France, or in the third quarter of 2022, due to our recording a $15.6 million expense as a result of a valuation allowance for certain deferred tax assets in Israel.

U.S. tax regulations are also implicated by our international operations. For example, certain of our taxes may be “double taxed” in both foreign jurisdictions and the U.S., including with respect to our taxes on our Irish and Israeli interest income. While we have elected to account for global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) as a current-period expense when incurred, legislation and clarifying guidance are expected to continue to be issued by the U.S. Treasury Department and various states in future periods, which could have a material adverse impact on the value of our U.S. deferred tax assets, result in significant changes to currently computed income tax liabilities for past and current tax periods, and increase our future U.S. tax expense. We could also incur significant additional tax expenses as a result of moving off-shore cash to our U.S. entity. Out of total cash, cash equivalents, bank deposits and marketable securities of $166.5 million at year end 2023, $136.4 million was held by our foreign subsidiaries, with only $30.1 million held in the U.S., which could make capital expenditures to expand operations in the U.S., or other authorities wereour conducting strategic transactions in the U.S., more expensive. In addition, beginning in our fiscal year 2022, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminates the option to change applicablededuct research and development expenditures in the year incurred, requiring amortization in accordance with Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 174. If this requirement is not repealed or otherwise modified, it will materially increase our effective tax rate and reduce our operating cash flows.

Furthermore, several countries, including the U.S. and Ireland, as well as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have reached agreement on a global minimum tax initiative. Many countries are also actively considering changes to existing tax laws or successfully challengehave proposed or enacted new laws that could increase our tax obligations in countries where we do business or cause us to change the mannerway we operate our business.

Finally, our determination of our tax liability in the U.S. and other jurisdictions, including our intercompany transfer pricing, is subject to review by applicable domestic and foreign tax authorities. Although we believe that our tax estimates are reasonable, due to the complexity of our corporate structure, the multiple intercompany transactions and the various tax regimes, we cannot assure you that a tax audit or tax dispute to which we may be subject will result in a favorable outcome for us. If taxing authorities do not accept our subsidiaries’ profits are currently recognized,tax positions and impose higher tax rates on our foreign operations, our overall tax expenses could increase.

The Israeli and French tax benefits that we currently receive and the government programs in which we participate require us to meet certain conditions and may be terminated or reduced in the future, which could increase our tax expenses.

We enjoy certain tax benefits in Israel, particularly as a result of the “Approved Enterprise” and the “Benefited Enterprise” status of our facilities and programs through 2019, and the “Technological Preferred Enterprise” status of our facilities and programs since 2020. To maintain our eligibility for these tax benefits, we must continue to meet certain conditions, relating principally to adherence to the investment program filed with the Investment Center of the Israeli Ministry of Industry and Trade and to periodic reporting obligations. Should we fail to meet such conditions, these benefits would be cancelled and we would be subject to corporate tax in Israel at the standard corporate rate (23% in 2023) and could be required to refund tax benefits already received. Additionally, if we increase our activities outside of Israel, for example, by acquisitions, our increased activities may not be eligible for inclusion in Israeli tax benefit programs. The termination or reduction of certain programs and tax benefits or a requirement to refund tax benefits already received may seriously harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our French subsidiary is entitled to a new tax benefit of 10% applied to specific revenues under the French IP Box regime. The French IP Box regime applies to net income derived from the licensing, sublicensing or sale of several IP rights such as patents and copyrighted software, including royalty revenues. This new elective regime requires a direct link between the income benefiting from the preferential treatment and the R&D expenditures incurred and contributing to that income. Qualifying income may be taxed at a favorable 10% CIT rate (plus social surtax, hence 10.3% in total). This new French IP Box regime was enacted into the French tax law as of January 1, 2019, and the final version of the Official guidance of the French tax authorities (FTA) was published on April 22, 2020. Since the French IP Box regime was enacted recently, there is little to no French case law on this subject at this time and French companies do not yet have any feedback on the ongoing tax audits and on the FTA’s tendency in this matter. Different interpretations of the French law by the French taxing authorities regarding the French IP Box regime may impose higher tax rates on our French operations and our business, cash flow, financial conditionoverall tax expenses could increase.

In addition, pursuant to our acquisition of the RivieraWaves operations, we will benefit from certain research tax credits applicable to French technology companies, including, for example, the Crédit Impôt Recherche (“CIR”). The CIR is a French tax credit aimed at stimulating research activities. The CIR can be offset against French corporate income tax due and the portion in excess (if any) may be refunded every three years. The French Parliament can decide to eliminate, or reduce the scope or the rate of, the CIR benefit, at any time or challenge our eligibility or calculations for such tax credits, all of which may have an adverse impact on our results of operations and future cash flows.

We are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

A significant portion of our business is conducted outside the United States. Although most of our revenues are transacted in U.S. dollars, we may be exposed to currency exchange fluctuations in the future as business practices evolve and we are forced to transact business in local currencies. Moreover, the majority of our expenses are denominated in foreign currencies, mainly New Israeli Shekel (“NIS”) and the Euro, which subjects us to the risks of foreign currency fluctuations. Our primary expenses paid in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are employee salaries. Increases in the volatility of the exchange rates of currencies other than the U.S. dollar versus the U.S. dollar could be materially adversely affected. Also our taxeshave an adverse effect on the Irish interest incomeexpenses and liabilities that we incur in currencies other than the U.S. dollar when remeasured into U.S. dollars for financial reporting purposes. We have instituted a foreign cash flow hedging program to minimize the effects of currency fluctuations. However, hedging transactions may not successfully mitigate losses caused by currency fluctuations, and our hedging positions may be double taxed both in Ireland andpartial or may not exist at all in the U.S.future. We also review our monthly expected non-U.S. dollar denominated expenditure and look to hold equivalent non-U.S. dollar cash balances to mitigate currency fluctuations. However, in some cases, we expect to continue to experience the effect of exchange rate currency fluctuations on an annual and quarterly basis. For example, our EURO cash balances increase significantly on a quarterly basis beyond our EURO liabilities from the CIR, which is generally refunded every three years. This has resulted a foreign exchange loss of $1.27 million during 2021 due to the devaluation of our Euro cash balances as the U.S. tax regulationsdollar strengthened significantly during this period as compared to the Euro, and Irish tax restrictionsa foreign exchange gain of $0.07 million and $0.69 million during 2022 and 2023, respectively.

We are exposed to the credit and liquidity risk of our customers, and to credit exposure in weakened markets, which could result in material losses.

As we diversify and expand our addressable market in geographically dispersed regions, we will enter into IP licensing arrangements with first-time customers where we do not have full visibility of their creditworthiness. Furthermore, the instability of market conditions in certain areas in which we have expanded our business, including parts of the Asia Pacific region, drives an elevated risk of uncollectable accounts receivable and inability to recognize revenue from deals involving customers that may be in financial distress. Further, to the extent one or more of our customers commences bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, contracts with these customers may be subject to renegotiation or rejection under applicable court proceeding. Although we monitor and attempt to mitigate credit risks, there can be no assurance that our efforts will be effective. While losses to date relating to the credit exposure of our customers have not been material, future losses, if incurred, could harm our business and have a material adverse effect on NOLsour operating results and financial condition.

If we determine that our goodwill and intangible assets have become impaired, we may incur impairment charges, which would negatively impact our operating results.

Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair value of net assets acquired in business combinations. Under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, we assess potential impairment of our goodwill and intangible assets at least annually, as well as on an interim basis tooff-set interest income. the extent that factors or indicators become apparent that could reduce the fair value of any of our businesses below book value. Impairment may result from significant changes in the manner of use of the acquired asset, negative industry or economic trends and significant underperformance relative to historic or projected operating results. For example, in the third quarter of 2022, we recorded $3.6 million of impairment of intangible assets with respect to Immervision technology acquired in August 2019, as we decided to cease the development of this product line. If we determine that our goodwill and intangible assets have become impaired, we may incur impairment charges, which could negatively impact our operating results.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

The anti-takeover provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could prevent or discourage a third party from acquiring us.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may prevent or discourage a third party from acquiring us, even if the acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders. Our board of directors also has the authority to fix the rights and preferences of shares of our preferred stock and to issue such shares without a stockholder vote. Our bylaws also place limitations on the authority to call a special meeting of stockholders. We have advance notice procedures for stockholders desiring to nominate candidates for election as directors or to bring matters before an annual meeting of stockholders. In addition, these factors may also adversely affect the market price of our Israeli interest income also may be taxed both in Israelcommon stock, and the U.S due to different Controlled Foreign Corporation rules.voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock.

Our stock price may be volatile so you may not be able to resell your shares of our common stock at or above the price you paid for them.

Announcements of developments related to our business, announcements by competitors, quarterly fluctuations in our financial results, changes in the general conditions of the highly dynamic industry in which we compete or the national economies in which we do business, and other factors could cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate, perhaps substantially. For example, if we fail to achieve our near-term financial guidance, or fail to show overall business growth and expansion, our stock price may significantly decline. In addition, in recent years, the stock market has experienced extreme price fluctuations, which have often been unrelated to the operating performance of affected companies. These factors and fluctuations could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

 

ITEM 1B.

UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

 

ITEM 1C.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity represents an important component of our overall approach to enterprise risk management (“ERM”), and is one of the key risks identified for oversight by the Board through our annual ERM assessment. Our ERM approach generally, and our cybersecurity practices in particular, are based upon industry standards and implemented using managed security applications. We generally approach cybersecurity threats through a cross-functional approach which endeavors to: (i) prevent and mitigate cybersecurity threats to the Company; (ii) maintain the confidence of our customers, clients and business partners; (iii) preserve the confidentiality of our employee’s information; and (iv) protect our intellectual property.

Risk Management and Strategy

Our cybersecurity program focuses on the following areas:

Vigilance: We maintain 24/7 cybersecurity threat operations in order to rapidly detect, contain and respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents.

Systems Safeguards: We deploy technical safeguards that are designed to protect our information systems from cybersecurity threats. These safeguards include firewalls, intrusion prevention and detection systems, anti-malware functionality, access controls and ongoing vulnerability assessments.

Third-Party Management: We screen venders, service providers and other third parties that may gain access to our systems based on their expertise, reliability, reputation and industry credentials, and have implemented measures to further enable us to identify and oversee cybersecurity risks presented users of our systems..

Education: All of our employees are trained at least annually on cybersecurity threats and our information security procedures, which reinforces our information security policies, standards and practices.

Incident Response Planning: We have established and continue to maintain an incident response plan that addresses our response to a cybersecurity incident.

Communication and Coordination: We utilize a cross-functional approach to address the risk from cybersecurity threats, involving management personnel from the technology, operations, legal, risk management, internal audit and other key business functions, as well as including our board of directors in an ongoing dialogue regarding cybersecurity threats and incidents.

Governance: Our board of directors’ oversight of cybersecurity risk management is supported by our Chief Financial Officer and Compliance Officer, who interacts directly with, and is provided relevant information by, our cybersecurity team. While our board of directors has the ultimate oversight responsibility over the management of cybersecurity risk, our audit committee reviews the risk management process relating to cybersecurity on a regular basis.

We evaluate the effectiveness of our cybersecurity threat risk management through the assessment and testing of our processes and practices. We regularly engage consultants, auditors and other third parties to perform assessments on our cybersecurity measures. The assessments include information security maturity evaluations, independent environmental security control reviews, operating effectiveness and penetration testing. We make adjustments to our cybersecurity processes and practices as necessary based on the information provided by the third-party assessments and reviews.

Governance

Our board of directors as a whole is responsible for overseeing the management of risks pertaining to cybersecurity threats. Our board receives regular presentations and reports from the management team on information regarding the policies, processes and practices that we implement to address risks from cybersecurity threats including, for example, discussion of recent developments, evolving standards, third-party and independent reviews, the threat environment and technological trends. Additionally, to the extent we identify any cybersecurity incident that could pose a significant risk to the Company, the board will receive prompt and timely information regarding the incident and ongoing updates until such incidents have been addressed.

Our cybersecurity team is composed of the global head of Information Technology & Management Information Systems, the Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”) and deputy CISO. The cybersecurity team, along with internal security stakeholders, are the team members principally responsible for overseeing and implementing our cybersecurity risk management program. Our cybersecurity team members each possess 15-25 years of cybersecurity experience, with strong educational qualifications including post-secondary education, industry certifications and other relevant developmental training. We believe this collective experience allows us to effectively manage risks emerging from cybersecurity threats.

The cybersecurity team works collaboratively across the Company to implement customized programs designed to protect and respond to cybersecurity threats and to promptly respond to any cybersecurity incidents. To facilitate the success of this program, multi-disciplinary teams throughout the Company are deployed to address cybersecurity threats and to respond to cybersecurity incidents in accordance with our incident response plan. Chief concerns are reported to our broader management team when appropriate.

We have not previously experienced any material cybersecurity incidents. In addition, cybersecurity threats have not materially affected, and we do not believe they are reasonably likely to affect, the Company, including our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition.

ITEM 2.

PROPERTIES

Our headquarters are located in Mountain View, CaliforniaRockville, Maryland, where we conduct research and wedevelopment and administration activities in a 9,913 square foot facility under a lease expiring in 2028. We also have principal offices where we conduct research and development, sales and marketing and administration activities in Herzliya, Israel, where have a 57,425 square foot facility lease expiring 2025; and Sophia Antipolis, France, and Dublin, Ireland.

where we have a 10,823 square foot facility lease expiring in 2031.

We also lease seven other buildings for our executive offices, andmain additional engineering, sales, marketing, administrative, support and support operations, including two other facilities located in China, and design centers. The following table summarizes informationone other facility located in each of the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Serbia and Japan. Together with respectour principal offices, these ten facilities cover an aggregate of approximately 97,689 square feet, ranging from 1,132 square feet to the principal facilities leased by us as of December 31, 2017:57,425 square feet, with lease terms expiring from 2024 to 2034.

 

Location

  Term   Expiration  Area
(Sq. Feet)
  

Principal Activities

Mountain View, CA, U.S. (1)   8 years   2023  3,769  Headquarters; sales and marketing; administration
Herzliya, Israel (2)   6 years   2020  43,337  Research and development; administration; sales and marketing
Dublin, Ireland (3)   10 years   2026  1,755  Research and development; administration
Cork, Ireland (4)   5 years   2021  2,870  Research and development
Belfast, UK (5)   15 years   2019  2,600  Research and development
Sophia Antipolis, France   9 years   2021  7,535  Research and development; administration; sales and marketing
Shanghai, China   3 years   2018  3,438  sales and marketing
Tokyo, Japan   3 years   2019  1,713  sales and marketing

(1)Break clause in the lease exercisable in 2020.
(2)Break clause in the lease exercisable in 2018.
(3)Break clause in the lease exercisable in 2021.
(4)Break clause in the lease exercisable in 2018.
(5)Break clause in the lease exercisable on payment of one year rent.

ITEM 3.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

From time to time, we are involved in litigation relating to claims arising out of our operations in the normal course of business. We are not a party to any legal proceedings, the adverse outcome of which, in management’s opinion, would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial positionposition.

 

ITEM 4.

MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

32

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

Below are the names, ages and principal recent business experience of our current executive officers. All such persons have been appointed by our board of directors to serve until their successors are elected and qualified or until their earlier resignation or removal.

Gideon WertheizerAmir Panush, age 61, 50, joined our board of directors on February 13, 2024 andhas served as our Chief Executive Officer since May 2005.January 2023. He joined our board of directors in January 2010. Mr. Wertheizer has 34 years of experience in the semiconductor and Silicon Intellectual Property (SIP) industries. He previouslyus from InvenSense, Inc., a TDK group company, where he served as theChief Executive Vice PresidentOfficer and General Manager of TDK Corporation’s MEMS Sensors Business Group. Mr. Panush previously held various leadership positions at TDK following TDK’s successful acquisition of InvenSense in 2017. Mr Panush joined Invensense in 2015, serving as head of the DSP business unit at CEVA.company’s Strategy & Corporate Development, where he drove strategic expansion and diversification efforts. Prior to joining CEVAInvenSense, from May 2011 to March 2015, Mr. Panush served in November 2002, Mr. Wertheizer held various executive positionscapacities at DSP Group, Inc., including such rolesQualcomm, most recently as Executive VP—Strategicthe Senior Director of Product Management and Business Development Vice President for Marketingthe IoE/IoT client business. Prior to joining Qualcomm, Mr. Panush led strategic marketing and Vice President of VLSI design.partnerships at Atheros Communications, which was later acquired by Qualcomm. His earlier industry roles spanned software engineering and project management leadership at Texas Instruments and Comsys Mobile, which was acquired by Intel. Mr. WertheizerPanush holds a BsC for electrical engineeringMaster of Business Administration from Ben GurionHaas Business School, University of California at Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree, Cum Laude, in Israel and executive MBAComputer Science from Bradford UniversityTechnion Institute of Technology in the United Kingdom.Israel.

Yaniv Arieli, age 49,55, has served as our Chief Financial Officer since May 2005. Prior to his current position, Mr. Arieli served as President of U.S. Operations and Director of Investor Relations of DSP Group beginning in August 2002 and Vice President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of DSP Group’s DSP Cores Licensing Division prior to that time. Before joining DSP Group in 1997, Mr. Arieli served as an account manager and certified public accountant at Kesselman & Kesselman, a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers, a leading accounting firm. Mr. Arieli is a CPA and holds a B.A. in Accounting and Economics from Haifa University in Israel and an M.B.A. from Newport University and is also a member of the National Investor Relation Institute.

Issachar OhanaMichael Boukaya, age 52,49, has served as our Chief Operating Officer since April 2019. Prior to this position, Mr. Boukaya served as our Vice President Worldwide Sales,and General Manager of the wireless business unit since November 20022014. Previously, Mr. Boukaya served as VP and our Executive Vice President, Worldwide Sales, since July 2006. Prior toChief Architect with overall responsibility for the research and development of next generation DSP cores, wireless platform architectures and multimedia processors. Before joining CEVA in November 2002, Mr. OhanaCeva, he was with DSP Group, beginning in August 1994 as a VLSI design engineer. He was appointed Project Manager of DSP Group’sInc., holding different engineering and research and development in July 1995, Director of Core Licensing in August 1998, and Vice President—Sales of the Core Licensing Division in May 2000.management positions. Mr. OhanaBoukaya holds a B.Sc. in Electrical and ComputerElectronic Engineering from Ben Gurion Universitythe Technion Technology Institute, graduated from Executive Program of Stanford Graduate School of Business, and holds several patents on DSP technology.

Gweltaz Toquet, age 51, has served as our Chief Commercial Officer since January 2023. Mr. Toquet has more than 20 years of sales and management experience with the Company, most recently serving as our Vice President of Sales for Asia Pacific, India and Europe. In particular, Mr. Toquet has spent over 15 years as our Vice President of Sales for Asia Pacific based in IsraelHong Kong, where he led the build-out and an MBA from Bradford Universitymanagement of the sales and support functions in the United Kingdom.

region spanning China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Prior to joining the Company in 2002, Mr. Toquet held several roles in sales, business development, product marketing and business line management at Freehand DSP and Texas Instruments. Mr. Toquet holds a Master of Science in Engineering degree from Institut Supérieur d’Electronique de Paris (ISEP).

33

PART II

 

ITEM 5.

MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’SREGISTRANTS COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Our common stock began trading on The NASDAQ Global Market on November 1, 2002. Our common stock currently trades under the ticker symbol “CEVA” on NASDAQ. As of February 24, 2018,29, 2024, there were approximately 925303 holders of record, which we believe represents approximately 9,90032,133 beneficial holders. The closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Market on February 23, 2018 was $37.10 per share. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the range of high and low closing prices per share of our common stock, as reported on The NASDAQ Global Market.

 

   Price Range of
Common Stock
 
   High   Low 

2017

    

First Quarter

  $36.35   $32.35 

Second Quarter

  $48.05   $33.45 

Third Quarter

  $47.90   $39.40 

Fourth Quarter

  $51.10   $42.25 

2016

    

First Quarter

  $23.15   $17.41 

Second Quarter

  $27.90   $21.77 

Third Quarter

  $36.29   $26.13 

Fourth Quarter

  $35.55   $28.50 

We have never paid any cash dividends. We intend to retain future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business and currently do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

Information as of December 31, 20172023 regarding options, SARs, RSUs and RSUsPSUs granted under our stock plans and remaining available for issuance under those plans will be contained in the definitive 20182024 Proxy Statement for the 20182024 annual meeting of stockholders to be held on May 17, 201821, 2024 and incorporated herein by reference.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

There were no

The table below sets forth the information with respect to repurchases of our common stock during the three months ended December 31, 2017.2023.

Period

 

(a) Total

Number of

Shares

Purchased

  

(b) Average

Price Paid per

Share

  

(c) Total Number

of Shares

Purchased as

Part of Publicly

Announced Plans

or Programs

  

(d) Maximum

Number of Shares

that May Yet Be

Purchased Under

the Plans or

Programs (1)

 

Month #1 (October 1, 2023 to October 31, 2023)

 

__

  

__

  

__

   143, 721 

Month #2 (November 1, 2023 to November 30, 2023)

  91,042  $21.83   91,042   752, 679 

Month #3 (December 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023)

  52,679  $22.26   52,679   700, 000 

TOTAL

  143,721  $21.99   143,721   700, 000(2)

(1) In August 2008, we announced that our board of directors approved a share repurchase program for up to one million shares of common stock which was further extended collectively by an additional 6,400,000 shares in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2020. On November 7, 2023, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional 700,000 shares of our common stock pursuant to Rule 10b-18 of the Exchange Act.

(2) The number represents the number of shares of our common stock that remain available for repurchase pursuant to our share repurchase program.

2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

We anticipate that the 20182024 annual meeting of our stockholders will be held virtually on May 17, 2018 in New York City, NY.

21, 2024.

Dividends

We have historically not paid dividends and have no foreseeable plans to pay dividends.

34

Stock Performance Graph

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in any of the Company’sCompanys previous or future filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that might incorporate this proxy statement or future filings made by the Company under those statutes, the below Stock Performance Graph shall not be deemed filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any of those prior filings or into any future filings made by the Company under those statutes.

 

grph01.jpg

 

   12/31/12   12/31/13   12/31/14   12/31/15   12/31/16   12/31/17 

CEVA, Inc.

   100.00    96.63    115.17    148.32    213.02    293.02 

NASDAQ Composite

   100.00    140.12    160.78    171.97    187.22    242.71 

Morningstar Semiconductor

   100.00    124.61    160.75    171.82    224.55    303.44 
   12/31/18   12/31/19   12/31/20   12/31/21   12/31/22   12/31/23 

Ceva, Inc.

  100.00   122.05   205.98   195.74   115.78   102.78 

S&P Semiconductors

  100.00   165.23   268.27   383.86   265.98   359.96 

Russell 2000

  100.00   125.52   150.58   172.90   137.56   160.85 

The stock performance graph above compares the percentage change in cumulative stockholder return on the common stock of our company for the period from December 31, 2012,2018, through December 31, 2017,2023, with the cumulative total return on The NASDAQ Global Market (U.S.) Compositethe S&P Semiconductors Select Industry Index (S&P SSII) and the Morningstar Semiconductor GroupRussell 2000 Index.

This graph assumes the investment of $100 in our common stock (at the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2012)2018), the NASDAQ Global Market (U.S.) Composite IndexS&P SSII and the Morningstar Semiconductor GroupRussell 2000 Index on December 31, 2012,2018, and assumes dividends, if any, are reinvested.

Comparisons in the graph above are based upon historical data and are not indicative of, nor intended to forecast, future performance of our common stock.

ITEM 6.

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

RESERVED

The following selected financial data should be read in conjunction with, and are qualified by reference to, our consolidated financial statements and the related notes, as well as our “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017,” both appearing elsewhere in this annual report.

 

   Year Ended December 31, 
   2013   2014  2015   2016   2017 
   (in thousands) 

Consolidated Statements of Income Data:

         

Revenues:

         

Licensing and related revenue

  $22,372   $28,348  $32,135   $31,874   $42,899 

Royalties

   26,528    22,460   27,364    40,779    44,608 
  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenues

   48,900    50,808   59,499    72,653    87,507 

Cost of revenues

   5,163    5,000   5,424    6,086    6,953 
  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   43,737    45,808   54,075    66,567    80,554 

Operating expenses:

         

Research and development, net

   21,216    25,828   28,113    30,838    40,385 

Sales and marketing

   10,092    9,815   10,168    11,540    12,572 

General and administrative

   7,670    8,054   8,184    8,567    10,488 

Amortization of intangible assets

   —      649   1,298    1,236    1,236 
  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

   38,978    44,346   47,763    52,181    64,681 
  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income

   4,759    1,462   6,312    14,386    15,873 

Financial income, net

   2,714    975   1,069    2,039    3,026 

Other loss

   —      (404  —      —      —   
  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before taxes on income

   7,473    2,033   7,381    16,425    18,899 

Income taxes

   788    2,852   1,114    3,325    1,871 
  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

  $6,685   $(819 $6,267   $13,100   $17,028 
  

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic net income (loss) per share

  $0.30   $(0.04 $0.31   $0.63   $0.78 

Diluted net income (loss) per share

  $0.30   $(0.04 $0.30   $0.61   $0.75 

 

   December 31, 
   2013   2014   2015   2016   2017 
   (in thousands) 

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

          

Working capital

  $131,433   $93,777   $87,044   $122,117   $136,281 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

   212,327    207,005    212,649    242,495    276,812 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total long-term liabilities

   7,255    7,961    7,571    8,349    9,347 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

  $190,895   $179,049   $186,095   $211,551   $244,670 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

QUARTERLY FINANCIAL INFORMATION

  Three months ended 
  March 31,  June 30,  September 30,  December 31,  March 31,  June 30,  September 30,  December 31, 
  2016  2017 

Revenues:

     

Licensing and related revenue

 $8,650  $7,470  $7,456  $8,298  $9,535  $10,337  $14,021  $9,006 

Royalties

  7,858   9,633   10,390   12,898   11,752   10,238   10,023   12,595 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total revenues

  16,508   17,103   17,846   21,196   21,287   20,575   24,044   21,601 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Cost of revenues

  1,628   1,403   1,422   1,633   1,696   1,608   1,726   1,923 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Gross profit

  14,880   15,700   16,424   19,563   19,591   18,967   22,318   19,678 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

        

Research and development, net

  7,914   7,811   7,346   7,767   9,873   10,509   10,031   9,972 

Sales and marketing

  2,845   2,855   2,763   3,077   2,938   3,427   3,057   3,150 

General and administrative

  1,990   2,078   2,218   2,281   2,125   2,552   2,711   3,100 

Amortization of intangible assets

  309   309   309   309   309   309   309   309 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

  13,058   13,053   12,636   13,434   15,245   16,797   16,108   16,531 

Operating income

  1,822   2,647   3,788   6,129   4,346   2,170   6,210   3,147 

Financial income, net

  441   561   615   422   571   755   821   879 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Income before taxes on income

  2,263   3,208   4,403   6,551   4,917   2,925   7,031   4,026 

Income taxes expense (benefit)

  463   497   1,015   1,350   810   (983  1,181   863 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net income

 $1,800  $2,711  $3,388  $5,201  $4,107  $3,908  $5,850  $3,163 

Basic net income per share

 $0.09  $0.13  $0.16  $0.24  $0.19  $0.18  $0.27  $0.14 

Diluted net income per share

 $0.09  $0.13  $0.15  $0.24  $0.19  $0.17  $0.26  $0.14 

Weighted average shares used to compute net income per share (in thousands):

        

Basic

  20,520   20,604   21,025   21,239   21,398   21,712   21,946   22,017 

Diluted

  20,926   21,371   21,883   22,068   22,187   22,563   22,683   22,801 

ITEM 7.

MANAGEMENT’S

MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion together with the consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this annual report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those included in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include those set forth under “RiskRisk Factors, as well as those otherwise discussed in this section and elsewhere in this annual report. See “Forward-LookingForward-Looking Statements and Industry Data.

BUSINESS OVERVIEW

The following discussion and analysis is intended to provide an investor with a narrative of our financial results and an evaluation of our financial condition and results of operations. The discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2017,2023, both appearing elsewhere in this annual report.

Headquartered in Mountain View, California, CEVARockville, Maryland, Ceva is the leader in innovative silicon and software IP solutions that enable smart edge products to connect, sense, and infer data more reliably and efficiently. With the industry’s only portfolio of comprehensive communications and scalable edge AI IP, Ceva powers the connectivity, sensing, and inference in today’s most advanced smart edge products across consumer IoT, mobile, automotive, infrastructure, industrial, and personal computing. More than 17 billion of the world’s most innovative smart edge products from AI-infused smartwatches, IoT devices and wearables to autonomous vehicles, 5G mobile networks. and more are powered by Ceva.

Ceva is a leading licensortrusted partner to over 400 of signal processing platforms and a primary player in Artificial Intelligence (AI) processors for a smarter, connected world. We partner with semiconductor companies and OEMs worldwide to create power-efficient, intelligent and connected devices for a range of end markets, including mobile, consumer, automotive, industrial and Internet of Things (IoT).

Ourultra-low-power IPs address many of the most complex technologies for imaging and computer vision, neural networks, sound and long and short range wireless. Our portfolio includes comprehensive platforms for 5G baseband processing in handsets and infrastructure, highly integrated cellular IoT solutions, DSP and voice input algorithms and software for voice enabled devices, advanced imaging and computer vision DSP platforms for any camera-enabled device, and a family of self-contained AI processors that address a wide range of applications. For short range wireless, we offer the industry’s most widely adopted IPs for Bluetooth (low energy and dual mode) andWi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n/ac up to 4x4).

Our technologies are licensed to leading semiconductor and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) companies throughout the world. These companiestargeting a wide variety of cellular and IoT end markets, including mobile, PC, consumer, automotive, smart-home, surveillance, robotics, industrial and medical. The customers incorporate our IP into application-specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”)(ASICs) and application-specific standard products (“ASSPs”)(ASSPs) that they manufacture, market and sell to consumer electronics companies. Our application software IP is licensed primarily to OEMs who embed it in their System on Chip (SoC) designs to enhance the user experience, and OEMs also license our hardware IP products and solutions for their SoC designs to create power-efficient, intelligent, secure and connected devices.

Ceva’s wireless consumer, automotivecommunications, sensing and IoT companies. Edge AI technologies are at the heart of some of today’s most advanced smart edge products. From Bluetooth connectivity, Wi-Fi, UWB and 5G platform IP for ubiquitous, robust communications, to scalable Edge AI neural processing unit (NPU) IPs, sensor fusion processors and embedded application software that make devices smarter.

Ceva is a sustainability and environmentally conscious company. We have adopted both a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and a Sustainability Policy, in which we emphasize and focus on environmental preservation, recycling, the welfare of our employees and privacy – which we promote on a corporate level. At Ceva, we are committed to social responsibility, values of preservation and consciousness towards these purposes.

On September 14, 2023, Ceva and its then wholly owned subsidiary, Intrinsix Corp. (“Intrinsix”), a Massachusetts-based provider of design engineering solutions focused on the U.S. Aerospace & Defense industry, entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (“Cadence”), pursuant to which Cadence agreed to purchase all of the issued and outstanding capital shares of Intrinsix from Ceva for $35 million in cash, subject to other certain purchase price adjustments as provided for in the Agreement (the “Transaction”). The closing of the Transaction occurred on October 2, 2023. At the closing, an amount of $300,000 from the consideration was deposited with a third-party escrow agent for the purposes of satisfying any additional post-closing purchase price adjustments owed by Ceva to Cadence, and a further amount of $3.5 million of the consideration was deposited with the same escrow agent for a period of 18 months as security for Ceva’s indemnification obligations to Cadence in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Agreement. The Agreement includes certain representations, warranties and covenants of the parties, and Ceva has agreed to certain non-competition and non-solicitation terms, which are subject to certain exceptions.

We believe that our licensing business is progressing well withportfolio of wireless communications and sensing and Edge AI technologies address some of the most important megatrends, including 5G, generative AI, industrial automation and vehicle electrification. We continue to experience strong interest diverse customer baseacross our IP portfolio due to these trends, in both traditional and a myriadnew areas. In the fourth quarter of target markets. Ourstate-of-the-art technology has shipped in more than 9 billion chips to date for a wide range of diverse end markets. One in three handsets sold worldwide is powered by CEVA.

Our signal processing platforms power many of the world’s leading handset OEMs, including atier-one U.S. brand, ASUS, Coolpad, HTC, Huawei, Intex, Karbonn, Lava, Lenovo, LG, Meizu, Micromax, OPPO, Samsung, Vivo, Xiaomi, ZTE and hundreds of local handset manufacturers in China and India. Based on internal data and Strategy Analytics’ provisional worldwide shipment data, CEVA’s worldwide market share of handset baseband chips that incorporate our technologies was approximately 36% of the worldwide shipment volume in 2017.

Moreover, we believe the adoption2023, seventeen IP licensing deals were concluded, spanning all areas of our signal processing platform and AI processors outsideportfolio.

We believe the following key elements represent significant growth drivers for the company:

 

Our broad Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ultra Wide Band (UWB) and cellular IoT IPs allow us to address the high volume IoT industrial, consumer and smart home markets. Our addressable market size for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB and cellular IoT is expected to be more than 15 billion devices annually by 2027 based on research from ABI Research. In 2023, we signed 37 deals for our Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB and cellular IoT IPs, reinforcing our market leading position for these technologies. In particular, we believe that Wi-Fi presents a significant royalty revenue opportunity, given our dominant market position in licensing Wi-Fi 6 with more than 40 customers to date and leadership position in Wi-Fi 7 IP.

Our PentaG2 platform and digital signal processors (DSPs) for 5G mobile broadband and 5G RedCap is the most comprehensive baseband IP platform in the industry today and provides newcomers and incumbents with a comprehensive solution to address the need for 5G processing for fixed wireless access, satellite communications and a range of connected devices such as robots, cars, smart cities and other devices for industrial applications.

Our PentaG RAN platform for 5G RAN settings is the most comprehensive baseband processor IP in the industry today and provides newcomers and incumbents with a comprehensive solution to address the need for 5G and other communications in data centers and infrastructure.

The high volume consumer audio markets, including True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds, smartwatches, AR and VR headsets, and other wearable assisted devices, offers an incremental growth segment for us for our Bluetooth, Audio AI DSPs and software IPs. For OEMs to better address this market, our RealSpace Spatial Audio & Head Tracking Solution, WhisPro speech recognition technology and ClearVox voice input software are available to enhance the user experience and offer premium features.

Our SensPro2 sensor hub AI DSP family is designed to address the growing demand for efficient, high-performance signal processing in sensor-based applications across various industries and applications such as smartphones, automotive safety (ADAS), autonomous driving (AD), drones, robotics, security and surveillance, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), natural language processing (NLP) and voice recognition. Research from Bloomberg Intelligence forecasts that hardware revenue associated with computer vision AI products and conversational AI devices will reach $61 billion and $108 billion, respectively by 2030, indicating the size of the market opportunity. This sensor hub AI DSP enables us to address the transformation in devices enabled by these applications, and expand our footprint and content in smartphones, drones, consumer cameras, surveillance, automotive ADAS, voice-enabled devices and industrial IoT applications.

Transformer and classic neural networks are increasingly being deployed in a wide range of devices in order to make these devices “smarter.”  Our newest generation family of AI NPUs present a highly-efficient and high performance architecture to enable generative and classic AI on any device including communication gateways, optically connected networks, cars, notebooks and tablets, AR/VR headsets, smartphones, and any other cloud or edge use case from the edge all the way to the cloud. Per research from Yole Group, 2.5 billion Edge AI devices will ship annually by 2026, illustrating the huge potential of the market.

