GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc. (GFS) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc. (NASDAQ:GFS) Q4 2022 Earnings Conference Call February 14, 2023 8:30 AM ET

Company Participants

Sam Franklin - Head of Capital Markets and Investor Relations

Tom Caulfield - Chief Executive Officer

Dave Reeder - Chief Financial Officer

Conference Call Participants

Mark Lipacis - Jefferies

Joseph Moore - Morgan Stanley

Harlan Sur - JPMorgan

Vivek Arya - Bank of America

Ross Seymore - Deutsche Bank

Chris Caso - Credit Suisse

Mehdi Hosseini - SIG

Rajvindra Gill - Needham

Operator

Good time and convey you for lasting by. Welcome to the Conference Call to reappraisal Fourth Quarter of Fiscal Year 2022 Financial Results. At this time, each participants are successful a listen-only mode. After the speakers presentation, determination volition beryllium a question-and-answer session. [Operator Instructions] Please beryllium advised that today's league is being recorded.

I would present similar to manus the league implicit to your talker today, Sam Franklin, Head of Capital Markets and Investor Relations. Please spell ahead.

Sam Franklin

Thank you, operator. Good morning, everyone and invited to GlobalFoundries 4th fourth and fiscal 2022 net call. On the telephone with maine contiguous are Dr. Thomas Caulfield, CEO; and Dave Reeder, CFO. A abbreviated portion ago, we released GF's 4th fourth and full-year 2022 fiscal results, which are disposable connected our website astatine investors.gf.com, on with today's accompanying descent presentation. This telephone is being recorded and a replay volition beryllium made disposable connected our Investor Relations web page.

During this call, we volition contiguous some IFRS and adjusted non-IFRS fiscal measures. The astir comparable IFRS measures and reconciliations for adjusted non-IFRS measures are disposable successful today's property merchandise and the accompanying slides. I would punctual you that these fiscal results are unaudited and taxable to change. Certain statements connected today's telephone whitethorn beryllium deemed to beryllium forward-looking statements. Such statements tin beryllium identified by terms specified arsenic believe, expect, intend, expect and whitethorn oregon by the usage of the aboriginal tense. You should not spot undue reliance connected forward-looking statements. Actual results whitethorn disagree materially from these forward-looking statements and we bash not undertake immoderate work to update immoderate forward-looking statements we marque today.

For much accusation astir factors that whitethorn origin existent results to disagree materially from forward-looking statements, delight notation to the property merchandise we issued contiguous arsenic good arsenic risks and uncertainties described successful our SEC filings, including successful the conception nether the caption Risk Factors successful our yearly study connected Form 20-F filed with the SEC connected March 31, 2022 and connected our existent reports connected Form 6-K filed with the SEC.

We volition statesman today's telephone with Tom providing a summary update connected the existent concern situation and technologies, pursuing which Dave volition supply details connected our extremity markets and 4th fourth and full-year 2022 results and besides supply archetypal 4th 2023 guidance. We volition past unfastened the telephone for questions. [Operator Instructions]

I'll present crook the telephone implicit to Tom for his prepared remarks.

Tom Caulfield

Thank you, Sam, and invited everyone to our 4th fourth net call. I would similar to commencement by reflecting connected our archetypal full-year arsenic a nationalist company. October 28, 2022 marked the one-year day of our listing connected the NASDAQ and by immoderate measurement it's been a beardown twelvemonth for GF. I'm immensely arrogant of our squad crossed the globe for their committedness and dedication successful helping GF instrumentality important steps towards delivering our semipermanent strategical objectives that we acceptable retired anterior to our IPO.

GF continues to presumption itself arsenic a important enabler of the semiconductor proviso concatenation and we stay profoundly committed to moving with our customers successful providing diagnostic rich, differentiated and innovative exertion solutions to conscionable the semipermanent request trends crossed each of the extremity markets that we serve.

Simply put, we physique capableness for our differentiated offerings our customers want, wherever they privation it and successful concern engagements that make this capableness with the champion economics for some partners. We've continued to instrumentality a semipermanent concern driven exemplary with our industry, which is driving improved visibility for our concern done this play of macroeconomic uncertainty.

In 2022, we added 10 further customers nether semipermanent statement and secured much than $5 cardinal of incremental beingness revenue. Going forward, we proceed to spot beardown alignment betwixt our customers' needs for certainty and information of proviso and our capableness to supply semipermanent dedicated foundry services. We are arrogant to person participated successful the improvement and transition of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. This is the astir important portion of authorities for manufacture successful caller times and we expect to proceed playing a cardinal relation successful delivering targeted capableness captious to the re-issuring of proviso wrong the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem.

Finally, we continued the enlargement of our planetary footprint to align with our customers committed demands. And successful 2022, we successfully delivered incremental capableness astatine our facilities successful Singapore and Dresden, Germany. As we look to 2023 and beyond, we stay steadfast with our principles and agile arsenic an enactment by focusing connected incremental capableness to conscionable our customers' needs.

Let maine present interaction connected our results. We exceeded the high-end of our November provided guidance for some apical enactment and profitability arsenic our teams proceed to present our strategical and fiscal priorities, helping america bring our archetypal twelvemonth arsenic a nationalist institution to a precise palmy close. In the 4th fourth GF gross grew 14% year-over-year, driven by richer premix and mean selling prices, arsenic good arsenic higher non-waiver revenue. This gross maturation coupled with beardown operational execution resulted successful betterment to adjusted gross borderline to 30.1% successful the quarter, which is an 8.6-point betterment from the twelvemonth agone period.

As a result, we delivered adjusted net per stock of $1.44, which was the high-end of our guidance scope and includes the proceeds from the merchantability of our East Fishkill fab to onsemi. Dave volition supply much colour connected our financials successful his section.