Our sensor fusion and spatial audio application software allows us to address an important technology piece used in personal computers, robotics, TWS earbuds, smart TVs and many other smart sensing IP products, in addition to our existing portfolio for camera-based computer vision and AI processing, and microphone-based sound processing. MEMS-based inertial and environmental sensors are used in an increasing number of devices, including robotics, smartphones, laptops, tablets, TWS earbuds, spatial audio headsets, remote controls and many other consumer and industrial devices. Hillcrest Labs’ innovative and proven MotionEngine™ software supports a broad range of merchant sensor chips and is processor-agnostic in order to address the requirements of any OEM or semiconductor company that wishes to enhance their customer user experience. The MotionEngine software has already shipped in more than 300 million devices, indicative of its market traction and excellence. Along with our SensPro sensor hub AI DSPs, our licensees now benefit from our capabilities as a complete, one-stop-shop for processing all classes and types of sensors.

CEVA is firmly established
37

As a result of our focus on silicon and software IP solutions that enable products to connect, sense, and infer data, we believe we are well positioned for long-term growth in shipments and royalty revenues derived from smart edge products. Royalty rates from these products are comprised of a range of ASPs, spanning from high volume Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to high value sensor fusion and base station RAN. The royalty ASP of our other products will be in between the largest space intwo ranges.

CURRENT TRENDS

We believe that as the continuing digital transformation drives industries to become connected and intelligent, our ubiquitous technology and collaborative business model present a significant and secular growth prospect. We intend to continue to capitalize on the semiconductor industry—basebandmomentum with our portfolio of technologies to enable three main use cases associated with smart edge devices: connect, sense and infer. We intend to focus on four main markets, which are consumer, automotive, industrial and infrastructure, which we believe are large, diversified and represent the greatest opportunities for long-term growth. We will also continue to serve the mobile handsets. In particular,and PC markets where we have established customers and market presence. We believe our key customers are keenly receptive to our products roadmap around connect, sense and infer, and that they are willing to expand the scope of engagements with us as our roadmap aligns with their technology needs. Furthermore, we anticipate that we can expand our customer base and revenues in Europe and the U.S., complementing our strong presence in China, Taiwan, Japan and the LTE smartphone marketsremainder of the APAC region.

Various global, macroeconomic and industry phenomenon significantly adversely impacted our business in 2023, including decreased investment in semiconductor companies due to interest rates and other factors and the end of a period of exceptional consumer end market demand related to COVID spending following the substantial completion of most companies’ shift to hybrid work environments, and certain of these phenomenon continue to grow as our customers targeting those markets are gaining market share atadversely affect the expense of the incumbents. During 2017, we reported 311 million LTE chipsets shipped, up from 226 million in 2016. The royalty we derive from smartphones is higher on average than that of feature phones, so we may benefit ifsemiconductor industry and when LTE handset markets around the world transition and shift away from feature phones to smartphones, particularly in emerging economies. Furthermore,its end markets. Against this difficult backdrop, however, we believe that we may benefit from the base station chip ramp up in coming years, as a large customerour strategy will yield results, with overall revenue expected to grow 4% to 8% over 2023. Most of oursthis growth is forecastedexpected to start ramping up productionbe concentrated in the second half of 2018.

Our specializationthe year, including due to typical seasonality in lower shipments of consumer IoT and competitive edge in signal processing platforms for next generation long and short range wireless such as 5G, NB-IoT, 802.11ac and 802.11axWi-Fi technologies, andmobile products post the inherent low cost, power and performance balance of our designs, put us in a strong positionholiday season, which we expect will contribute to simultaneously capitalize on mass market adoption of such technologies and address multiple markets and product sectors, including handsets, fixed wireless access, macro base stations, remote radio heads, cellular backhaul, small cells,Wi-Fi routers and a variety of machine type communications such as connected cars, smart cities and industrial markets.

Together with our presenceoverall revenues being 2% to 6% lower in the handset baseband market, our Bluetooth andWi-Fi IPs allow us to expand further into IoT applications and substantially increase our overall addressable market. Our addressable market size is expected to be 35 billion devices by 2020, per data from ABI Research. Already, shipmentsfirst quarter of products incorporating our Bluetooth IP are sizeable, with more than 200 million CEVA-powered Bluetooth chips shipped in 2017, up 45% from 138 million units in 2016.

The growing market potential for voice assisted devices, as voice is becoming the primary user interface for IoT applications, including mobile, automotive and consumer devices, offers an additional growth segment for the company in voice enabled devices such as smartphones, headsets, earbuds, smart speakers, smart home and automotive. To better address this market, we recently introduced ClearVox, a new voice input software and algorithm, that is offered in conjunction with our audio/voice DSPs. ClearVox, plus our proven track record in audio/voice processing, with more than 6 billion audio chips shipped to date, puts us in a strong position to power audio and voice roadmaps across this new range of addressable end markets.

OurCEVA-XM4 andCEVA-XM6 imaging and vision platforms for deep learning provide highly compelling offerings for any camera-enabled device such as smartphones, tablets, automotive safety (ADAS), autonomous driving (AD), drones, robotics, security and surveillance, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), drones, and signage. Per ABI Research, camera shipments are expected to exceed 2.7 billion units by 2018. We have already signed more than 50 licensing agreements for our imaging and vision DSPs across those markets, where our customers can add camera-related enhancements such as smarter autofocus, better picture using super resolution algorithms, and better image capture inlow-light environments. Other customers can add video analytics support to enable new services like augmented reality, gesture recognition and advanced safety capabilities in cars. This transformation in vision processing and neural net software and hardware needs is an opportunity for us to expand our footprint and content in smartphones, tablets, drones, surveillance, automotive ADAS and industrial IoT applications.

Beyond vision, neural networks are increasingly being deployed for a wide range of markets in order to make devices ‘smarter’. These markets include IoT, smartphones, surveillance, automotive, robotics, medical and industrial. To address this significant and lucrative opportunity, we recently announced NeuPro™ - a family of AI processors for deep learning at the edge. These self-contained AI processors are the firstnon-DSP processors ever developed by CEVA and bring the power of deep learning2024 compared to the device, without relying on connectivity to the cloud. We believe this market opportunity for AI at the edge is on topfourth quarter of our existing product lines2023, and representswith a newdifferent mix of licensing and royalty driver forrevenues than from the companyfourth quarter of 2023. In the coming year, we expect our licensing and related revenues business will continue to expand into new markets and use cases in the coming years.

As a result of our diversification strategy beyond baseband for handsetsindustrial IoT (IIoT) and our progress in addressing those new markets under theconsumer IoT, umbrella,offering connectivity platforms, sensing platforms and software, AI solutions (including AI engines, NPUs and software) and more. On royalties, we expect significant growthour connectivity products to continue to show strength in royalty2024, particularly related to our Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular IoT business lines, with the expected ramp of automotive ADAS royalties in the second half of the year. The smartphone market related revenues derived fromnon-handset baseband applications over the next fewhave continued to decrease for us in recent years due to a combination of higher unit shipments of Bluetooth productsthese trends.

Instability in the Middle East

Our operations in Israel remain largely unaffected by the war between Israel and Hamas that bear lower ASPs, along with higher ASPs driven by base stationbegan on October 7, 2023, and vision products.

Notwithstanding the various growth opportunities we have outlined above,continue to drive our business operates inand support our customers globally. However, a highly competitive and cyclical environment. The maintenanceportion of our competitive positionemployees in Israel have been called to active reserve duty and our future growth are dependent on our ability to adapt to ever-changing technologies, short product life cycles, evolving industry standards, changing customer needs and the trend towardsInternet-of-Things, handset baseband, connectivity, and voice, audio and video convergence in the markets that we operate. Also, our business relies significantly on revenues derived from a limited number of customers. The discontinuation of product lines or market sectors that incorporate our technology by our significant customers or a change in direction of their business and our inability to adapt our technology to their new business needs could have material negative implications for our future royalty revenues. Moreover, competition has historically increased pricing pressures for our products and decreased our average selling prices. Royalty payments under our existing license agreements also couldadditional employees may be lower than currently anticipated for a variety of reasons, including decreased royalty rates triggered by larger volume shipments, lower royalty rates negotiated with customers due to competitive pressure or consolidation among our customers. Some of our competitors have reduced their licensing and royalty fees to attract customers and expand their market share. In order to penetrate new markets and maintain our market share with our existing products, we may need to offer our productscalled in the future, at lower prices which may result in lower profits. In addition, our future growthif needed. The Company has executed its business continuity plan with respect to those employees. It is dependent not only on the continued successpossible that some of our existing products but also the successful introduction of new products, which requires the dedication of resources into research and development which in turn may increase our operating expenses. Furthermore, since our products are incorporated into end products of our OEM and semiconductor customers, our business is very dependent on their ability to achieve market acceptance of their end productsoperations in the handset and consumer electronic markets, which are similarly very competitive. In addition, macroeconomic trendsregion may significantly affect our operating results. For example, consolidation among our customers may negatively affect our revenue source, increase our existing customers’ negotiation leverage and make us more dependent on a limited number of customers. Also, since we continue to derivebe disrupted if this continues for a significant portionperiod of our revenues fromtime or if the handset baseband market, any negative trends in that market would adversely affect our financial results.situation further deteriorates.

Moreover, the semiconductor and consumer electronics industries remain volatile, which makes it extremely difficult for our customers and us to accurately forecast financial results and plan for future business activities. Our license arrangements have not historically provided for substantial ongoing license payments so revenue recognized from licensing arrangements vary significantly from period to period, depending on the number and size

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES, ESTIMATES AND ASSUMPTIONS

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (U.S. GAAP). These accounting principles require us to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions. We believe that the estimates, judgments and assumptions upon which we rely are reasonable based upon information available to us at the time that these estimates, judgments and assumptions are made. These estimates, judgments and assumptions can affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the periods presented. To the extent there are material differences between these estimates, judgments or assumptions and actual results, our financial statements will be affected. The significant accounting policies that we believe are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our reported financial results include the following:

 

revenue recognition;

business combinations and valuation of goodwill and other acquired intangible assets;

revenue recognition;

 

income taxes;

business combinations and valuation of goodwill and other acquired intangible assets;

 

equity-based compensation; and

income taxes;

 

impairment of marketable securities;

equity-based compensation; and

credit losses of marketable securities.

In many cases, the accounting treatment of a particular transaction is specifically dictated by U.S. GAAP and does not require management’s judgment in its application. There are also areas in which management’s judgment in selecting among available alternatives would not produce a materially different result.

Revenue Recognition

Significant management judgments and estimates must be made and used in connection with the recognition of revenue in any accounting period. Material differences in the amount of revenue in any given period may result if these judgments or estimates prove to be incorrect or if management’s estimates change on the basis of development of business or market conditions. Management’s judgments and estimates have been applied consistently and have been reliable historically.

The following is a description of principal activities from which we generate revenue. Revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods or services are transferred to the customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that we expect to receive in exchange for those goods or services.

We determine revenue recognition through the following steps:

Identification of the contract with a customer;

Identification of the performance obligations in the contract;

Determination of the transaction price;

Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and

Recognition of revenue when, or as, we satisfy a performance obligation.

We enter into contracts that can include various combinations of products and services, as detailed below, which are generally capable of being distinct and accounted for as separate performance obligations.

We generate our revenues from (1) licensing intellectual property,properties, which in certain circumstances isare modified for customer-specific requirements, (2) royalty revenues and (3) other revenues, which include revenues from support, training and sale of development systems.systems and chips. We license our IP to semiconductor companies throughout the world. These semiconductor companies then manufacture, market and sell custom-designed chipsets to OEMs of a variety of consumer electronics products. We also license our technology directly to OEMs, which are considered end users.

We account for our IP license revenues and related services, which provide our customers with rights to use our IP, in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”ASC 606, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers" (ASC 606") Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”)No. 985-605, “Software Revenue Recognition.” Revenues are recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists and no further obligation exists, delivery has occurred, the license fee is fixed or determinable, and collection is reasonably assured.. A license may be perpetual or time limited in its application. Revenue earnedIn accordance with ASC 606, we recognize revenue from IP license at the time of delivery when the customer obtains control of the IP, as the IP is functional without professional services, updates and technical support. We have concluded that our IP licenses are distinct as the customer can benefit from the licenses on licensing arrangements involvingtheir own.

Most of our contracts with customers contain multiple elementsperformance obligations. For these contracts, we account for individual performance obligations separately, if they are distinct. The transaction price is allocated to each elementthe separate performance obligations on a relative standalone selling price basis. Stand-alone selling prices of IP license are typically estimated using the residual approach. Stand-alone selling prices of services are typically estimated based on the “residual method”observable transactions when vendor specific objective evidence (“VSOE”) of fair value exists for all undelivered elements and VSOE does not exist for one of the delivered elements. VSOE of fair value of the undelivered elements is determined basedthese services are sold on the substantive renewal rate as stated in the agreement.a standalone basis.

Extended payment terms in a licensing arrangement may indicate that the license fees are not deemed to be fixed or determinable. If the fee is not fixed or determinable, revenue is recognized as payments become due from the customer unless collection is not considered reasonably assured, then revenue is recognized as payments are collected from the customer, provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met.

Revenues from license feescontracts that involve significant customization of our IP to customer-specific specifications are considered as one performance obligation satisfied over-time. Revenue related to these projects is recognized in accordance with the principles set out in FASB ASCNo. 605-35-25, “Construction-Type and Production-Type Contracts Recognition,” using contract accountingover time, usually based on a percentage of completion method. The amount of revenue recognized is based on the total license fees under the agreement and the percentage of completion achieved. The percentage of completion is measured by the actual timethat incurred labor effort to date onbears to total projected labor effort. Incurred effort represents work performed, which corresponds with, and thereby best depicts, the project comparedtransfer of control to the total estimated project requirements, which correspond to the costs related to earned revenues.customer. Provisions for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts are made during the period in which such losses are first determined, in the amount of the estimated loss on the entire contract. Significant judgment is required when estimating total labor effort and progress to completion on these arrangements, as well as whether a loss is expected to be incurred on the project.

Revenues that are derived from the sale of a licensee’s products that incorporate our IP are classified as royalty revenues. Royalty revenues are recognized during the quarter in which we receive a report from the

licensee detailing the shipmentsale of products that incorporatethe product incorporating our IP which receipt is in the quarter following the licensee’s sale of such products to its customers.occurs. Royalties are calculated either as a percentage of the revenues received by our licensees on sales of products incorporating our IP or on a per unit basis, as specified in the agreements with the licensees. Royalty revenues are recognized during the quarter in which we receive the actual sales data from our customers after the quarter ends and accounts for it as unbilled receivables. When we do not receive actual sales data from the customer prior to the finalization of our financial statements, royalty revenues are recognized based on our estimation of the customer’s sales during the quarter. We may engage a third party to perform royalty audits of our licensees, and if these audits indicate any over- or under-reported royalties, we account for the results when the audits are resolved.

In addition to license fees, contracts

Contracts with customers generally contain an agreement to provide for training and post contract support, and training, which consists of telephone ore-mail support, correction of errors (bug fixing) and unspecified updates and upgrades. Fees for post contract support, which takes place after delivery to the customer, are specified in the contract and are generally mandatory for the first year. After the mandatory period, the customer may extend the support agreement on similar terms, usually on an annual basis. We consider the post contract support performance obligation as a distinct performance obligation that is satisfied over time, and as such, we recognize revenue for post contract support on a straight-line basis over the period for which technical support is contractually agreed to be provided to the licensee, typically 12 months. Revenues from training are recognized as the training is performed.

Revenues from the sale of development systems and chips are recognized when titlecontrol of the promised goods or services are transferred to the product passescustomers.

When contracts involve a significant financing component, we adjust the promised amount of consideration for the effects of the time value of money if the timing of payments agreed to by the parties to the contract (either explicitly or implicitly) provide the customer with a significant benefit of financing, unless the financing period is under one year and all other revenue recognition criteria have been met.only after the products or services were provided, as we elected to use the practical expedient under ASC 606.

Deferred revenues, which represent a contract liability, include unearned amounts received under license agreements, unearned technical support and amounts paid by customers not yet recognized as revenues.

We usually do not provide rightscapitalize sales commission as costs of return. When rightsobtaining a contract when they are incremental and, if they are expected to be recovered, amortized in a manner consistent with the pattern of return are included intransfer of the license agreements, revenuegood or service to which the asset relates. If the expected amortization period is deferred until rightsone year or less, the commission fee is expensed when incurred.

Business Combinations and Valuation of Goodwill and Other Acquired Intangible Assets

We allocate the fair value of purchase price consideration to the tangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed and intangible assets acquired based on their estimated fair values. The excess of the fair value of purchase price consideration over the fair values of these identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as goodwill. Such valuations require management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets. Significant estimates in valuing certain intangible assets include, but are not limited to, future expected cash flows from acquired customers, acquired technology, and trade names from a market participant perspective, useful lives, and discount rates. Management’s estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates.

We review goodwill for impairment at least annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable in accordance with ASC 350 “Intangibles—“Intangibles – Goodwill and other” (ASC 350). ThereASC 350 allows an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the quantitative goodwill impairment test. If the qualitative assessment does not result in atwo-phase process for more likely than not indication of impairment, no further impairment testing is required. If an entity elects not to use this option, or if an entity determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of goodwill. The first phase screens for potential impairment, whilea reporting unit is less than its carrying value, then the second phase (if necessary) measures impairment. Goodwill impairment is deemedentity prepares a quantitative analysis to exist ifdetermine whether the net bookcarrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value. In suchIf the carrying value of a case, the second phase is then performed, and the reporting unit measuresexceeds its estimated fair value, the entity recognizes an impairment by comparingof goodwill for the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s goodwill to the implied fair value of that goodwill. An impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to thethis excess. For each of the three years for the period ended December 31, 2017,2023, no impairment of goodwill washas been identified.

Acquired finite-lived intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives. We evaluate the recoverability of our intangible assets for possible impairment in accordance with ASC 360 whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets is measured by a comparison of the carrying amounts to the future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate. If such review indicates thatassets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized equals the amount by which the carrying amountvalue of propertythe assets exceeds its fair market value. In 2022, we recorded an impairment charge of $3,556,000 in operating expenses with respect to Immervision technology acquired in August 2019, as we decided to cease the development of this product line. In 2022 we also recorded in cost of revenues an impairment charge of prepaid expenses as follows: (1) an impairment charge of $479,000 relating to an agreement to acquire certain NB-IoT technologies, and equipment(2) an impairment charge of $1,479,000 relating to an agreement to purchase certain assets and intangible assets is not recoverable, the carrying amount of such assets is reduced to fair value.services from Immervision. We have not recorded any such impairment charge during the years presented.

ended December 31, 2023 and 2021.

In addition to the recoverability assessment, we routinely review the remaining estimated useful lives of our finite-lived intangible assets. If we reduce the estimated useful life assumption for any asset, the remaining unamortized balance would be amortized over the revised estimated useful life.

Income Taxes

We are subject to income taxes mainly in Israel, France, the U.S. and Ireland. Significant judgment is required in evaluating our uncertain tax positions and determining our provision for income taxes. We recognize income taxes under the liability method. Tax benefits are recognized from uncertain tax positions only if we believe that it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities based on the technical merits of the position. Although we believe we have adequately reserved for our uncertain tax positions, no assurance can be given that the final tax outcome of these matters will not be different. We adjust these reserves when facts and circumstances change, such as the closing of a tax audit, the refinement of an estimate or changes in tax laws. To the extent that the final tax outcome of these matters is different than the amounts recorded, such differences will impact the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made. The provision for income taxes includes the effects of any reserves that are considered appropriate, as well as the related net interest and penalties.

We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for future tax consequences arising from differences between the carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities under GAAP and their respective tax bases, and for net operating loss carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards. We regularly review our deferred tax assets for recoverability and establishrecord a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. To make this judgment, we must make predictions of the amountamounts and category of taxable income from various sources and weigh all available positive and negative evidence about these possible sources of taxable income.

Accounting for tax positions requires judgments, including estimating reserves for potential uncertainties. We also assess our ability to utilize tax attributes, including those in the form of carry forwardscarry-forwards for which the benefits have already been reflected in the financial statements. While we believe the resulting tax balances as of December 31, 20162022 and 20172023 are appropriately accounted for, the ultimate outcome of such matters could result in favorable or unfavorable adjustments to our consolidated financial statements and such adjustments could be material. See Note 1214 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 20172023 for further information regarding income taxes. We have filed or are in the process of filing local and foreign tax returns that are subject to audit by the respective tax authorities. The amount of income tax we pay is subject to ongoing audits by the tax authorities, which often result in proposed assessments. We believe that we adequately provided for any reasonably foreseeable outcomes related to tax audits and settlement. However, our future results may include favorable or unfavorable adjustments to our estimated tax liabilities in the period the assessments are made or resolved, audits are closed or when statute of limitations on potential assessments expire.

On

We are subject to taxation in the United States, as well as a number of foreign jurisdictions.  In December 22, 2017, the 2017 Tax CutsUnited States enacted U.S. tax reform. The legislation implements many U.S. domestic and Jobs Act (the Tax Act) was enacted into lawinternational tax provisions. Some aspects of U.S. tax reform still remain unclear, and although additional clarifying guidance has been issued (by the Internal Revenue Services, and the new legislation contains several key tax provisionsU.S. Treasury Department), there are still some areas that affected us, includingmay not be clarified for some time. Among the U.S. states there are varying degrees of conformity to the federal legislation. As a one-time mandatory transition tax on accumulated foreign earnings and a reductionresult, there may be further impact of the corporatelegislation on our future results of operations and financial condition. It is possible that U.S. tax reform, or interpretations under it, could change and could have an adverse effect on us, and such effect could be material.

We have elected to account for global intangible low-taxed income tax rate(GILTI) as a current-period expense when incurred. Legislation and clarifying guidance are expected to 21% effective January 1, 2018, among others. We are requiredcontinue to recognizebe issued by the effectU.S. Treasury Department and various states in future periods, which could have a material adverse impact on the value of the tax law changes in the period of enactment, such as determining the transition tax, remeasuring our U.S. deferred tax assets, result in significant changes to currently computed income tax liabilities for past and liabilities as well as reassessing the net realizability ofcurrent tax periods, and increase our deferredfuture U.S. tax assets and liabilities. In December 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, Income Tax Accounting Implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (SAB 118), which allows us to record provisional amounts during a measurement period not to extend beyond one year of the enactment date. Since the Tax Act was passed late in the fourth quarter of 2017, and ongoing guidance and accounting interpretation are expected over the next 12 months, we consider the accounting of the transition tax, deferred tax re-measurements, and other items to be incomplete due to the forthcoming guidance and our ongoing analysis of final year-end data and tax positions. We expect to complete our analysis within the measurement period in accordance with SAB 118.

expense.

Equity-Based Compensation

We account for equity-based compensation in accordance with FASB ASC No. 718, “Stock Compensation” which requires the recognition of compensation expenses based on estimated fair values for all equity-based awards made to employees andnon-employee directors.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU2016-09, “Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718) Equity-based compensation primarily includes restricted stock unit (RSUs), Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” (“ASU2016-09”). ASU2016-09 simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transaction, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. For public companies, ASU2016-09 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016. We adopted ASU2016-09 during the first quarter of 2017, at which time it changed our accounting policy to account for forfeitureswell as they occur. There was no material impact of the adoption of this standard on our financial statements. In addition, historically, excess tax benefits or deficiencies from our equity awards were recorded as additionalpaid-in capital in our consolidated balance sheets and were classified as a financing activity in our consolidated statements of cash flows. As a result of adoption, we prospectively record any excess tax benefits or deficiencies from our equity awards as part of our provision for income taxes in our consolidated statements of operations during the reporting periods during which equity vesting occurs. Excess tax benefits for share-based payments are presented as an operating activity in the statements of cash flows rather than financing activity. We elected to apply the cash flow classification requirements related to excess tax benefits prospectively in accordance with ASU2016-09 and prior periods have not been adjusted.

We estimate the fair value of options, and stock appreciation right (“SAR”)(SAR), performance-based stock units (PSUs) and employee stock purchase plan awards.

We use the straight-line recognition method for awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model. The value of the portion of an award that is ultimately expectedsubject to vest is recognized as an expense over the requisite service period in our consolidated statement of income. We recognize compensation expenses for the value of our options and SARs, which have graded vesting based only on a service condition and the accelerated attribution method over the requisite service period of each of the awards. Priorfor awards that are subject to January 1, 2017, we recognized compensation expenses for the value of our options and SARs, net of estimated forfeitures. Estimated forfeitures were based on actual historicalpre-vesting forfeitures and the rate was adjusted to reflect changes in facts and circumstances, if any.

We recognize compensation expenses for the value of our restricted stock unit (“RSU”) awards, based on the straight-line method over the requisite service period of each of the awards.performance or market conditions. The fair value of each RSU and PSU (excluding PSUs based on market condition awards) is the market value as determined by the closing price of the common stock on the daygrant date. We estimate the fair value of grant.

We use the Monte-Carlo simulation model for options and SARs granted. Expected volatility was calculatedPSU based upon actual historical stock price movements over the most recent periods endingon market condition awards on the date of grant date, equal tousing the expectedMonte Carlo simulation model. We estimate the fair value of stock option and SAR term. We have historically not paid dividends and have no foreseeable plans to pay dividends. The risk-free interest rate is basedawards on the yield from U.S. Treasuryzero-coupon bonds with an equivalent term. The Monte-Carlo model also considersdate of grant using the suboptimal exercise multiple which is based on the average exercise behavior of our employees over the past years, the contractual term of the options and SARs, and the probability of termination or retirement of the holder of the options and SARs in computing the value of the options and SARs. Although our management believes that their estimates and judgments about equity-based compensation expense are reasonable, actual results and future changes in estimates may differ substantially from our current estimates.Black & Scholes model.

ImpairmentCredit Losses of Marketable Securities

Marketable securities consist mainly of corporate bonds. We determine the appropriate classification of marketable securities at the time of purchase andre-evaluate such designation at each balance sheet date. In accordance with FASB ASC No. 320, “Investment“Investments Debt and Equity Securities,” we classify marketable securities asavailable-for-sale.Available-for-sale securities are stated at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses

reported in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a separate component of stockholders’ equity, net of taxes. Realized gains and losses on sales of marketable securities, as determined on a specific identification basis, are included in financial income, net. The amortized cost of marketable securities is adjusted for amortization of premium and accretion of discount to maturity, both of which, together with interest, are included in financial income, net. We have classified all marketable securities as short-term, even though the stated maturity date may be one year or more beyond the current balance sheet date, because it is probable thatthese securities are available to support current operations and we willmay sell these debt securities prior to maturity to meet liquidity needs or as parttheir stated maturities .

We recognize an impairment charge whendetermine realized gains or losses on sale of marketable securities on a declinespecific identification method and record such gains or losses as financial income, net.

For each reporting period, we evaluate whether declines in the fair value ofbelow the amortized cost are due to expected credit losses, as well as our investmentsability and intention to hold the investment until a forecasted recovery occurs, in accordance with ASC 326. Allowance for credit losses on available for sale debt securities beloware recognized as a charge in financial income on the cost basis of such securities is judged to be other-than-temporary. The determination of credit losses requires significant judgment and actual results may be materially different from our estimates. Factors considered in making such a determination include the duration and severity of the impairment, the reason for the decline in value, the ability of the issuer to meet payment obligations and the potential recovery period . For securities that are deemed other-than-temporarily impaired, the amount of impairment is recognized in the statementconsolidated statements of income, and is limited to the amount related to creditany remaining unrealized losses, while impairment related to other factors is recognizednet of taxes, are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).

During For the years ended December 31, 2015, 20162023, 2022 and 2017, no other-than temporary impairment2021, credit losses were recorded related to our marketable securities.immaterial.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncement

(a) Revenue recognition

In May 2014, the FASB issued new guidance related to revenue recognition, which outlines a comprehensive revenue recognition model and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance. The new guidance requires a company to recognize revenue as control of goods or services transfers to a customer at an amount that reflects the expected consideration to be received in exchange for those goods or services. It defines a five-step approach for recognizing revenue, which may require a company to use more judgment and make more estimates than under the current guidance. We adopted the new guidance during the first quarter of 2018 and apply the standard using modified retrospective approach, with the cumulative effect of applying the new guidance recognized as an adjustment to the opening retained earnings balance. Given the scope of work required to implement the new revenue recognition rules and disclosure requirements under the new guidance, we have made progress in the identification of changes to policy, processes and controls, and we continue to assess data availability and presentation necessary to meet the additional disclosure requirements of the guidance in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for the adoption period and onwards.

We finished analyzing the potential impact of the new guidance. We currently expect the adoption of this new guidance to most significantly impact our royalty business. Specifically, we expect a change in the timing of revenues recognized from sales-based royalties. We currently recognize sales-based royalties as revenues during the quarter during which such royalties are reported by licensees, which is after the conclusion of the quarter during which the licensees’ sales occur and when all other revenue recognition criteria are met. Under the new guidance, we are required to estimate and recognize sales-based royalties during the period during which the associated sales occur, resulting in an acceleration of revenue recognition compared to the current method. In addition, we expect an increase in trade receivables, due to royalty revenues now being recorded as accrued revenues in the statement of financial position, along with our current trade receivables.

Furthermore, based on our current analysis, another effect on our revenue recognition relates to certain deliverables that may be considered as distinct performance obligations separate from other performance obligations, and are measured using the relative standalone selling price basis.

Under the new standard, an entity recognizes revenue when or as it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring IP license or services to the customer, either at a point in time or over time. We expect to continue to

recognize most of our revenues at a point in time upon delivery of our products. We expect to recognize revenue over time on significant license customization contracts that are covered by contract accounting standards using cost inputs to measure progress toward completion of our performance obligations, which is similar to the current method.

In addition, incremental costs that are related to sales from contracts signed during the period will require capitalization. If the amortization period of those costs are one year or less, the costs are expensed as incurred, which is a practical expedient manner permitted under the new guidance. We currently do not expect that this change will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

We currently estimate the cumulative adjustment to increase our retained earnings by approximately $8.1 million, while increasing our assets by approximately $9.1 million. The most significant impact of the standard on our financial statements relates to the timing of revenues recognized from sales-based royalties (amounted to approximately $8.8 million). We will also record a provision for income taxes, which will increase our current liabilities, in an amount currently estimated at approximately $1.1 million.

Other than specified above, we do not otherwise expect the adoption of the new guidance will have a material impact on our businesses.

(b) Other accounting standards

In January 2016,June 2022, the FASB issued ASU No.2016-01, “Financial Instruments—Overall (Subtopic825-10) 2022-03, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Recognition and Fair Value Measurement of Financial AssetsEquity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions, which clarifies the guidance when measuring the fair value of an equity security subject to contractual restrictions that prohibit the sale of an equity security and Financial Liabilities,” which requiresintroduces new disclosure requirements for equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions that equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) are to be measured at fair value in accordance with changes in fair value recognized in net income. However, an entity may choose to measure equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. We adopted this ASU during the first quarter of 2018 and we do not expect the adoption to have a material impact on our financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” which will replace the existingTopic 820. The guidance in ASC 840, “Leases.” The updated standard aims to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by requiring lessees to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and requiring disclosure of key information about leasing arrangements. This ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those annual periods;2023, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this standard is permitted and modified retrospective application is required. We arenot expected to result in the process of evaluating this guidance to determine thea significant impact it will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.statements.

The

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU2016-13 “Measurement of Credit Losses 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which requires public entities to disclose information about their reportable segments’ significant expenses and other segment items on Financial Instruments” requiring an allowanceinterim and annual basis. Public entities with a single reportable segment are required to be recorded forapply the disclosure requirements in ASU 2023-07, as well as all expected credit losses for financial assets. The allowance for credit losses is basedexisting segment disclosures and reconciliation requirements in ASC 280 on historical information, current conditionsan interim and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The new standard also makes revisions to the other than temporary impairment model foravailable-for-sale debt securities. Disclosures of credit quality indicators in relation to the amortized cost of financing receivables are further disaggregated by year of origination. The new accounting guidanceannual basis. ASU 2023-07 is effective for interim and annual periodsfiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 with early adoption permitted2023, and for interim and annual periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. The amendments will be applied through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective. We are analyzing the impact of this new standard and, at this time, cannot estimate the impact of2024, with early adoption on our net income. We plan to adopt ASU2016-13 effective January 1, 2020.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASUNo. 2017-01, “Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business.” The amendments in this ASU provide a more robust framework to use in determining when a set of assets and activities is a business. Because the current definition of a business is interpreted broadly

and can be difficult to apply, analyzing transactions is inefficient and costly and that the definition does not permit the use of reasonable judgment. The amendments provide more consistency in applying the guidance, reduce the costs of application, and make the definition of a business more operable. The amendments in this update become effective for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017.permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of adopting this new guidance on our consolidated financial statements, but the adoption is not expected to have a material impact on our financial statements.ASU 2023-07.

In January 2017,December 2023, the FASB issued ASUNo. 2017-04, “Intangibles: Goodwill and Other: Simplifying 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires public entities, on an annual basis, to provide disclosure of specific categories in the Testrate reconciliation, as well as disclosure of income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. ASU 2023-09 is effective for Goodwill Impairment.” To simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill, the amendments eliminate Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. The annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test is performed by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An impairment charge should be recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value; however, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. In addition, the income tax effects of tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit should be considered when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. The amendments also eliminate the requirements for any reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount to perform Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. An entity still has the option to perform the qualitative assessment for a reporting unit to determine if the qualitative impairment test is necessary. The amendments should be applied on a prospective basis. The nature of and reason for the change in accounting principle should be disclosed upon transition. The amendments in this update should be adopted for annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early2025, with early adoption is permitted on testing dates after January 1, 2017.permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of adopting this new guidance on our consolidated financial statements, but the adoption is not expected to have a material impact on our financial statements.ASU 2023-09.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following table presents line items from our consolidated statements of income (loss) as percentages of our total revenues for the periods indicated:

 

 

2021

 

2022

 

2023

 
  2015 2016 2017 

Consolidated Statements of Income Data:

    

Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) Data:

      

Revenues:

     

Licensing and related revenue

   54.0 43.9 49.0 56.2% 62.4% 59.1%

Royalties

   46.0 56.1 51.0  43.8% 37.6% 40.9%
  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Total revenues

   100.0 100.0 100.0  100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Cost of revenues

   9.1 8.4 7.9 9.1% 12.5% 12.0%

Gross profit

   90.9 91.6 92.1 90.9% 87.5% 88.0%

Operating expenses:

     

Research and development, net

   47.2 42.4 46.2 60.7% 58.3% 74.6%

Sales and marketing

   17.1 15.9 14.4 10.8% 9.5% 11.3%

General and administrative

   13.8 11.8 12.0 11.2% 11.8% 15.3%

Amortization of intangible assets

   2.2 1.7 1.4 2.0% 1.7% 0.6%
  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Impairment of assets

    2.9%  

Total operating expenses

   80.3 71.8 74.0  84.7% 84.2% 101.8%
  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Operating income

   10.6 19.8 18.1

Operating income (loss)

 6.2% 3.3% (13.8)%

Financial income, net

   1.8 2.8 3.5 0.2% 2.3% 5.4%
  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Income before taxes on income

   12.4 22.6 21.6

Income taxes

   1.9 4.6 2.1
  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Net income

   10.5 18.0 19.5
  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Remeasurement of marketable equity securities

  1.7% (2.1)% (0.0)%

Income (loss) before taxes on income

 8.1% 3.5% (8.4)%

Taxes on income

  6.0% 15.0% 10.5%

Net income (loss) from continuing operations

  2.1% (11.5)% (18.9)%

Net income (loss) from discontinued operations

  (1.8)% (7.7)% 6.7%

Net income (loss)

  0.3% (19.2)% (12.2)%

43

Discussion and Analysis

Below we provide information on the significant line items in our consolidated statements of income (loss) for each of the past three fiscal years, including the percentage changesyear-on-year, as well as an analysis of the principal drivers of change in these line items fromyear-to-year.

Revenues

Total Revenues

 

  2015   2016 2017  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Total revenues (in millions)

  $59.5   $72.7  $87.5  $113.8  $120.6  $97.4 

Changeyear-on-year

   —      22.1  20.4    5.9%  (19.2)%

For the full year 2023, we reported total revenue of $97.4 million, 19% lower than 2022, primarily due to a return to a more normal licensing environment following a couple of years in which we were able to capitalize on a surge in design activity driven by exceptional consumer end market demand resulting from post-COVID spending and the shift to work-from-home.

In full year royalties, despite the slow start to the year, and the soft end markets throughout 2023, royalties grew sequentially each quarter throughout the year, to reach $39.8 million, down 12% year-over-year.

We derive a significant amount of revenues from a limited number of customers. Sales to SpreadtrumUNISOC represented 23%13%, 27%16% and 31%21% of our total revenues for 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 2015,2021, respectively. Generally, the identity of our other customers representing 10% or more of our total revenues varies from period to period, especially with respect to our licensing customers as we generate licensing revenues generally from new customers on a quarterly basis.  With respect to our royalty revenues, two royalty paying customers each represented 10% or more of our total royalty revenues for 2017,2023, and collectively represented 70%45% of our total royalty revenues for 2017; two2023. Two royalty paying customers each represented 10% or more of our total royalty revenues for 2016,2022, and collectively represented 80%46% of our total royalty revenues for 2016; and two2022. Three royalty paying customers each represented 10% or more of our total royalty revenues for 2015,2021, and collectively represented 72%57% of our total royalty revenues for 2015.2021. We expect that a significant portion of our future revenues will continue to be generated by a limited number of customers. The concentration of our customers is explainable in part by consolidation in the semiconductor industry. The loss of any significant customer could adversely affect our near-term future operating results.

The following table sets forth the products and servicesuse cases for Ceva technology portfolio as percentages of our total revenues in each of the periods set forth below:

 

   Year ended December 31, 
   2015  2016  2017 

DSP products (DSP cores and platforms):

    

Baseband for handset and other devices

   68  69  64

Othernon-baseband (audio, imaging and vision)

   14  15  22

Connectivity products (Bluetooth, WiFi and SATA/SAS)

   18  16  14
  

Year ended December 31,

 
  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Connect (baseband for handset and other devices, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NB-IoT)

  77%  78%  82%

Sense & Infer (sensor fusion, audio, sound, imaging, vision and AI)

  23%  22%  18%

We expect to continue to generate a significant portion of our revenues for 20182024 from the above products and services.technologies.

Licensing and related revenue

 

  2015   2016 2017  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Licensing and related revenue (in millions)

  $32.1   $31.9  $42.9  $64.0  $75.2  $57.6 

Changeyear-on-year

   —      (0.8)%   34.6    17.6%  23.5%

Licensing and related revenue was $57.6 million, 23% down in 2023 as compared to 2022. We signed 53 licensing agreements across our extensive IP portfolio, down from 60 last year; 10 of those deals were with OEMs who are integrating our IP’s into their end products. In terms of end markets, 29 of the deals target consumer, and 23 for IIoT, including 7 for automotive, and 1 for other markets. This deal breakdown serves as another indicator of our focus on the end markets with the largest licensing base and the greatest projected growth potential. In 2023, we experienced a decrease in licensing revenue attributed to a slowdown in new design activity due to various reasons, including lack of funding of semiconductor companies, in part due to the higher interest rate environment, as well as the end of a period of exceptional consumer end market demand related to COVID spending following the substantial completion of most companies’ shift to hybrid work environments. The increase in licensing and related revenues from 20162021 to 20172022 principally reflected the contribution of the Wi-Fi IP to our revenues, and from diversification of technologies, markets, new and recurring customers and overall strong demand throughout the year for our products, in particular vision, deep neural networks, 5G base stations, backhaul and cellular IoT, offset by lower handset baseband licensing deals. The slight decrease in licensing and related revenues from 2015 to 2016 is explained by lower revenues from the handset baseband markets, partially offset by positive licensing demand and contribution for our connectivity IPs, in particular Bluetooth and our vision-related products.

semiconductor design cycle.

Our higher licensing and related revenue in 2017 and recent years reflect organic growth and investments in our research and development efforts that have strengthened our successful diversification strategy to develop and license products outside our traditional handset baseband markets. We also further strengthened our technology leadership in a number of key growth areas with the introduction of new products, among which are: CEVA-XC12, the most advanced DSP for infrastructure and networking applications; Dragonfly, a completeend-to-end solution for narrowband IoT; NeuPro, the first self-contained processor architecture for AI at the edge; ClearVox, a completefront-end voice processing software suite for voice-enabled devices and AI assistants, and Bluetooth 5 dual mode, the key enabling technology for the proliferation of wireless headsets, hearables and earbuds. In 2017, we concluded 45 licensing agreements (43 of which were fornon-handset baseband and 16 were with first-time customers), compared to 49 and 47 in 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Our technologies are now designed in by leading semiconductor companies and OEMs in their base stations, smartphone application processors, imaging chips, drones, surveillance systems, audio chips, as well as automotive, smart grid,Wi-Fi, satellite communication, connectivity, GPS devices and connectivity for Internet-of-Things.

Licensing and related revenue accounted for 49.0%59.1% of our total revenues for 2017,2023, compared with 43.9%62.4% and 54.0%56.2% of our total revenues for 20162022 and 2015,2021, respectively.

Royalty Revenues

 

  2015   2016 2017  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Royalty revenues (in millions)

  $27.4   $40.8  $44.6  $49.9  $45.4  $39.9 

Changeyear-on-year

   —      49.0  9.4    (9.0)%  (12.2)%

We generate royalty revenues from our customers who ship units of chips incorporating our technologies. Until the end of 2017,Our royalty revenues represent what our royalties were invoiced and recognized on a quarterly basis in arrears as we receive quarterly shipment reports fromcustomers shipped during any quarter, or our licensees.best estimates for such shipments. The royalty rate is based either on a certain percent of the chipset price or a fixed amount per chipset based on volume discounts.

Based on internal data

Royalty revenue was down in 2023 as compared to 2022 reflecting broad macroeconomic and Strategy Analytics’ provisional worldwide shipment data, CEVA’s worldwide market shareconsumer demand weakness and elevated inventory levels, especially in the first half of handset baseband chips that incorporate2023. The decline is mainly attributable to mobile and 5G RAN related royalties, which combined to be down 22% year-over-year. On the positive side and in line with the strength of our technologies represented approximatelyconnectivity products, royalty revenues related to our Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular IoT business lines combined to grow 5% year-over-year, mainly due to higher royalty rate contribution from our new Wi-Fi 6 customers. In terms of end markets, consumer IoT was 41% of royalties, followed by mobile at 36%, 35% and 30%the growing IIoT end markets at 23%. Looking ahead to 2024, we are excited by the royalty growth potential of our Wi-Fi 6 royalties, the continued momentum in our Bluetooth and cellular IoT customer base across consumer and industrial markets and the expected initial ramp of automotive ADAS royalties in the second half of the worldwide baseband volumeyear.

•        Our total unit shipments were 1.6 billion in 2017, 20162023, down slightly from 1.7 billion in 2022, and 2015,which equates to approximately 50 Ceva-powered devices sold every second in 2023.

•         Annual mobile modem shipments were down 13% year-over-year to 286 million units, reflecting the soft smartphone market in 2023, particularly at the start of the year.

•         Annual Consumer IoT related shipments were 1.25 billion units, down just 4% year-over-year.

•         Annual IIoT related shipments were 84 million units, up 17% year over year.

•         Cellular IoT and Audio AI DSP shipments both experienced strong growth in 2023, up 64% and 56%, respectively and accounted for approximately 82%, 91% and 88%from 2022.

•         In terms of our totalroyalty contribution highlights, Cellular IoT royalty revenues for 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

The increase inwere an all-time record high, up 47% year-over-year, Audio AI DSP royalty revenues from 2016were up 111% year-over-year and Wi-Fi royalty revenues were up 40% year-over-year.         

Royalty revenue was down in 2022 as compared to 2017 reflects highernon-handset baseband licensing revenues2021 reflecting broad macroeconomic and consumer weakness and elevated inventory levels, especially in recent years that contributed tohigher-nonthe second half of 2022. The largest decline was in our handset baseband royalties, in 2017, mainlywhich were down 24% year-over-year, primarily due to the continued ramp down by Intel based royalties post their divestment from the modem business. Base station and IoT category, achieved record royalty revenues generated by a record 1.4 billion devices. Bluetooth royalties grew 11% year-over-year, generated from a new baserecord 1 billion unit shipments. Base station royalty payer, Bluetooth market expansionRAN royalties also grew, up 14% year-over-year, while lower shipments and vision based products, slightlyoff-set by lower handset baseband royalties due to softness at low tier smartphone shipments. The increase in royalty revenues from 2015 to 2016 mainly reflected an exceptional royalty revenue growth from CEVA-powered smartphones in generalPCs, robot vacuum cleaners, cameras and LTEother consumer related technologies affected many of our customers.

Total shipments in particular. 2023 decreased 4% year-over-year to 1.62 billion units, down from 1.70 billion in 2022. Total shipment volume in 2021 was 1.65 billion.

The five largest royalty-paying customers accounted for 88%58% of our total royalty revenues for 2017,2023, compared to 92%64% of our total royalty revenues for 20162022 and 87%68% of our total royalty revenues for 2015.2021.

Our customers reported sales of 1,156 million chipsets incorporating our technologies in 2017, compared to 1,076 million in 2016 and 917 million in 2015. The increase in units shipped in 2017 as compared to 2016 was attributable to a significant increase in Bluetooth shipments and first time ramp up volumes from our vision customers. The increase in units shipped in 2016 as compared to 2015 was attributable to a significant increase in smartphone baseband chip shipments, including LTE baseband chips (which also bear higher average selling prices than feature phone baseband products), partially offset by lower feature phone baseband chip shipments.

Geographic Revenue Analysis

 

 

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 
  

2015

 

2016

 

2017

               
  (in millions, except percentages)  

(in millions, except percentages)

 

United States

  $9.7    16.4 $9.2    12.6 $7.2    8.2 $17.8   15.7% $14.2   11.8% $9.6   9.8%

Europe, Middle East (EME)

  $7.1    11.9 $10.9    15.0 $11.0    12.6 $6.9   6.0% $9.9   8.2% $12.2   12.5%

Asia Pacific (APAC) (1) (2)

  $42.7    71.7 $52.6    72.4 $69.3    79.2

Asia Pacific (APAC) (1)

 $89.1   78.3% $96.5   80.0% $75.7   77.7%
              
              

(1) China

  $30.0    50.4 $30.0    41.3 $41.1    46.9 $67.5   59.3% $75.7   62.8% $57.5   59.0%

(2) S. Korea

  $6.2    10.4 $15.5    21.4 $17.8    20.4

 

*)Less than 10%

Due to the nature

A majority of our license agreements andrevenues during the associated potential large individual contract amounts,past three years have originated in the geographic spiltAPAC region, with China representing the largest revenue share of countries in the APAC region. The decrease in revenues both in absolute dollars in APAC from 2022 to 2023 was partially attributed to the slowdown in the start of new design activity. The increase in revenues in absolute dollars in APAC from 2021 to 2022 was partially attributed to the strong design activity and percentage terms generally varies from periodnew WiFi 6 product refreshment as a key technology add-on to period.many consumer related devices, replacing or in many cases on top of Bluetooth technologies.

The decrease in revenues in absolute dollars and percentage terms in the United States from 20162022 to 2017 reflected2023 was mainly attributed to a large, non-recurring licensing deal in our BlueBud platform, as well as the continued decrease in Intel based royalties post their divestment from the modem business. Moreover, we witnessed lower licensing and royalty revenues mainly due to less design starts and licensing activities, and a continueddesign-out of two ofroyalties from our handset baseband customers.sensor fusion empowered chips. The decrease in revenues in absolute dollars and percentage terms in the United States from 20152021 to 2016 reflected lower licensing and royalty revenues,2022 was mainly dueattributed to less design starts and production ramp ups.Intel based royalties post their divestment from the modem business, partially offset by more sensor fusion empowered chip sales.

The slight increase in revenues in absolute dollars and the decrease in percentage in the EME region from 2016 to 2017 primarily reflected lower licensing revenues for base station applicationsoff-set by higher royalty revenues, mainly from handset baseband products.

The increase in revenues in absolute dollars and percentage in the EME region from 20152022 to 20162023 is primarily reflected higher licensing activities for base station applications and connectivity products, as well higher royalty revenues.

The increase in revenues in absolute dollarsdue to a significant new Wi-Fi / Bluetooth combo deal with a leading platform OEM in the APAC region from 2016 to 2017 primarily reflected higher licensing activities associated with many of our newernon-handset baseband customerselectronics maker community whose devices are widely used in education and technologies for base stations and vision, as well as higher royalties, mainly from a first time base station customer that ramped up production in 2017.prototyping. The increase in revenues in absolute dollars and percentage terms in the APACEME region from 20152021 to 20162022 primarily reflected higher royalty revenues5G base station technology license from production ramp up and market share gainsan existing EME customer.

Cost of Revenues

 

  2015   2016 2017  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Cost of revenues (in millions)

  $5.4   $6.1  $7.0  $10.4  $15.1  $11.6 

Changeyear-on-year

   —      12.2  14.2    45.8%  (23.0)%

Cost of revenues accounted for 7.9%12.0% of our total revenues for 2017,2023, compared to 8.4%12.5% of our total revenues for 20162022 and 9.1% of our total revenues for 2015.2021. The absolute dollar increasedecreases in cost of revenues for 20172023 as compared to 20162022 principally reflected higher salaryimpairment charges, incurred in 2022, of prepaid assets with respect to (1) Immervision-related assets and services, and (2) certain non-performing assets related costs, higher third party IP costs (associated with theNB-IoT product line), higher payments to the Israeli Innovation Authority of the Ministry of Economy and Industry in Israel (the “IIA”) and highernon-cash equity-based compensation expenses, partially offset byNB-IoT technology, as well as lower customization work for our licensees. The absolute dollar increaseincreases in cost of revenues for 20162022 as compared to 20152021 principally reflected impairment charges of prepaid assets with respect to (1) Immervision-related assets and services and (2) certain non-performing assets related to NB-IoT technology, as well as higher customization work for our licensees.

Cost of revenues includes labor-related costs and, where applicable, costs related to overhead, subcontractors, materials, travel, royalty expenses payments to the IIAIsraeli Innovation Authority of the Ministry of Economy and Industry in Israel (the IIA), amortization of acquired assets and non-cash equity-based compensation expenses.Non-cash equity-based compensation expenses included in cost of revenues for the years 2017, 2016

2023, 2022 and 20152021 were $459,000, $246,000$826,000, $687,000, and $155,000,$513,000, respectively. Royalty expenses relate to royalties payable to the IIA that amount to3%-3.5% of the actual sales of certain of our products, the development of which previously included grants from the IIA. The obligation to pay these royalties is contingent on actual sales of these products. Amortization of acquired assets related to the purchase of a license of NB-IoT technologies in the first quarter of 2018, to a strategic investment in Immervision in the third quarter of 2019, and to certain intangible assets associated with the VisiSonics acquisition in the second quarter of 2023. Our amortization charges were $0.4 million, $0.6 million and $0.7 million for 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. In 2022 we recorded impairment charges of $2.0 relating to discontinued Immervision technology and non-performing assets of certain NB-IoT technology.

Operating Expenses

 

  2015   2016 2017  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 
  

(in millions)

  

(in millions)

 

Research and development, net

  $28.1   $30.8  $40.4  $69.1  $70.3  $72.7 

Sales and marketing

  $10.2   $11.5  $12.6  $12.2  $11.5  $11.0 

General and administration

  $8.2   $8.6  $10.5  $12.8  $14.2  $14.9 

Amortization of intangible assets

  $1.3   $1.2  $1.2  $2.3  $2.0  $0.6 

Impairment of assets

 $  $3.6  $ 
  

 

   

 

  

 

        

Total operating expenses

  $47.8   $52.1  $64.7  $96.4  $101.6  $99.2 

Changeyear-on-year

   —      9.2  24.0    5.3%  (2.3)%

The decrease in total operating expenses for 2023 as compared to 2022 principally reflected: (1) an impairment charge of $3.6 million recorded in the third quarter of 2022 with respect to Immervision technology acquired in August 2019, as we decided to cease the development of this product line; (2) lower amortization of intangible assets, mainly related to Immervision; and (3) lower salary and employee-related costs, mainly associated with lower employee-related performance costs, partially offset with lower research grants received, mainly from the IIA, and higher non-cash equity-based compensation expenses. The increase in total operating expenses for 20172022 as compared to 20162021 principally reflected (1) an impairment charge of $3.6 million with respect to Immervision technology acquired in August 2019, as we decided to cease the development of this product line, (2) higher salary and employee-related costs, and (3) higher outsourcing personal and services costs, partially offset with higher research grants received, mainly from the IIA.

Research and Development Expenses, Net

  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Research and development expenses, net (in millions)

 $69.1  $70.3  $72.7 

Change year-on-year

     1.8%  3.4%

The net increase in research and development expenses for 2023 as compared to 2022 principally reflected lower research grants received, mainly from the IIA, lower customization work for our licensees and highernon-cash equity-based compensation expenses, partially offset by lower salaries and higher salary and relatedemployee-related costs mainly due to higher headcount associated with accelerated strategiclower employee-related performance costs. The net increase in research and development programs and collaborations with our customers to expedite their production ramps. The increase in total operating expenses for 20162022 as compared to 20152021 principally reflected higher salaryoutsourcing personal and relatedservices costs mainly due toand higher headcount, higher project-related expenses and highernon-cash equity-based compensation expenses, partially offset by higher research grants received, from the IIA.

Research and Development Expenses, Net

   2015   2016  2017 

Research and development expenses, net (in millions)

  $28.1   $30.8  $40.4 

Changeyear-on-year

   —      9.7  31.0

The net increase in research and development expenses for 2017 as compared to 2016 principally reflected higher salary and related costs, mainly due to higher headcount associated with accelerated strategic research and development programs and collaborations with our customers to expedite their productionramp-ups, lower research grants received from the IIA, and highernon-cash equity-based compensation expenses associated with customization work for our employee retention efforts. The net increase in research and development expenses for 2016 as compared to 2015 principally reflected higher salary and related costs mainly due to higher headcount, higher project-related expenses and highernon-cash equity-based compensation expenses, partially offset by higher research grants received from the IIA.licensees. The average number of research and development personnel in 20172023 was 217,330, compared to 194325 in 20162022 and 182310 in 2015.2021. The number of research and development personnel was 228322 at December 31, 20172023 as compared to 199328 in 20162022 and 184311 in 2015.2021.

We anticipate thatimplemented cost control measures and in 2024 we plan to keep our research2023 overall expense (cost of revenues and developments costs will continueoperating expenses) levels; therefore, our overall COGS expense is expected to decrease by approximately $1.5 million and operating expenses, is expected to increase by approximately $2.0 million, mainly in 2018 as compared to prior years, partially due to accelerated strategic research and development programs for artificial intelligence processors and further collaboration with our customers to expedite their productionramp-ups, as well as from higher equity-based compensation expenses and higher expenses associated with foreign currency exchange effects due to the devaluation mainly of the USD as compared to the NIS and Euros.than may increase by approximately $1.5 million.

Research and development expenses, net of related government grants and French research tax benefits applicable to Crédit Impôt Recherche (“CIR”),CIR, were 46.2%74.6% of our total revenues for 2017,2023, as compared with 42.4%58.3% for 20162022 and 47.2%60.7% for 2015.2021. We recorded research grants under funding programs of $4,417,000$1,668,000 in 2017,2023, compared with $6,410,000$4,850,000 in 20162022 and $4,997,000$3,595,000 in 2015.2021. We recorded UK tax credits and CIR benefits of $1,555,000, $1,485,000$2,641,000, $2,316,000 and $1,414,000$2,547,000 for 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 2015,2021, respectively.

Research and development expenses consist primarily of salaries and associated costs, facilities expenses associated with research and development activities, project-related expenses connected with the development of our intellectual property which are expensed as incurred, andnon-cash equity-based compensation expenses.Non-cash equity-based compensation expenses included in research and development expenses, net for the years 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 20152021 were $3,839,000, $2,860,000$9,133,000, $8,259,000 and $1,838,000,$7,187,000, respectively. Research and development expenses are net of related government research grants, UK tax credits and research tax benefits applicable to CIR. We view research and development as a principal strategic investment and have continued our commitment to invest heavily in this area, which represents the largest of our ongoing operating expenses. We will need to continue to invest in research and development and such expenses may increase in the future to keep pace with new trends in our industry.

Sales and Marketing Expenses

 

  2015   2016 2017  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Sales and marketing expenses (in millions)

  $10.2   $11.5  $12.6  $12.2  $11.5  $11.0 

Changeyear-on-year

   —      13.5  8.9    (6.2)%  (3.8)%

The increasedecrease in sales and marketing expenses for 20172023 as compared to 20162022 principally reflected higherlower salary and employee related costs, and highernon-cash equity-based compensation expenses.mainly associated with a one-time separation charge recorded in 2022 as a result of the departure of our former executive vice president of worldwide sales. The increasedecrease in sales and marketing expenses for 20162022 as compared to 20152021 principally reflected higher salary and related costs, higherlower commission costs, higher travel costs and highernon-cash equity-based compensation expenses.

Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of our total revenues were 14.4%11.3% for 2017,2023, as compared with 15.9%9.5% for 20162022 and 17.1%10.7% for 2015.2021. The total number of sales and marketing personnel was 3629 in 2017,2023, as compared with 3536 in 2016both 2022 and 34 in 2015.2021. Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of salaries, commissions, travel and other costs associated with sales and marketing activities, as well as advertising, trade show participation, public relations and other marketing costs andnon-cash equity-based compensation expenses.Non-cash equity-based compensation expenses included in sales and marketing expenses for the years 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 20152021 were $1,428,000, $922,000$1,776,000, $1,503,000 and $568,000,$1,608,000, respectively.

General and Administrative Expenses

 

  2015   2016 2017  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

General and administrative expenses (in millions)

  $8.2   $8.6  $10.5  $12.8  $14.2  $14.9 

Changeyear-on-year

   —      4.7  22.4    10.9%  5.1%

The increase in general and administrative expenses for 20172023 as compared to 20162022 principally reflected higher professional service feesservices cost and highernon-cash equity-based compensation expenses.expenses, partially offset with lower salaries and related costs. The increase in general and administrative expenses for 20162022 as compared to 20152021 principally reflected highernon-cash equity-based compensation expenses, partially offset by lower professional services salaries and related costs.

General and administrative expenses as a percentage of our total revenues were 12.0%15.3% for 2017,2023, as compared with 11.8% for 20162022 and 13.8%11.2% for 2015.2021. The total number of general and administrative personnel was 2645 in 2017,2023, as compared with 2346 in 20162022 and 2350 in 2015.2021. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of fees for directors, salaries for management and administrative employees, accounting and legal fees, expenses related to investor relations and facilities expenses associated with general and administrative activities, allowance for credit losses andnon-cash equity-based compensation expenses.Non-cash equity-based compensation expenses included in general and administrative expenses for the years 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 20152021 were $2,967,000, $2,208,000$3,795,000, $2,888,000 and $1,454,000,$3,291,000, respectively.

Amortization of Intangible Assets

Our amortization charges were $1.2$0.6 million, $1.2$2.0 million and $1.3$2.3 million for 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 2015,2021 respectively. The amortization charges in 2023 were incurred in connection with the amortization of intangible assets associated with the acquisition of RivieraWavesthe Hillcrest Labs and VisiSonics business. The amortization charges in July 2014.2022 and 2021 were incurred in connection with the amortization of intangible assets associated with the acquisition of the Hillcrest Labs and the strategic investment in Immervision. As of December 31, 2017,2023, the net amount of intangible assets associated with the acquisitions was $1.7 million.

Impairment of Assets

In 2022, we recorded an impairment charge of $3.6 million with respect to Immervision technology acquired in August 2019, as we decided to cease the development of this product line.

Financial Income, net

 

  2015   2016   2017  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 
  

(in millions)

  

(in millions)

 

Financial income, net

  $1.07   $2.04   $3.03  $0.20  $2.81  $5.26 

of which:

                  

Interest income and gains and losses from marketable securities, net

  $1.66   $2.23   $3.05  $1.47  $2.74  $4.57 

Foreign exchange loss

  $(0.49  $(0.19  $(0.02

Accretion of Contingent Consideration

  $(0.10   —      —   

Foreign exchange gain (loss)

 $(1.27) $0.07  $0.69 

Financial income, net, consists of interest earned on investments, gains and losses from sale of marketable securities, accretion (amortization) of discount (premium) on marketable securities and foreign exchange movements and changes in fair value related to contingent consideration as part of the acquisition of RivieraWaves.movements.

The increase in interest income and gains and losses from marketable securities, net, for both 20172023 as compared to 2016 and 2016 as compared to 20152022 reflected higher yields, offset with lower combined cash, bank deposits and marketable securities balances heldheld. The increase in interest income and gains and losses from marketable securities, net, for 2022 as compared to 2021 reflected higher yields.yields, offset with lower combined cash, bank deposits and marketable securities balances held.

We review our monthly expected majornon-U.S. dollar denominated expenditures and look to hold equivalentnon-U.S. dollar cash balances to mitigate currency fluctuations. However, our Euro cash balances increase significantly on a quarterly basis beyond our Euro liabilities, mainly from the French research tax benefits applicable to CIR, which is generally refunded every three years. This has resulted in a foreign exchange gain of $0.69 million, a foreign exchange gain of $0.07 million and a foreign exchange loss of $0.02$1.27 million $0.19(due to the devaluation of our Euro cash balances as the U.S. dollar strengthened significantly during this period as compared to the Euro) for 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Remeasurement of marketable equity securities

We recorded a loss of $0.0 million, a loss of $2.5 million, and $0.49a gain of $2.0 million in 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, related to remeasurement of marketable equity securities. Over time, other income (expense), net, may be affected by market dynamics and other factors. Equity values generally change daily for 2017, 2016marketable equity securities and 2015, respectively.upon the occurrence of observable price changes or upon impairment of marketable equity securities. In addition, volatility in the global economic climate and financial markets could result in a significant change in the value of our investments.

Provision for Income Taxes

During the years 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 2015,2021, we recorded tax expenses of $1.9$10.2 million, $3.3$18.1 million and $1.1$6.8 million, respectively.

The decrease in provision for income taxes in 20172023 as compared to 20162022 principally reflected the impact of a tax benefit of $1.8 millioncharge to record a valuation allowance in 2022 due to a change in the releaseestimation for taxable income for future years of our Israeli operations (as further described below), offset with a charge to our deferred tax provisionassets in the US primarily related to a reduction of estimated forecasted GILTI inclusions, and additional tax charges as a result of the completion of a tax audit in a certain foreign tax jurisdiction, partially offset by higherjurisdiction.

The increase in provision for income before taxes on income and aone-time recordingin 2022 as compared to 2021 principally reflected the impact of a deferred tax assetcharge to record a valuation allowance in 2022 due to a change in the estimation for taxable income for future years. The increaseyears of our Israeli operations (as further described below), offset with a reduced tax rate of 10% applied to specific revenues in provision for income taxesour French subsidiary in 20162022 (under the French IP Box regime, as compared to 2015 principally reflected: (1) higher income before taxesa corporate tax rate of 26.5% in 2021).

In 2022, based on income; (2) tax expenses relating to an uncertain tax positionthe weight of available positive and negative evidence, we recorded a valuation allowance for prior years; and (3) aone-time write off of acertain deferred tax liabilities in 2015assets (including withholding tax assets) of our Israeli subsidiary due to uncertainty regarding its future taxable income. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, the key assumptions used to determine positive and negative evidence included the Company’s cumulative taxable loss for the past three years, current trends related to actual taxable earnings or losses, and expected future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, as well as projections for future annual results. Accordingly, we recorded a charge of $15.6 million in 2022 as a reserve against our deferred tax assets.

We are subject to income and other taxes in the RivieraWaves acquisition. United States and in numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our domestic and foreign tax liabilities are dependent on the jurisdictions in which profits are determined to be earned and taxed. Additionally, the amount of taxes paid is subject to our interpretation of applicable tax laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate. A number of factors influence our effective tax rate, including changes in tax laws and treaties as well as the interpretation of existing laws and rules. Federal, state, and local governments and administrative bodies within the United States, and other foreign jurisdictions have implemented, or are considering, a variety of broad tax, trade, and other regulatory reforms that may impact us. For example, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “U.S. Tax Reform”) enacted on December 22, 2017 resulted in changes in our corporate tax rate, our deferred income taxes, and the taxation of foreign earnings. It is not currently possible to accurately determine the potential comprehensive impact of these or future changes, but these changes could have a material impact on our business and financial condition.

We have significant operations in Israel and operations in France and the Republic of Ireland. A substantial portion of our taxable income is generated in Israel. Currently,Israel and France, as well as potentially in the U.S. due to GILTI and the requirement to capitalize R&D expenditures under IRC Section 174 over 5 years if sourced from the U.S. and over 15 years if sourced internationally. Although our Israeli and Irish subsidiaries, and, from 2022 onward, our French subsidiary, are taxed at rates substantially lower than U.S. tax rates.rates, the tax rates in these jurisdictions could nevertheless result in a substantial increase as a result of withholding tax expenses with respect to which we are unable to obtain a refund from the relevant tax authorities.

Our Irish subsidiary qualified for a 12.5% tax rate on its trade. Interest income generated by our Irish subsidiary is taxed at a rate of 25%.

Our French subsidiary qualifiedis now entitled to a new tax benefit of 10% applied to specific revenues under the French IP Box regime. The French IP Box regime applies to net income derived from the licensing, sublicensing or sale of several IP rights such as patents and copyrighted software, including royalty revenues. This new elective regime requires a direct link between the income benefiting from the preferential treatment and the R&D expenditures incurred and contributing to that income. Qualifying income may be taxed at a favorable 10% CIT rate (plus social surtax, hence 10.3% in total).

In 2017, the French government passed a series of tax reforms allowing for a 33.33%phased reduction in the corporate tax rate. In accordance with the tax reforms, our French subsidiary qualified in 2018 for a corporate tax rate on itsof 28% for taxable profit up to €500,000 (approximately $533,745) and the standard rate of 33.33% for taxable profit above €500,000 (approximately $533,745). In 2019, the standard corporate income tax rate was reduced to 31%, with the first €500,000 (approximately $533,745) of taxable profit still being subject to the reduced 28% rate. In 2020, a corporate income tax rate of 28% has become the new standard rate for all taxable profits. In 2021, the corporate income tax rate was reduced to 26.5%. From 2022 onward, the standard corporate income tax rate was further reduced to 25%.

Our Israeli subsidiary is entitled to various tax benefits by virtueas a technological enterprise. In December 2016, the Economic Efficiency Law (Legislative Amendments for Applying the Economic Policy for the 2017 and 2018 Budget Years), 2016, which includes the Amendment to the Law for the Encouragement of the “Approved Enterprise” and/or “Benefited Enterprise” status grantedCapital Investments, 1959 (Amendment 73) (the “Amendment”), was published. The Amendment, among other things, prescribes special tax tracks for technological enterprises, which are subject to its eight investment programs, as definedrules that were issued by the Israeli Investment Law. In accordance withMinister of Finance in April 2017.

The new tax track under the Investment Law, our Israeli subsidiary’s first seven investment programs were subjectAmendment, which is applicable to corporate tax rate of 24% in 2017, and our Israeli subsidiary’s eighth investment programs was subject to corporate tax rate of 10% in 2017. However, our Israeli subsidiary, is eligiblethe “Technological Preferred Enterprise”. Technological Preferred Enterprise is an enterprise for the erosionwhich total consolidated revenues of tax basis with

respect to its first seven investment programs,parent company and this resulted in an increaseall subsidiaries are less than 10 billion New Israeli Shekel (NIS). A Technological Preferred Enterprise, as defined in the taxable income attributable toAmendment, that is located in the eighth investment program, which was subject tocenter of Israel (where our Israeli subsidiary is currently located), is taxed at a reduced tax rate of 10%12% on profits deriving from intellectual property. Any dividends distributed to “foreign companies”, as defined in 2017. Thethe Amendment, deriving from income from technological enterprises will be taxed at a rate of 4%. We are applying the Technological Preferred Enterprise tax benefits undertrack for our Israeli subsidiary’s active investment programs are scheduled to gradually expire starting in 2020.subsidiary from tax year 2020 and onwards.

To maintain our Israeli subsidiary’s eligibility for the above tax benefits, it must continue to meet certain conditions under the Investment Law. Should our Israeli subsidiary fail to meet such conditions in the future, these benefits would be cancelled and it would be subject to corporate tax in Israel at the standard corporate rate and could be required to refund tax benefits already received, with interest and adjustments for inflation based on the Israeli consumer price index.

For more information about our provision for income taxes, see Note 1214 to the attached Notes to Consolidated Financial Statement for the year ended December 31, 2017.2023.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

As of December 31, 2017,2023, we had approximately $21.7$23.3 million in cash and cash equivalents, $34.4$10.5 million in short term bank deposits, $82.7$132.7 million in marketable securities, and $44.5$0.0 million in long term bank deposits totaling $183.3$166.5 million, as compared to $156.5$146.5 million at December 31, 2016.2022. The increase in 20172023 as compared to 20162022 principally reflected approximately $30.0 million cash provided by operating activities and cash proceeds fromreceived following the sale of Intrinsix, exercise of stock-based awards of approximately $3.4 million, and unrealized investment gain on marketable securities of approximately $3.1 million, partially offset by cash used in operating activities, $3.6 million cash used for the purchaseacquisition of computersthe VisiSonics business and platform tools, mainlyfunds used to repurchase 278,799 shares of common stock for our research and development activities.an aggregate consideration of approximately $6.2 million.

Out of total cash, cash equivalents, bank deposits and marketable securities of $183.3$166.5 million at year end 2017, $138.72023, $136.4 million was held by our foreign subsidiaries. Our intent is to permanently reinvest earnings of our foreign subsidiaries and our current operating plans do not demonstrate a need to repatriate foreign earnings to fund our U.S. operations. However, if these funds were needed for our operations in the United States, we would be required to accrue and pay taxes to repatriate these funds. The determination of the amount of additional taxes related to the repatriation of these earnings is not practicable, as it may vary based on various factors such as the location of the cash and the effect of regulation in the various jurisdictions from which the cash would be repatriated. Moving off-shore cash to our U.S. entity would result in significant additional tax expenses.

During 2017,2023, we invested $101.9$42.0 million of cash in bank deposits and marketable securities with maturities up to 36 months from the balance sheet date. In addition, during the same period, bank deposits and marketable securities were sold or redeemed for cash amounting to $28.8 million. During 2022, we invested $63.9 million of cash in bank deposits and marketable securities with maturities up to 45 months from the balance sheet date. In addition, during the same period, bank deposits and marketable securities were sold or redeemed for cash amounting to $52.3 million. During 2021, we invested $40.7 million of cash in bank deposits and marketable securities with maturities up to 57 months from the balance sheet date. In addition, during the same period, bank deposits and marketable securities were sold or redeemed for cash amounting to $77.3 million. During 2016, we invested $85.0 million of cash in bank deposits and marketable securities with maturities up to 59 months from the balance sheet date. In addition, during the same period, bank deposits and marketable securities were sold or redeemed for cash amounting to $66.4 million. During 2015, we invested $83.1 million of cash in bank deposits and marketable securities with maturities up to 40 months from the balance sheet date. In addition, during the same period, bank deposits and marketable securities were sold or redeemed for cash amounting to $75.6$56.1 million. All of our marketable securities are classified asavailable-for-sale. The purchase and sale or redemption ofavailable-for-sale marketable securities are considered part of investing cash flow.Available-for-sale marketable securities are stated at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses reported in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a separate component of stockholders’ equity, net of taxes. Realized gains and losses on sales of investments, as determined on a specific identification basis, are included in the consolidated statements of operations. We did not recognize any other-than-temporarily-impaired charges on marketable securities in 2017, 2016income (loss). The amount of credit losses recorded for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2015.2021, was immaterial. For more information about our marketable securities, see Notes 1 and 23 to the attached Notes to Consolidated Financial Statement for the year ended December 31, 2017.2023.