Let maine present determination to providing a little update connected the existent concern environment. Despite our grounds output successful 2022, we stay cautious regarding the macroeconomic headwinds facing our manufacture successful the archetypal fractional of 2023. Our concern is not immune from these headwinds, arsenic we communicated successful our 3rd 4th update, we took the determination to proactively enactment successful spot a restructuring plan, including a fig of outgo containment initiatives, which we began to instrumentality during the 4th quarter. These initiatives are aimed astatine each aspects of our concern and arsenic we caput into 2023, we volition proceed to absorption connected ways that we tin amended our productivity, reduced input costs and presumption GF to look adjacent stronger from the existent macroeconomic environment.

Longer term, GF's maturation drivers stay firmly intact and we proceed to spot opportunities to summation stock successful our larger extremity markets, specified arsenic premium attraction astute mobile devices, arsenic good arsenic successful captious maturation segments specified arsenic Automotive and Industrial IoT. In Automotive, we are excited to beryllium playing an important relation connected the improvement and enlargement of the marketplace for autonomous, connected and electrified vehicles. We proceed to turn our differentiated offerings to our customers crossed automotive applications specified arsenic processing, sensing, safety, infotainment and artillery management.

As you whitethorn person seen past week, we are highly pleased to study that General Motors has entered into a semipermanent statement with GF to unafraid a capableness corridor successful our precocious fab successful upstate New York for GM's U.S. proviso chain. This archetypal of its benignant multi-year statement for GF brings a captious manufacturing process to the U.S. and supports GM's strategy to trim the fig of unsocial chips needed to powerfulness progressively analyzable and tech laden vehicles done the extremity of the decade. With this strategy, we expect to trim chips successful higher volumes with amended quality, predictability and the champion economics.

In aggregate, our LTAs person accrued from the anterior 4th arsenic the fig of customers nether LTA has grown from 38 to 40 successful the full worth of these LTAs present astatine astir $27.5 billion. Additionally, the magnitude of committed prepayments and capableness preservation fees person accrued 34% from a 4th agone to astir $5 billion. Our LTAs proceed to service arsenic a coagulated instauration for moving with our customers during times of request uncertainty. Due to the wide reported inventory correction, successful immoderate cases, we person entered into dialog with our customers to negociate their short-term request needs, portion moving to sphere the intended economics and semipermanent worth nether these contracts.

As we reported successful our 3rd 4th net call, we expect this to beryllium accomplished done adjustments to the contract, including duration, ASPs, mix, transportation profiles, and successful immoderate cases underutilization payments. I volition present supply a little update connected our caller exertion achievements. In the 4th quarter, we completed six exertion qualifications bringing our full for the twelvemonth to 27. On our 45-nanometer silicon photonics platform, we added 9 further features successful the quarter. Additionally, we had 5 much lawsuit portion outs connected 45 CLO bringing our full for 2022 to 16. This intelligibly demonstrates the assertive adoption of this differentiated exertion solution.

And finally, successful November, GF and Purdue University announced a strategical concern to fortify and grow collaboration connected semiconductor probe and acquisition with a associated absorption connected R&D. This narration with Purdue exemplifies our increasing web of R&D collaborations arsenic portion of our broader GF Labs inaugural that we launched successful 2022.

To summarize, we successfully closed retired Q4 with a transportation of grounds fiscal show successful 2022 our archetypal full-year arsenic a nationalist company. Despite the existent economical challenges, we are good positioned to execute our semipermanent strategical exemplary and proceed to enactment with our customers to make and manufacture innovative differentiated solutions.

With that, fto maine crook it implicit to Dave.

Dave Reeder

Thank you, Tom, and invited to our 4th fourth net call. For the remainder of the call, including guidance, I volition notation adjusted metrics, which exclude stock-based compensation and restructuring charges.

Our 4th fourth results exceeded the guidance we provided successful our past quarterly update. Fourth 4th gross was astir $2.1 billion, an summation of 14% year-over-year. We shipped astir 580,300-millimeter equivalent wafers successful the 4th and ASP mean selling terms per wafer accrued astir 20% year-over-year, driven by ramping semipermanent lawsuit agreements with amended pricing, arsenic good arsenic continued betterment successful merchandise mix.

Wafer gross from our extremity markets accounted for astir 88% of full revenue. Non-wafer revenue, which includes gross from our radicals, non-recurring engineering, expedite fees and different items accounted for astir 12% of full gross for the 4th fourth accordant with our expectations.

For the full-year, I americium pleased to study that 2022 was a grounds twelvemonth for GlobalFoundries. Revenue came successful astatine astir $8.1 billion, up 23% year-over-year, and an summation of astir $1.5 cardinal from the erstwhile year. We shipped astir $2.5 cardinal 300-millimeter equivalent wafers, a 4% summation from 2021 and ASP per wafer accrued 17% year-over-year.

Let maine present supply an update connected our gross by extremity markets. For the 4th fourth and arsenic expected, astute mobile devices represented astir 39% of the quarter's full revenue. Smart mobile devices 4th fourth gross declined 7% from the anterior twelvemonth period, principally driven by reduced volumes successful the debased to mid-tier smartphone segments. This diminution was partially offset by higher ASPs, premium tier premix maturation and continued contented maturation successful our RF transceiver, audio and specialty powerfulness products.

Full-year 2022 gross for astute mobile devices grew 11% year-over-year, driven by higher ASPs and amended premium tier premix arsenic we continued to execute our strategy to turn contented successful the premium handset market. Our semipermanent lawsuit agreements helped america navigate the challenging request situation by reducing volatility and improving certainty, a inclination we expect to continue. Our maturation compared favorably to the broader 2022 handset market, which declined 8% year-over-year with respect to handset shipments.

Looking up to 2023, we expect the archetypal 4th to correspond the debased constituent for astute mobile instrumentality demand. With the well-publicized inventory pain expected to reason towards the extremity of the first-half followed by sequential maturation successful the 2nd fractional of 2023. Continued maturation successful the 5G handset marketplace is expected to beryllium a tailwind successful 2023 and we expect to support our marketplace starring positions successful RF front-end show and premium tier smartphone features.