Bank deposits are classified as short-term bank deposits and long-term bank deposits. Short-term bank deposits are deposits with maturities of more than three months but no longer than one year from the balance sheet date, whereas long-term bank deposits are deposits with maturities of more than one year as of the balance sheet date. Bank deposits are presented at their cost, including accrued interest, and purchases and sales are considered part of cash flows from investing activities.

Operating Activities

Cash provided byused in operating activities in 20172023 was $24.5$6.3 million and consisted of a net incomeloss of $17.0$11.9 million, adjustments fornon-cash items of $13.1$8.8 million, and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $5.6$3.2 million. Adjustments fornon-cash items primarily consisted of $3.3$4.9 million of depreciation and amortization of intangible assets $8.7(including $1.1 million from discontinued operations), $16.2 million of equity-based compensation expenses (including $0.7 million from discontinued operations), and $1.2$11.6 million of amortizationgain on sale of premiums onavailable-for-sale marketable securities.Intrinsix. The decrease in cash from changes in operating assets and liabilities primarily consisted of an increase in trade receivables of $1.4 million, an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $2.5 million, an increase in deferred tax, net of $1.4$4.9 million, a decrease in deferred revenues of $1.9 million and a decrease in income tax payable of $1.5 million, partially offset by an increase in accrued expenses and other payables of $1.3 million and an increase in accrued payroll and related benefits of $1.8$3.7 million, and a decrease in trade payables of $0.8 million, partially offset by a decrease in deferred taxes, net of $6.7 million.

Cash provided by operating activities in 20162022 was $14.5$6.9 million and consisted of a net incomeloss of $13.1$23.2 million, adjustments fornon-cash items of $10.0$28.2 million, and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $8.6$1.9 million. Adjustments fornon-cash items primarily consisted of $2.6$7.6 million of depreciation and amortization of intangible assets $6.2(including $2.2 million from discontinued operations), $14.5 million of equity-based compensation expenses and $1.1(including $1.2 million from discontinued operations), $2.5 million of amortizationremeasurement of premiums onavailable-for-salemarketable securities.equity securities, and $3.6 million of impairment of intangible assets with respect to Immervision technology acquired in August 2019, as we decided to cease the development of this product line. The decreaseincrease in cash from changes in operating assets and liabilities primarily consisted of a decrease in deferred taxes, net of $7.8 million (primarily reflect the impact of a charge to record a valuation allowance in 2022), an increase in trade receivablespayable of $11.0$0.5 million, an increase in prepaid expensesaccrued payroll and other current assetsrelated benefits of $0.6$1.0 million, and an increase in deferred tax, net,accrued expenses and other payables, including income taxes payable, of $0.6$2.5 million, partially offset by an increase of trade receivables of $3.8 million, an increase of prepaid expenses and other assets of $1.1 million, and a decrease in deferred revenues of $3.5 million and an increase in income tax payable of $0.7$5.5 million.

Cash provided by operating activities in 20152021 was $19.4��$25.8 million and consisted of a net income of $6.3$0.4 million, adjustments fornon-cash items of $7.8$19.6 million, and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $5.3$5.8 million. Adjustments fornon-cash items primarily consisted of $2.4$7.0 million of depreciation and amortization of intangible assets $4.0(including $1.3 million from discontinued operations), and $13.1 million of equity-based compensation expenses $1.1(including $0.5 million of amortization of premiums onavailable-for-sale marketable securities and $0.2 million of unrealized foreign exchange loss.from discontinued operations). The increase in cash from changes in operating assets and liabilities primarily consisted of a decrease in trade receivables of $4.3$5.8 million, a decrease in prepaid expenses and other assets of $3.6 million, and an increase in deferred revenues of $1.1 million and an increase in accrued payroll and related benefits of $1.7$5.1 million, partially offset by an increase in deferred tax assets,taxes, net of $1.2$6.3 million and(mainly due to an increase in withholding tax assets which can be utilized in future years), a decrease in accrued interest on bank depositsexpenses and other payables of $0.3$1.7 million, and a decrease in accrued payroll and related benefits of $0.9 million.

Cash flows from operating activities may vary significantly from quarter to quarter depending on the timing of our receipts and payments. Our ongoing cash outflows from operating activities principally relate to payroll-related costs and obligations under our property leases and design tool licenses. Our primary sources of cash inflows are receipts from our accounts receivable, to some extent funding from the IIA and interest earned from our cash, deposits and marketable securities. The timing of receipts of accounts receivable from customers is based upon the completion of agreed milestones or agreed dates as set out in the contracts.

Investing Activities

Net cash used inprovided by investing activities in 20172023 was $28.8$10.8 million, as compared to net cash used in investing activities of $21.0$15.1 million in 20162022 and net cash used in investing activities of $9.6$16.7 million in 2015.2021. We had a cash outflow of $54.9$40.0 million with respect to investments in marketable securities and a cash inflow of $32.8$22.8 million with respect to maturity, and sale, of marketable securities during 2017.2023. Included in the cash outflowinflow during 20172023 was net investmentproceeds of $2.6��$4.0 million infrom bank deposits. We had a cash outflow of $43.5$49.9 million with respect to investments in marketable securities and a cash inflow of $28.8$21.4 million with respect to maturity, and sale, of marketable securities during 2016.2022. Included in the cash outflowinflow during 20162022 was net investmentproceeds of $3.9$16.9 million infrom bank deposits. We had a cash outflow of $29.8$39.2 million with respect to investments in marketable securities and a cash inflow of $28.1$36.1 million with respect to maturity, and sale, of marketable securities during 2015.2021. Included in the cash outflowinflow during 20152021 was net investmentproceeds of $5.9$18.5 million infrom bank deposits. Capital equipment purchases

of computer hardware and software used in engineering development, furniture and fixtures amounted to approximately $4.1$2.9 million in 2017, $2.42023, $3.5 million in 20162022 and $2.2 million in 2015. We2021. In 2023, we had a cash inflow of $0.1$30.6 million in 2015 fromfollowing the sale of our investmentIntrinsix. We had a cash outflow of $3.6 million in Antcor.2023 for the acquisition of VisiSonics. We had a cash outflow, net of cash acquired, of $29.9 million in 2021 for the acquisition of Intrinsix.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided byused in financing activities in 20172023 was $7.5$2.8 million, as compared to net cash used in financing activities of $3.3 million in 2022 and net cash provided by financing activities of $6.2$3.2 million in 2016 and cash used in financing activities of $7.0 million in 2015.2021.

In August 2008, we announced that our board of directors approved a share repurchase program for up to one million shares of common stock which was further extended collectively by an additional five million6,400,000 shares in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2014.2020. In 2017, we did notNovember 2023, our board of directors authorized the repurchase sharesby us of our common stock. In 2016, we repurchased 180,013an additional 700,000 shares of common stock pursuant to Rule 10b-18 of the Exchange Act. In 2023, we repurchased 278,799 shares of common stock pursuant to our share repurchase program at an average purchase price of $18.98$22.11 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $3.4$6.2 million. In 2015,2022, we repurchased 508,931218,809 shares of common stock pursuant to our share repurchase program at an average purchase price of $19.80$31.01 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $10.1$6.8 million. In 2021, we did not repurchase any shares of common stock. As of December 31, 2017, 311,0562023, we had 700,000 shares of common stock remained authorizedavailable for repurchase pursuant to our share repurchase program.repurchase.

In 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 2015,2021, we received $7.5$3.4 million, $9.6$3.5 million and $6.7$3.2 million, respectively, from the exercise of stock-based awards.

In 2015, we paid $3.7 million of the Contingent Consideration in connection with our acquisition of RivieraWaves.

In 2015, we classified $0.1 million of excess tax benefit from equity-based compensation expenses as financing cash flows.

We believe that our cash and cash equivalent, short-term bank deposits and marketable securities, along with cash from operations, will provide sufficient capital to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months. We cannot provide assurance, however, that the underlying assumed levels of revenues and expenses will prove to be accurate.

In addition, as part of our business strategy, we occasionally evaluate potential acquisitions of businesses, products and technologies and minority equity investments. Accordingly, a portion of our available cash may be used at any time for the acquisition of complementary products or businesses or minority equity investments. Such potential transactions may require substantial capital resources, which may require us to seek additional debt or equity financing. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully identify suitable acquisition or investment candidates, complete acquisitions or investments, integrate acquired businesses into our current operations, or expand into new markets. Furthermore, we cannot provide assurance that additional financing will be available to us in any required time frame and on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. See “Risk Factors—We may seek to expand our business in ways that could result in diversion of resources and extra expenses.” for more detailed information.

Contractual Obligations

The table below presents the principal categories of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2017:2023:

 

   

Payments Due by Period

 
   

($ in thousands)

 
   Total   Less than
1 year
   1-3 years   3-5 years   More than
5 years
 

Operating Lease Obligations—Leasehold properties

   2,074    1,226    808    40    —   

Purchase Obligations—design tools

   4,491    3,168    1,323    —      —   

Other purchase Obligations

   2,237    2,237    —      —      —   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   8,802    6,631    2,131    40    —   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  

Payments Due by Period

 
  

($ in thousands)

 
  

Total

  

Less than

1
year

  

1-3 years

  

3-5 years

 

Operating Lease Obligations – Leasehold properties

  1,289   593   661   35 

Purchase Obligations – design tools

  6,481   3,297   3,184    

Other purchase Obligations

  1,230   1,230       

Total

  9,000   5,120   3,845   35 

Operating leasehold obligations principally relate to our offices in Israel, Ireland, United Kingdom, France, China, Japan, Serbia and the United States. Purchase obligations relate to license agreements entered into for maintenance of design tools. Other purchase obligations consist of capital and operating purchase order commitments. Other than set forth in the table above, we have no long-term debt or capital lease obligations.

At December 31, 2017,2023, our income tax payable, net of withholding tax credits, included $2,224,000$462,000 related to uncertain tax positions. Due to uncertainties in the timing of the completion of tax audits, the timing of the resolution of these positions is uncertain and we are unable to make a reasonably reliable estimate of the timing of payments. As a result, this amount is not included in the above table.

In addition, at December 31, 2017,2023, the amount of accrued severance pay was $9,347,000.$7,524,000. Severance pay relates to accrued severance obligations to our Israeli employees as required under Israeli labor laws. These obligations are payable only upon termination, retirement or death of the respective employee. Of this amount, $437,000$454,000 is unfunded.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have anyoff-balance sheet arrangements, as such term is defined in recently enacted rules by the Securities and Exchange Commission, that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that are material to investors.

 

ITEM 7A.

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

A majority of our revenues and a portion of our expenses are transacted in U.S. dollars and our assets and liabilities together with our cash holdings are predominately denominated in U.S. dollars. However, the majority of our expenses are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, principally the NIS and the EURO. Increases in volatility of the exchange rates of currencies other than the U.S. dollar versus the U.S. dollar could have an adverse effect on the expenses and liabilities that we incur when remeasured into U.S. dollars. We review our monthly expectednon-U.S. dollar denominated expenditures and look to hold equivalentnon-U.S. dollar cash balances to mitigate currency fluctuations. However, our Euro cash balances increase significantly on a quarterly basis beyond our Euro liabilities, mainly from French research tax benefits applicable to the CIR, which is generally refunded every three years. This has resulted in a foreign exchange gain of $0.69 million, a foreign exchange gain of $0.07 million and a foreign exchange loss of $0.02 million, $0.19 million and $0.49$1.27 million for 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 2015,2021, respectively.

As a result of currency fluctuations and the remeasurement ofnon-U.S. dollar denominated expenditures to U.S. dollars for financial reporting purposes; we may experience fluctuations in our operating results on an annual and quarterly basis. To protect against the increase in value of forecasted foreign currency cash flow resulting from salaries paid in currencies other than the U.S. dollar during the year, we follow a foreign currency cash flow hedging program. We hedge portions of the anticipated payroll for ournon-U.S. employees denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar for a period of one to twelve months with forward and option contracts. During 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 2015,2021, we recorded accumulated other comprehensive lossgain of $5,000,$1,095,000, accumulated other comprehensive loss of $3,000$162,000 and accumulated other comprehensive gain of $65,000,$55,000, respectively, from our forward and option contracts, net of taxes, with respect to anticipated payroll expenses for ournon-U.S. employees. As of December 31, 2017, we had no2023, the amount of other comprehensive gain from our forward and option contracts.contracts, net of taxes, was $988,000, which will be recorded in the consolidated statements of income during the following seven months. We recognized a net loss of $1.08 million, a net loss of $1.29 million and a net gain of $0.19 million, $0.16 million and $0.10$0.17 million for 2017, 20162023, 2022 and 2015,2021, respectively, related to forward and options contracts. We note that hedging transactions may not successfully mitigate losses caused by currency fluctuations. We expect to continue to experience the effect of exchange rate and currency fluctuations on an annual and quarterly basis.

The majority of our cash and cash equivalents are invested in high grade certificates of deposits with major U.S., European and Israeli banks. Generally, cash and cash equivalents and bank deposits may be redeemed and therefore minimal credit risk exists with respect to them. Nonetheless, deposits with these banks exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”)(FDIC) insurance limits or similar limits in foreign jurisdictions, to the extent such deposits are even insured in such foreign jurisdictions. While we monitor on a systematic basis the

cash and cash equivalent balances in the operating accounts and adjust the balances as appropriate, these balances could be impacted if one or more of the financial institutions with which we deposit our funds fails or is subject to other adverse conditions in the financial or credit markets. To date, we have experienced no loss of principal or lack of access to our invested cash or cash equivalents; however, we can provide no assurance that access to our invested cash and cash equivalents will not be affected if the financial institutions that we hold our cash and cash equivalents fail.

We hold an investment portfolio consisting principally of corporate bonds. We have the ability to hold such investments until recovery of temporary declines in market value or maturity. Accordingly, asAs of December 31, 2017, we believe2023, the unrealized losses associated with our investments are temporary andwere approximately $3.7 million due to the dramatic changes in the interest rate environment that took place in 2022. As we hold such bonds with unrealized losses to recovery, no impairmentcredit loss was recognized in 2017.during 2023. However, we can provide no assurance that we will recover present declines in the market value of our investments.

Interest income and gains and losses from marketable securities, net, were $3.05$4.57 million in 2017, $2.232023, $2.74 million in 20162022 and $1.66$1.47 million in 2015.2021. The increase in interest income and gains and losses from marketable securities, net, for both 20172023 as compared to 2016 and 2016 as compared to 20152022 reflected higher yields, offset with lower combined cash, bank deposits and marketable securities balances heldheld. The increase in interest income and gains and losses from marketable securities, net, for 2022 as compared to 2021 reflected higher yields.yields, offset with lower combined cash, bank deposits and marketable securities balances held.

We are exposed primarily to fluctuations in the level of U.S. interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, fixed interest investments may be adversely impacted, whereas a decline in interest rates may decrease the anticipated interest income for variable rate investments. We typically do not attempt to reduce or eliminate our market exposures on our investment securities because the majority of our investments are short-term. We currently do not have any derivative instruments but may put them in place in the future. Fluctuations in interest rates within our investment portfolio have not had, and we do not currently anticipate such fluctuations will have, a material effect on our financial position on an annual or quarterly basis.

 

ITEM 8.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

See the Index to Financial Statements and Supplementary Data on page F-1.

ITEM 9.

CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

Not Applicable.

ITEM 9A.

CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

As of the end of the period covered by this report, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2023.

There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected or is reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.

Managements Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.

Ceva, Inc.’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over the company’s financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Ceva, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. There are inherent limitations in the effectiveness of any internal control, including the possibility of human error and the circumvention or overriding of controls. Accordingly, even effective internal controls can provide only reasonable assurances with respect to financial statement preparation. Further because of changes in conditions, the effectiveness of internal controls may vary over time such that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management assessed the effectiveness of Ceva, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 Framework) (COSO) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework. Based on its assessment using those criteria, management believes that Ceva, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2023.

Ceva, Inc.’s independent registered public accountants audited the financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and have issued a report concurring with management’s assessment of the company’s effective internal control over financial reporting, which appears in Item 8 of this Annual Report.

ITEM 9B.

OTHER INFORMATION

None.

PART III

ITEM 10.

DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The information regarding our directors required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2024 Proxy Statement. Information regarding the members of the Audit Committee, our code of business conduct and ethics, the identification of the Audit Committee Financial Expert, stockholder nominations of directors and compliance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is also incorporated herein by reference to the 2024 Proxy Statement.

The information regarding our executive officers required by this item is contained in Part I of this annual report.

ITEM 11.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2024 Proxy Statement.

ITEM 12.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCK HOLDER MATTERS

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2024 Proxy Statement.

ITEM 13.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2024 Proxy Statement.

ITEM 14.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2024 Proxy Statement.

PART IV

ITEM 15.

EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

(a) The following documents are filed as part of or are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

1. Financial Statements:

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2023 and 2022

Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) for the Years Ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for the Years Ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

2. Financial Statement Schedules:

Other financial statement schedules have been omitted since they are either not required or the information is otherwise included.

3. Exhibits:

The exhibits filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K are listed on the exhibit index immediately preceding such exhibits, which exhibit index is incorporated herein by reference. Some of these documents have previously been filed as exhibits with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are being incorporated herein by reference to such earlier filings. Ceva’s file number under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is 000-49842.

INDEX TO EXHIBITS

EXHIBIT
NUMBER

 

EXHIBIT

DESCRIPTION

 

FORM

 

FILE
NO.

 

EXHIBIT
NUMBER

 

FILING
DATE

 

FILED

HEREWITH

             

2.1

 

Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated May 9, 2021, by and among the Registrant, Northstar Merger Sub, Inc. Intrinsix Corp., and Shareholder Representative Services LLC

 

8-K

 

000-49842

 

2.1

 

May 9, 2021

  

2.2

 

Share Purchase Agreement, dated September 14, 2023, between Ceva, Inc., Intrinsix Corp. and Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

 

8-K

 

000-49842

 

2.1

 

September 20, 2023

  

3.1

 

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant

 

10 

 

000-49842

 

3.1

 

June 3, 2002 

  

3.2

 

Certificate of Ownership and Merger (merging Ceva, Inc. into ParthusCeva, Inc.)

 

8-K

 

000-49842

 

3.1

 

December 8, 2003

  

3.3

 

Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant

 

8-K

 

000-49842

 

3.1

 

October 31, 2019

  

3.4

 

Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant

 

8-K

 

000-49842

 

3.1

 

July 22, 2005

  

3.5

 

Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant

 

10-K

 

000-49842

 

3.5

 

February 28, 2020

  

3.6

 

Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant

 

8-K

 

000-49842

 

3.1

 

November 7, 2023

  

4.1

 

Specimen of Common Stock Certificate

 

S-1

 

333-97353

 

4.1

 

July 30, 2002

  

4.2

 

Description of Securities

 

10-K

 

000-49842

 

4.2

 

February 28, 2020

  

10.1†

 

Ceva, Inc. 2003 Director Stock Option Plan

 

10-K

 

000-49842

 

10.8

 

March 15, 2012

  

10.2†

 

Ceva, Inc. Amended and Restated 2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

10-Q

 

000-49842

 

4.6

 

August 10, 2020

  

10.3†

 

First Amendment to Ceva, Inc. Amended and Restated 2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

8-K

 

000-49842

 

10.1

 

November 7, 2023

  

10.4

 

Form of Indemnification Agreement

 

10

 

000-49842

 

10.13

 

June 3, 2002 

  

10.5†

 

Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Amir Panush dated as of November 7, 2022

 

8-K

 

000-49842

 

10.3

 

November 9, 2022

  

10.6†

 

Personal and Special Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Yaniv Arieli dated as of August 18, 2005

 

10-Q

 

000-49842

 

10.1

 

November 9, 2005

  

10.7†

 

Amendment, dated November 6, 2013, to the Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Yaniv Arieli dated as of August 18, 2005

 

8-K

 

000-49842

 

10.1

 

November 8, 2013

  

10.8†

 

Second Amendment, dated February 18, 2021, to the Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Yaniv Arieli dated as of August 18, 2005

 

8-K

 

000-49842

 

10.3

 

February 18, 2021

  

10.9†

 

Third Amendment, dated November 7, 2022, to the Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Yaniv Arieli dated as of August 18, 2005

 

8-K

 

000-49842

 

10.5

 

November 9, 2022

  

10.10†

Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Michael Boukaya dated as of April 4, 2019.

8-K

000-49842

10.1

April 9, 2019

10.11†

Amendment, dated February 18, 2021, to the Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Michael Boukaya dated as of April 4, 2019.

8-K

000-49842

10.4

February 18, 2021

10.12†

Second Amendment, dated November 7, 2022, to the Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Michael Boukaya dated as of April 4, 2019

8-K

000-49842

10.4

November 9, 2022

10.13†

Form of Nonstatutory Stock Option Agreement under the Ceva, Inc. 2003 Director Stock Option Plan

10-Q

000-49842

10.26

August 9, 2006

10.14†

Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Gweltaz Toquet dated as of May 11, 2021

8-K

000-49842

10.3

December 12, 2022

10.15†

Addendum, dated December 7, 2022, to the Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Gweltaz Toquet dated as of May 11, 2021

8-K

000-49842

10.2

December 12, 2022

10.16†

Ceva, Inc. Amended and Restated 2011 Stock Incentive Plan

10-Q

000-49842

10.1

August 9, 2022

10.17†

First Amendment to Ceva, Inc. Amended and Restated 2011 Stock Incentive Plan

X

10.18†

Form of Stock Appreciation Right Agreement under the Ceva, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan

10-K

000-49842

10.26

March 11, 2016

10.19†

Form of Israeli Stock Appreciation Right Agreement under the Ceva, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan

10-K

000-49842

10.27

March 11, 2016

10.20†

Form of Israeli Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for employees under the Ceva, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan

10-K

000-49842

10.28

March 11, 2016

10.21†

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for employees under the Ceva, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan

10-K

000-49842

10.29

March 11, 2016

10.22†

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for non-employee directors under the Ceva, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan

10-K

000-49842

10.30

March 11, 2016

10.23†

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for Israeli non-employee directors under the Ceva, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan

10-K

000-49842

10.31

March 11, 2016

10.24†

Israeli Sub-plan under the Ceva, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan

10-K

000-49842

10.32

March 11, 2016

10.25#†

2023 Incentive Plan for Gweltaz Toquet, Chief Commercial Officer, effective as of January 1, 2023

8-K

000-49842

10.1

February 21, 2023

10.26#†

2024 Incentive Plan for Gweltaz Toquet, Chief Commercial Officer, effective as of January 1, 2024

8-K

000-49842

10.1

February 16, 2024

10.27#†

2023 Executive Bonus Plan for Amir Panush, Yaniv Arieli and Michael Boukaya, effective as of January 1, 2023

8-K

000-49842

N/A

February 21, 2023

10.28#†

2024 Executive Bonus Plan for Amir Panush, Yaniv Arieli and Michael Boukaya, effective as of January 1, 2024

8-K

000-49842

N/A

February 16, 2024

10.29#†

Form of Short-Term Executive PSUs for Israeli Executive Officers

8-K

000-49842

10.2

February 24, 2020

10.30#†

Form of Short-Term Executive PSUs for U.S.-based Executive Officers

8-K

000-49842

10.3

February 24, 2020

10.31†

Form of Long-Term Executive PSUs for Israeli Executive Officers.

8-K

000-49842

10.4

February 24, 2020

10.32†

Form of Long-Term Executive PSUs for U.S.-based Executive Officers.

8-K

000-49842

10.5

February 24, 2020

10.33†

2023 Inducement Award for Amir Panush

10-K

000-49842

10.40

March 1, 2023

21.1

List of Subsidiaries

X

23.1

Consent of Kost Forer Gabbay & Kasierer, a member of EY Global

X

24.1

Power of Attorney (See signature page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K)

X

31.1

Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Executive Officer

X

31.2

Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Financial Officer

X

32

Section 1350 Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer

X

97

Ceva, Inc. Compensation Recoupment Policy

X

101.INS

Inline XBRL Instance Document

101.SCH

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

101.CAL

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

101.DEF

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

101.LAB

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document

101.PRE

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

104

Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)

#

Confidential portions of this document have been redacted as permitted by applicable regulations.

Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed as an exhibit pursuant to Item 15(b) of Form 10-K

ITEM 16.

FORM10-K SUMMARY

The Company has elected not to include summary information.

Ceva, INC.

ITEM 8.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

See the Index to Financial Statements and Supplementary Data on pageF-1.ITEM 8.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2023

 

ITEM 9.CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

Page

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID: 1281)

F-2

Consolidated Balance Sheets

F-5

Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss)

F-6

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss

F-7

Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity

F-8

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

F-9

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

F-11

paflogo1.jpg

Kost Forer Gabbay & Kasierer

2 Pal-Yam Blvd. Brosh Bldg.

Haifa 3309502, Israel

Tel: +972-4-8654000

Fax: +972-3-5633439

ey.com

Not Applicable.

 

ITEM 9A.CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation

Report of Disclosure ControlsIndependent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Procedures.the Board of Directors of Ceva, Inc.

As

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of the end of the period covered by this report, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effectiveCeva, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2017.2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of income (loss), comprehensive loss, changes in stockholders' equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements“). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

There has been no change

We also have audited, in ouraccordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) and our report dated March 7, 2024 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that occurred duringwe plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our most recent fiscal quarteraudits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that has materially affectedwas communicated or is reasonably likelyrequired to materially affectbe communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Revenue Recognition

Description of the Matter

As described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company generates a significant portion of its revenues from licensing intellectual properties and related services. Most of the Company's contracts with customers contain multiple goods or services which are accounted for as separate performance obligation, if they are distinct. The transaction price is allocated to the separate performance obligations on a relative standalone selling price basis. Standalone selling prices of intellectual properties licenses are typically estimated using the residual approach. Standalone selling prices of related services are typically estimated based on observable transactions when those services are sold on a standalone basis.

Auditing the identification of performance obligations in intellectual properties license contracts may require certain judgments as it relates to the evaluation of the contractual terms of the arrangement. Auditing the allocation of the transaction price to performance obligations requires significant judgment in determining whether the use of the residual approach to estimate the standalone selling prices of intellectual properties licensing is appropriate.

How We Addressed the Matter in Our Audit

We obtained an understanding, evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of internal controls related to the identification of distinct performance obligations, the determination of the standalone selling prices, including the Company’s assessment of the appropriateness of the residual approach method.

Among the procedures we performed to test the identification and determination of distinct performance obligations, for a sample of contracts, we read the executed contract to understand and evaluated management’s identification of significant terms for completeness, including the identification of distinct performance obligations.

To test management’s determination of standalone selling price for each performance obligation, we performed procedures to evaluate the methodology applied, tested the accuracy of the underlying data and calculations and the application of that methodology to the sample of contracts. Our testing of the application of the residual method to estimate standalone selling prices of intellectual properties license included inquiries with management and analysis of the variability of actual intellectual properties license pricing during the year.

Finally, we assessed the appropriateness of the related disclosures in the consolidated financial statements.

/s/ KOST FORER GABBAY & KASIERER

A Member of EY Global

We have served as the Company's auditor since 1999.

Haifa, Israel

March 7, 2024

paflogo1.jpg

Kost Forer Gabbay & Kasierer

2 Pal-Yam Blvd. Brosh Bldg.

Haifa 3309502, Israel

Tel: +972-4-8654000

Fax: +972-3-5633439

ey.com

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Ceva, Inc.

Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We have audited Ceva, Inc.'s internal control over financial reporting.reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, Ceva, Inc. (the “Company”) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on the COSO criteria.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of income (loss), comprehensive loss, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes and our report dated March 7, 2024 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon. 

Basis for Opinion

The Company's management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.

CEVA, Inc.’s management Our responsibility is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequateto express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over the company’s financial reporting as definedbased on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in Rules13a-15(f)accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and15d-15(f) under the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange ActCommission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of 1934. CEVA, Inc.’sthe PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance

regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. ThereA company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, in the effectivenessinternal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any internal control, includingevaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the possibility of human error and the circumvention or overriding of controls. Accordingly, even effective internalrisk that controls can provide only reasonable assurances with respect to financial statement preparation. Furthermay become inadequate because of changes in conditions, the effectiveness of internal controls may vary over time suchor that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management assessed the effectiveness of CEVA, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 Framework) (COSO) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework. Based on its assessment using those criteria, management believes that CEVA, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2017.

CEVA, Inc.’s independent registered public accountants audited the financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form10-K and have issued a report concurring with management’s assessment of the company’s internal control over financial reporting, which appears in Item 8 of this Annual Report.

 

ITEM 9B.OTHER INFORMATION

/s/KOST FORER GABBAY & KASIERER

None.

PART III

ITEM 10.DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

A Member of EY Global

The information regarding our directors required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2018 Proxy Statement. Information regarding the members of the Audit Committee, our code of business conduct and ethics, the identification of the Audit Committee Financial Expert, stockholder nominations of directors and compliance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is also incorporated herein by reference to the 2018 Proxy Statement.

The information regarding our executive officers required by this item is contained in Part I of this annual report.

ITEM 11.EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Haifa, Israel

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2018 Proxy Statement.

ITEM 12.

March 7, 2024

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCK HOLDER MATTERS

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2018 Proxy Statement.

ITEM 13.CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2018 Proxy Statement.

ITEM 14.PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2018 Proxy Statement.

PART IV

ITEM 15.EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

(a)The following documents are filed as part of or are included in this Annual Report on Form10-K:

1. Financial Statements:

 

Consolidated Balance Sheets as
F-4

 

Consolidated Statements of Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

2. Financial Statement Schedules:

Schedule II: Valuation and Qualifying Accounts.

Other financial statement schedules have been omitted since they are either not required or the information is otherwise included.

3. Exhibits:

The exhibits filed as part of this Annual Report on Form10-K are listed on the exhibit index immediately preceding such exhibits, which exhibit index is incorporated herein by reference. Some of these documents have previously been filed as exhibits with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are being incorporated herein by reference to such earlier filings. CEVA’s file number under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is000-49842.

CEVA,Ceva, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(U.S. dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

  

December 31,

 
  

2022

  

2023

 

ASSETS

        

Current assets:

        

Cash and cash equivalents

 $20,116  $23,287 

Short-term bank deposits

  6,114   10,556 

Marketable securities

  112,080   132,695 

Trade receivables (net of allowance for credit losses of $313 and $288 at December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023, respectively)

  29,830   30,307 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

  6,789   12,526 

Current assets of discontinued operation

  2,696    

Total current assets

  177,625   209,371 

Long-term assets:

        

Bank deposits

  8,205    

Severance pay fund

  8,475   7,070 

Deferred tax assets, net

  8,484   1,609 

Property and equipment, net

  6,624   6,732 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

  8,485   6,978 

Goodwill

  56,794   58,308 

Intangible assets, net

  2,392   2,967 

Investments in marketable equity securities

  408   406 

Other long-term assets

  6,291   10,644 

Long-term assets of discontinued operation

  24,659    

Total long-term assets

  130,817   94,714 

Total assets

 $308,442  $304,085 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY

        

Current liabilities:

        

Trade payables

 $1,859  $1,154 

Deferred revenues

  3,098   3,018 

Accrued expenses and other payables

  6,545   5,800 

Accrued payroll and related benefits

  17,504   14,402 

Operating lease liabilities

  2,680   2,513 

Current liabilities of discontinued operation

  1,592    

Total current liabilities

  33,278   26,887 

Long-term liabilities:

        

Accrued severance pay

  9,064   7,524 

Operating lease liabilities

  5,207   3,943 

Other accrued liabilities

  526   1,390 

Long-term liabilities of discontinued operation

  1,496    

Total long-term liabilities

  16,293   12,857 
         

Stockholders’ equity:

        

Preferred stock: $0.001 par value: 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding

      

Common stock: $0.001 par value: 45,000,000 shares authorized; 23,595,160 and 23,695,190 shares issued at December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023, respectively; 23,215,439 and 23,440,848 shares outstanding at December 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively

  23   23 

Additional paid in-capital

  242,841   252,100 

Treasury stock at cost (379,721 and 254,342 shares of common stock at December 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively)

  (9,904)  (5,620)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

  (6,249)  (2,329)

Retained earnings

  32,160   20,167 

Total stockholders’ equity

  258,871   264,341 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 $308,442  $304,085 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

Ceva, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (LOSS)

(U.S. dollars in thousands, except per share data)

  

Year Ended December 31,

 
  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Revenues:

            

Licensing and related revenues

 $63,953  $75,194  $57,555 

Royalties

  49,879   45,389   39,864 

Total revenues

  113,832   120,583   97,419 

Cost of revenues

  10,378   15,131   11,648 

Gross profit

  103,454   105,452   85,771 

Operating expenses:

            

Research and development, net

  69,089   70,317   72,689 

Sales and marketing

  12,233   11,475   11,042 

General and administrative

  12,790   14,183   14,913 

Amortization of intangible assets

  2,302   2,025   594 

Impairment of long-lived assets

     3,556    

Total operating expenses

  96,414   101,556   99,238 

Operating income (loss)

  7,040   3,896   (13,467)

Financial income, net

  197   2,812   5,264 

Remeasurement of marketable equity securities

  1,983   (2,511)  (2)

Income (loss) before taxes on income

  9,220   4,197   (8,205)

Taxes on income

  6,823   18,075   10,232 

Net income (loss) from continuing operations

  2,397   (13,878)  (18,437)

Net Income (loss) from discontinued operations

  (2,001)  (9,305)  6,559 

Net Income (loss)

 $396  $(23,183) $(11,878)
             

Basic net income (loss) per share:

            

From continuing operations

 $0.11  $(0.60) $(0.79)

From discontinued operations

 $(0.09) $(0.40) $0.28 

Basic net income (loss) per share

 $0.02  $(1.00) $(0.51)
             

Diluted net income (loss) per share:

            

From continuing operations

 $0.10  $(0.60) $(0.79)

From discontinued operations

 $(0.08) $(0.40) $0.28 

Diluted net income (loss) per share

 $0.02  $(1.00) $(0.51)
             

Weighted average shares used to compute net income (loss) per share (in thousands):

            

Basic

  22,819   23,172   23,484 

Diluted

  23,251   23,172   23,484 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

Ceva, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(U.S. dollars in thousands)

  

Year Ended December 31,

 
  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 
             

Net income (loss):

 $396  $(23,183) $(11,878)

Other comprehensive income (loss) before tax:

            

Available-for-sale securities:

            

Changes in unrealized gains (losses)

  (1,150)  (6,323)  3,222 

Reclassification adjustments included in net income (loss)

  (13)  55   (90)

Net change

  (1,163)  (6,268)  3,132 

Cash flow hedges:

            

Changes in unrealized gains (losses)

  228   (1,461)  16 

Reclassification adjustments included in net income (loss)

  (165)  1,292   1,078 

Net change

  63   (169)  1,094 

Other comprehensive income (loss) before tax

  (1,100)  (6,437)  4,226 

Income tax expense (benefit) related to components of other comprehensive income (loss)

  (250)  (560)  306 

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes

  (850)  (5,877)  3,920 

Comprehensive loss

 $(454) $(29,060) $(7,958)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

Ceva, INC.