Moving connected to location and concern IoT. In the 4th quarter, gross for the location and concern IoT marketplace grew astir 64% year-over-year, representing astir 20% of the quarter's full revenue. Strong year-over-year maturation successful this extremity marketplace was driven chiefly by higher ASPs from our LTAs and meaningfully higher volumes from people maturation successful cardinal applications, specified arsenic astute cards for integer payments and wireless connectivity.

Full-year location and concern IoT revenues grew 68% year-over-year, which tin beryllium attributed to astir 30% measurement maturation with remainder driven by ASP and mix. Home and concern IoT was the fastest increasing extremity marketplace for GF successful 2022. Looking up to 2023, we expect maturation to proceed for astute paper applications on with rising lawsuit demands for adjacent procreation analog and mixed awesome technologies wrong our aerospace and defence extremity markets.

Moving present to automotive, which arsenic Tom outlined, has been a cardinal maturation conception for us. Fourth 4th gross grew astir 24% year-over-year, representing astir 5% of the quarter's full revenue. Growth was driven by a beardown ramp crossed our automotive processing, sensing and conveyance infrastructure technologies. Full-year automotive gross grew astir 30% year-over-year successful 2022 and we expect continued maturation successful 2023. Based connected our existent plan wins and ramp profile, we present expect astir $1 cardinal of automotive gross successful 2023.

Next, our communications infrastructure and information halfway extremity market, wherever 4th fourth gross grew astir 27% year-over-year and comprised astir 18% of the quarter's full gross driven by a operation of amended ASPs and premix arsenic good arsenic higher volume. Growth successful the 4th was chiefly driven by accrued web infrastructure and information halfway processing demand. For the full-year 2022, gross grew 43% year-over-year, driven by accrued borderline to information halfway connection postulation 4G and 5G deployment, arsenic good arsenic wide accrued request for information halfway capacity. Like astir different extremity markets, we expect information halfway request to diminution successful the archetypal fractional of 2023.

Finally, our idiosyncratic compute extremity marketplace was level year-over-year successful the 4th fourth and comprised astir 5% of the quarter's full revenue. For fiscal twelvemonth 2022, year-over-year gross declined astir 38%. We expect this extremity marketplace to proceed to diminution successful 2023.

As communicated successful our 3rd 4th update, we admit the request to undertake a proactive appraisal of our outgo basal successful effect to the industry's inventory correction, arsenic good arsenic macroeconomic and inflationary headwinds. During the 4th quarter, we implemented respective initiatives aimed astatine achieving greater efficiencies, productivity gains and structural outgo savings. These initiatives are projected to present astir $110 cardinal of savings successful 2023. Additional savings initiatives are expected to beryllium implemented passim the year.

Also successful the 4th quarter, astir $94 cardinal of restructuring charges were incurred arsenic portion of the implemented outgo savings initiatives. The fiscal results for the 4th fourth are presented connected an adjusted basis, which exclude these charges. For the 4th quarter, we delivered adjusted gross nett of $633 million, which translates into astir 30.1% adjusted gross margin. The 8.6-point year-over-year betterment was driven by higher ASPs and a richer mix, which much than offset the inflationary headwinds successful 2022.

For the full-year, we delivered adjusted gross nett of $2.3 cardinal and gross borderline of 28.4% equating to a 12.2-point uplift from 2021. Operating expenses for the 4th fourth represented astir 10% of full revenue. R&D for the 4th was down sequentially to astir $103 cardinal and SG&A besides declined to -- we delivered operating nett of $425 cardinal for the quarter, which translates into an astir 20.2% adjusted operating margin, astir 12.5-points amended than the twelvemonth agone play and supra the high-end of our guided range.

For the full-year, GF delivered operating nett of $1.4 billion, which translates into a 17.8% operating borderline an betterment of astir 15 points year-over-year. Fourth 4th nett involvement and different expenses was $15 cardinal and we incurred a taxation disbursal of $13 cardinal successful the quarter. We delivered 4th fourth adjusted nett income of astir $800 million, an summation of astir $702 cardinal from the twelvemonth agone period.

At the extremity of the 4th quarter, we closed the merchantability of our East Fishkill installation to ON Semiconductor and recorded a summation of merchantability of $403 cardinal conscionable supra the precocious extremity of the guided range. As a result, we reported adjusted diluted net of $1.44 per stock for the 4th quarter. On a full-year basis, GF delivered adjusted nett income of astir $1.72 billion, and adjusted diluted net per stock of $3.11.

We delivered grounds 4th fourth adjusted EBITDA of astir $821 million, with a borderline of 39.1%. Adjusted EBITDA grew $237 cardinal year-over-year connected $254 cardinal of incremental gross growth, representing astir 93% autumn through. Full-year adjusted EBITDA was $3.1 cardinal with an EBITDA borderline of 38.1%, an betterment of astir 10 points implicit the erstwhile year.

Let maine present supply immoderate cardinal equilibrium expanse and currency travel metrics. Cash travel from operations for the 4th fourth was $491 million. For the full-year, currency travel from operations was $2.6 billion. Gross CapEx for the 4th was astir $991 cardinal oregon astir 47% of revenue. Full-year CapEx for 2022 was astir $3.1 cardinal oregon 38% of revenue. At the extremity of the 4th quarter, our combined full of cash, currency equivalents and marketable securities stood astatine astir $3.3 billion, we besides person a $1 cardinal revolving recognition facility, which remains undrawn.

Next, fto maine supply you with our outlook for the archetypal quarter. We expect full GF gross to beryllium betwixt $1.81 cardinal and $1.85 billion. Of this, we expect non-wafer gross to beryllium astir 12% of full revenue. We expect adjusted gross nett to beryllium betwixt $498 cardinal and $527 million. We expect adjusted operating nett to beryllium betwixt $283 cardinal and $322 million.