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY

(U.S. dollars in thousands, except share data)

  

Common Stock

                     
  

 

Number of

shares

outstanding

  

 

Amount

  Additional
paid-in
capital
  

 

Treasury

stock

  Accumulated

other

comprehensive

income (loss)

  Retained

earnings

  Total
stockholders
equity
 

Balance as of January 1, 2021

  22,260,917  $22  $233,172  $(30,133) $478  $57,350  $260,889 

Net income

                 396   396 

Other comprehensive loss

              (850)     (850)

Equity-based compensation

        13,055            13,055 

Issuance of treasury stock upon exercise of stock-based awards

  723,635   1   (10,841)  16,343      (2,261)  3,242 

Balance as of December 31, 2021

  22,984,552  $23  $235,386  $(13,790) $(372) $55,485  $276,732 

Net loss

                 (23,183)  (23,183)

Other comprehensive loss

              (5,877)     (5,877)

Equity-based compensation

        14,505            14,505 

Purchase of treasury stock

  (218,809)        (6,785)        (6,785)

Issuance of treasury stock upon exercise of stock-based awards

  449,696      (7,050)  10,671      (142)  3,479 

Balance as of December 31, 2022

  23,215,439  $23  $242,841  $(9,904) $(6,249) $32,160  $258,871 

Net loss

                 (11,878)  (11,878)

Other comprehensive gain

              3,920      3,920 

Equity-based compensation

        16,198            16,198 

Purchase of treasury stock

  (278,799)        (6,163)        (6,163)

Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock-based awards

  100,030      874            874 

Issuance of treasury stock upon exercise of stock-based awards

  404,178      (7,813)  10,447      (115)  2,519 

Balance as of December 31, 2023

  23,440,848  $23  $252,100  $(5,620) $(2,329) (*) $20,167  $264,341 
                             

(*) Accumulated unrealized loss from available-for-sale securities, net of taxes of $378

  $(3,317)        

 Accumulated unrealized gain from hedging activities

  $988         

 Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net as of December 31, 2023

  $(2,329)        

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

Ceva, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(U.S. dollars in thousands)

  

Year ended December 31,

 
  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

            

Net income (loss)

 $396  $(23,183) $(11,878)

Adjustments required to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

            

Depreciation

  3,184   3,190   2,887 

Amortization of intangible assets

  3,801   4,371   1,996 

Impairment of intangible assets

     3,556    

Equity-based compensation

  13,055   14,505   16,198 

Realized loss (gain), net on sale of available-for-sale marketable securities

  (13)  55   (90)

Amortization of premiums (discounts) on available-for-sale marketable securities

  420   397   (124)

Unrealized foreign exchange (gain) loss, net

  1,163   (351)  (560)

Gain on sale of Intrinsix, gross (see note 1)

        (11,557)

Remeasurement of marketable equity securities

  (1,983)  2,511   2 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

            

Trade receivables, net

  5,842   (3,749)  (25)

Prepaid expenses and other assets

  3,604   (1,126)  (4,850)

Operating lease right-of-use assets

  225   (1,456)  3,305 

Accrued interest on bank deposits

  (65)  144   (237)

Deferred taxes, net

  (6,305)  7,811   6,684 

Trade payables

  404   511   (818)

Deferred revenues

  5,053   (5,493)  (27)

Accrued expenses and other payables

  (1,737)  333   (182)

Accrued payroll and related benefits

  (875)  984   (3,737)

Operating lease liability

  (232)  1,504   (3,273)

Income taxes payable

  189   2,127   67 

Accrued severance pay, net

  (322)  283   (112)

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

  25,804   6,924   (6,331)

Cash flows from investing activities:

            

Business combination (see note 1)

  (29,891)     (3,600)

Purchase of property and equipment

  (2,193)  (3,499)  (2,884)

Proceeds from the sale of Intrinsix, net (see note 1)

        30,589 

Investment in bank deposits

  (1,500)  (14,000)  (2,000)

Proceeds from bank deposits

  19,989   30,885   6,000 

Investment in available-for-sale marketable securities

  (39,192)  (49,873)  (40,026)

Proceeds from maturity of available-for-sale marketable securities

  26,043   18,196   10,340 

Proceeds from sale of available-for-sale marketable securities

  10,035   3,175   12,417 

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

  (16,709)  (15,116)  10,836 

Cash flows from financing activities:

            

Purchase of treasury stock

     (6,785)  (6,163)

Proceeds from exercise of stock-based awards

  3,242   3,479   3,393 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

  3,242   (3,306)  (2,770)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

  (327)  (370)  267 

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

  12,010   (11,868)  2,002 

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year

  21,143   33,153   21,285 

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

 $33,153  $21,285  $23,287 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

Ceva, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS(Continued)

(U.S. dollars in thousands)

  

Year ended December 31,

 
  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Supplemental information of cash-flows activities:

            

Cash paid during the year for:

            

Income and withholding taxes

 $9,183  $10,193  $7,398 

Non-cash transactions:

            

Transaction costs related to the Intrinsix but unpaid at the end of the year

 $  $  $25 

Property and equipment purchases incurred but unpaid at the end of the year

 $59  $25  $ 

Right-of-use assets obtained in the exchange for operating lease liabilities

 $2,679  $5,009  $1,100 
             

Reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents as shown in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flow:

            
             

Cash and cash equivalents in the Consolidated Balance Sheets

 $32,642  $20,116  $23,287 

Cash and cash equivalents included in assets of discontinued operation

  511   1,169    

Total cash and cash equivalents in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

 $33,153  $21,285  $23,287 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

Ceva, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands, except share data)

ITEM 8.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2017

Page

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

F-2

Consolidated Balance Sheets

F-5

Consolidated Statements of Income

F-6

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

F-7

Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity

F-8

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

F-9

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

F-11

CEVA, INC.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of CEVA Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of CEVA Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company at December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated March 1, 2018 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB. We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ KOST FORER GABBAY & KASIERER

A Member of Ernst & Young Global

Tel Aviv, Israel

March 1, 2018

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1999.

CEVA, INC.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Board of Directors and Stockholders of CEVA, Inc.

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited CEVA, Inc.’s (the “Company”) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on the COSO criteria.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related consolidated statements of income, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017 and the related notes, and our report dated March 1, 2018 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures, as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance

with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ KOST FORER GABBAY & KASIERER

A Member of Ernst & Young Global

Tel Aviv, Israel

March 1, 2018

CEVA, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(U.S. dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

   December 31, 
   2016  2017 

ASSETS

   

Current assets:

   

Cash and cash equivalents

  $18,401  $21,739 

Short-term bank deposits

   46,247   34,432 

Marketable securities (Note 2)

   61,868   82,664 

Trade receivables

   15,044   16,494 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

   3,152   3,747 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total current assets

   144,712   159,076 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Long-term assets:

   

Bank deposits

   29,977   44,518 

Severance pay fund

   7,941   8,910 

Deferred tax assets (Note 12)

   2,252   3,643 

Property and equipment, net (Note 4)

   4,805   6,926 

Goodwill

   46,612   46,612 

Intangible assets, net (Note 5)

   2,978   1,742 

Investments in other company

   1,806   1,806 

Other long-term assets

   1,412   3,579 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total long-term assets

   97,783   117,736 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total assets

  $242,495  $276,812 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

   

Current liabilities:

   

Trade payables

  $571  $392 

Deferred revenues

   6,258   4,399 

Accrued expenses and other payables (Note 6)

   4,015   3,927 

Accrued payroll and related benefits

   11,751   14,077 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

   22,595   22,795 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Long-term liabilities:

   

Accrued severance pay

   8,349   9,347 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total long-term liabilities

   8,349   9,347 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity (Note 7):

   

Preferred stock:

   

$0.001 par value: 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding

   —     —   

Common stock:

   

$0.001 par value: 60,000,000 shares authorized; 23,595,160 shares issued at December 31, 2016 and 2017; 21,273,500 and 22,064,007 shares outstanding at December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively

   21   22 

Additional paidin-capital

   212,103   217,417 

Treasury stock at cost (2,321,660 and 1,531,153 shares of common stock at December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively)

   (39,507  (26,056

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (Note 9)

   (497  (586

Retained earnings

   39,431   53,873 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

   211,551   244,670 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

  $242,495  $276,812 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

CEVA, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(U.S. dollars in thousands, except per share data)

   Year Ended December 31, 
   2015   2016   2017 

Revenues:

      

Licensing and related revenue

  $32,135   $31,874   $42,899 

Royalties

   27,364    40,779    44,608 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenues

   59,499    72,653    87,507 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cost of revenues

   5,424    6,086    6,953 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   54,075    66,567    80,554 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

      

Research and development, net

   28,113    30,838    40,385 

Sales and marketing

   10,168    11,540    12,572 

General and administrative

   8,184    8,567    10,488 

Amortization of intangible assets (Note 5)

   1,298    1,236    1,236 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

   47,763    52,181    64,681 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income

   6,312    14,386    15,873 

Financial income, net (Note 11)

   1,069    2,039    3,026 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before taxes on income

   7,381    16,425    18,899 

Income taxes (Note 12)

   1,114    3,325    1,871 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income

  $6,267   $13,100   $17,028 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic net income per share

  $0.31   $0.63   $0.78 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted net income per share

  $0.30   $0.61   $0.75 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average shares used to compute net income per share (in thousands):

      

Basic

   20,480    20,850    21,771 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted

   20,989    21,565    22,561 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

CEVA, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(U.S. dollars in thousands)

   Year Ended December 31, 
   2015  2016  2017 

Net income:

  $6,267  $13,100  $17,028 

Other comprehensive loss before tax:

    

Available-for-sale securities:

    

Changes in unrealized losses

   (151  (95  (99

Reclassification adjustments for losses included in net income

   78   9   —   
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net change

   (73  (86  (99
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Cash flow hedges:

    

Changes in unrealized gains

   177   158   183 

Reclassification adjustments for gains included in net income

   (104  (161  (189
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net change

   73   (3  (6
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Other comprehensive loss before tax

   —     (89  (105

Income tax benefit related to components of other comprehensive loss

   (17  (11  (16
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes

   17   (78  (89
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Comprehensive income

  $6,284  $13,022  $16,939 
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

CEVA, INC.

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(U.S. dollars in thousands, except share data)

  Common Stock  Additional
paid-in
capital
     Accumulated
other
comprehensive
income (loss)
  Retained
earnings
  Total
stockholders’
equity
 
 Number of
shares
outstanding
  Amount   Treasury
stock
    

Balance as of January 1, 2015

  20,252,490  $20  $209,426  $(54,708 $(436 $24,747  $179,049 

Net income

  —     —     —     —     —     6,267   6,267 

Other comprehensive income

  —     —     —     —     17   —     17 

Equity-based compensation

  —     —     4,015   —     —     —     4,015 

Tax benefit related to exercise of stock-based awards

  —     —     112   —     —     —     112 

Purchase of Treasury stock

  (508,931  —     —     (10,078  —     —     (10,078

Issuance of Treasury stock upon exercise of stock-based awards

  786,374   1   (4,809  12,988   —     (1,467  6,713 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2015

  20,529,933  $21  $208,744  $(51,798 $(419 $29,547  $186,095 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net income

  —     —     —     —     —     13,100   13,100 

Other comprehensive loss

  —     —     —     —     (78  —     (78

Equity-based compensation

  —     —     6,236   —     —     —     6,236 

Purchase of Treasury stock

  (180,013  (1  —     (3,416  —     —     (3,417

Issuance of Treasury stock upon exercise of stock-based awards

  923,580   1   (2,877  15,707   —     (3,216  9,615 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2016

  21,273,500  $21  $212,103  $(39,507 $(497 $39,431  $211,551 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net income

  —     —     —     —     —     17,028   17,028 

Other comprehensive loss

  —     —     —     —     (89  —     (89

Equity-based compensation

  —     —     8,693   —     —     —     8,693 

Issuance of treasury stock upon exercise of stock-based awards

  790,507   1   (3,379  13,451   —     (2,586  7,487 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2017

  22,064,007  $22  $217,417  $(26,056 $(586)(*)  $53,873  $244,670 
 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

(*)Accumulated other comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2017 is all fromavailable-for-sale securities, net of taxes of $92.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

CEVA, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(U.S. dollars in thousands)

   Year ended December 31, 
   2015  2016  2017 

Cash flows from operating activities:

    

Net income

  $6,267  $13,100  $17,028 

Adjustments required to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

    

Depreciation

   1,058   1,399   2,014 

Amortization of intangible assets

   1,298   1,236   1,236 

Equity-based compensation

   4,015   6,236   8,693 

Realized loss, net on sale ofavailable-for-sale marketable securities

   78   9   —   

Amortization of premiums onavailable-for-sale marketable securities

   1,111   1,064   1,179 

Unrealized foreign exchange (gain) loss, net

   237   75   (42

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

    

Trade receivables

   4,279   (10,966  (1,446

Prepaid expenses and other assets

   (136  (622  (2,478

Accrued interest on bank deposits

   (318  (195  151 

Deferred tax, net

   (1,213  (613  (1,375

Trade payables

   (161  (190  (184

Deferred revenues

   1,082   3,495   (1,859

Accrued expenses and other payables

   (158  (277  1,259 

Accretion of contingent consideration

   97   —     —   

Accrued payroll and related benefits

   1,679   (94  1,807 

Income taxes payable

   93   668   (1,493

Excess tax benefit from equity-based compensation

   (112  —     —   

Accrued severance pay, net

   184   134   (21
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

   19,380   14,459   24,469 
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities:

    

Purchase of property and equipment

   (2,184  (2,387  (4,135

Investment in bank deposits

   (53,328  (41,476  (47,027

Proceeds from bank deposits

   47,451   37,594   44,450 

Investment inavailable-for-sale marketable securities

   (29,800  (43,537  (54,882

Proceeds from maturity ofavailable-for-sale marketable securities

   4,392   8,022   9,296 

Proceeds from sale ofavailable-for-sale marketable securities

   23,713   20,754   23,512 

Proceeds from realization of investment in other company

   111   —     —   
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

   (9,645  (21,030  (28,786
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities:

    

Payment of contingent consideration

   (3,700  —     —   

Purchase of Treasury Stock

   (10,078  (3,417  —   

Proceeds from exercise of stock-based awards

   6,713   9,615   7,487 

Excess tax benefit from equity-based compensation

   112   —     —   
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

   (6,953  6,198   7,487 
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

   (39  (135  168 

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

   2,743   (508  3,338 

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year

   16,166   18,909   18,401 
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

  $18,909  $18,401  $21,739 
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

CEVA, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS—(Continued)

(U.S. dollars in thousands)

   Year ended December 31, 
   2015   2016   2017 

Supplemental information of cash-flows activities:

      

Cash paid during the year for:

      

Income and withholding taxes

  $2,185   $3,287   $5,203 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Property and equipment purchases incurred but unpaid at period end

  $—     $86   $—   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in thousands, except share data)

NOTE 1: ORGANIZATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Organization:

CEVA,

Ceva, Inc. (“CEVA”Ceva” or the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on November 22, 1999. The Company was formed through the combination of Parthus Technologies plc (“Parthus”) and the digital signal processor (DSP) cores licensing business and operations of DSP Group, Inc. in November 2002. The Company had no business or operations prior to the combination.

CEVA licenses a family

Ceva is the leader in innovative silicon and software IP solutions that enable smart edge products to connect, sense, and infer data more reliably and efficiently. With the industry’s only portfolio of signal processing platformscomprehensive communications and Artificial Intelligence (AI) processors. These IPs include programmable DSP coresscalable edge AI IP, Ceva powers the connectivity, sensing, and application-specific platforms forinference in today’s most advanced imaging, computer vision, deep learning, sound, voicesmart edge products across consumer IoT, mobile, automotive, infrastructure, industrial, and audio processing, as well as long rangepersonal computing. Many of the world’s most innovative smart edge products from AI-infused smartwatches, IoT devices and wearables to autonomous vehicles, 5G mobile networks and more are powered by Ceva.

Ceva’s wireless technologies for LTE/5G baseband processing in IoT, handsetscommunications, sensing and infrastructure, short range wireless platforms forWi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a new family of self-containedEdge AI processor.

CEVA’s technologies are licensedat the heart of some of today’s most advanced smart edge products. From Bluetooth connectivity, Wi-Fi, ultra-wide band (UWB) and 5G platform IP for ubiquitous, robust communications, to scalable Edge AI neural processing unit (NPU) IPs, sensor fusion processors and embedded application software that make devices smarter.

We license our portfolio of wireless communications and scalable edge AI IP to our customers, breaking down barriers to entry and enabling them to bring new cutting-edge products to market faster, more reliably, efficiently, and economically.

Ceva is a trusted partner to many of the leading semiconductor and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) companies in the formtargeting a wide variety of intellectual property (IP). These companies design,cellular and IoT end markets, including mobile, PC, consumer, automotive, smart-home, surveillance, robotics, industrial and medical. The customers incorporate our IP into application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and application-specific standard products (ASSPs) that they manufacture, market and sell application-specific integrated circuitsto consumer electronics companies. Our application software IP is licensed primarily to OEMs who embed it in their System on Chip (SoC) designs to enhance the user experience, and OEMs also license our hardware IP products and solutions for their SoC designs to create power-efficient, intelligent, secure and connected devices.

Acquisitions, Held For Sale And Discontinued Operation:

a. Intrinsix Corp. (Intrinsix)

On May 31, 2021, (the “closing date”), the Company acquired 100% of the equity shares of Intrinsix, a leading chip design specialist. The Company acquired Intrinsix pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, made and entered into on May 9, 2021 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among the Company, Northstar Merger Sub, Inc., Intrinsix and Shareholder Representative Services LLC, for $33,096 in cash (“ASICs”the Merger Consideration”), with $26,704 paid at closing, $4,260 delivered to escrow to satisfy indemnification claims, if any, and $2,605 payable to certain Intrinsix executives held back as described below (the “Holdback Merger Consideration”), and after giving effect to post-closing adjustments resulting in a $473 repayment to the Company during the third quarter of 2021. As part of the Merger Agreement, the Company entered into agreements with the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Technology Officer of Intrinsix pursuant to which the Holdback Merger Consideration, representing 25% of the Merger Consideration payable to each of them in respect of their equity in Intrinsix, is being held back and, subject to their respective continued employment with the Company, released to them over a period of twenty-four (24) months after closing of the acquisition.

In addition, the Company incurred acquisition-related costs in an amount of $970, which were included in general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021.

F-11

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

The acquisition has been accounted in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) No. 805, “Business Combinations” (“ASC 805”). Under the acquisition method of accounting, the total purchase price is allocated to the net tangible and application-specific standard products (“ASSPs”)intangible assets of Intrinsix acquired in the acquisition, based on CEVA’s technologytheir fair values on the closing date.

The results of operations of the combined business, including the acquired business, have been included in the consolidated financial statements as of the closing date. The primary rationale for this acquisition was (1) extending the Company’s market reach into the sustainable and sizeable aerospace and defense space, (2) increasing the Company’s content in customers’ designs and accordingly increasing the license and royalty revenue opportunity by offering turnkey IP platforms that can combine the Company’s off-the-shelf connectivity and smart sensing IP with Intrinsix’s NRE design capabilities and IP in RF, mixed-signal, security, high complexity digital design, chiplets and more, and (3) expanding the Company’s IP portfolio with secure processor IP for IoT devices and Heterogeneous SoC interface IP for the growing adoption of chiplets, which offer a faster and less expensive alternative to wireless, consumer electronicsthe high R&D costs and automotive companies for incorporationcomplexities associated with monolithic IC developments. A significant portion of the acquisition price was recorded as goodwill due to the synergies with Intrinsix.

The intangible assets are amortized based on the pattern upon which the economic benefits of the intangible assets are to be utilized.

On September 14, 2023, the Company and Intrinsix, then its wholly owned subsidiary, entered into a wide varietyShare Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (“Cadence”), pursuant to which Cadence agreed to purchase all of end products.the issued and outstanding capital shares of Intrinsix from the Company for $35,000 in cash, subject to other certain purchase price adjustments as provided for in the Agreement (the “Transaction”). The closing of the Transaction occurred on October 2, 2023. At the closing, an amount of $300 from the consideration was deposited with a third-party escrow agent for the purposes of satisfying any additional post-closing purchase price adjustments owed by the Company to Cadence and a further amount of $3,500 of the consideration was deposited with the same escrow agent for a period of 18 months as security for the Company’s indemnification obligations to Cadence in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Agreement. The Agreement includes certain representations, warranties and covenants of the parties, and the Company also agreed to certain non-competition and non-solicitation terms, which are subject to certain exceptions.

Under ASC 205-20, "Discontinued Operation" when a component of an entity, as defined in ASC 205-20, has been disposed of or is classified as held for sale, the results of its operations, including the gain or loss on its component are classified as discontinued operations and the assets and liabilities of such component are classified as assets and liabilities attributed to discontinued operations; that is, provided that the operations, assets and liabilities and cash flows of the component have been eliminated from the Company’s consolidated operations and the Company will have no significant continuing involvement in the operations of the component.

As a result of the Transaction, Intrinsix's results of operations and asset and liability balances are disclosed as a discontinued operation, including the resulting income from the sale. All prior periods comparable results of operation, assets and liabilities have been retroactively included in discontinued operations.

F-12

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

The following assets and liabilities allocated to the discontinued operation are reflected as discontinued operation assets and liabilities in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet for the periods presented. Since the Company operates as one reporting unit, the Company allocated goodwill to the discontinued operation using relative fair value method. The major classes of assets and liabilities included as part of the discontinued operation as of December 31, 2022, are presented in the following table:

  

December 31,
2022

 

Assets of discontinued operation

    

Current assets of discontinued operation:

    

Cash and cash equivalents

 $1,169 

Trade receivables

  1,420 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

  107 

Total current assets of discontinued operation

  2,696 

Long-term assets of discontinued operation:

    

Deferred tax assets

  115 

Property and equipment, net

  475 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

  1,798 

Goodwill

  17,983 

Intangible assets, net

  4,288 

Total long-term assets of discontinued operation

  24,659 

Total assets of discontinued operation

 $27,355 
     

Liabilities of discontinued operation

    

Current liabilities of discontinued operation:

    

Trade payables

 $136 

Deferred revenues

  70 

Accrued expenses and other payables

  115 

Accrued payroll and related benefits

  969 

Operating lease liabilities

  302 

Total current liabilities of discontinued operation

  1,592 

Long-term liabilities of discontinued operation:

    

Operating lease liabilities

  1,496 

Total long-term liabilities of discontinued operation

  1,496 

Total liabilities of discontinued operation

 $3,088 

The following table shows the Company's results of discontinued operation for years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023:

  

Year Ended December 31,

 
  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 
             

Revenues

 $8,874  $14,065  $7,909 

Cost of revenues

  6,449   11,921   4,976 

Gross profit

  2,425   2,144   2,933 

Operating expenses:

            

Research and development, net

  3,415   8,184   5,489 

Sales and marketing

  628   1,427   662 

General and administrative

  1,506   1,139   757 

Amortization of intangible assets

  408   699   373 

Total operating expenses

  5,957   11,449   7,281 

Operating loss

  (3,532)  (9,305)  (4,348)

Financial income, net

        3 

Gain on sale

        10,892 

Total gain (loss) from discontinued operations before taxes on income

  (3,532)  (9,305)  6,547 

Income tax benefit

  (1,531)     (12)

Net income (loss) from discontinued operations

 $(2,001) $(9,305) $6,559 

F-13

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

The following table presents the gain associated with the sale, presented in the results of discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2023:

Gross purchase price

 $35,154 

Transaction costs

  (690)

Net assets sold

  (23,572)

Total gain on sale

 $10,892 

The carrying value of the net assets sold are as follows:

Cash and cash equivalents

 $525 

Trade receivables

  931 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

  354 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

  1,590 

Property and equipment, net

  364 

Goodwill

  18,463 

Intangible assets, net

  3,323 

Trade payables

  (44)

Deferred revenues

  (123)

Accrued payroll and related benefits

  (221)

Operating lease liabilities

  (1,590)

Total net assets sold

 $23,572 

The following table presents cash flows from discontinued operations: 

  

Year Ended December 31,

 
  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Net cash flows used in operating activities (*)

 $(3,092) $(3,116) $(2,235)

Net cash flows (used in) provided by investing activities

 $(29,997) $(436) $29,919 

(*) Amortization and depreciation allocated to discontinued operation for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023 amounted to $1,257, $2,205 and $1,081, respectively.

F-14

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

b. VisiSonics

In May 2023, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire the VisiSonics 3D spatial audio business (“VisiSonics”). Under the terms of the agreement, the Company agreed to pay an aggregate of $3,600 at closing, and each of VisiSonics’ two founders will be entitled to an additional payment of $100 payable in equal monthly installments over the 12-month period following the closing in connection with their provision of consulting services. The main strategic driver for the acquisition is that VisiSonics’ spatial audio R&D team and software, which has close ties to the Company’s sensor fusion R&D development center, extend the Company’s application software portfolio for embedded systems, bolstering the Company’s strong market position in hearables where spatial audio is quickly becoming a must-have feature.

In addition, the Company incurred acquisition-related expenses associated with the VisiSonics transaction in a total amount of $117, which were included in general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2023. Acquisition-related costs included legal and accounting fees. 

The results of VisiSonics's operations have been included in the consolidated financial statements since May 5, 2023. Pro forma results of operations related to this acquisition have not been prepared because they are not material to the Company's consolidated statement of income.

The acquisition of the VisiSonics business has been accounted in accordance with ASC  805. Under the acquisition method of accounting, the total purchase price is allocated to the intangible assets based on their fair values on the closing date. The excess of the purchase price over the identifiable intangible assets was recorded as goodwill. 

Goodwill generated from this business combination is attributed to synergies between the Company's and VisiSonics's respective products and services.

The purchase price allocation for the acquisition has been determined as follows:

Intangible assets:

    

Technologies

 $1,174 

Customer relationships

  432 

Goodwill

  1,994 

Total assets

 $3,600 

Basis of presentation:

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared according to U.S Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“U.S. GAAP”).

Use of estimates:estimates:

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates, judgments and assumptions. The Company’s management believes that the estimates, judgments and assumptions used are reasonable based upon information available at the time they are made. These estimates, judgments and assumptions can affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the dates of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.period, and amounts classified as a discontinued operation. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

F-15

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

Financial statements in U.S. dollars:dollars:

A majority of the revenues of the Company and its subsidiaries is generated in U.S. dollars (“dollars”). In addition, a portion of the Company and its subsidiaries’ costs are incurred in dollars. The Company’s management has determined that the dollar is the primary currency of the economic environment in which the Company and its subsidiaries principally operate. Thus, the functional and reporting currency of the Company and its subsidiaries is the dollar.

Accordingly, monetary accounts maintained in currencies other than the dollar are remeasured into dollars in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”)FASB ASC No. 830, “Foreign Currency Matters.” All transaction gains and losses from remeasurement of monetary balance sheet items are reflected in the consolidated statements of income (loss) as financial income or expenses, as appropriate, which is included in “financial income, net.” The foreign exchange gains and losses arose principally on the EURO and the NIS monetary balance sheet items as a result of the currency fluctuations of the EURO and the NIS against the dollar.

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

Principles of consolidation:consolidation:

The consolidated financial statements incorporate the financial statements of the Company and all of its subsidiaries. All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated on consolidation.

Cash equivalents:equivalents:

Cash equivalents are short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to cash with original maturities of three months or less from the date acquired.

Short-term bank deposits:deposits:

Short-term bank deposits are deposits with maturities of more than three months but less than one year from the balance sheet date. The deposits are presented at their cost, including accrued interest. The deposits bear interest annually at an average rate of 1.51%1.12%, 1.76%1.54% and 1.85%3.95% during 2015, 20162021, 2022 and 2017,2023, respectively.

Marketable securities:securities:

Marketable securities consist mainly of corporate bonds. The Company determines the appropriate classification of marketable securities at the time of purchase andre-evaluates such designation at each balance sheet date. In accordance with FASB ASC No. 320 “Investments—“Investments- Debt and Equity Securities,” the Company classifies marketable securities asavailable-for-sale.Available-for-sale securities are stated at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses reported in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a separate component of stockholders’ equity, net of taxes. Realized gains and losses on sales of marketable securities, as determined on a specific identification basis, are included in financial income, net. The amortized cost of marketable securities is adjusted for amortization of premium and accretion of discount to maturity, both of which, together with interest, are included in financial income, net. The Company has classified all marketable securities as short-term, even though the stated maturity date may be one year or more beyond the current balance sheet date, because it is probable thatthese securities are available to support current operations and the Company willcompany may sell these debt securities prior to maturity to meet liquidity needs or as part of risk versus reward objectives.their stated maturities.

The Company recognizes an impairment charge whendetermines realized gains or losses on sale of marketable securities on a declinespecific identification method and records such gains or losses as financial income, net.

For each reporting period, the Company evaluates whether declines in the fair value of its investmentsbelow the amortized cost are due to expected credit losses, as well as the Company's ability and intention to hold the investment until a forecasted recovery occurs, in accordance with ASC 326. Allowance for credit losses on available for sale debt securities beloware recognized as a charge in financial income on the cost basis of such securities is judged to be other-than-temporary. Factors considered in making such a determination include the duration and severity of the impairment, the reason for the decline in value and the potential recovery period. For securities that are deemed other-than-temporarily impaired (“OTTI”), the amount of impairment is recognized in the statementconsolidated statements of income, and is limited to the amount related to creditany remaining unrealized losses, while impairment related to other factors is recognizednet of taxes, are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). The Company did not recognize OTTI on its marketable securities For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, credit losses were immaterial.

F-16

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in 2015, 2016 and 2017.thousands, except share data)

Long-term bank deposits:deposits:

Long-term bank deposits are deposits with maturities of more than one year as of the balance sheet date. The deposits presented at their cost, including accrued interest. The deposits bear interest annually at an average rate of 1.82%, 1.97%1.15% and 2.26%3.8% during 2015, 20162021 and 2017,2022, respectively.

There were no long-term bank deposits as of December 31, 2023.

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)Trade receivables and allowances:

Trade receivables are recorded and carried at the original invoiced amount less an allowance for any potential uncollectible amounts. The Company makes estimates of expected credit losses for the allowance for doubtful accounts and allowance for unbilled receivables based upon its assessment of various factors, including historical experience, the age of the trade receivable balances, credit quality of its customers, current economic conditions, reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions, and other factors that may affect its ability to collect from customers. The estimated credit loss allowance is recorded as general and administrative expenses on the Company’s consolidated statements of income (loss).

 

Property and equipment, net:net:

Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, at the following annual rates:

 

  %  

Computers, software and equipment
  

%

 

Computers, software and equipment

 15-33 

Office furniture and equipment

 7-33 

Leasehold improvements

 10-33 
  (the shorter of the expected lease term or useful economic life) 

10-33

Office furniture and equipment

7-33

Leasehold improvements

10-25
(the shorter of the expected
lease term or useful
economic life)

The Company’s long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment in accordance with FASB ASCNo. 360-10-35, “Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets,” whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of the carrying amount of an asset to be held and used is measured by a comparison of its carrying amount to the future undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by such asset.asset (asset group). If such asset (asset group) is considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of such asset exceeds its fair value. In determining the fair value of long-lived assets for purposes of measuring impairment, the Company’sCompany's assumptions include those that market participants would consider in valuations of similar assets.

An asset to be disposed is reported at the lower of its carrying amount or fair value less selling costs.

No impairment was recorded in 2015, 2016during the years ended 2021, 2022 and 2017.2023.

Goodwill:Leases:

The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. The Company’s assessment is based on: (1) whether the contract includes an identified asset, (2) whether the Company obtains substantially all of the economic benefits from the use of the asset throughout the period of use, and (3) whether the Company has the right to direct how and for what purpose the identified asset is used throughout the period of use.

F-17

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

Leases are classified as either finance leases or operating leases. A lease is classified as a finance lease if any one of the following criteria are met: the lease transfers ownership of the asset by the end of the lease term, the lease contains an option to purchase the asset that is reasonably certain to be exercised, the lease term is for a major part of the remaining useful life of the asset, the present value of the lease payments equals or exceeds substantially all of the fair value of the asset, or the underlying asset is of such a specialized nature that it is expected to have no alternative use to the lessor at the end of lease term. A lease is classified as an operating lease if it does not meet any one of these criteria. Since all of the Company’s lease contracts do not meet any of the criteria above, the Company concluded that all of its lease contracts should be classified as operation leases.

Operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and liabilities are recognized on the commencement date based on the present value of remaining lease payments over the lease term. The lease term may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise such options. For this purpose, the Company considers only payments that are fixed and determinable at the time of commencement. As the Company's leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on information available on the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The ROU asset also includes any lease payments made prior to commencement and is recorded net of any lease incentives received. All ROU assets are reviewed for impairment. In 2022, the Company abandoned one of its offices, and as a result $439 was written off. In 2023, the Company abandoned another office before the end of the lease period, and as a result $144 was written off.

The Company elected to not recognize a lease liability and a ROU asset for lease with a term of twelve months or less.

Goodwill:

Goodwill is carried at cost and is not amortized but rather is tested for impairment at least annually or between annual tests in certain circumstances. The Company conducts its annual test of impairment for goodwill on October 1st of each year.

The Company operates in one operating segment and this segment comprises the onlyone reporting unit.

There

ASC 350, "Intangibles – Goodwill and Other" ("ASC 350") allows an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the quantitative goodwill impairment test. If the qualitative assessment does not result in atwo-phase process for more likely than not indication of impairment, no further impairment testing of goodwill. The first phase screens for potential impairment, whileis required. If the second phase (if necessary) measures impairment. Goodwill impairment is deemedCompany elects not to existuse this option, or if the net bookCompany determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, then the Company prepares a quantitative analysis to determine whether the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value. In such case,If the second phase is then performed, andcarrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, the Company measuresrecognizes an impairment by comparingof goodwill for the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s goodwill to the implied fair value of that goodwill. An impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to thethis excess. For each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017, 2023, no impairment of goodwill has been identified.recorded.

Intangible assets, net:net:

Acquired intangible assets with definitefinite lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives. The Company amortizes intangible assets on a straight-line basis with definitefinite lives over periods ranging from onehalf a year to seven and a half to fiveyears, using the straight-line method, unless another method is more appropriate.

The Company’s long-lived assets and a half years.

Intangibleintangible assets with definitefinite lives are reviewed for impairment in accordance with ASC 360 whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assetsthe carrying amount of an asset to be held and used is

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

measured by a comparison of theirits carrying amountsamount to the future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate.be generated by such asset (asset group). If such assets areasset (asset group) is considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized equalsis measured by the amount by which the carrying valueamount of the assetssuch asset exceeds its fair value. In determining the fair value of long-lived assets for purposes of measuring impairment, the Company's assumptions include those that market value. participants would consider in valuations of similar assets.

F-18

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

The Company did not record any impairments during the years ended December 31, 2015, 20162021 and 2017.2023. In 2022, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $3,556 in operating expenses with respect to Immervision technology acquired in August 2019, as the Company decided to cease the development of this product line. In 2022, the Company also recorded in cost of revenues an impairment charge of prepaid expenses as follows: (1) an impairment charge of $479 relating to an agreement to acquire certain NB-IoT technologies, and (2) an impairment charge of $1,479 relating to an agreement to purchase certain assets and services from Immervision.

Investments in other company:marketable equity securities:

The Company’s investmentCompany holds an equity interest in Cipia Vision Ltd (CPIA.TA) ("Cipia"), a privatepublicly traded company in which it holds minority equity interests, is presented at cost becauselisted on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange. As such, the Company does not have significant influence overmeasures its Cipia investment at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in remeasurement of marketable equity securities in the underlying investee.consolidated statements of income (loss). As of December 31, 2023, the investment fair value amounted to $406. The investment is reviewed periodically to determine if its value has been impairedCompany recorded a gain of $1,983, a loss of $2,511 and adjustments are recorded as necessary. Duringa loss of $2 for the years ended December 31, 2015, 20162021, 2022 and 2017, no impairment loss was identified.2023, respectively from the remeasurement of the investment.

Revenue recognition:recognition:

The following is a description of principal activities from which the Company generates revenue. Revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods or services are transferred to the customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services.

The Company determines revenue recognition through the following steps:

Identification of the contract with a customer;

Identification of the performance obligations in the contract;

Determination of the transaction price;

Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and

Recognition of revenue when, or as, the Company satisfies a performance obligation.

The Company enters into contracts that can include various combinations of products and services, as detailed below, which are generally capable of being distinct and accounted for as separate performance obligations.

The Company generates its revenues from (1) licensing intellectual property,properties, which in certain circumstances isare modified for customer-specific requirements, (2) royalty revenues, and (3) other revenues, which include revenues from support, training and sale of development systems.systems and chips, which are included in licensing and related revenue in the accompanying consolidated statements of income (loss).

The Company accounts for its IP license revenues and related services, which provide the Company's customers with rights to use the Company's IP, in accordance with FASB ASCNo. 985-605, “Software 606, "Revenue Recognition.” Revenues are recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists and no further obligation exists, delivery has occurred, the license fee is fixed or determinable, and collection is reasonably assured.from Contracts with Customers" (ASC 606"). A license may be perpetual or time limited in its application. Revenue earned on licensing arrangements involving multiple elements are allocated to each element based onIn accordance with ASC 606, the “residual method”Company will recognize revenue from IP license at the time of delivery when vendor specific objective evidence (“VSOE”) of fair value exists for all undelivered elements and VSOE does not exist for onethe customer obtains control of the delivered elements. VSOE of fair value ofIP, as the undelivered elementsIP is determined based onfunctional without professional services, updates and technical support. The Company has concluded that its IP licenses are distinct as the substantive renewal rate as stated in the agreement.

Extended payment terms in a licensing arrangement may indicate that the license fees are not deemed to be fixed or determinable. If the fee is not fixed or determinable, revenue is recognized as payments become duecustomer can benefit from the customer unless collection is not considered reasonably assured, then revenue is recognized as payments are collected from the customer, provided all other revenue recognition criteria have been met.licenses on their own.

F-19

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

Revenues from license feescontracts that involve significant customization of the Company’s IP to customer-specific specifications are considered as one performance obligation satisfied over-time. Revenue related to these projects is recognized in accordance with the principles set out in FASB ASCNo. 605-35-25, “Construction-Type and Production-Type Contracts Recognition,” using contract accountingover time, usually based on a percentage of completion method. The amount of revenue recognized is based on the total license fees under the agreement and the percentage of completion achieved. The percentage of completion is measured by the actual timethat incurred labor effort to date onbears to total projected labor effort. Incurred effort represents work performed, which corresponds with, and thereby best depicts, the project comparedtransfer of control to the total estimated project requirements, which corresponds to the costs related to earned revenues.customer. Provisions for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts are made during the period in which such losses are first determined, in the amount of the estimated loss on the entire contract. Significant judgment is required when estimating total labor effort and progress to completion on these arrangements, as well as whether a loss is expected to be incurred on the project.

Most of the Company’s contracts with customers contain multiple performance obligations. For these contracts, the Company accounts for individual performance obligations separately, if they are distinct. The transaction price is allocated to the separate performance obligations on a relative standalone selling price basis. Standalone selling prices of IP license are typically estimated using the residual approach. Standalone selling prices of services are typically estimated based on observable transactions when these services are sold on a standalone basis. Standalone selling prices of significant customization of the Company’s IP to customer-specific specifications are typically estimated based on expected cost plus approach.

Revenues that are derived from the sale of a licensee’s products that incorporate the Company’s IP are classified as royalty revenues. Royalty revenues are recognized during the quarter in which the Company receives a report fromsale of the licensee detailing the shipment of products that incorporateproduct incorporating the Company’s IP which receipt is in the quarter following the licensee’s sale of such products to its customers.occurs. Royalties are calculated either as a percentage of the revenues received by the Company’s licensees on sales of products incorporating the Company’s IP or on a per unit basis, as specified in the agreements with the licensees.

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

( Royalty revenues are recognized during the quarter in thousands, except share data)which the Company receives the actual sales data from its customers after the quarter ends and accounts for it as unbilled receivables. When the Company does not receive actual sales data from the customer prior to the finalization of its financial statements, royalty revenues are recognized based on the Company’s estimation of the customer’s sales during the quarter.

 

In addition to license fees, contractsContracts with customers generally contain an agreement to provide for training and post contract support, and training, which consists of telephone ore-mail support, correction of errors (bug fixing) and unspecified updates and upgrades. Fees for post contract support, which takes place after delivery to the customer, are specified in the contract and are generally mandatory for the first year. After the mandatory period, the customer may extend the support agreement on similar terms, usually on an annual basis. The Company considers the post contract support performance obligation as a distinct performance obligation that is satisfied over time, and as such, it recognizes revenue for post contract support on a straight-line basis over the period for which technical support is contractually agreed to be provided to the licensee, typically 12twelve months. Revenues from training are recognized as the training is performed.

Revenues from the sale of development systems and chips are recognized when titlecontrol of the promised goods or services are transferred to the product passescustomers.

When contracts involve a significant financing component, the Company adjusts the promised amount of consideration for the effects of the time value of money if the timing of payments agreed to by the parties to the contract (either explicitly or implicitly) provide the customer with a significant benefit of financing, unless the financing period is under one year and all other revenue recognition criteria have been met.only after the products or services were provided as the Company elected to use the practical expedient under ASC 606.

The Company usually does not provide rights

F-20

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in the license agreements, revenue is deferred until rights of return expire.thousands, except share data)

Deferred revenues, which represent a contract liability, include unearned amounts received under license agreements, unearned technical support and amounts paid by customers not yet recognized as revenues.

The Company capitalizes sales commission as costs of obtaining a contract when they are incremental and, if they are expected to be recovered, amortized in a manner consistent with the pattern of transfer of the good or service to which the asset relates. If the expected amortization period is one year or less, the commission fee is expensed when incurred.

Cost of revenue:revenue:

Cost of revenue includes the costs of products, services and royalty expense payments to the Israeli Innovation Authority of the Ministry of Economy and Industry in Israel (the “IIA“) (refer to Note 13c16 for further details). Cost of product revenue includes materials, subcontractors, amortization of acquired assets and the portion of development costs associated with product development arrangements. Cost of service revenue includes salary and related costs for personnel engaged in services, training and customer support, and travel, office expenses and other support costs.

Income taxes:taxes:

The Company recognizes income taxes under the liability method. It recognizes deferred income tax assets and liabilities for the expected future consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities. These differences are measured using the enacted statutory tax rates that are expected to apply to taxable income for the years in which differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred income taxes is recognized in the statements of income (loss) during the period that includes the enactment date.

Valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the deferred tax assets to the net amount that the Company believes is more likely than not to be realized. The Company considers all available evidence, both positive and negative, including historical levels of income, expectations and risks associated with estimates of future taxable income and ongoing tax planning strategies, in assessing the need for a valuation allowance.

The Company accounts for uncertain tax positions in accordance with ASC 740.740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). ASC 740-10 contains atwo-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that, on an evaluation of the technical merits, the tax position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% (cumulative probability) likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement. The Company accrues interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits under taxes on income.

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

Research and development:development, net:

Research and development costs are charged to the consolidated statements of income (loss) as incurred.incurred and are presented net of government grants (see note Government grants and tax credits)..

Government grants and tax credits:credits:

Government grants received by the Company relating to categories of operating expenditures are credited to the consolidated statements of income (loss) during the period in which the expenditure to which they relate is charged. Royalty andnon-royalty-bearing grants from the IIA for funding certain approved research and development projects are recognized at the time when the Company is entitled to such grants, on the basis of the related costs incurred, and included as a deduction from research and development expenses.expenses in the consolidated statements of income (loss).

F-21

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

The Company recorded grants in the amounts of $4,997, $6,410$3,595, $4,850 and $4,417$1,668 for the years ended December 31, 2015, 20162021, 2022 and 2017,2023, respectively. The Company’s Israeli subsidiary is obligated to pay royalties amounting to3%-3.5% of the sales of certain products the development of which received grants from the IIA in previous years. The obligation to pay these royalties is contingent on actual sales of the products. Grants received from the IIA may become repayable if certain criteria under the grants are not met.

The French Research Tax Credit, Crédit d’Impôt Recherche (“CIR”), is a French tax incentive to stimulate research and development (“R&D”) which is relevant for the Company’sCompany's French subsidiaries (RivieraWaves SAS and CEVACeva France). Generally, the CIR offsets the income tax to be paid and the remaining portion (if any) can be refunded. The CIR is calculated based on the claimed volume of eligible R&D expenditures by the Company. As a result, the CIR is presented as a deduction to “Researchfrom “research and development expenses” in the consolidated statements of income.income (loss). During the yearyears ended December 31, 2015, 20162021, 2022 and 2017,2023, the Company recorded CIR benefits in the amount of $1,414, $1,485$2,299, $2,152 and $1,555,$2,509, respectively.

The research & development (R&D) tax credit in the UK is designed to encourage innovation and increase spending on R&D activities for companies operating in the UK. This is relevant to the Company’s subsidiary R&D centers in the UK. Generally, the UK R&D tax credit offsets the income tax to be paid and the remaining portion (if any) will be refunded. The R&D tax credit is calculated based on the claimed volume of eligible R&D expenditures by the Company. As a result, the R&D tax credit is presented as a deduction from “research and development expenses” in the consolidated statements of income (loss). During the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023, the Company recorded R&D tax credit benefits in the amount of $248, $164 and $107, respectively.

Employee benefit plan:plan:

Certain of the Company’s employees are eligible to participate in a defined contribution pension plan (the “Plan”). Participants in the Plan may elect to defer a portion of theirpre-tax earnings into the Plan, which is run by an independent party. The Company makes pension contributions at rates varying up to 10% of the participant’s pensionable salary. Contributions to the Plan are recorded as an expense in the consolidated statements of income.income (loss).

The Company’s U.S. operations maintain a retirement plan (the “U.S. Plan”) that qualifies as a deferred salary arrangement under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. Participants in the U.S. Plan may elect to defer a portion of theirpre-tax earnings, up to the Internal Revenue Service annual contribution limit. The Company matches 100%50% of each participant’s contributions up to a maximum of 6% of the participant’s base pay. Each participant may contribute up to 15% of base remuneration. Contributions to the U.S. Plan are recorded during the year contributed as an expense in the consolidated statements of income.income (loss).

Total contributions for the years ended December 31, 2015, 20162021, 2022 and 20172023 were $733, $1,020$1,155, $1,034 and $988,$1,371, respectively.

Accrued severance pay:pay:

The

Effective July 1, 2021, the Israeli subsidiary’s agreements with employees hired prior to August 1, 2016, are under Section 14 of the Severance Pay Law, 1963. Up to July 1, 2021, the liability of CEVA’sCeva’s Israeli subsidiary for severance pay for employees hired prior to August 1, 2016, iswas calculated pursuant to Israeli severance pay law based on the most recent salary of each employee multiplied by

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

the number of years of employment for thatthese employee as of the balance sheet date.June 30, 2021. The Israeli subsidiary’s liability for the period until June 30, 2021, is fully provided for by monthly deposits with severance pay funds, insurance policies and an accrual. The deposited funds include profits and losses accumulated up to the balance sheet date.December 31, 2023. The deposited funds may be withdrawn only upon the fulfillment of the obligation pursuant to Israeli severance pay law or labor agreements. The value of these policies is recorded as an asset on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

F-22

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

Effective August 1, 2016, the Israeli subsidiary’s agreements with new employees in Israel are under Section 14 of the Severance Pay Law, 1963.1963, and effective July 1, 2021, also with employees hired prior to August 1, 2016. The Israeli subsidiary’s contributions for severance pay have extinguished its severance obligation. Upon contribution of the full amount based on the employee’s monthly salary for each year of service, no additional obligation exists regarding the matter of severance pay, and no additional payments is made by the Israeli subsidiary to the employee. Furthermore, the related obligation and amounts deposited on behalf of the employee for such obligation are not stated on the balance sheet, as the Israeli subsidiary is legally released from any obligation to employees once the required deposit amounts have been paid.

Severance pay expenses, net of related income, for the years ended December 31, 2015, 20162021, 2022 and 2017,2023, were $1,285, $1,348$1,943, $2,706 and $1,413,$2,117, respectively.

Equity-based compensation:compensation:

The Company accounts for equity-based compensation in accordance with FASB ASC No. 718, “Stock Compensation” which requires the recognition of compensation expenses based on estimated fair values for all equity-based awards made to employees and non-employee directors.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU2016-09, “Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718) Equity-based compensation primarily includes restricted stock units (“RSUs”), Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” (“ASU2016-09”). ASU2016-09 simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transaction, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. For public companies, ASU2016-09 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company adoptedASU 2016-09 during the first quarter of 2017, at which time it changed its accounting policy to account for forfeitureswell as they occur. There was no material impact of the adoption of this standard on the Company’s financial statements. In addition, historically, excess tax benefits or deficiencies from the Company’s equity awards were recorded as additionalpaid-in capital in its consolidated balance sheets and were classified as a financing activity in its consolidated statements of cash flows. As a result of adoption, the Company prospectively records any excess tax benefits or deficiencies from its equity awards as part of its provision for income taxes in its consolidated statements of operations during the reporting periods during which equity vesting occurs. Excess tax benefits for share-based payments are presented as an operating activity in the statements of cash flows rather than financing activity. The Company elected to apply the cash flow classification requirements related to excess tax benefits prospectively in accordance withASU 2016-09 and prior periods have not been adjusted.

The Company estimates the fair value of options, and stock appreciation right (“SAR”) awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model. The value of the portion of an award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as an expense over the requisite service period in the Company’s consolidated statements of income. , performance-based stock units (“PSUs”) and employee stock purchase plan awards.

The Company recognizes compensation expensesuse the straight-line recognition method for the value of its options and SARs, which haveawards subject to graded vesting based only on a service condition and the accelerated attribution method over the requisite service period of each of the awards. Priorfor awards that are subject to January 1, 2017, the Company recognized compensation expenses for the value of its options and SARs, net of

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

estimated forfeitures. Estimated forfeitures were based on actual historicalpre-vesting forfeitures and the rate was adjusted to reflect changes in facts and circumstances, if any.

The Company recognizes compensation expenses for the value of its restricted stock unit (“RSU”) awards, based on the straight-line method over the requisite service period of each of the awards.performance or market conditions. The fair value of each RSU and PSU (excluding PSUs based on market condition awards) is the market value as determined by the closing price of the common stock on the day of grant.

The Company usesestimates the fair value of PSU based on market condition awards on the date of grant using the Monte-Carlo simulation model for options and SARs granted.model. The Monte-Carlo simulation model usesCompany estimates the assumptions noted below. Expected volatility was calculated based upon actual historicalfair value of stock price movements over the most recent periods endingoption awards on the grant date equal to the expected option and SAR term. The Company has historically not paid dividends and has no foreseeable plans to pay dividends. The risk-free interest rate is based on the yield from U.S. Treasuryzero-coupon bonds with an equivalent term. The Monte-Carlo model also considers the suboptimal exercise multiple which is based on the average exercise behavior of the Company’s employees over the past years, the contractual term of the options and SARs, and the probability of termination or retirement of the holder of the options and SARs in computing the value of the options and SARs.

The fair value for the Company’s stock options and SARs (other than share issuances in connection with the employee stock purchase plan, as detailed below) granted to employees andnon-employees directors was estimatedgrant using the following assumptions (neither options nor SARs were granted during 2017):Black & Scholes model.

 

   2015  2016 (*

Expected dividend yield

  0%  0%

Expected volatility

  33%-49%  38%-49%

Risk-free interest rate

  0.2%-2.4%  0.5%-2.4%

Expected forfeiture (employees)

  10%  

Expected forfeiture (executives)

  5%  5%

Contractual term of up to

  10 years  10 years

Suboptimal exercise multiple (employees)

  2.1  

Suboptimal exercise multiple (executives)

  2.4  2.4

(*During 2016, the Company granted stock options only to itsnon-employee directors.

The fair value for rights to purchase shares of common stock under the Company’s employee stock purchase plan was estimated on the date of grant using the following assumptions:

 

   2015  2016  2017

Expected dividend yield

  0%  0%  0%

Expected volatility

  35%-36%  29%-57%  28%-46%

Risk-free interest rate

  0.1%-0.3%  0.3%-0.5%  0.5%-1.1%

Expected forfeiture

  0%  0%  0%

Contractual term of up to

  24 months  24 months  24 months

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

  

2021

 

2022

 

2023

                   

Expected dividend yield

   0%    0%    0% 

Expected volatility

 39%-60% 38%-50% 45%-47%

Risk-free interest rate

 0.1%-1.7% 0.5%-3.0% 4.8%-5.5%

Expected forfeiture

    0%   0%    0% 

Contractual term of up to (in months)

 

6

 

6

 

6

 

 

During the years ended December 31, 2015, 20162021, 2022 and 2017,2023, the Company recognized equity-based compensation expense related to stock options, SARs, RSUs, PSUs and employee stock purchase plan as follows:

 

 

Year ended December 31,

 
  Year ended December 31,  

2021

 

2022

 

2023

 
  2015   2016   2017        

Cost of revenue

  $155   $246   $459  $513  $687  $826 

Research and development, net

   1,838    2,860    3,839  7,187  8,259  9,133 

Sales and marketing

   568    922    1,428  1,608  1,503  1,776 

General and administrative

   1,454    2,208    2,967   3,291   2,888   3,795 
  

 

   

 

   

 

 

Total equity-based compensation expense from continuing operations

 12,599  13,337  15,530 

Equity-based compensation expense included in discontinued operations

  456   1,168   668 

Total equity-based compensation expense

  $4,015   $6,236   $8,693  $13,055  $14,505  $16,198 
  

 

   

 

   

 

 

F-23

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

As of December 31, 2017,2023, there was $620$20,839 of unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock options, SARsRSUs and employee stock purchase plan .PSUs. This amount is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.31.5 years. As of December 31, 2017,2023, there was $10,894$275 of unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested RSUs.stock option and employee stock purchase plan. This amount is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.42.0 years. There was no unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested SARs.

Fair value of financial instruments:instruments:

The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents, short termshort-term bank deposits, trade receivables, prepaid expenses and other accounts receivable, trade payables, deferred revenues, accrued expenses and other accounts payable and accrued payroll and related benefits approximates fair value due to the short-term maturities of these instruments. Marketable securities, marketable equity securities and derivative instruments are carried at fair value. See Note 35 for more information.

Comprehensive income (loss):

The Company accounts for comprehensive income (loss) in accordance with FASB ASC No. 220, “Comprehensive Income.” This statement establishes standards for the reporting and display of comprehensive income (loss) and its components in a full set of general purpose financial statements. Comprehensive income (loss) generally represents all changes in stockholders’ equity during the period except those resulting from investments by, or distributions to, stockholders. The Company determined that itsCompany’s items of other comprehensive income (loss) relate to unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, on hedging derivative instruments and marketable securities.

Concentration of credit risk:risk:

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash, cash equivalents, bank deposits, marketable securities, foreign exchange contracts and trade receivables. The Company invests its surplus cash in cash deposits and marketable securities in financial institutions and has established guidelines relating to diversification and maturities to maintain safety and liquidity of the investments.

The majority of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents are invested in high grade certificates of deposits with major U.S., European and Israeli banks. Generally, cash and cash equivalents and bank deposits may be redeemed on demand and therefore minimal credit risk exists with respect to them. Nonetheless, deposits with these banks exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance limits or similar limits in foreign jurisdictions, to the extent such deposits are even insured in such foreign jurisdictions. While the Company monitors onGenerally, these cash equivalents may be redeemed upon demand and, therefore management believes that it bears a systematic basis the cashlower risk. The short-term and cash equivalent balanceslong-term bank deposits are held in the operating accounts and

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

adjust the balances as appropriate, these balances could be impacted if one or more of the financial institutions which management believes are institutions with which the Company deposit its funds fails or is subject to other adverse conditions in the financialhigh credit standing, and accordingly, minimal credit risk from geographic or credit markets. To date the Company has experienced no loss of principal or lack of access to its invested cash or cash equivalents; however, the Company can provide no assurance that access to its invested cash and cash equivalents will not be affected if the financial institutions in which the Company holds its cash and cash equivalents fail.concentration. Furthermore, the Company holds an investment portfolio consisting principally of corporate bonds. The Company has the ability to hold such investments until recovery of temporary declines in market value or maturity; accordingly, as of December 31, 2017, the Company believes the losses associated with its investments are temporary and no impairment loss was recognized during 2017. However, the Company can provide no assurance that it will recover declines in the market value of its investments.maturity.

The Company is exposed primarily to fluctuations in the level of U.S. interest rates. To the extent that interest rates rise, fixed interest investments may be adversely impacted, whereas a decline in interest rates may decrease the anticipated interest income for variable rate investments.

The Company is exposed to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates. The Company typically does not attempt to reduce or eliminate its market exposures on its investment securities because the majority of its investments are short-term.

The Company’s trade receivables are geographically diverse, mainly in the Asia Pacific, and also in the United States and Europe. Concentration of credit risk with respect to trade receivables is limited by credit limits, ongoing credit evaluation and account monitoring procedures. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and to date has not experienced any material losses. The Company makes judgments onestimates of expected credit losses for based upon its assessment of various factors, including historical experience, the age of the trade receivable balances, credit quality of its customers, current economic conditions, reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions, and other factors that may affect its ability to collect outstanding receivables and provides allowances for the portion of receivables for which collection becomes doubtful. Provisions are made based upon a specific review of all significant outstanding receivables. In determining the provision, the Company considers the expected collectability of receivables.from customers.

  

Balance at

beginning

of period

  

Additions

  

Deduction

  

Balance at

end of period

 

Year ended December 31, 2023

                

Allowance for credit losses

 $313  $  $(25) $288 
                 

Year ended December 31, 2022

                

Allowance for credit losses

 $288  $25  $  $313 
                 

Year ended December 31, 2021

                

Allowance for credit losses

 $300  $152  $(164) $288 

The Company has nooff-balance-sheet concentration of credit risk.

Derivative and hedging activities:activities:

The Company follows the requirements of FASB ASC No. 815,” Derivatives and Hedging” which requires companies to recognize all of their derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities in the statement of financial position at fair value. The accounting for changes in fair value (i.e., gains or losses) of a derivative instrument depends on whether it has been designated and qualifies as part of a hedging transaction and further, on the type of hedging transaction. For those derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as hedging instruments, a company must designate the hedging instrument, based upon the exposure being hedged, as a fair value hedge, cash flow hedge, or a hedge of a net investment in a foreign operation. Due to the Company’s global operations, it is exposed to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations in the normal course of its business. The Company’s treasury policy allows it to offset the risks associated with the effects of certain foreign currency exposures through the purchase of foreign exchange forward or option contracts (“Hedging Contracts”). The policy, however, prohibits the Company from speculating on such Hedging Contracts for profit. To protect against the increase in value of forecasted foreign currency cash flow resulting from salaries paid in currencies other than the U.S. dollar during the year, the Company instituted a foreign currency cash flow hedging program. The Company hedges portions of the anticipated payroll of itsnon-U.S. employees denominated in the currencies other than the U.S. dollar for a period of one to twelve months with Hedging Contracts. Accordingly, when the dollar strengthens against the foreign currencies, the decline in present value of future foreign currency expenses is offset by losses in the fair value of the Hedging Contracts. Conversely, when the dollar weakens, the increase

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

in the present value of future foreign currency expenses is offset by gains in the fair value of the Hedging Contracts. These Hedging Contracts are designated as cash flow hedges.

For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as a cash flow hedge (i.e., hedging the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows that is attributable to a particular risk), the effective portion of the gain or loss on the derivative instrument is reported as a component of other comprehensive income (loss) and reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. Any gain or loss on a derivative instrument

F-24

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in excess of the cumulative change in the present value of future cash flows of the hedged item is recognized in current earnings during the period of change. thousands, except share data)

As of December 31, 20162022, and 2017,2023, the notional principal amount of the Hedging Contracts to sell U.S. dollars held by the Company was $3,300$12,200 and $0,$16,500, respectively.

Advertising expenses:expenses:

Advertising expenses are charged to consolidated statements of income (loss) as incurred. Advertising expenses for the years ended December 31, 2015, 20162021, 2022 and 20172023 were $928, $1,033$596, $734 and $1,118,$780, respectively.

Treasury stock:stock:

The Company repurchases its common stock from time to time pursuant to a board-authorized share repurchase program through open market purchases and repurchase plans.

The repurchases of common stock are accounted for as treasury stock, and result in a reduction of stockholders’ equity. When treasury shares are reissued, the Company accounts for the reissuance in accordance with FASB ASCNo. 505-30, “Treasury Stock” and charges the excess of the repurchase cost over issuance price using the weighted average method to retained earnings .earnings. The purchase cost is calculated based on the specific identified method. In the case where the repurchase cost over issuance price using the weighted average method is lower than the issuance price, the Company credits the difference to additionalpaid-in capital.

Net income (loss) per share of common stock:stock:

Basic net income (loss) per share is computed based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during each year. Diluted net income (loss) per share is computed based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during each year, plus dilutive potential shares of common stock considered outstanding during the year, in accordance with FASB ASC No. 260, “Earnings Per Share.”

 

  Year ended December 31,  

Year ended December 31,

 
  2015   2016   2017  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Numerator:

                  

Net income

  $6,267   $13,100   $17,028 

Net income (loss) from continuing operations

 $2,397  $(13,878) $(18,437)

Net income (loss) from discontinued operations

  (2,001)  (9,305)  6,559 

Net income (loss)

 $396  $(23,183) $(11,878)

Denominator (in thousands):

                  

Basic weighted-average common stock outstanding

   20,480    20,850    21,771  22,819  23,172  23,484 

Effect of stock options, stock appreciation rights and restricted stock units

   509    715    790 
  

 

   

 

   

 

 

Effect of stock-based awards

  432       

Diluted weighted-average common stock outstanding

   20,989    21,565    22,561   23,251   23,172   23,484 
  

 

   

 

   

 

        

Basic net income per share

  $0.31   $0.63   $0.78 

Basic net income (loss) per share from continuing operations

 $0.11  $(0.60) $(0.79)

Basic net income (loss) per share from discontinued operations

 $(0.09) $(0.40) $0.28 

Basic net income (loss) per share

 $0.02  $(1.00) $(0.51)
  

 

   

 

   

 

        

Diluted net income per share

  $0.30   $0.61   $0.75 
  

 

   

 

   

 

 

Diluted net income (loss) per share from continuing operations

 $0.10  $(0.60) $(0.79)

Diluted net income (loss) per share from discontinued operations

 $(0.08) $(0.40) $0.28 

Diluted net income (loss) per share

 $0.02  $(1.00) $(0.51)

F-25


CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

The weighted-average number of shares related to outstanding options, SARs and RSUsequity-based awards excluded from the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share, since their effect was anti-dilutive, were 820,631, 282,696 and 29,89265,073 shares for the yearsyear ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively.2021. The total number of shares related to outstanding equity-based awards excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share, since their effect was anti-dilutive, was 985,277 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The total number of shares related to outstanding equity-based awards excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share, since their effect was anti-dilutive, was 1,381,176 for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Accounting Standards Recently Issued, Accounting Pronouncement:

(a) Revenue recognition

In May 2014,Not Yet Adopted by the FASB issued new guidance related to revenue recognition, which outlines a comprehensive revenue recognition model and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance. The new guidance requires a company to recognize revenue as control of goods or services transfers to a customer at an amount that reflects the expected consideration to be received in exchange for those goods or services. It defines a five-step approach for recognizing revenue, which may require a company to use more judgment and make more estimates than under the current guidance. The Company adopted the new guidance during the first quarter of 2018 and applies the standard using modified retrospective approach, with the cumulative effect of applying the new guidance recognized as an adjustment to the opening retained earnings balance. Given the scope of work required to implement the new revenue recognition rules and disclosure requirements under the new guidance, the Company has made progress in the identification of changes to policy, processes and controls, and the Company continues to assess data availability and presentation necessary to meet the additional disclosure requirements of the guidance in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for the adoption period and onwards.

The Company finished analyzing the potential impact of the new guidance. The Company currently expects the adoption of this new guidance to most significantly impact its royalty business. Specifically, the Company expects a change in the timing of revenues recognized from sales-based royalties. The Company currently recognizes sales-based royalties as revenues during the quarter during which such royalties are reported by licensees, which is after the conclusion of the quarter in which the licensees’ sales occur and when all other revenue recognition criteria are met. Under the new guidance, the Company will be required to estimate and recognize sales-based royalties during the period during which the associated sales occur, resulting in an acceleration of revenue recognition compared to the current method. In addition, the Company expects an increase in trade receivables, due to royalty revenues now being recorded as accrued revenues in the statement of financial position, along with the Company’s current trade receivables.

Furthermore, based on its current analysis, another effect on the Company’s revenue recognition relates to certain deliverables that may be considered as distinct performance obligations separate from other performance obligations, and are measured using the relative standalone selling price basis.

Under the new standard, an entity recognizes revenue when or as it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring IP license or services to the customer, either at a point in time or over time. The Company expects to continue to recognize most of its revenues at a point in time upon delivery of its products. The Company expects to recognize revenue over time on significant license customization contracts that are covered by contract accounting standards using cost inputs to measure progress toward completion of its performance obligations, which is similar to the current method.

In addition, incremental costs that are related to sales from contracts signed during the period will require capitalization. If the amortization period of those costs are one year or less, the costs are expensed as incurred, which is a practical expedient manner permitted under the new guidance. The Company currently does not expect that this change will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)Company:

 

The Company currently estimates the cumulative adjustment to increase the Company’s retained earnings by $8,055, while increasing the Company’s assets by $9,117. The most significant impact of the standard on the Company’s financial statements relates to the timing of revenues recognized from sales-based royalties (amounted to $8,765). The Company will also record a provision for income taxes, which will increase the Company’s current liabilities, in an amount currently estimated at $1,062.

Other than specified above, the Company does not otherwise expect the adoption of the new guidance will have a material impact on its businesses.

(b) Other accounting standards

In January 2016,June 2022, the FASB issued ASU No.2016-01, “Financial Instruments—Overall(Subtopic 825-10) 2022-03, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Recognition and Fair Value Measurement of Financial AssetsEquity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions, which clarifies the guidance when measuring the fair value of an equity security subject to contractual restrictions that prohibit the sale of an equity security and Financial Liabilities,” which requiresintroduces new disclosure requirements for equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions that equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) are to be measured at fair value in accordance with changes in fair value recognized in net income. However, an entity may choose to measure equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer.Topic 820. The Company adopted this ASU during the first quarter of 2018, and it does not expect the adoption to have a material impact on its financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” which will replace the existing guidance in ASC 840, “Leases.” The updated standard aims to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by requiring lessees to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and requiring disclosure of key information about leasing arrangements. This ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those annual periods;2023, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this standard is permitted and modified retrospective application is required. The Company isnot expected to result in a significant impact on the process of evaluating this guidance to determineCompany’s consolidated financial statements.

In November 2023, the impact it will have on its financial statements and related disclosures.

The FASB issuedASU 2016-13 “Measurement of Credit Losses2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which requires public entities to disclose information about their reportable segments’ significant expenses and other segment items on Financial Instruments” requiring an allowanceinterim and annual basis. Public entities with a single reportable segment are required to be recorded forapply the disclosure requirements in ASU 2023-07, as well as all expected credit losses for financial assets. The allowance for credit losses is basedexisting segment disclosures and reconciliation requirements in ASC 280 on historical information, current conditionsan interim and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The new standard also makes revisions to the other than temporary impairment model foravailable-for-sale debt securities. Disclosures of credit quality indicators in relation to the amortized cost of financing receivables are further disaggregated by year of origination. The new accounting guidanceannual basis. ASU 2023-07 is effective for interim and annual periodsfiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 with early adoption permitted2023, and for interim and annual periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. The amendments will be applied through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective. The Company is analyzing the impact of this new standard and, at this time, cannot estimate the impact of2024, with early adoption on its net income. The Company plans to adopt ASU2016-13 effective January 1, 2020.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASUNo. 2017-01, “Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business.” The amendments in this update provide a more robust framework to use in determining when a set of assets and activities is a business. Because the current definition of a business is interpreted broadly and can be difficult to apply, analyzing transactions is inefficient and costly and that the definition does not permit the use of reasonable judgment. The amendments provide more consistency in applying the guidance, reduce the costs of application, and make the definition of a business more operable. The amendments in this update become effective for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

beginning after December 15, 2017.permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this new guidance on its consolidated financial statements, but the adoption is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.ASU 2023-07.

In January 2017,December 2023, the FASB issued ASUNo. 2017-04, “Intangibles: Goodwill and Other: Simplifying 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires public entities, on an annual basis, to provide disclosure of specific categories in the Testrate reconciliation, as well as disclosure of income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. ASU 2023-09 is effective for Goodwill Impairment.” To simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill, the amendments eliminate Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. The annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test is performed by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An impairment charge should be recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value; however, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. In addition, the income tax effects of tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit should be considered when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. The amendments also eliminate the requirements for any reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount to perform Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. An entity still has the option to perform the qualitative assessment for a reporting unit to determine if the qualitative impairment test is necessary. The amendments should be applied on a prospective basis. The nature of and reason for the change in accounting principle should be disclosed upon transition. The amendments in this update should be adopted for annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early2024, with early adoption is permitted on testing dates after January 1, 2017.permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this new guidance on its consolidated financial statements, but the adoption is notASU 2023-09.

NOTE 2: REVENUE RECOGNITION

The following table includes estimated revenue expected to be recognized in future periods related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied or partially unsatisfied at the end of the reporting period. The estimated revenues do not include amounts of royalties or unexercised contract renewals:

  

2024

  

2025

  

2026 and

thereafter

 

License and related revenues

 $4,903  $614  $111 

F-26

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

Disaggregation of revenue:

The following table provides information about disaggregated revenue by primary geography, use cases for the Company’s technology portfolio, and timing of revenue recognition:

  

Year ended December 31, 2022

  

Year ended December 31, 2023

 
  

Licensing and

related revenues

  

Royalties

  

Total

  

Licensing and

related revenues

  

Royalties

  

Total

 

Geography

                        

United States

 $7,055  $7,100  $14,155  $3,845  $5,706  $9,551 

Europe and Middle East

  6,739   3,205   9,944   9,197   2,987   12,184 

Asia Pacific

  61,400   35,084   96,484   44,513   31,171   75,684 

Total

 $75,194  $45,389  $120,583  $57,555  $39,864  $97,419 
                         

Use cases for the Company’s technology portfolio

                        

Connect (baseband for handset and other devices, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NB-IoT)

 $60,312  $33,890  $94,202  $49,910  $29,787  $79,697 

Sense & Infer ( sensor fusion, audio, sound, imaging, vision and AI)

  14,882   11,499   26,381   7,645   10,077   17,722 

Total

 $75,194  $45,389  $120,583  $57,555  $39,864  $97,419 
                         

Timing of revenue recognition

                        

Products transferred at a point in time

 $62,053  $45,389  $107,442  $46,542  $39,864  $86,406 

Products and services transferred over time

  13,141      13,141   11,013      11,013 

Total

 $75,194  $45,389  $120,583  $57,555  $39,864  $97,419 

  

Year ended December 31, 2021

 
  

Licensing and

related revenues

  

Royalties

  

Total

 

Geography

            

United States

 $7,811  $10,033  $17,844 

Europe and Middle East

  2,938   3,938   6,876 

Asia Pacific and other

  53,204   35,908   89,112 

Total

 $63,953  $49,879  $113,832 
             

Use cases for the Company’s technology portfolio

            

Connect (baseband for handset and other devices, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NB-IoT)

 $50,359  $36,959  $87,318 

Sense & Infer (sensor fusion, audio, sound, imaging, vision and AI)

  13,594   12,920   26,514 

Total

 $63,953  $49,879  $113,832 
             

Timing of revenue recognition

            

Products transferred at a point in time

 $53,401  $49,879  $103,280 

Products and services transferred over time

  10,552      10,552 

Total

 $63,953  $49,879  $113,832 

F-27

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

Contract balances:

The following table provides information about trade receivables, unbilled receivables and contract liabilities from contracts with customers:

  

December 31, 2022

  

December 31, 2023

 
         

Trade receivables

 $11,136  $8,433 

Unbilled receivables (associated with licensing and related revenue)

  8,436   9,735 

Unbilled receivables (associated with royalties)

  10,258   12,139 

Deferred revenues (short-term contract liabilities)

  3,098   3,018 

The Company receives payments from customers based upon contractual payment schedules; trade receivables are recorded when the right to consideration becomes unconditional, and an invoice is issued to the customer. Unbilled receivables associated with licensing and other include amounts related to the Company’s contractual right to consideration for completed performance objectives not yet invoiced. Unbilled receivables associated with royalties are recorded as the Company recognizes revenues from royalties earned during the year, but not yet invoiced, either by actual sales data received from customers, or, when applicable, by the Company’s estimation. Contract liabilities (deferred revenue) include payments received in advance of performance under the contract, and are realized with the associated revenue recognized under the contract.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recognized $2,746 that was included in deferred revenues (short-term contract liability) balance at January 1, 2023.