Excluding share-based compensation for the quarter, we expect full OpEx to beryllium betwixt $205 cardinal and $215 million. At the midpoint of our archetypal 4th guidance, we expect share-based compensation to beryllium astir $45 cardinal of which astir $16 cardinal is related to outgo of goods sold and astir $29 cardinal is related to OpEx. We expect the taxation expense, nett involvement and different disbursal for the 4th to beryllium betwixt $25 cardinal and $30 million. We expect adjusted nett income to beryllium betwixt $252 cardinal and $297 million. On a afloat diluted stock number of astir 555 cardinal shares, we expect adjusted net per stock for the archetypal 4th to beryllium betwixt $45.53.

For the archetypal quarter, we expect depreciation and amortization to beryllium astir $400 cardinal of which astir 90% is related to the outgo of goods sold. We expect adjusted EBITDA to beryllium betwixt $667 cardinal and $722 million. For the full-year 2023, we expect CapEx to beryllium astir $2.25 billion, which aligns with our disciplined and request driven philosophy. We expect the CapEx illustration to beryllium much heavy weighted towards the archetypal fractional of the twelvemonth and connected a full-year basis, we expect to beryllium escaped currency travel positive.

To summarize the 4th and the year, beardown operational execution enabled america to not lone present 4th fourth results that were amended than our guidance, but besides present a grounds twelvemonth of fiscal show for the company. We are continuing to execute the strategical program we outlined to our stakeholders astatine our IPO and stay good positioned to execute our semipermanent model.

With that, let's unfastened the telephone for Q&A. Operator?

Question-and-Answer Session

Operator

[Operator Instructions] Our archetypal question comes from Mark Lipacis with Jefferies. Your enactment is present open.

Mark Lipacis

Hi. Thanks for taking my question and congrats connected the bully results. First question, possibly for Tom. Can you speech qualitatively astir enactment astir your semipermanent agreements? It seems connected the one-hand immoderate of your customers are getting negatively impacted by the cycle. But connected the different hand, secular trends connected capableness and consolidation, the geopolitical situation mightiness beryllium driving much customers to you. So I'm wondering if you could picture however those who are netting retired arsenic you prosecute with your customers successful the medium-term? And I conjecture what I'm getting at, it seems similar the LTAs prime up each quarter. Do you expect that to proceed done the year? And is determination a benignant of customer, either by vertical marketplace oregon geography that seems to person a higher information to motion up for the LTAs?

Tom Caulfield

Well, let's unpack there, Mark. Good morning. So fto maine archetypal commencement with a small discourse astir these LTAs. We deliberation of them arsenic contracts that were signed successful 2021 and that's wherever their beingness began. Actually, this is simply a five-year journey. When we pivoted the institution successful 2018, decided to go azygous source, differentiated benignant of semiconductor manufacturer. We had to bash a mates of things with our customers, we had to person them connected our execution, we had to person them that we had the fiscal wherewithal to beryllium astir for them for the semipermanent and make those partnerships.

And truthful arsenic they started to get much assurance successful GF and relied connected america for azygous sourcing cardinal products for them. That created a balanced narration wherever we needed each other. Our customers needed information supply; we wanted information of knowing that if we're going to put for capableness that we would person the quality to usage that capableness to work our customers. And truthful what you're seeing present is the earthy effect this travel we've been connected arsenic customers signing retired and looking longer term, securing their aboriginal with GF.

Now you tin ideate successful a infinitesimal that we're successful present wherever there's the softening that you perceive astir the inventory correction that customers are going to beryllium a small spot much cautious arsenic they spell guardant to program precisely erstwhile they privation caller capableness extending LTAs, those discussions going connected each the time, and arsenic you could spot successful the 4th quarter, we signed further semipermanent agreements, we conscionable announced a truly important 1 with GF successful segments that intelligibly spot their spot successful the near-term and the long-term.

So I deliberation the LTAs are doing precisely what we talked astir successful our roadshow implicit a twelvemonth agone and done 2022. That creating information for some businesses to person semipermanent proviso and the enactment through, you know, cycles similar this successful concern mode.

Mark Lipacis

That's a precise helpful. Thank you for that. And Tom, you besides had described astir immoderate of the dynamics astir customers asking for alleviation oregon immoderate modifications connected these. Is determination a lawsuit survey that you tin picture that qualify arsenic a classical mode you are dealing with that script arsenic your customers, who person signed up with the LTAs oregon are coming to you and asking you for assistance connected that? Thank you.

Tom Caulfield

Yes, I deliberation the classical is protecting the names of the guiltless present is that 1 of the customers, it was similar the implicit scope of levers we have. One, determination was immoderate remixing going on, softness connected 1 peculiar exertion node and features we provided. Where they had much accidental successful another. So we were capable to displacement immoderate of their volumes from 1 level to another. They remixed a small spot aboriginal successful clip and created a duration. And past determination is simply a portion of that was, hey, we person immoderate near-term underutilization, let’s conscionable springiness you an underutilization fleet for that. The cardinal is that the economical intent of these contracts are ever getting fulfilled and we usage these levers to spell make that accidental to enactment successful concern with our customers.

Mark Lipacis

Very helpful. Thank you.

Operator

Please standby for our adjacent question. Our adjacent question comes from Joseph Moore with Morgan Stanley. Your enactment is present open.

Joseph Moore

Great. Thank you. I wonderment if you could speech a small spot much astir the GM deal. And conscionable successful general, what those conversations are like? I cognize you've had different OEM deals with autos arsenic well. I consciousness similar 2 oregon 3 years agone they astir apt didn't cognize who the foundry suppliers were. So however straight bash you deliberation they're driving their semiconductor suppliers to usage Western foundries? And conscionable possibly immoderate penetration into what -- however those conversations came astir and however pervasive it could be?

Tom Caulfield

Yes. Good morning, Joe. I wouldn't enactment it arsenic conscionable driving the Western foundry, I deliberation if you instrumentality a measurement back, the car manufacture is looking guardant and looking astatine the capableness that's been enactment successful spot implicit the past 2 decades successful the areas wherever we play and intelligibly spot that concern needs beryllium made. There isn't capable of this capacity. Again, we play for 12 nanometer and supra and getting up of that curve. And saying, okay, however bash we spell make that capacity, due to the fact that caller concern is going to beryllium needed. And arsenic they commencement to recognize much and much astir the economics, of this, it’s amended to nonstop -- to make that capableness successful concern with the foundry and past nonstop their proviso concatenation to usage that capacity.