Practical expediency and exemptions:

The Company generally expenses sales commissions when incurred because the amortization period would have a material impactbeen less than one year. The Company records these costs within sales and marketing expenses on the Company’s financial statements.consolidated statements of income (loss).

The Company does not assess whether a contract has a significant financing component if the expectation at contract inception is such that the period between payment by the customer and the transfer of the promised goods or services to the customer will be one year or less.

Discontinued operation:

The Company's revenues streams from Intrinsix chip design business comprises primarily of non-recurring engineering (“NRE”) revenues. Revenues that are derived from NRE chip design services are performance obligations that are recognized over time as the services are rendered. For time-and-materials contracts, the performance obligation is satisfied, and revenue is recognized over time as the services are performed. Generally, contracts call for billings on a time-and-materials basis; however, in instances when a fixed-fee contract is signed, revenue is recognized over time, based on an input method of labor costs expended, relative to total expected labor costs to complete the contract.

The Intrinsix business relies heavily on contracts with U.S. government prime contractors.

F-28

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

NOTE 2:3: MARKETABLE SECURITIES

The following is a summary ofavailable-for-sale marketable securities at December 31, 20162022 and 2017:2023:

 

   As at December 31, 2017 
   Amortized
cost
   Gross
unrealized
gains
   Gross
unrealized
losses
   Fair
value
 

Available-for-sale—matures within one year:

        

Corporate bonds

  $11,803   $3   $(12  $11,794 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
   11,803    3    (12   11,794 

Available-for-sale—matures after one year through five years:

        

Certificate of deposits

   747    —      —      747 

Government bonds

   501    —      (6   495 

Corporate bonds

   70,291    14    (677   69,628 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
   71,539    14    (683   70,870 

Total

  $83,342   $17   $(695  $82,664 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

  

As at December 31, 2023

 
  

Amortized
cost

  

Gross
unrealized
gains

  

Gross
unrealized
losses

  

Fair
value

 

Available-for-sale - matures within one year:

                

Corporate bonds

 $27,690  $4  $(243) $27,451 
                 

Available-for-sale - matures after one year through three years:

                

Corporate bonds

  108,700   278   (3,734)  105,244 
                 

Total

 $136,390  $282  $(3,977) $132,695 

 

 

As at December 31, 2022

 
  As at December 31, 2016  

Amortized
cost

  

Gross
unrealized
gains

  

Gross
unrealized
losses

  

Fair
value

 
  Amortized
cost
   Gross
unrealized
gains
   Gross
unrealized
losses
   Fair
value
 

Available-for-sale—matures within one year:

        

Available-for-sale - matures within one year:

        

Corporate bonds

  $9,456   $4   $(15  $9,445  $17,552  $  $(1,330) $16,222 
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

  
   9,456    4    (15   9,445 

Available-for-sale—matures after one year through five years:

        

Government bonds

   501    —      (4   497 

Available-for-sale - matures after one year through four years:

        

Corporate bonds

   52,490    3    (567   51,926   101,355   38   (5,535)  95,858 
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

  
   52,991    3    (571   52,423 

Total

  $62,447   $7   $(586  $61,868  $118,907  $38  $(6,865) $112,080 
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

 

The following table presents gross unrealized losses and fair values for those investments that were in an unrealized loss position as of December 31, 20162022 and 2017,2023, and the length of time that those investments have been in a continuous loss position:

 

   Less than 12 months   12 months or greater 
   Fair
Value
   Gross
unrealized
loss
   Fair
Value
   Gross
unrealized
loss
 

As of December 31, 2017

  $49,921   $(411  $22,960   $(284

As of December 31, 2016

  $48,663   $(557  $4,875   $(29
  Less than 12 months  12 months or greater 
  

Fair value

  

Gross

unrealized

loss

  

Fair value

  

Gross

unrealized

loss

 

As of December 31, 2023

 $18,193  $(49) $86,643  $(3,928)

As of December 31, 2022

 $58,706  $(1,885) $48,539  $(4,980)

As

F-29

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

During the years ended December 31, 20162021, 2022 and 2017, management believes2023 the impairments areamount of credit losses recorded was not other than temporary and therefore the impairment losses were recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).material.

The following table presents gross realized gains and losses from sale ofavailable-for-sale marketable securities:

 

   Year ended
December 31,
 
   2015   2016   2017 

Gross realized gains from sale ofavailable-for-sale marketable securities

  $4   $24   $47 

Gross realized losses from sale ofavailable-for-sale marketable securities

  $(82  $(33  $(47
  

Year ended December 31,

 
  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 
             

Gross realized gains from sale of available-for-sale marketable securities

 $43  $  $114 

Gross realized losses from sale of available-for-sale marketable securities

 $(30) $(55) $(24)

NOTE 4: LEASES

The Company leases substantially all of its office space and vehicles under operating leases. The Company's leases have original lease periods expiring between 2024 and 2034. Some leases include one or more options to renew. The Company does not assume renewals in its determination of the lease term unless the renewals are deemed to be reasonably certain. Lease payments included in the measurement of the lease liability comprise the following: the fixed non-cancelable lease payments, payments for optional renewal periods where it is reasonably certain the renewal period will be exercised, and payments for early termination options unless it is reasonably certain the lease will not be terminated early.

The following is a summary of weighted average remaining lease terms and discount rate for all of the Company’s operating leases:

December 31, 2023

Weighted average remaining lease term (years)

4.14

Weighted average discount rate

3.99%

Total operating lease cost and cash payments for operating leases were as follows:

  

Year ended December 31,

 
  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 
             

Operating lease cost

 $3,085  $3,117  $2,967 

Cash payments for operating leases

 $3,175  $3,051  $2,947 

Maturities of lease liabilities are as follows:

2024

  2,575 

2025

  1,919 

2026

  818 

2027

  646 

2028 and thereafter

  970 

Total undiscounted cash flows

  6,928 

Less imputed interest

  472 

Present value of lease liabilities

 $6,456 

F-30

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

NOTE 3:5:  FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT

FASB ASC No. 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value. Fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received for selling an asset or paid for the transfer of a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or a liability. A three-tier fair value hierarchy is established as a basis for considering such assumptions and for inputs used in the valuation methodologies in measuring fair value:

 

Level I

Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible on the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

Level II

Quoted prices in markets that are not active, or inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability; and

Level III

Prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable (supported by little or no market activity).

The Company measures its marketable securities, investments in marketable equity securities and foreign currency derivative contracts at fair value. Investments in marketable equity securities are classified within Level I as the securities are traded in an active market. Marketable securities and foreign currency derivative contracts are classified within Level II as the valuation inputs are based on quoted prices and market observable data of similar instruments.

The table below sets forth the Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value by level within the fair value hierarchy. Assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

 

Description

  December 31,
2017
   Level I   Level II   Level III 

Assets:

        

Marketable securities:

        

Certificate of deposits

  $747    —     $747    —   

Government bonds

   495    —      495    —   

Corporate bonds

   81,422    —      81,422    —   

 

Description

  December 31,
2016
   Level I   Level II   Level III  

December 31,

2023

 

Level I

 

Level II

 

Level III

 

Assets:

         

Marketable securities:

         

Government bonds

  $497    —     $497    —   

Corporate bonds

   61,371    —      61,371    —    $132,695    $132,695   

Foreign exchange contracts

   6    —      6    —   

Foreign exchange contract

 988    988   

Investments in marketable equity securities

 406  406     

Description

 

December 31,

2022

  

Level I

  

Level II

  

Level III

 

Assets:

                

Marketable securities:

                

Corporate bonds

 $112,080     $112,080    

Foreign exchange contract

  13      13    

Investments in marketable equity securities

  408   408       
                 

Liabilities:

                

Foreign exchange contracts

  119      119    

F-31

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

NOTE 4:6: PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET

Composition of assets, grouped by major classifications, is as follows:

Composition of assets, grouped by major classifications, is as follows:

 

As at December 31,

 
  

2022

  

2023

 

Cost:

        

Computers, software and equipment

 $25,351  $26,833 

Office furniture and equipment

  1,195   1,058 

Leasehold improvements

  4,356   4,358 
   30,902   32,249 

Less – Accumulated depreciation

  (24,278)  (25,517)

Property and equipment, net

 $6,624  $6,732 

 

   As at December 31, 
   2016   2017 

Cost:

    

Computers, software and equipment

  $10,031   $13,570 

Office furniture and equipment

   766    797 

Leasehold improvements

   2,204    2,756 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
   13,001    17,123 

Less–Accumulated depreciation

   (8,196   (10,197
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Property and equipment, net

  $4,805   $6,926 
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The Company recorded in continuing operations depreciation expenses in the amount of $1,399$2,960 and $2,014$2,730 for the years ended December 31, 20162022 and 2017,2023, respectively.

In addition, in 2022 and 2023, assets no longer in use by the Company of $709 and $1,491, respectively, have been written down.

NOTE 7: GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

(a)

Goodwill:

Changes in goodwill are as follows:

  

Year ended December 31,

 
  

2022

  

2023

 
         

Balance as of January 1,

 $74,777  $74,777 

Acquisition

     1,994 

Sale of Intrinsix (see note 1)

     (18,463)

Balance as of December 31,

 $74,777  $58,308 

As of December 31, 2022, the allocated goodwill to continuing operation amounted to $56,794.

F-32

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

(b)

Intangible assets:

 

        

Year ended December 31, 2022

    

Year ended December 31, 2023

 
  

Weighted

average

amortization

period (years)

 

Gross carrying amount

 

Accumulated amortization

 

Impairment (*)

 

Net

 

Gross carrying amount

 

Accumulated amortization

 

Impairment (*)

 

Net

 
                             

Intangible assets related to the acquisition of VisiSonics business

                            

Customer relationships

  4.0 $ $ $ $ $432 $72 $ $360 

Technologies

  5.0          1,174  157    1,017 
                             
                             

Intangible assets related to the acquisition of Hillcrest Labs business

                            

Customer relationships

  4.4  3,518  2,998    520  3,518  3,190    328 

Customer backlog

  0.5  72  72      72  72     

R&D Tools

  7.5  2,475  1,140    1,335  2,475  1,470    1,005 
                             

Intangible assets related to Immervision assets acquisition

                            

R&D Tools

  6.4  7,063  3,507  3,556    7,063  3,507  3,556   
                             

Intangible assets related to an investment in NB-IoT technologies

                            

NB-IoT technologies

  7.0  1,961  1,424    537  1,961  1,704    257 
                             

Total intangible assets

    $15,089 $9,141 $3,556 $2,392 $16,695 $10,172 $3,556 $2,967 

NOTE 5: INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

(*) During 2022, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $3,556 in operating expenses with respect to Immervision technology acquired in August 2019, as the Company has decided to cease the development of this product line.

 

       Year ended December 31, 2016   Year ended December 31, 2017 
   Weighted
Average
Amortization
Period
(Years)
   Gross
Carrying
Amount
   Accumulated
Amortization
   Net   Gross
Carrying
Amount
   Accumulated
Amortization
   Net 

Intangible assets–amortizable:

              

Customer relationships

   4.5   $272   $151   $121   $272   $211   $61 

Customer backlog

   1.5    93    93    —      93    93    —   

Core technologies

   5.1    5,796    2,939    2,857    5,796    4,115    1,681 
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total intangible assets

    $6,161   $3,183   $2,978   $6,161   $4,419   $1,742 
    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Future estimated annual amortization charges are as follows:

 

2018

   901 

2019

   841 
  

 

 

 
  $1,742 
  

 

 

 

2024

  1,090 

2025

  833 

2026

  680 

2027

  286 

2028

  78 
  $2,967 

The Company recorded in continuing operations amortization expense in the amount of $2,306 and $1,031 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively. In addition, amortization expense related to Intrinsix in the amount of $2,065 and $965 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively, was recorded in discontinued operation.

F-33

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

NOTE 6:8: ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER PAYABLES

 

 

As at December 31,

 
  As at December 31,  

2022

  

2023

 
  2016   2017  

Engineering accruals

  $466   $977  $779  $619 

Professional fees

   583    792  846  1,273 

Government grants

   263    791  918  895 

Income taxes payable, net

   1,489    45  2,547  1,922 

Facility related accruals

   140    290 

Other

   1,074    1,032   1,455   1,091 
  

 

   

 

 
  $4,015   $3,927 
  

 

   

 

 

Total

 $6,545  $5,800 

NOTE 7: STOCKHOLDERS’9: STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY

a. Common stock:

Holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted upon by the Company’s stockholders. In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, holders of common stock are entitled to share ratably in all of the Company’s assets. The Board of Directors may declare a dividend out of funds legally available therefore and the holders of common stock are entitled to receive ratably any such dividends. Holders of common stock have no preemptive rights or other subscription rights to convert their shares into any other securities.

b. Preferred stock:

The Company is authorized to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of “blank check” preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share. Such preferred stock may be issued by the Board of Directors from time to time in one or more

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

series. These series may have designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, conversion rights, exchange rights, voting rights, redemption rights (including sinking and purchase fund provisions), and dissolution preferences as may be determined by the Company’s Board of Directors.

c. Share repurchase program:

In August 2008, the Company announced that its Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program for up to one million shares of common stock which was further extended by an additional four million6,400,000 shares in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2013.2020. In October 2014,November 2023, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase by the Company of an additional one million700,000 shares of common stock pursuant to Rule10b-18 of the Exchange Act.

As of December 31, 2017, 311,0562023, 700,000 shares of common stock remained authorized for repurchase under to the Company’s share repurchase program.

In 2015, the Company repurchased 508,931 shares of common stock at an average purchase price of $19.80 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $10,078. In 2016, the Company repurchased 180,013 shares of common stock at an average purchase price of $18.98 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $3,417. In 2017, the Company did not repurchase any shares of its common stock.

d. Employee andnon-employee stock plans:

The Company grantshas historically granted a mix of stock options, SARs capped with a ceiling and RSUs to employees andnon-employee non‑employee directors of the Company and its subsidiaries under the Company’s equity plans and provides the right to purchase common stock pursuant to the Company’s 2002 employee stock purchase plan to employees of the Company and its subsidiaries.

The SAR unit confers the holder the right to stock appreciation over a preset price As of the Company’s common stock during a specified period of time. When the unit is exercised, the appreciation amount is paid through the issuance of shares of the Company’s common stock. The ceiling limits the maximum income for each SAR unit.December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2023, there were no outstanding or exercisable SARs are considered an equity instrument as it is a net share settled award capped with a ceiling (400% for all SAR grants made in previous years. No SARs were granted in 2016 and 2017).left. The options and SARs granted under the Company’s stock incentive plans have been granted at the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the grant date. Options and SARs granted to employees under stock incentive plans vest at a rate of 25% of the shares underlying the option after one year and the remaining shares vest in equal portions over the following 36 months, such that all shares are vested after four years. Options granted tonon-employee non‑employee directors vest 25% of the shares underlying the option on each anniversary of the option grant. RSUs granted to employees under stock incentive plans vest as to 1/3 on each anniversary

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

each vesting date. The SARs have a ceiling limit for maximum income capped at 400%, expire seven years from the grant date and are subject to the terms and condition of the individual SAR agreements. The SAR grants were approved by the compensation committee of the Board of Directors of the Company.

A summary of the Company’s stock option and SARs activities and related information for the year ended December 31, 2017,2023, is as follows:

 

  Number of
options and
SAR
units (1)
   Weighted
average
exercise

price
   Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
   Aggregate
intrinsic-
value
  

Number of
options

  

Weighted
average

exercise
price

  

Weighted

average

remaining

contractual

term

  

Aggregate

intrinsic-value

 

Outstanding at the beginning of the year

   1,455,908   $19.76      106,000  $20.24  2.0  $609 

Granted

   —      —        19,425  $21.62  

Exercised

   (711,208   19.80      (26,000) 19.36  

Forfeited or expired

   (15,683   17.51                
  

 

   

 

     

Outstanding at the end of the year (2)

   729,017   $19.77    5.2   $19,229 
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

 

Exercisable at the end of the year (3)

   513,464   $19.07    4.7   $13,906 
  

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

 

Outstanding at the end of the year

  99,425  $20.74   2.5  $316 

Exercisable at the end of the year

  80,000  $20.53   1.5  $295 

 

(1)The SAR units are convertible for a maximum number of shares of the Company’s common stock equal to 75% of the SAR units subject to the grant.

 

(2)Due to the ceiling imposed on the SAR grants, the outstanding amount equals a maximum of 662,075 shares of the Company’s common stock issuable upon exercise.

(3)Due to the ceiling imposed on the SAR grants, the exercisable amount equals a maximum of 465,223 shares of the Company’s common stock issuable upon exercise.

During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022 the Company did not grant stock options. The weighted average fair value at grant date of stock options and SARs granted duringfor the year ended December 2015 was $7.8 per share. The weighted average fair value of options granted during the year ended December 2016 was $12.9 per share. In 2017, the Company did not grant options and/or SARs.31, 2023, amounted to $11.30.

The total intrinsic value of options and SARs exercised during the years ended December 31, 2015, 20162021, 2022 and 20172023 was $8,960, $12,282$7,177, $273 and $15,188,$173, respectively.

The options and SARs granted to employees of the Company and its subsidiaries and the options granted tonon-employee directors of the Company which were outstanding as of December 31, 2017 have been classified into a range of exercise prices as follows:

   Outstanding   Exercisable 

Exercise price

(range)

  Number
of

options
and SARs
   Weighted
average

remaining
contractual

life (years)
   Weighted
average

exercise
price
   Number
of

options
and SARs
   Weighted
average

remaining
contractual

life (years)
   Weighted
average

exercise
price
 

14.16-18.62

   365,793    4.2   $15.64    290,193    4.0   $15.80 

19.36-24.86

   204,724    5.9   $19.91    142,771    5.8   $19.65 

27.17-31.51

   158,500    6.9   $29.13    80,500    5.2   $29.81 
  

 

 

       

 

 

     
   729,017    5.2   $19.77    513,464    4.7   $19.07 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

A RSU award is an agreement to issue shares of the Company’s common stock at the time the award or a portion thereof vests. RSUs granted to employees generally vest in three equal annual installments starting on the first anniversary of the grant date. Until the end of 2017, RSUs granted to non-employee directors would generally vest in full on the first anniversary of the grant date. Starting in 2018, RSUs granted to non-employee directors would generally vest in two equal annual installments starting on the first anniversary of the grant date.

On November 9, 2022, the Company reported that Gideon Wertheizer had announced his intention to retire from his position as the Company’s CEO and an employee of the Company, effective as of January 1, 2023. In connection with his retirement, the Board determined to accelerate in full the vesting of Mr. Wertheizer’s 34,887 unvested RSUs.

On November 9, 2022, the Company publicly announced the appointment of Amir Panush as CEO of the Company to succeed Mr. Wertheizer, with his service as CEO to commence on January 1, 2023. In connection with his appointment as the Company’s CEO, Mr. Panush, effective January 1, 2023, received 46,911 RSUs with fair value of approximately $1,200 under the Company’s 2011 Plan. The RSUs vest in three equal annual installments starting on the first anniversary of the grant date.date, conditioned upon Mr. Panush’s continued service with the Company.

On December 7, 2022, the Board appointed Gweltaz Toquet, who previously served as the Vice President of Sales for Europe and Asia Pacific, as Chief Commercial Officer (“CCO”) of the Company effective January 1, 2023. In connection with his appointment as the Company’s CCO, effective January 1, 2023, Mr. Toquet received 3,909 RSUs granted tonon-employee directors generallywith fair value of approximately $100 under the Company’s 2011 Plan. The RSUs vest in fullthree equal annual installments starting on the first anniversary of the grant date.date, conditioned upon Mr. Toquet’s continued service with the Company.

F-35

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

On February 14, 2023, the Compensation Committee of the Board (the “Committee”) granted 14,541, 9,996, 8,179 and 5,452 RSUs, effective as of February 17, 2023, to each of the Company’s CEO, Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), Chief Operating Officer (“COO”) and CCO, respectively, pursuant to the 2011 Plan, or, with respect to the RSU award to the CEO, as an inducement award in accordance with Rule 5635(c)(4) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules granted on terms substantially similar to those of the 2011 Plan (an “Inducement Award”). The RSU grants vest 33.4% on February 17, 2024, 33.3% on February 17, 2025 and 33.3% on February 17, 2026. 

Also, on February 14, 2023, the Committee granted 21,811, 6,664, 5,452 and 3,635 performance-based stock units, effective as of February 17, 2023, to each of the Company’s CEO, CFO, COO and CCO, respectively, pursuant to the 2011 Plan, or, with respect to the CEO, as an Inducement Award (collectively, the “Short-Term Executive PSUs”). The performance goals for the Short-Term Executive PSUs with specified weighting are as follows:

Weighting

Goals

50%

Vesting of the full 50% of the PSUs occurs if the Company achieves the 2023 license and related revenue target approved by the Board (the “2023 License Revenue Target”). The vesting threshold is achievement of 90% of 2023 License Revenue Target. If the Company’s achievement of the 2023 License Revenue Target is above 90% but less than 99% of the 2023 License Revenue Target, 91% to 99% of the eligible PSUs would be subject to vesting. If the Company’s actual result exceeds 100% of the 2023 License Revenue Target, every 1% increase of the 2023 License Revenue Target, up to 110%, would result in an increase of 2% of the eligible PSUs for the Company’s CFO, COO and CCO and an increase of 3% of the eligible PSUs for the Company’s CEO.

25%

Vesting of the full 25% of the PSUs occurs if the Company achieves positive total shareholder return whereby the return on the Company’s stock for 2023 is greater than the S&P Semiconductors Select Industry index (the “S&P index”). The vesting threshold is if the return on the Company’s stock for 2023 is at least 90% of the S&P index. If the return on the Company’s stock, in comparison to the S&P index, is above 90% but less than 99% of the S&P index, 91% to 99% of the eligible PSUs would be subject to vesting. If the return on the Company’s stock exceeds 100% of the S&P index, every 1% increase in comparison to the S&P index, up to 110%, would result in an increase of 2% of the eligible PSUs for the Company’s CFO, COO and CCO and an increase of 3% of the eligible PSUs for the Company’s CEO.

25%

Vesting of the full 25% of the PSUs occurs if the Company achieves positive total shareholder return whereby the return on the Company’s stock for 2023 is greater than the Russell 2000 index (the “Russell index”). The vesting threshold is if the return on the Company’s stock for 2023 is at least 90% of the Russell index. If the return on the Company’s stock, in comparison to the Russell index, is above 90% but less than 99% of the Russell index, 91% to 99% of the eligible PSUs would be subject to vesting. If the return on the Company’s stock exceeds 100% of the Russell index, every 1% increase in comparison to the Russell index, up to 110%, would result in an increase of 2% of the eligible PSUs for the Company’s CFO, COO and CCO and an increase of 3% of the eligible PSUs for the Company’s CEO.

F-36

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

Accordingly, assuming maximum achievement of the performance goals set forth above, PSUs representing an additional 30%, meaning an additional 6,543, would be eligible for vesting of the Company’s CEO, and an additional 20%, meaning an additional 1,332, 1,090 and 727, would be eligible for vesting for each of the Company’s CFO, COO and CCO, respectively.

In 2023, the Company did not achieve any of the above performance goals for the Short-Term Executive PSUs.

Also, on February 14, 2023, the Committee granted 60,587, 30,293, 30,293 and 30,293 PSUs, effective as of February 17, 2023, to each of the Company’s CEO, CFO, COO and CCO, respectively, pursuant to the 2011 Plan, or, with respect to the CEO, as an Inducement Award (collectively, the “Long-Term Executive PSUs”). The Long-Term Executive PSUs shall vest in full upon the first achievement of any of the following performance goals:

If the Company’s compound annual growth rate for non-GAAP Earnings Per Share (“EPS”) for each fiscal year over the three-year period from 2022 through 2025 reaches 10% or if the Company’s non-GAAP EPS for any fiscal year reaches $1.00 during the period between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2025;

If the Company’s non-GAAP operating margin for any fiscal year reaches 20% during the period between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2025;

If the Company’s compound annual growth rate for revenue for each fiscal year over the three year period from 2022 through 2025 reaches 10% or if the Company’s revenue for any fiscal year reaches $180 million during the period between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2025; or

If the Company’s market capitalization (defined as total outstanding shares as of a given date multiplied by the closing price for the Company’s common stock as quoted by the NASDAQ Stock Market) reaches at least $1.1 billion for at least 30 days of consecutive trading.

In 2023, the Company did not achieve any of the above performance goals for the Long-Term Executive PSUs.

A summary of the Company’s RSU and PSU activities and related information for the year ended December 31, 2017,2023, is as follows:

 

  Number of
RSUs
   Weighted
average
Grant-Date

fair value
  

Number of
RSUs and

PSUs

  

Weighted average

grant-date
fair value

 

Unvested as at the beginning of the year

   505,142   $21.59  879,277  $37.57 

Granted

   288,197    37.25  943,377  20.51 

Vested

   (203,016   21.85  (363,453) 38.71 

Forfeited

   (29,707   26.07   (177,450)  35.54 
  

 

   

Unvested at the end of the year

   560,616   $29.31   1,281,751  $24.97 
  

 

   

 

 

F-37

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

Stock Plans

As of December 31, 2017,2023, the Company maintains the Company’s 2003 Director Stock Option Plan (the “Director Plan”) and the 2011 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan” and together with the Director Plan, the “Stock Plans”).

As of December 31, 2017,2023, options, SARs, RSUs and RSUsPSUs to purchase 1,309,038952,259 shares of common stock were available for grant under the Stock Plans.2011 Plan.

2011 Stock Incentive Plan

The 2011 Plan was adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors in February 2011 and stockholders on May 17, 2011. Up to 2,350,0004,350,000 shares of common stock (subject to adjustment in the event of future stock splits, future stock dividends or other similar changes in the common stock or the Company’s capital structure), plus.

On June 2, 2022, the numberCompany’s stockholders approved an amendment and restatement of the 2011 Plan to have any shares thatwhich remain available for grant of awards under the Company’s 2002 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2002 Plan), plus any sharesissuance or that would otherwise return to the 2002Company’s 2003 Director Stock Option Plan as a result of forfeiture, termination or expiration of awards previously granted under the 2002 plan (subjectbe rolled over to adjustment in the event of stock splits and other similar events), are reserved for issuance under the 2011 Plan. The 2002 Plan was automatically terminated and replaced and superseded by the 2011 Plan, except that any awards previously granted underresulting in an immediate increase of 273,693 shares at time of the 2002 Plan shall remain in effect pursuant to their term.approval.

The 2011 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options intended to qualify under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code, nonqualified stock options, restricted stock, RSUs, dividend equivalent rights and stock appreciation rights. Officers, employees, directors, outsideexternal consultants and advisors of the Company and those of the Company’s present and future parent and subsidiary corporations are eligible to receive awards under the 2011 Plan. Under current U.S. tax laws, incentive stock options may only be granted to employees. The 2011 Plan permits the Company’sCompany's Board of Directors or a committee thereof to determine how grantees may pay the exercise or purchase price of their awards.

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

Unless sooner terminated, the 2011 Plan is effective until February 2021.April 2030.

The Company’s Board of Directors or a committee thereof has authority to administer the 2011 Plan. The Company’s Board of Directors has the authority to adopt, amend and repeal the administrative rules, guidelines and practices relating to the 2011 Plan and to interpret its provisions.

2003 Director Stock Option Plan

Under the Director Plan, 1,350,000 shares of common stock (subject to adjustment in the event of future stock splits, future stock dividends or other similar changes in the common stock or the Company’s capital structure) are authorized for issuance.

The Director Plan provides for the grant of nonqualified stock options tonon-employee directors. Options must be granted at an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant. Options may not be granted for a term in excess of ten years.

Under the original terms of the Director Plan, (a) any person who becomes anon-employee director of the Company was automatically granted an option to purchase 38,000 shares of common stock, (b) on June 30 of each year, beginning in 2004, eachnon-employee director who had served on the Company’s Board of Directors for at least six (6) months as of such date was automatically granted an option with the exercise price being the fair market value of the Company’s common stock as of July 1st of each year to purchase 13,000 shares of common stock, and eachnon-employee director would receive an option with the exercise price being the fair market value of the Company’s common stock as of July 1st of each year to purchase 13,000 shares of common stock for each committee on which he or she had served as chairperson for at least six months prior to such date, and (c) the Chairman of the Board was granted an additional option with the exercise price being the fair market value of the Company’s common stock as of July 1st of each year to purchase 15,000 shares of common stock on an annual basis. In February 2015, the Board suspended the automatic grant of stock options to eachnon-employee director and the Chairman of the Board under the Director Plan. In lieu of the automatic stock option grants under the Director Plan, the Board approved an equity award to all directors of the Company consisting solely of RSUs granted under the 2011 Plan. In August 2017, the directors of the Company received a grant of RSUs in the aggregate amount of 30,897 RSUs.

The Company’s Board of Directors or a committee thereof may grant additional options to purchase common stock with a vesting schedule to be determined by the Board of Directors in recognition of services provided by anon-employee director in his or her capacity as a director.

The Company’s Board of Directors or a committee thereof has authority to administer the Director Plan. The Company’s Board of Directors or a committee thereof has the authority to adopt, amend and repeal the administrative rules, guidelines and practices relating to the Director Plan and to interpret its provisions.

2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”(ESPP)

The ESPP was adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors and stockholder in July 2002. The ESPP is intended to qualify as an “Employee Stock Purchase Plan” under Section 423 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and is intended to provide the Company’s employees with an opportunity to purchase shares of common stock through payroll deductions. An aggregate of 2,700,0003,450,000 shares of common stock (subject to adjustment in the

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

event of future stock splits, future stock dividends or other similar changes in the common stock or the Company’s capital structure) are reserved for issuance. As of December 31, 2017, 298,6042023, 355,300 shares of common stock were available for future issuance under the ESPP.

All of the Company’s employees who are regularly employed for more than five months in any calendar year and work 20 hours or more per week are eligible to participate in the ESPP.Non-employee directors, consultants, and employees subject to the rules or laws of a foreign jurisdiction that prohibit or make impractical their participation in an employee stock purchase plan are not eligible to participate in the ESPP.

F-38

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

The ESPP designates offer periods, purchase periods and exercise dates. Offer periods generally will be overlapping periods of 24 months. Purchase periods generally will besix-month periods. Exercise dates are the last day of each purchase period. In the event the Company merges with or into another corporation, sells all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, or enters into other transactions in which all of the Company’s stockholders before the transaction own less than 50% of the total combined voting power of the Company’s outstanding securities following the transaction, the Company’s Board of Directors or a committee designated by the Board may elect to shorten the offer period then in progress.

The price per share at which shares of common stock may be purchased under the ESPP during any purchase period is the lesser of:

 

85% of the fair market value of common stock on the date of grant of the purchase right, which is the commencement of an offer period; or

85% of the fair market value of common stock on the date of grant of the purchase right, which is the commencement of an offer period; or

 

85% of the fair market value of common stock on the exercise date, which is the last day of a purchase period.

85% of the fair market value of common stock on the exercise date, which is the last day of a purchase period.

The participant’s purchase right is exercised in the above noted manner on each exercise date arising during the offer period unless, on the first day of any purchase period, the fair market value of common stock is lower than the fair market value of common stock on the first day of the offer period. If so, the participant’s participation in the original offer period will be terminated, and the participant will automatically be enrolled in the new offer period effective the same date.

The ESPP is administered by the Board of Directors or a committee designated by the Board, which will have the authority to terminate or amend the plan, subject to specified restrictions, and otherwise to administer and resolve all questions relating to the administration of the plan.

e. Dividend policy:

The Company has never declared or paid any cash dividends on its capital stock and does not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

NOTE 8:10: DERIVATIVES AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

The fair value of the Company’s outstanding derivative instruments is as follows:

 

 

Year ended December 31,

 
  As at
December 31,
  

2022

  

2023

 
  2016   2017 

Derivative assets:

    

Derivative assets:

    

Derivatives designated as cash flow hedging instruments:

     

Foreign exchange forward contracts

  $6   $—    $13  $988 
  

 

   

 

 

Total

  $6   $—    $13  $988 
  

 

   

 

  

Derivative liabilities:

    

Derivatives designated as cash flow hedging instruments:

 

Foreign exchange option contracts

 $23  $ 

Foreign exchange forward contracts

 $96  $ 

Total

 $119  $ 

F-39

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

The Company recorded the fair value of derivative assets in “prepaid expenses and other accounts receivable”current assets” and the fair value of derivative liabilities in “accrued expenses and other payables” on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

The increasechanges in unrealized gains (losses) recognized in “accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)” on derivatives, before tax effect, is as follows:

 

  Year ended December 31,  

Year ended December 31,

 
  2015   2016   2017  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Derivatives designated as cash flow hedging instruments:

       

Foreign exchange option contracts

  $83   $67   $90  $  $(361) $(265)

Foreign exchange forward contracts

   94    91    93   228   (1,100)  281 
  

 

   

 

   

 

  $228  $(1,461) $16 
  $177   $158   $183 
  

 

   

 

   

 

 

The net gains(gains) losses reclassified from “accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)” into income, are as follows:

 

  Year ended December 31,  

Year ended December 31,

 
  2015   2016   2017  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Derivatives designated as cash flow hedging instruments:

       

Foreign exchange option contracts

  $(31  $(67  $(90 $  $338  $288 

Foreign exchange forward contracts

   (73   (94   (99  (165)  954   790 
  

 

   

 

   

 

  $(165) $1,292  $1,078 
  $(104  $(161  $(189
  

 

   

 

   

 

 

The Company recorded in cost of revenues and operating expenses, a net gain of $104, $161$165, a net loss of $1,292 and 189a net loss of $1,078 during the years ended December 31, 2015, 20162021, 2022 and 2017,2023, respectively, related to its Hedging Contracts.