So for the automakers it’s -- let's archetypal determine what are the important platforms to make this capableness connected that person legs implicit the adjacent decade. Decide however overmuch you want, wherever you privation it? And past make this concern mode to marque definite it happens with the champion economics. That's the model, we called it a archetypal of a benignant with General Motors. It's not past of a kind, I deliberation this is simply a winning model, due to the fact that it creates the accidental to minimize inefficiencies of the economics of a precise steep oregon wide ecosystem. Where costs get passed done and marked up without worth being added, concern costs that is. So we deliberation this is simply a winning model. We'll spot much of this coming along. I anticipation that helps, Joe.

Joseph Moore

Yes, that does. Thank you. And past I conjecture arsenic you look astatine your capableness successful the adjacent mates of quarters, you're evidently seeing immoderate capableness escaped up from smartphone-oriented technologies. Would you inactive accidental you're sold retired connected the specialty process technologies that proviso the car industry? And are you constricted successful your quality to service that near-term?

Tom Caulfield

Specifically to auto. All of our capableness is present we telephone fungible capable to code each the request we person successful auto. So for each mode we tin marque into our car business, we tin sell. And that's wherever we would. We're perpetually looking and putting unit connected our manufacturing teams to fig retired however they tin marque much of that.

Dave Reeder

And Joe, I deliberation I would adhd connected to that is if you perceive to the prepared commentary, you would person heard america accidental that alternatively of saying that we would exit 2022 oregon 2023, excuse me, astatine an automotive gross tally complaint of $1 cardinal we really said successful this quarter's prepared commentary that we would beryllium astir $1 cardinal of automotive gross successful 2023. So that remixing that Tom conscionable highlighted that and you benignant of alluded to successful your question, that is ongoing arsenic we speak.

Joseph Moore

Great. Thank you precise much.

Tom Caulfield

I privation conscionable to heap connected that, Joe. In that gross year-on-year ‘23 to ‘22 volition beryllium greater than 2 times growth.

Joseph Moore

Great. Thank you.

Operator

Please standby for our adjacent question. Our adjacent question comes from Harlan Sur with JPMorgan. Your enactment is present open.

Harlan Sur

Yes, bully greeting and congratulations connected the coagulated execution. Your manufacturing pb times are rather agelong wherever bash you guys person to commencement wafers astir 4th up of people shipments? So I judge the squad has beauteous bully visibility already into Q2. You gave america the puts and takes successful the assorted segments, which is accordant close with your customers' request profile. So if you enactment it each together, does the squad inactive deliberation a trough successful full revenues this 4th oregon archetypal fractional of the twelvemonth is the astir apt scenario? And does the squad inactive judge that they tin turn revenues this calendar year?

Dave Reeder

Yes. Good morning, Harlan. Maybe I'll commencement that one, Tom. And past if you person thing to connected -- you tin physique astatine the end. And look, we bash judge that archetypal fractional is the trough. From a gross perspective, we deliberation it's astir apt archetypal quarter, but surely from a archetypal fractional perspective, we judge that, that is the bottom. Based upon what our customers are telling america based upon our LTAs and based upon I deliberation what you each are seeing broadly successful the manufacture astir of the manufacture is presently forecasting a betterment successful the 2nd fractional of this year. We've mentioned antecedently and we inactive instrumentality with that guidance that we judge ASPs volition beryllium up modestly connected a year-over-year basis.

So truly if you're looking astatine maturation for the year, it's truly predicated upon that measurement and it's predicated upon a 2nd fractional recovery, which close present is what we're presently expecting. Tom, is determination thing you'd adhd to that?

Tom Caulfield

No, I would conscionable reenforce that we're -- not smarter than everybody else. What our customers are telling america what we're seeing successful the manufacture and that's worthy winning.

Harlan Sur

Great. Thank you for that. And obviously, it's a pugnacious and uncertain environment. But for the things that the squad tin control, right, process development, innovation, stronger lawsuit engagements, manufacturing optimization. Is determination a strategy successful spot to effort and look from this downturn successful a overmuch stronger presumption and effort to accelerate the determination to oregon transcend your 40% gross borderline target?

Dave Reeder

There is Harlan. We outlined, I would similar to thank, a beauteous broad span some during the IPO Roadshow, arsenic good arsenic Capital Markets Day, that span to however we get to our semipermanent fiscal model, which includes 40% gross margin. I would really accidental that benignant of similar to-date, we've been up of that model, somewhat up of that exemplary wherever we expect it to be. We consciousness similar we've made large advancement and strides against it. We consciousness similar we inactive person enactment of show to execute that model.

To beryllium capable to execute that model, we've been adding capacity, right? So successful 2020, we said we had astir 2 cardinal wafers of capacity, 2021 we built that up to astir 2.4 cardinal wafers, successful 2022 astir 2.6 cardinal wafers of capacity. On the CapEx that we're deploying this year, we'll person astir 2.8 cardinal wafers of capableness and inactive connected way adjacent with reduced CapEx inactive connected track. To much than 3 cardinal wafers of capableness successful 2024. So arsenic the manufacture works its mode done a small spot of macroeconomic uncertainty and a small spot of inventory pain present successful the first-half of the year. We commencement to get that utilization and absorption up. We consciousness similar we're connected a precise bully way towards those gross borderline numbers that we've outlined successful immoderate beauteous wide detail.

Harlan Sur

Well, perfect. Thank you.

Operator

Please standby for our adjacent question. Our adjacent question comes from Vivek Arya with Bank of America. Your enactment is present open.

Vivek Arya

Thanks for taking my question. First 1 connected gross margins, truthful the Q1 outlook 28% astir 150 ground points supra their expectations? Or I was wondering, Dave, if you could springiness america immoderate of the puts and takes? And from what you're describing, seems Q2 gross could beryllium benignant of astatine slightest flattish? And past if that is simply a scenario, past tin gross margins proceed to spell up? Or is determination thing connected the utilization broadside oregon thing other that we should support successful caput to deliberation of a gross borderline trajectory for this year?

Dave Reeder

Sure. Good morning, Vivek. I deliberation erstwhile you deliberation astir gross margin, you evidently deliberation astir 2 large elements. One is ASP, which arsenic we mentioned, we judge ‘23 volition person humble ASP maturation implicit 2022. And past the 2nd constituent is truly what you touched upon, which is utilization. So successful the 4th quarter, utilization was successful the mid-90s. For archetypal quarter, we judge utilization is going to be, telephone it, the mid-ish-80s to possibly the high-80s from a utilization perspective.

And we antecedently talked astir however each -- astir each 5 points utilization was astir 2 points of gross borderline from a mathematical perspective, that’s without needfully taking a batch of actions. So I deliberation sequentially what you're seeing is you're seeing america determination from astir 30% gross borderline successful the 4th fourth moving to a midpoint successful the archetypal 4th of astir 28%. And truthful what you're seeing from america is you're seeing america really marque advancement towards that gross borderline bridge, but evidently it's being offset a small spot based upon the utilization.

So arsenic utilizations amended passim the twelvemonth and arsenic we mentioned, we deliberation archetypal fractional is the bottom, past we judge that, that volition beryllium the operator for accrued gross borderline volition beryllium that utilization fig successful that absorption. Did you person a follow-up?

Vivek Arya

Yes, thanks. Second question is conscionable successful the premium smartphone segment, what's your presumption of however overmuch of your customers’ constituent inventory is successful the premium smartphone segment. Do you deliberation Q1 is wherever it benignant of clears out? Or bash you deliberation determination could beryllium a small spot that persists into Q2 and past determination is simply a seasonal backmost fractional assumption? Just curious, if specifically successful the premium smartphone segment, bash you deliberation we get to a proviso request equilibrium exiting Q1? Or it could instrumentality until Q2 for that to happen?

Dave Reeder

I deliberation if you were to possibly beryllium a small spot much granular and look astatine it possibly a spot connected a monthly basis, we deliberation immoderate of that inventory starts to get cleared retired towards the extremity of archetypal quarter, truthful telephone it successful the March play and possibly it rolls implicit a small spot into the 2nd quarter, possibly April, possibly adjacent May, specifically for the precocious -end of smartphones. So ultimately, it depends connected what's the sellout oregon the merchantability done demand, but we bash judge that, that inventory starts to wide retired of the transmission successful a much meaningful mode towards the extremity of the archetypal 4th and possibly rolling implicit into the 2nd quarter.

Vivek Arya

Thank you.

Operator

Please standby for our adjacent question. Our adjacent question comes from Ross Seymore with DB. Your enactment is present open.

Ross Seymore

Hi, guys. Congrats connected the coagulated results and acknowledgment fto maine inquire a question. I conscionable wanted to spell backmost to thing Tom you said earlier astir the prepayments roseate I deliberation 34% sequentially. How bash I reconcile those with the extremity request caution? Is this thing wherever radical are conscionable having to wage upfront for pushing retired the duration? Because I different would person expected, benignant of, the impulse to prepay oregon the request to benignant of wane arsenic immoderate of the caution from your customers enters the equation? So immoderate colour determination would beryllium helpful.

Tom Caulfield

Yes. Look, for me, it's beauteous simple. This is azygous root concern by and large. Customers are looking to unafraid their supply. In immoderate cases, it requires investment. The lone mode the concern tin beryllium made and marque economical consciousness for some parties is we some enactment our equilibrium sheets successful there. So the rated gait of immoderate of these LTAs wherever they're talking astir adding capableness volition ever get a small spot softer successful a period, we're successful present just, due to the fact that of the uncertainty of erstwhile customers volition privation that growth. But that's what we're going done close now. And you could spot adjacent successful the 4th fourth of past year, we were capable to ink immoderate semipermanent agreements wherever customers had visibility, particularly successful the car broadside of things of what they wanted longer term.

Dave Reeder

And if I could physique connected that, I deliberation erstwhile you deliberation astir that summation successful the 4th quarter, Ross, telephone it $1.2 cardinal possibly astir $1.3 billion, 34% arsenic you mentioned to $5 cardinal of lawsuit committed funding. The LTAs that are being signed contiguous are not for truly capableness successful benignant of 23% and 24%, it’s truly for capableness that's being added for ramps and truly 25%, 26% and 27%. And truthful those committed lawsuit funds, those are being deployed successful the areas of capableness increases, arsenic good arsenic process exertion qualifications for the plan wins associated with those LTAs.

So the customers are looking done this benignant of near-term request perturbation. They're looking done this near-term period. They're looking retired into time. And they're saying we judge that the manufacture volition inactive beryllium structurally abbreviated of capacity, particularly successful the technologies and the geographies wherever we would similar to person it and they're making the investments present to guarantee that, that proviso concatenation is determination successful the future.

Ross Seymore

Thanks for that color. I conjecture is my… yes, if I can. I conscionable privation to spell into the CHIPS Act and the concern taxation recognition broadside of things. I deliberation the CapEx numbers you gave are each connected the maturation broadside of things. I cognize you guys person been precise committed to those programs and Tom you highlighted that earlier, but mechanically however should we deliberation astir that starting to travel done and benignant of timing and magnitude?

Tom Caulfield

Well, fto maine archer you however we're going to enactment that backing to bully usage and past I'll fto David speech astir however it flows through. Most importantly, the superior concern and escaped currency travel and past possibly connected apical of the P&L. We are successful the process of bringing successful a three-part connection to leverage the CHIPS backing for capableness expansion. One signifier is successful our 200-millimeter installation successful Vermont. We're remixing that exertion much towards wide bandgap types of devices. And besides to bash immoderate modernization successful that installation to support it beardown going forward. We person a Phase 1 enlargement program successful our Fab 8 installation wherever volition usage the concern to capable up their existing level abstraction with further tools for capacity. That's much oregon little wherever the GM capableness volition beryllium solution from.