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

NOTE 9:11: ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

The following table summarizes the changes in accumulated balances of other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes:

 

 

Year ended December 31, 2022

  

Year ended December 31, 2023

 
  Year ended December 31, 2016 Year ended December 31, 2017  

Unrealized

gains (losses) on available-for-

sale marketable securities

  

Unrealized

gains (losses)

on cash flow

hedges

  

Total

  

Unrealized

gains (losses) on available-for-

sale marketable securities

  

Unrealized

gains (losses)

on cash flow

hedges

  

Total

 
  Unrealized
gains (losses)
on  available-
for-sale
marketable
securities
 Unrealized
gains
(losses) on
cash flow
hedges
 Total Unrealized
gains (losses)  on
available-for-

sale marketable
securities
 Unrealized
gains (losses)
on cash flow
hedges
 Total  

Beginning balance

  $(427 $8  $(419 $(502 $5  $(497 $(427) $55  $(372) $(6,142) $(107) $(6,249)

Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications

   (83 140  57  (83 163  80  (5,766) (1,316) (7,082) 2,915  16  2,931 

Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

   8  (143 (135 (1 (168 (169  51   1,154   1,205   (90)  1,079   989 
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)

   (75 (3 (78 (84 (5 (89  (5,715)  (162)  (5,877)  2,825   1,095   3,920 
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

Ending balance

  $(502 $5  $(497 $(586 $0  $(586 $(6,142) $(107) $(6,249) $(3,317) $988  $(2,329)
  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

F-40

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

The following table provides details about reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):

 

Details about Accumulated Other Comprehensive
Income (Loss) Components

  Amount Reclassified
from Accumulated
Other Comprehensive
Income (Loss)
  

Affected Line Item in the Statements of Operations

   Year ended
December 31,
   
   2015  2016  2017   

Unrealized gains on cash flow hedges

  $—    $4  $4  Cost of revenues
   91   132   162  Research and development
   5   12   10  Sales and marketing
   8   13   13  General and administrative
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  
   104   161   189  Total, before income taxes
   11   18   21  Income tax expense
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  
   93   143   168  Total, net of income taxes

Unrealized gains (losses) onavailable-for-sale marketable securities

   (78  (9  —    Financial income, net
   (8  (1  (1 Income tax benefit
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  
   (70  (8  1  Total, net of income taxes
  $23  $135  $169  Total, net of income taxes
  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Details about Accumulated Other

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Components

 

Amount reclassified from accumulated other

comprehensive income (loss)

 

Affected Line Item in the

Statements of Income (Loss)

              
  

Year ended December 31,

  
  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

  

Unrealized gains (losses) on cash flow hedges

 $4  $(20) $(21)

Cost of revenues

   144   (1,135)  (933)

Research and development

   4   (32)  (23)

Sales and marketing

   13   (105)  (101)

General and administrative

   165   (1,292)  (1,078)

Total, before income taxes

   20   (138)  1 

Income tax expense (benefit)

   145   (1,154)  (1,079)

Total, net of income taxes

              

Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale marketable securities

  13   (55)  90 

Financial income, net

      (4)   

Income tax benefit

   13   (51)  90 

Total, net of income taxes

              
  $158  $(1,205) $(989)

Total, net of income taxes

F-41


CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

NOTE 10:12: GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND MAJOR CUSTOMER AND PRODUCTMARKET DATA

a. Summary information about geographic areas:

FASB ASC No. 280, “Segment Reporting,” establishes standards for reporting information about operating segments. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance.

The Company manages its business on a basis of one reportable segment: the licensing of intellectual property to semiconductor companies and electronic equipment manufacturers (see Note 1 for a brief description of the Company’s business). The following is a summary of revenues within geographic areas:

 

  Year ended December 31,  

Year ended December 31,

 
  2015   2016   2017  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Revenues based on customer location:

       

United States

  $9,737   $9,134   $7,188  $17,844  $14,155  $9,551 

Europe, Middle East

   7,064    10,901    11,007  6,876  9,944  12,184 

Asia Pacific (1) (2)

   42,698    52,618    69,312 
  

 

   

 

   

 

 

Asia Pacific (1)

  89,112   96,484   75,684 
  $59,499   $72,653   $87,507  $113,832  $120,583  $97,419 
  

 

   

 

   

 

  

(1) China

  $29,982   $30,030   $41,059  $67,491  $75,682  $57,507 

(2) S. Korea

  $6,173   $15,512   $17,842 

 

  2016   2017  

2022

  

2023

 

Long-lived assets by geographic region:

     

Israel

   4,026    6,196  $9,857  $8,119 

France

   365    383  2,066  2,064 

United States

   240    185  2,066  1,866 

Other

   174    162   1,120   1,661 
  

 

   

 

  $15,109  $13,710 
  $4,805   $6,926 
  

 

   

 

 

b. Major customer data as a percentage of total revenues:

The following table sets forth the customers that represented 10% or more of the Company’s total revenues in each of the periods set forth below:

 

   Year ended
December 31,
 
   2015  2016  2017 

Customer A

   31  27  23

Customer B

   *  19  17
  

Year ended December 31,

 
  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Customer A

  21%  16%  13%

 

*)Less than 10%
F-42


CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

c. Information about Products and Services:use cases for Ceva Technology Portfolio:

The following table sets forth the products and servicesuse cases for Ceva technology portfolio as percentages of the Company’s total revenues in each of the periods set forth below:

 

   Year ended
December 31,
 
   2015  2016  2017 

DSP products (DSP Cores and Platforms)

   82  84  86

Connectivity products (Bluetooth, WiFi and SATA/SAS)

   18  16  14
  

Year ended December 31,

 
  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Connect (baseband for handset and other devices, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NB-IoT)

  77%  78%  82%

Sense & Infer (sensor fusion, audio, sound, imaging, vision and AI)

  23%  22%  18%

F-43

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

NOTE 11: SELECTED STATEMENTS OF13: FINANCIAL INCOME, DATA

Financial income, net:NET

 

   Year ended December 31, 
   2015   2016   2017 

Interest income

  $2,845   $3,300   $4,233 

Loss onavailable-for-sale marketable securities, net

   (78   (9   —   

Amortization of premium onavailable-for-sale marketable securities, net

   (1,111   (1,064   (1,179

Foreign exchange loss, net

   (490   (188   (28

Accretion of Contingent Consideration

   (97   —      —   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  $1,069   $2,039   $3,026 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

  

Year ended December 31,

 
  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 
             

Interest income

 $1,873  $3,190  $4,362 

Gain (loss) on available-for-sale marketable securities, net

  13   (55)  90 

Amortization of premium on available-for-sale marketable securities, net

  (420)  (397)  124 

Foreign exchange gain (loss), net

  (1,269)  74   688 

Total

 $197  $2,812  $5,264 

NOTE 12:14: TAXES ON INCOME

a. U.S. tax reform

On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”). The Tax Act includes significant changes to the U.S. corporate income tax system including:including but not limited to: a federal corporate rate reduction from 35% to 21%; creation of the base erosion anti-abuse tax (“BEAT”), a new minimum tax such asintroduction of the Global Intangible Low Taxed Income (“GILTI”); and provisions; the transition of U.S. international taxation from a worldwide tax system to a modified territorial tax system.system; modifications to the allowance of net business interest expense deductions; modification of net operating loss provisions; changes to 162(m) limitation rules and bonus depreciation provisions. The change to a modified territorial tax system resulted in aone-time U.S. tax liability on those earnings which have not previously been repatriated to the U.S. (the “Transition Tax”), with future dividend distributions not subject to U.S. federal income tax when repatriated. A majority of the provisions in the Tax Act arebecame effective January 1, 2018.

In response to the Tax Act, the SEC staff issued guidance on accounting for the tax effects of the Tax Act. The guidance provides aone-year measurement period for companies to complete the accounting. The Company reflected the income tax effects of those aspects of the Tax Act for which the accounting is complete. To the extent the Company’s accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Act is incomplete but the Company is able to determine a reasonable estimate, the Company recorded a provisional estimate in the financial statements. If a company cannot determine a provisional estimate to be included in the financial statements, it should continue to apply the provisions of the tax laws that were in effect immediately before the enactment of the Tax Act.

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

In connection with its initial analysis of the impact of the Tax Act, the Company had an estimated $5,635$16,053 of Transition Tax inclusion reported on the tax return filed for the year ended December 31, 2017. After the utilization of existing tax net operating loss carryforwards, the Company doesdid not expect to pay additional U.S. federal cash taxes.

The Tax Act added a new code section 951A, which requires a U.S. shareholder of a Controlled Foreign Corporation (“CFC”) to include in current taxable income, its GILTI in a manner similar to Subpart F income. The statutory language also allows a deduction for corporate shareholders equal to 50% of the GILTI inclusion, which would be reduced to 37.5% starting in 2026. In general, GILTI imposes a tax on the net income of foreign corporate subsidiaries in excess of a deemed return on their tangible assets.  The Company has not completed its accountingis subject to GILTI for 2018 and future periods.  The Company is electing to account for the income tax effects of certain elementsGILTI as a ‘period cost‘, an income tax expenses in the year the tax is incurred.

For the fiscal year ended 2021, the Company operated at net losses before and after GILTI inclusion and did not pay additional U.S. federal cash taxes. For the fiscal year ended 2022, the Company provisioned to operate at a net loss before the GILTI inclusion and a taxable income position after. However, the Company utilized net operating losses, deductions under Section 250 of the Tax Act. The Tax Act createsU.S. Internal Revenue Code, and foreign tax credits to offset the tax liability, and did not pay additional U.S. federal cash taxes. For the fiscal year ended 2023, GILTI is not expected to cause the company to be in a new requirement that certaintaxable income such as GILTI earned by a controlled foreign corporation (“CFC”) must be included position for the current and future years.

F-44

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in the gross income of the CFC U.S. shareholder. Because of the complexity of the new GILTI tax rules, the Company is continuing to evaluate this provision ofthousands, except share data)

Furthermore, the Tax Act limits the carryover of net operating losses generated after tax years 2017 to 80% of taxable income and whether taxes due on future U.S. inclusions relatedeliminates the ability to GILTI shouldcarryback.  Losses incurred before January 1, 2018 have not changed and are not limited to the 80% of taxable income and will continue to be recorded as a current-period expense when incurred, or factored into the Company’s measurement of its deferred taxes. As a result, thecarried forward 20 years. The Company has not included an estimate of the tax expense or benefit related to GILTI for the period ended December 31, 2017.

The BEAT provisions in the Tax Reform Act eliminates the deduction of certain base-erosion payments made to related foreign corporations, and impose a minimum tax if greater than regular tax. The Company does not expect itfully utilized all pre-2018 net operating losses. Any future net operating losses generated will be carried forward indefinitely and subject to this tax and therefore has not included any tax impacts of BEAT in its consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017.an 80% taxable income limitation.

b.A number of the Company’s operating subsidiaries are taxed at rates lower than U.S. rates.

1. Irish Subsidiaries

The Irish operating subsidiarysubsidiaries qualified for a 12.5% tax rate on its trade. Interest income earned by the Irish subsidiarysubsidiaries is taxed at a rate of 25%. As of December 31, 2017,2023, the open tax years, subject to review by the applicable taxing authorities for the Irish subsidiary,subsidiaries, are 20122019 and subsequent years.

2. Israeli Subsidiary

The Israeli subsidiary enjoys certain tax benefits in Israel, particularly as a result of the “Approved Enterprise” and the “Benefited Enterprise” status of its facilities and programs through 2019, and the “Technological Preferred Enterprise” status of its facilities and programs since 2020.

The Israeli subsidiary has been granted “Approved Enterprise” and “Benefited Enterprise” status under the Israeli Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investments. For such Approved Enterprises and Benefited Enterprises, the Israeli subsidiary elected to apply for alternative tax benefits—the waiver of government grants in return for tax exemptions on undistributed income. Upon distribution of such exempt income, the Israeli subsidiary will be subject to corporate tax at the rate ordinarily applicable to the Approved Enterprise’s or Benefited Enterprise’s income. Such tax exemption on undistributed income applies for a limited period of between two to ten years, depending upon the location of the enterprise. During the remainder of the benefits period (generally until the expiration of ten years), a reduced corporate tax rate not exceeding 24%23% will apply.

The Israeli subsidiary is a foreign investor company, or FIC, as defined by the Investment Law. FICs are entitled to further reductions in the tax rate normally applicable to Approved Enterprises and Benefited Enterprises. Depending on the foreign ownership in each tax year, the tax rate can range between 10% (when foreign ownership exceeds 90%) to 20% (when foreign ownership exceeds 49%). There can be no assurance that the subsidiary will continue to qualify as an FIC in the future or that the benefits described herein will be granted in the future.

The Company’s Israeli subsidiary’stax-exempt profit from Approved Enterprises and Benefited Enterprises is permanently reinvested as the Company’s management has determined that the Company does not currently intend to distribute dividends. Therefore, deferred taxes have not been provided for suchtax-exempt income. The Company intends to continue to reinvest these profits and does not currently foresee a need to distribute dividends out of suchtax-exempt income.

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

Income not eligible for Approved Enterprise benefits or Benefited Enterprise benefits is taxed at a regular rate, which was 24% in 2017, 25% in 2016 and 26.5% in 2015.

In December 2016, the Israeli Parliament approved the Economic Efficiency Law (Legislative Amendments for Applying the Economic Policy for the 2017 and 2018 Budget Years), 2016 which reduces the corporate income tax rate to 24% (instead of 25%) effective on January 1, 2017 and to 23% effective on January 1, 2018.

In December 2016, the Economic Efficiency Law (Legislative Amendments for Applying the Economic Policy for the 2017 and 2018 Budget Years), 2016, which includes the Amendment to the Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investments, 1959 (Amendment 73) (the “Amendment”“Amendment"), was published. The Amendment, among other things, prescribes special tax tracks for technological enterprises, which are subject to rules that were issued by the Minister of Finance during April 2017.

F-45

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

The new tax track under the Amendment, which is applicable to the Company,Israeli subsidiary, is the “Technological Preferred Enterprise”.  A Technological Preferred Enterprise is an enterprise for which total consolidated revenues of its parent company and all subsidiaries are less than 10 billion New Israeli Shekel (“NIS”). A Technological Preferred Enterprise, as defined in the law, which is located in the center of Israel (where our Israeli subsidiary is currently located), will be is subject to tax at a rate of 12% on profits deriving from intellectual property (in development area A—aA, the tax rate is 7.5%), subject to satisfaction of 7.5%).a number of conditions, including compliance with a minimal amount or ratio of annual Research and development expenditure and Research and development employees, as well as having at least 25% of annual income derived from exports. Any dividends distributed to “foreign companies”"foreign companies", as defined in the law, deriving from income from the technological enterprises will be subject to tax at a rate of 4%. if foreign entities hold at least 90% of the Company’s common stock.

As

In light of December 31, 2017 the Company has yetCompany's decision not to elect to applydistribute a dividend in the aforementionedcoming year, no tax track. Accordingly, the above changesexpenses were recognized in the tax rates relating to Technological Preferred Enterprises wereyear.

The balance of accumulated income that has not taken into account in the computation of deferred taxesyet been thawed as of December 31, 2017. The2023 is 118,512 NIS (approximately $32,675)

In addition, due to a lack of intention to distribute a dividend in a subsidiary that has imprisoned profits, the Company expects to apply thedid not recognize as of December 31, 2023 a deferred tax liability against recognition of deferred tax expenses.

Income not eligible for Technological Preferred Enterprise tax track from tax year 2020is taxed at a regular rate, which was 23% in 2021, 2022 and onwards.2023.

The Israeli subsidiary elected to compute taxable income in accordance with Income Tax Regulations (Rules for Accounting for Foreign Investors Companies and Certain Partnerships and Setting their Taxable Income), 1986. Accordingly, the taxable income or loss is calculated in U.S. dollars. Applying these regulations reduces the effect of the foreign exchange rate (of NIS against the U.S. dollar) on the Company’s Israeli taxable income.

As of December 31, 2017,2023, the open tax years, subject to review by the applicable taxing authorities for the Israeli subsidiary, are 20142020 and subsequent years.

3. French SubsidiariesSubsidiary

The French operating subsidiaries qualified for a 33.33% tax rate on its profits.

In 2017, the French government passed a series of tax reforms allowing for the phased reduction in the corporate tax rate. In 2018,As a 28% rate ofresult, in 2021, the French operating subsidiary qualified for a 26.5% corporate income tax will apply for amounts of taxable profit up to €500,000 andrate. From 2022 onward, the standard rate of corporate income tax of 33.33% will apply for amounts of taxable profit above €500,000. In 2019, the standard rate of corporate income tax will be reduced to 31%, with the first €500,000 of taxable profit being still subject to the 28% rate. In 2020, the 28% rate of corporate income tax will become the new standard rate for all taxable profits. In 2021, the standard rate of corporate income tax will be reduced to 26.5%. In 2022, the standard rate of corporate income tax will bewas reduced to 25%.

Since 2021, the Company’s French subsidiary is entitled to a new tax benefit of 10% applied to specific revenues under the French IP Box regime. The French IP Box regime applies to net income derived from the licensing, sublicensing or sale of several IP rights such as patents and copyrighted software, including royalty revenues. This new elective regime requires a direct link between the income benefiting from the preferential treatment and the R&D expenditures incurred and contributing to that income. Qualifying income may be taxed at a favorable 10% CIT rate (plus social surtax, hence 10.3% in total).

F-46

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

As of December 31, 2017,2023, the open tax years subject to review by the applicable taxing authorities for the French subsidiaries,subsidiary are 20152021 and subsequent years.

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

c. Taxes on income comprised of:

 

  Year ended December 31,  

Year ended December 31,

 
  2015   2016   2017  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 

Domestic taxes:

       

Current

  $115   $6   $(227 $5  $949  $(1,229)

Deferred

   —      —      —    (5) (4,425) 4,429 

Foreign taxes:

       

Current

   2,212    3,932    3,473  11,772  6,647  7,668 

Deferred

   (1,213   (613   (1,375  (4,949)  14,904   (636)
  

 

   

 

   

 

  $6,823  $18,075  $10,232 
  $1,114   $3,325   $1,871  
  

 

   

 

   

 

 

Income (loss) before taxes on income:

       

Domestic

  $(3,360  $(3,488  $(5,946 $(11,351) $(12,741) $(14,136)

Foreign

   10,741    19,913    24,845   20,571   16,938   5,931 
  

 

   

 

   

 

  $9,220  $4,197  $(8,205)
  $7,381   $16,425   $18,899 
  

 

   

 

   

 

 

d. Reconciliation between the Company’sCompanys effective tax rate and the U.S. statutory rate:

 

 

Year ended December 31,

 
  Year ended December 31,  

2021

  

2022

  

2023

 
  2015   2016   2017 

Income before taxes on income

  $7,381   $16,425   $18,899 
  

 

   

 

   

 

 

Income (loss) before taxes on income

 $9,220  $4,197  $(8,205)

Theoretical tax at U.S. statutory rate

   2,510    5,585    6,426  1,936  881  (1,723)

Foreign income taxes at rates other than U.S. rate

   (958   (1,831   (2,304 450  (4,644) (3,313)

Approved and benefited enterprises benefits (*)

   (1,653   (2,767   (2,698

Technological Preferred Enterprise benefits (*)

 836     

Subpart F

   434    538    737  192  301  795 

Non-deductible items

   349    682    294  340  121  195 

Non-taxable items

   (481   (505   (529 (483) (452) (527)

Changes in uncertain tax position

   —      505    (1,757

Taxes for prior years

   (2,257) (371)

Stock-based compensation expense

   —      —      (1,503 (1,193) 267  1,131 

Deemed mandatory repatriation

   —      —      1,916 

Impacts of GILTI

   6,736  1,877 

Tax adjustment in respect of difference tax rate of foreign subsidiary

 108  (8,147)  

Foreign withholding taxes

 648  1,390   

Changes in valuation allowance

   839    1,212    2,076  3,364  22,631  13,034 

Other, net

   74    (94   (787  625   1,248   (866)
  

 

   

 

   

 

 

Taxes on income

  $1,114   $3,325   $1,871  $6,823  $18,075  $10,232 
  

 

   

 

   

 

  

(*) Basic and diluted earnings per share amounts of the benefit resulting from the “Approved Enterprise” and “Benefited Enterprise” status

  $0.08   $0.13   $0.12 
  

 

   

 

   

 

 

(*) Basic and diluted earnings per share amounts of the benefit resulting from:

 

the “Technological Preferred Enterprise benefits” status

 $0.04  $  $ 

F-47


CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

e. Deferred taxes on income:

Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets are as follows:

 

  As at December 31,  

As at December 31,

 
  2016   2017  

2022

  

2023

 

Deferred tax assets

            

Operating loss carryforward

  $9,638   $13,069  $11,507  $18,446 

Accrued expenses and deferred revenues

   1,128    1,057  2,605  2,239 

Temporary differences related to R&D expenses

   1,435    2,118  14,205  11,562 

Equity-based compensation

   2,685    1,956  5,623  7,022 

Operating leases

 1,626  1,326 

Intangible assets

 980  253 

Tax credit carry forward

   1,237    1,866  17,097  18,609 

Other

   562    476   1,255   1,298 
  

 

   

 

 

Total gross deferred tax assets

   16,685    20,542  54,898  60,755 

Valuation allowance

   (13,780   (16,590  (44,772)  (57,806)
  

 

   

 

 

Net deferred tax assets

  $2,905   $3,952  $10,126  $2,949 
  

 

   

 

      

Deferred tax liabilities

            

Intangible assets

  $621   $275 

Other

   32    34 
  

 

   

 

 

Operating leases

 $1,642  $1,340 

Total deferred tax liabilities

  $653   $309  $1,642  $1,340 
  

 

   

 

      

Net deferred tax assets (*)

  $2,252   $3,643  $8,484  $1,609 
  

 

   

 

 

 

(*)

Net

$4,429 and $0 net deferred taxes for the years ended December 31, 20162022 and 20172023, respectively, are all from foreigndomestic jurisdictions.

Changes in valuation allowances on deferred tax assets result from management’smanagement's assessment of the Company’sCompany's ability to utilize certain future tax deductions, operating losses and tax credit carryforwards prior to expiration. Valuation allowances were recorded to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount that will, more likely than not, be realized in the future. The net change in

During the valuation allowance primarily reflects an increase inyears ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, the Company concluded that, based on its evaluation of available evidence, it was no longer more likely than not that certain deferred tax assets on operating loss carryforward.

The Company is currently analyzing the potential tax liability attributable to any additional repatriation of foreign earnings, butwere recoverable. As a result, the Company has yetrecorded a valuation allowance of $15,573 and $4,429 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively, against its deferred tax assets.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s undistributed earnings from non-U.S. subsidiaries are intended to determine whether it plans to change its prior assertion that such earnings arebe indefinitely reinvested in non-U.S. operations, and repatriate any additional earnings. Accordingly, the Company has not recorded anytherefore no U.S. deferred taxes attributable to other investments in its foreign subsidiaries. The Company will record the tax effectsliabilities have been recorded.

F-48

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

f. Uncertain tax positionspositions:

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits based on the provisions of FASB ASC No. 740 is as follows:

 

  Year ended
December 31,
  

Year ended December 31,

 
  2016   2017  

2022

  

2023

 

Beginning of year

  $3,076   $3,784  $1,610  $1,633 

Additions for current year tax positions

   232    1,188  50   

Additions for prior year’s tax positions

   476    255 

Decrease as a result of the completion of a tax audit for prior years

   —      (3,003
  

 

   

 

 

Reductions for prior year’s tax positions

 (27)  

Settlement due to a tax audit for prior years

     (1,171)

Balance at December 31

  $3,784   $2,224  $1,633  $462 
  

 

   

 

 

As of December 31, 20162022 and 2017,2023, there were $3,784$1,633 and $2,224,$462, respectively, of unrecognized tax benefits that if recognized would affect the annual effective tax rate. As of December 31, 2016 and 2017, theThe Company had accrued interest relatedin the amount of $17 relating to unrecognized tax benefits of $130 and $0, respectively.in its provision for income taxes during the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company did not accrue penalties relating to unrecognized tax benefits in its provision for income taxes during the years ended December 31, 20162022 and 2017.2023 because such penalties did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recorded a tax benefit of $1,805 as a result of the completion of a tax audit for prior years in a certain foreign tax jurisdiction. This amount included a release of $130 in accrued interest related to unrecognized tax benefits. The reduction in the unrecognized tax benefits balance for prior years as a result of the completion of the tax audit for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $3,003.

The Company believes that an adequate provision has been made for any adjustments that may result from tax examinations. However, the outcome of tax audits cannot be predicted with certainty. If any issues addressed in the Company’sCompany's tax audits are resolved in a manner not consistent with management’smanagement's expectations, the Company could be required to adjust its provision for income taxes in the period such resolution occurs. The Company does not expect uncertain tax positions to change significantly over the next 12 months, except in the case of settlements with tax authorities, the likelihood and timing of which are difficult to estimate.

g. Tax loss carryforwards:

As of December 31, 2017, CEVA2023, Ceva and its subsidiaries had net operating loss carryforwards for federal income tax purposes of approximately $12,541,$3,132, which are available to offset future federal taxable income. Such loss carryforwards begin to expire in 2030.

income indefinitely. As of December 31, 2017, CEVA2023, Ceva and its subsidiaries had net operating loss carryforwards for Californiavarious state income tax purposes of approximately $8,279,$3,415 which are available to offset future California taxable income. Such loss carryforwards begin to expire in 2030.have an indefinite life.

As of December 31, 2017, CEVA’s2023, Ceva’s Irish subsidiary had foreign operating losses of approximately $61,608, which are available to offset future taxable income indefinitely. As of December 31, 2017, CEVA’s French subsidiaries had foreign operating losses of approximately $6,807,$48,926, which are available to offset future taxable income indefinitely.

CEVA, INC.

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

(in thousands, except share data)As of December 31, 2023, Ceva’s Israeli subsidiary had foreign operating losses of approximately $32,872, which are available to offset future taxable income indefinitely.

 

h.Tax returns:

CEVA

Ceva files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state and local jurisdictions. With few exceptions, CEVACeva is no longer subject to U.S. federal income tax examinations by tax authorities, and state and local income tax examinations, for the years prior to 2010.2012.

NOTE 15: RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

On February 16, 2021, the Board unanimously approved the appointment of Jaclyn Liu as an independent member of the Board with the appointment effective as of February 16, 2021. Ms. Liu is a partner of Morrison & Foerster LLP, outside legal counsel to the Company. Fees attributed to Morrison & Foerster LLP during the year ended December 31, 2023, were $1,271. The accounts payable balance with Morrison & Foerster LLP at December 31, 2023 was $1.

F-49

CEVA, INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)
(in thousands, except share data)

NOTE 13:16: COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

a. The Company is not a party to any litigation or other legal proceedings that the Company believes could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

b. As of December 31, 2017,2023, the Company and its subsidiaries had severalnon-cancelable operating leases, primarily for facilities and equipment. These leases generally contain renewal options and require the Company and its subsidiaries to pay all executory costs such as maintenance and insurance. In addition, the Company has several fixed service agreements withsub-contractors.

Rent expenses for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, were $1,094, $1,259 and $1,417, respectively.

As of December 31, 2017,2023, future purchase obligations and minimum rental commitments for leasehold properties and operating leases withnon-cancelable terms are as follows:

 

   Minimum
rental

commitments
for leasehold
properties
   Commitments
for other
lease
obligations
   Other
purchase

obligations
   Total 

2018

  $1,226   $3,168   $2,237   $6,631 

2019

   436    1,323    —      1,759 

2020

   372    —      —      372 

2021

   40    —      —      40 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  $2,074   $4,491   $2,237   $8,802 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

  

Minimum rental
commitments for leasehold

properties

  

Commitments for

other lease

obligations

  

Other purchase
obligations

  

Total

 
                 

2024

 $593  $3,297  $1,230  $5,120 

2025

  429   3,184      3,613 

2026

  150         150 

2027 and thereafter

  117         117 

Total

 $1,289  $6,481  $1,230  $9,000 

c. Royalties:

The Company participated in programs sponsored by the Israeli government for the support of research and development activities. Through December 31, 2017,2023, the Company had obtained grants from the IIA for certain of the Company’s research and development projects. The Company is obligated to pay royalties to the IIA, amounting to3%-3.5% of the sales of the products and other related revenues (based on the dollar) generated from such projects, up to 100% of the grants received. Royalty payment obligations also bear interest at the LIBOR rate. The obligation to pay these royalties is contingent on actual sales of the products and in the absence of such sales, no payment is required.

Royalty expenses relating to the IIA grants included in cost of revenues for the years ended December 31, 2015, 20162021, 2022 and 20172023 amounted to $482, $539$1,175, $1,221 and $1,016,$1,010, respectively. As of December 31, 2017,2023, the aggregate contingent liability to the IIA (including interest) amounted to $22,254.

EXHIBIT INDEX$28,826.

 

Exhibit

NOTE 17: SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Number

Description

3.1(1)Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant
3.2(2)Certificate of Ownership and Merger (merging CEVA, Inc. into ParthusCeva, Inc.)
3.3(3)Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant
3.4(4)Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant
4.1(5)Specimen of Common Stock Certificate
10.1†(6)CEVA, Inc. 2000 Stock Incentive Plan
10.2(6)†CEVA, Inc. 2002 Stock Incentive Plan
10.3†(13)CEVA, Inc. 2003 Director Stock Option Plan
10.4†(6)Parthus 2000 Share Option Plan
10.5†*CEVA, Inc. 2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (filed with this Annual Report on Form 10-K)
10.6(1)Form of Indemnification Agreement
10.7†(7)Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Gideon Wertheizer dated as of November 1, 2002
10.8†(7)Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Issachar Ohana dated as of November 1, 2002
10.9†(8)Personal and Special Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Yaniv Arieli dated as of August 18, 2005
10.10†(9)Form of Nonstatutory Stock Option Agreement under the CEVA, Inc. 2002 Stock Incentive Plan
10.11†(9)Form of Israeli Stock Option Agreement under the CEVA, Inc. 2002 Stock Incentive Plan
10.12†(9)Form of Nonstatutory Stock Option Agreement under the CEVA, Inc. 2000 Stock Incentive Plan
10.13†(9)Form of Israeli Stock Option Agreement under the CEVA, Inc. 2000 Stock Incentive Plan
10.14†(9)Form of Nonstatutory Stock Option Agreement under the CEVA, Inc. 2003 Director Stock Option Plan
10.15†(10)Form of Nonstatutory Stock Option Agreement for Directors under the CEVA, Inc. 2000 Stock Incentive Plan
10.16†(10)Yaniv Arieli’s Amended and Restated Nonstatutory Stock Option Agreement under the CEVA, Inc. 2002 Stock Incentive Plan, dated as of August 3, 2007
10.17†(11)Amendment, dated July 22, 2003, to the Employment Agreement by and between Issachar Ohana and CEVA, Inc., dated November  1, 2002
10.18†(12)Amendment, effective as of November  1, 2007, to the Employment Agreement by and between Issachar Ohana and CEVA, Inc., dated November 1, 2002 and as amended on July 22, 2003
10.19†*CEVA, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan (filed with this Annual Report on Form 10-K)
10.20†(14)2017 Executive Bonus Plan for Gideon Wertheizer and Yaniv Arieli, effective as of January 1, 2017 (portions of the description of the 2018 Executive Bonus Plan are redacted).
10.21†(14)2017 Incentive Plan for Issachar Ohana, EVP Worldwide Sales, effective as of January 1, 2017 (portions of this exhibit is redacted).
10.22†(15)Form of Stock Appreciation Right Agreement under the CEVA, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan


Exhibit

Number

Description

10.23†(15)Form of Israeli Stock Appreciation Right Agreement under the CEVA, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan
10.24†(15)Form of Israeli Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for employees under the CEVA, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan
10.25†(15)Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for employees under the CEVA, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan
10.26†(15)Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for non-employee directors under the CEVA, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan
10.27†(15)Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement for Israeli non-employee directors under the CEVA, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan
10.28†(15)Israeli Sub-plan under the CEVA, Inc. 2011 Stock Incentive Plan
10.29†(16)2018 Incentive Plan for Issachar Ohana, EVP Worldwide Sales, effective as of January 1, 2018 (portions of this exhibit is redacted).
10.30†(16)2018 Executive Bonus Plan for Gideon Wertheizer and Yaniv Arieli, effective as of January 1, 2018 (portions of the description of the 2018 Executive Bonus Plan are redacted).
Ex21.1*Subsidiaries of the Registrant
23.1*Consent of Kost Forer Gabbay & Kasierer, a member of Ernst & Young Global
24.1*Power of Attorney (See signature page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K)
31.1*Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Executive Officer
31.2*Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Financial Officer
32*Section 1350 Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
101.INSXBRL Instance Document
101.SCHXBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CALXBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEFXBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LABXBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document
101.PREXBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 

(1)Filed as an exhibit to CEVA’s registration statement on Form 10, as amended, initially filed with the Commission on June 3, 2002 (registration number 000-49842), and incorporated herein by reference.
(2)Filed as an exhibit to CEVA’s Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on December 8, 2003, and incorporated hereby by reference.
(3)Filed as an exhibit to CEVA’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on December 12, 2016, and incorporated hereby by reference.
(4)Filed as an exhibit to CEVA’s Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on July 22, 2005, and incorporated hereby by reference.
(5)Filed as an exhibit to CEVA’s registration statement on Form S-1, as amended, initially filed with the Commission on July 30, 2002 (registration number 333-97353), and incorporated herein by reference.
(6)Filed as an exhibit to CEVA’s 2007 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Commission on March 14, 2008, and incorporated hereby by reference.
(7)Filed as an exhibit to CEVA’s 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Commission on March 28, 2003, and incorporated hereby by reference.

In January 2024, the Company acquired 100% of the equity shares of a privately held, Greek-based company, to extend the research and development resources in the Ceva group. Under the terms of the purchase agreement, the Company agreed to pay an aggregate of approximately $1,600 to acquire the Greek company with $750 paid at closing and the remainder of the consideration to be paid in two equal installments over a period of two years upon the satisfaction of certain conditions. As part of the purchase agreement, the Company also agreed to pay an earn-out amount of up to a maximum of $1,250 starting from 2026. The final purchase price allocation for the acquisition has not been determined as of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

F-50

(8)Filed as an exhibit to CEVA’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the Commission on November 9, 2005, and incorporated hereby by reference.
(9)Filed as an exhibit to CEVA’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the Commission on August 9, 2006, and incorporated hereby by reference.
(10)Filed as an exhibit of the same number to CEVA’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 9, 2007, and incorporated hereby by reference.
(11)Filed as Exhibit 10.27 to CEVA’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 9, 2007, and incorporated hereby by reference.
(12)Filed as Exhibit 99.1 to CEVA’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 7, 2007, and incorporated hereby by reference.
(13)Filed as Exhibit 10.8 to CEVA’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 15, 2012, and incorporated hereby by reference..
(14)Filed as an exhibit to CEVA’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 3, 2017, and incorporated hereby by reference..
(15)Filed as an exhibit to CEVA’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 11, 2016, and incorporated hereby by reference.
(16)Filed as an exhibit to CEVA’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 2, 2018, and incorporated hereby by reference.
Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed as an exhibit pursuant to Item 15(c) of Form 10-K.
*Filed herewith.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Annual Report on Form10-K to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

CEVA, INC.
By: 

/S/ Gideon WertheizerCeva, Inc.

 

By:

Gideon Wertheizer

/S/ Amir Panush

 

Amir Panush

Chief Executive Officer

March 1, 20187, 2024

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Gideon WertheizerAmir Panush and Yaniv Arieli or either of them, his true and lawfulattorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution andre-substitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments to this Annual Report onForm 10-K,10‑K, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the SEC, granting unto saidattorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that saidattorneys-in-fact and agents, or either of them, or their or his substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report on Form10-K has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature

Title

TitleDate

Date

/S/ GIDEON WERTHEIZER

Gideon WertheizerAMIR PANUSH

Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal

March 7, 2024

Amir PanushExecutive Officer & Director)Officer)
 March 1, 2018

/S/ YANIV ARIELI

Yaniv Arieli

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer (Principal

March 7, 2024

Yaniv ArieliFinancial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) March 1, 2018

/S/ PETER MCMANAMON

Peter McManamon

Director and Chairman

March 1, 20187, 2024

Peter McManamon

/S/ ELIYAHU AYALONBERNADETTE ANDRIETTI

Eliyahu AyalonDirector

March 7, 2024

Bernadette Andrietti Director
 March 1, 2018

/S/ ZVI LIMONJACLYN LIU

Zvi LimonDirector

March 7, 2024

Jaclyn Liu Director
 March 1, 2018

/S/ BRUCE MANN

Bruce Mann

DirectorMarch 1, 2018

/S/ MARIA MARCED

Director

March 7, 2024

Maria Marced

 Director
 March 1, 2018

/S/ SVEN-CHRISTER-NILSSON

Director

March 7, 2024

Sven-Christer Nilsson

 Director
 March 1, 2018

/S/ LOUIS SILVER

Director

March 7, 2024

Louis Silver

 Director
 

/S/ GIDEON WERTHEIZER

Director

March 1, 20187, 2024

Gideon Wertheizer

 


CEVA, INC.

SCHEDULE II — VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS

   Balance at
beginning of
period
   Additions   Deduction   Balance at
end of period
 

Year ended December 31, 2017

        

Allowance for doubtful accounts

  $—     $—     $—     $—   

Year ended December 31, 2016

        

Allowance for doubtful accounts

  $25   $—     $25   $—   

Year ended December 31, 2015

        

Allowance for doubtful accounts

  $25   $—     $—     $25