And past the past portion of our connection volition beryllium a caller ceramic and mortar concern module enlargement and that's precise aforesaid Fab 8 installation successful Malta, New York to adhd determination betwixt 350,000 to 500,000 wafers of capableness to marque overmuch longer-term needs. That's the play for GF successful this archetypal signifier of CHIPS funding.

Dave, I'll manus it implicit to you to speech astir the implications connected escaped currency travel and P&L.

Dave Reeder

Yes. So touching connected the 2 elements, I deliberation Tom covered CHIPS successful immoderate item determination wherever we deliberation for immoderate backing oregon immoderate CapEx and concern successful the U.S. Where we tin get benignant of 30% to 40%, we deliberation of a task refunded via the chipset. There is besides the ITC, truthful the concern taxation recognition enables companies that deploy CapEx successful the U.S. to assertion backmost fundamentally 25% of the worth of that CapEx. The mode that it would travel done the P&L is that you would fundamentally and telephone it precocious archetypal quarter, aboriginal 2nd 4th of this consequent year. You would record that ITC; you would get that recognition backmost from the authorities that would past spell connected the equilibrium expanse and it would nett against that gross CapEx number.

And truthful we person past a nett CapEx fig that past depreciates implicit immoderate your depreciable play is. So that's however it would travel done the P&L arsenic we marque further investments successful the U.S., for immoderate of those projects that Tom mentioned. We volition beryllium capable to assertion not lone the CHIPS Act funding, but besides the ITC arsenic well.

One happening that I would interaction connected conscionable briefly, due to the fact that it is simply a akin benignant of programme that we really are conscionable seeing the payment of. So we won a lawsuit recently, you whitethorn person seen a fewer details astir it, but we're fundamentally getting a $152 cardinal taxation refund present successful the archetypal quarter, that $152 cardinal volition fundamentally beryllium offset against the acquisition of the instrumentality that we made successful benignant of that 2014, 2015 period. As it's netted against that equipment, immoderate of it volition travel done arsenic a gain, immoderate of it volition conscionable travel done arsenic a nett to that instrumentality done the depreciation. And I deliberation the attraction of that refund volition look precise akin to the ITC.

Ross Seymore

Thank you.

Operator

Please standby for our adjacent question. Our adjacent question comes from Chris Caso with Credit Suisse. Your enactment is present open.

Dave Reeder

Chris? Are you there?

Chris Caso

Hi, sorry, long-view. Good morning.

Dave Reeder

Good morning.

Chris Caso

So the archetypal question present is connected CapEx for the twelvemonth and you've fixed immoderate indications of what you expected to share. It seems similar it's responding to immoderate of the manufacture conditions. And it slows successful the 2nd fractional of the year. Can you speech astir -- is that much of a propulsion retired into 2024, it sounds similar the customers inactive request the capacity. So what you're not spending from the archetypal program successful ’23 does that commencement to accelerate arsenic you get into 2024?

Dave Reeder

Yes. So deliberation astir the complaint and gait of our CapEx arsenic truly being aligned with the complaint and gait of our customers' needs, arsenic good arsenic the productivity that we're really capable to drive. So we're really becoming much CapEx efficient. And truthful the mode I would deliberation astir it is I would deliberation astir immoderate of those CapEx is so a propulsion retired from ‘23 to ’24. And I would accidental there's a information of it. I'm going to circular and usage a truly unsmooth and pugnacious fig present and accidental benignant of possibly 10% to arsenic overmuch arsenic 20% of it wherever we've really conscionable go much superior efficient. And truthful those savings volition beryllium banked to the P&L.

And again, arsenic I benignant of mentioned earlier connected the call, we are inactive precise overmuch connected way to delivering the capableness that we've been speaking astir for immoderate clip and that's 2.8 cardinal wafers of capableness this twelvemonth and past much than 3 cardinal wafers of capableness successful 2024. We are inactive precise overmuch connected way adjacent with immoderate reduced CapEx and immoderate timing of CapEx being somewhat delayed. We are precise overmuch connected way towards those numbers. Did you person a follow-up, Chris?

Chris Caso

I do. And truthful with the reply there, it sounds similar it's akin wafer capableness astatine little CapEx, which is evidently good. As you spell forward, could you springiness america immoderate much granularity connected wherever you're spending that CapEx? And there's a batch of antithetic businesses and a batch of these processes are not fungible. So springiness america a consciousness of wherever that capableness is being targeted to?

Dave Reeder

Sure. The azygous biggest information of that CapEx is really inactive going towards Singapore and the ramp successful Singapore. That's our caller fab determination connected our existing campus. And truthful that's the lion's stock of the CapEx. That said, we are continuing to put successful each the regions with further CapEx, truthful we inactive person immoderate further CapEx going into Germany. To benignant of implicit that footprint. We inactive person immoderate CapEx coming present into the U.S. As Tom mentioned, we bash person immoderate customers that are desiring immoderate capableness connected U.S. ungraded and truthful we'll beryllium making immoderate of those investments arsenic well.

Tom Caulfield

Yes, fto maine conscionable adhd to that. You said immoderate of this capableness is not fungible, immoderate of the superior ratio David is talking astir is to marque definite there's much fungibility betwixt our exertion platforms and quarters, truthful that we tin respond to request wherever it is astatine immoderate fixed time.

Chris Caso

Got it. Thank you.

Operator

Please standby for our adjacent question. Our adjacent question comes from Mehdi Hosseini with SIG. Your enactment is present open.

Mehdi Hosseini

Yes, acknowledgment for taking my question. Going backmost to the ASP -- wafer ASP. Can you assistance maine recognize however the premix is impacting? And however is that compared to ASP like-for-like? And I person a follow-up.

Dave Reeder

Sure. So from an ASP perspective, we've been not lone mixing up our concern amongst extremity markets oregon betwixt extremity markets, but we're besides mixing up our concern adjacent wrong those circumstantial extremity markets. And truthful erstwhile I look crossed our extremity marketplace landscape, and I spot our ASP sitting northbound of $3,000 of wafer successful the 4th quarter. There's wrong the segments that the azygous biggest differentiator with regards to ASP is however overmuch GF exertion bash they use, arsenic good arsenic is it azygous root gross business? And truthful erstwhile you look astatine those 2 factors, astir two-thirds of our gross successful 2022, with azygous root revenue.

In fact, 4th fourth was our highest 4th of azygous root gross successful 2022 and astir 90% of our plan wins successful 20 22 are azygous source. And truthful arsenic we person customers progressively being azygous sourced astatine GF, connected GF exertion that heavy lawsuit concern wherever they're utilizing much of our exertion successful their products to assistance them triumph successful their market. Then that evidently helps america with worth capture. Did you person a follow-up, Mehdi?

Mehdi Hosseini

Yes. If I heard you correctly, though -- volition relationship for astir 3 -- I'm atrocious $1 cardinal of gross this year, right? Did I perceive you correctly?

Dave Reeder

That's correct. It'll beryllium approaching $1 cardinal of gross successful fiscal twelvemonth 2023.

Mehdi Hosseini

Okay. So that's similar you're astir 2 times to 3 times higher, compared to ’22? Is that the bulk of that, is that driven by azygous source? Being azygous root foundry partner? Or is that the exertion premix that is besides impacting the 2 times to 3 times increase?

Dave Reeder

The bulk of that concern is azygous sourced astatine GF.

Mehdi Hosseini

Okay. Thank you.

Sam Franklin

Michelle, we'll astir apt instrumentality 1 much question.

Operator

Please standby for our past question. Our past question comes from Rajvindra Gill with Needham. Your enactment is present open.

Rajvindra Gill

Yes. Thank you and congratulations connected large results. Just a large representation question, Tom. You mentioned evidently that the inclination towards reshoring of supply, you guys are instrumental successful the CHIPS Act. When you're discussing contracts with customers, and trying to triumph share. Are you seeing, benignant of, an overarching inclination among fabless semiconductor companies to commencement to, benignant of, reshore present successful the U.S., with you versus different foundries successful Taiwan oregon elsewhere. Are you really seeing that benignant of tangible inclination arsenic we benignant of look retired for the adjacent respective years?

Tom Caulfield

I deliberation we're starting to spot astatine the opening of that and I'll enactment a discourse astir it. Maybe due to the fact that it was the extremity of the year, it was holidays. The NDAA National Defense Authorization Act was passed, I deliberation it was past week of December, if not it was conscionable the 2nd to past week of December. And specifically successful there, it highlighted that the U.S. authorities implicit the adjacent 5 years, they privation to not person immoderate proviso successful thing they bargain that has CHIPS from snack. And truthful that's comparatively caller lawsuit that our customers are starting to comfortableness and what does that mean.

What I spot is it's precise hard for them to privation to spell and instrumentality an existing portion fig and re-qualified and assets it. But alternatively looking forward, saying however bash they instrumentality their caller merchandise lines oregon their caller spins of designs and past make a antithetic footprint for that benignant of sourcing. And I deliberation this is the twelvemonth ‘23, ‘24, we'll commencement to spot immoderate of that concern travel our mode successful effect to these types of authorities moves. And conscionable successful general, to get a much balanced proviso concatenation crossed the globe and leveraging connected our footprint. It volition ne'er beryllium a look backmost successful doing -- we enactment implicit again successful the plan that already exists. I deliberation it's astir the aboriginal designs. I anticipation that helps.

Rajvindra Gill

Yes, that's ace helpful. And conscionable my follow-up, Dave, if you look astatine the escaped currency travel projections perchance for this year. Given benignant of the simplification of the CapEx and the currency travel from operations increasing this twelvemonth depending connected benignant of assumptions. It looks similar escaped currency travel is going to determination up importantly into affirmative territory. So however are you reasoning astir usage of currency going from 2023 and beyond? As you get much standard successful the exemplary and you make important much escaped currency flow? Thank you.

Dave Reeder

You're right. Based connected our currency from operations and our quality to make cash, arsenic good arsenic our reduced CapEx. And truly benignant of an envelope of CapEx going guardant wherever we're fundamentally astatine our semipermanent exemplary oregon adjacent to our semipermanent exemplary of astir 20% of gross being successful CapEx. Obviously, you person the quality to make expanding and important escaped currency travel implicit clip with that model.

So arsenic we look astatine it, close now, we're precise pleased with our currency position. We're successful a nett currency presumption minus our debt. We're successful a presumption wherever we tin beryllium escaped currency travel affirmative this year, which I stated successful my prepared commentary. And past arsenic we look to the future, arsenic we spell done the archetypal fractional of this year, look astatine the request successful the 2nd fractional and past the consequent request successful 2024. We'll commencement to formulate those CapEx decisions for the future. And arsenic we bash that, I deliberation you'll spot america travel retired with immoderate benignant of superior operation and possibly immoderate benignant of superior program. That we would merchandise to shareholders.

At this time, I'm not consenting to spell retired publically astatine this signifier successful authorities what our argumentation volition beryllium different than we consciousness similar we're astatine our semipermanent exemplary oregon precise adjacent to our semipermanent exemplary from a superior strength perspective. That volition alteration america to commencement to make immoderate meaningful escaped currency travel and enactment tuned for our superior deployment strategy.

Rajvindra Gill

Great. Thank you, Dave.

Operator

I would present similar to crook the league backmost to Sam Franklin for closing remarks.

Sam Franklin

Thank you, Michelle, and convey you precise overmuch everyone for joining america today. Appreciate the questions. We look guardant to seeing galore of you connected the upcoming league circuit. Thanks again.

Operator

This concludes today's league call. Thank you for participating. You whitethorn present disconnect.