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Power Integrations

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FY2014 Annual Report · Power Integrations
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Power Integrations
2014 Annual Report

Dear Fellow Stockholders,

With just slight increases in revenues and GAAP earnings per share (and a slight decrease in non-GAAP earnings per share)
our 2014 financial performance clearly did not live up to our expectations. However, our long-term growth strategy remains 
intact, while important trends continue to move the power-conversion market in the direction of innovation, integration and 
energy efficiency – the hallmarks of our business. We remain as optimistic as ever about the future of our business, and in 
this letter I’ll outline a few of the reasons why we expect to resume our growth trajectory in 2015.

First,  we  are  embarking  on  an  exciting  new  product  cycle  led  by  the  revolutionary  new  InnoSwitchTM  family.  Introduced 
formally in November, InnoSwitch ICs are the first power-supply chips to straddle the safety-isolation barrier of the power 
supply, enabling us to integrate circuitry on both the high- and low-voltage sides of the circuit board. This results in smaller, 
simpler, more energy-efficient designs for our customers; for us it means capturing a greater proportion of the dollar value of 
the power supply and, we expect, commanding a greater share of the AC-DC power supply market. 

InnoSwitch  products  feature  prominently  in  a  second  part  of  our  story  for  2015  – an  expected  turnaround  in  the 
communications  end  market,  which  accounted  for  nearly  20 percent  of our  sales  in 2014.  While  sales  into  the  consumer, 
industrial and computer markets grew last year, communications revenues declined by nearly 15 percent. This was due in 
part  to  soft  demand  from our  two  largest  end  customers,  but  also  reflected  increased  commoditization  in  mobile-phone 
chargers, which make up a substantial portion of our communications revenues. 

In 2015, rapid charging presents an opportunity for differentiation that hasn’t existed in the charger market in recent years. 
Mobile-device OEMs are incorporating larger batteries in their phones in order to support larger screens and other power-
hungry features. Unfortunately for users, the low-power chargers that accompany these phones have largely failed to keep 
pace,  resulting in  extended  charge  times and,  effectively,  increased  downtime.  In  order  to  combat  this  trend,  OEMs  are 
beginning to specify “rapid” chargers, which can deliver two or even three times as much power to the phone as a traditional 
charger.

The  increased  power  requirements  of  rapid  charging  create  technical  hurdles  for  designers  in  terms  of  size,  complexity, 
efficiency and cost, in turn creating a need for innovative, highly integrated products like ours. Rapid charging is an ideal 
application for InnoSwitch devices, and we are now in high-volume production for rapid-charge designs at several top-tier 
mobile-phone OEMs, including the world’s largest and fastest-growing smartphone vendors.

A  third  key  driver  for  2015  will  be  energy  efficiency,  which  remains  a  secular  trend  across  all  of  the  major  markets  we 
address, from electronics and appliances to lighting and industrial. While not a new trend, energy efficiency takes on added 
importance in the electronics market with the pending onset of DoE-6, the next iteration of the U.S. Department of Energy’s 
mandatory  efficiency standards  for  external  power  supplies.  Set  to  take  effect  in  2016,  DoE-6  calls  for  increased  active-
mode efficiency and a substantial reduction in no-load consumption for external chargers and adapters. 

DoE-6  may  be  the  most  impactful  update  to  power  supply  efficiency  standards  in  the  U.S.  since  the  original  California 
Energy Commission standards took effect in 2007. We are already seeing strong redesign activity with InnoSwitch and with 
our newly announced LinkSwitch™-4 products, both of which comfortably meet the new standards. While the full impact of 
the standards won’t be felt until next year, we anticipate uplift in sales over the course of 2015 as compliant designs start 
going into production.

While DoE-6 applies to external power supplies, energy efficiency continues to be an important factor for embedded power 
supplies as well. In the consumer market, our dollar content is expanding thanks to the increasing use of electronic features 
in  white  goods  and  countertop  appliances.  The  additional  features  add  to  the  challenge  of  meeting  standby  efficiency 
requirements such as the European EcoDesign Directive, which in turn increases our content even further. With appliances 
continuing to become smarter and more connected, we expect this trend to continue for years to come. 

In the industrial market we see energy efficiency as a long-term driver across the full range of power levels. On the lower 
end of the scale we enable clean technologies like LED lighting and smart utility meters, while our high-power IGBT drivers 
are  critical  components  in  renewable  energy  systems,  the  transmission  of  high-voltage  DC  on  the  power  grid,  and  the 
efficient consumption of energy in heavy industry and transportation. Our high-power offerings for the industrial market are 
set  to  expand  significantly  in  the  year  ahead  as  we  begin  to roll out  products combining  technologies  from  CT-Concept, 
which we acquired in 2012, with internally developed technologies such as those featured in InnoSwitch ICs. Whereas today 
we offer IGBT-driver products for applications higher than 30 kilowatts, these new products will enable us to address lower-

power IGBT-driver applications, adding roughly $500 million to our served addressable market (SAM) and taking our total 
SAM to more than $3 billion. 

Energy efficiency also played a key role in our acquisition of Cambridge Semiconductor, or CamSemi, which closed in early 
January. This transaction, our first since the purchase of CT-Concept, is consistent with our history of highly selective M&A 
in our core competency of high-voltage power conversion. CamSemi brings a talented team of engineers with deep expertise 
in  AC-DC  power  supplies,  and  we  plan  to  operate  their  UK  headquarters  as  an  R&D  center  focused  on  accelerating  our 
product  development  efforts.  The  acquisition  also  broadens  our  technology  and  product  portfolio  for  low-power 
applications,  especially  for  high-efficiency  chargers  and  adapters  designed  to  meet  tight  requirements  like  the  DoE-6 
standards.  

In summary, while disappointed with our 2014 performance, we look forward to renewed growth in 2015. The technology 
behind the InnoSwitch family is among the most significant breakthroughs in the history of the power supply industry, and 
arrives at an opportune moment with the convergence of rapid charging and new energy-efficiency standards. With energy-
efficiency  providing  a  broad-based  tailwind,  we  think  the  pieces  are  in  place  to  drive  growth  across  all  four  of  our  end-
market categories, and we expect momentum to build through the year as these drivers take shape.   

Lastly, if you haven’t visited our website in recent months, the cover of this annual report may be your first look at our new 
brand identity. Over the past five years we have broadened our focus from low-power AC-DC power supplies to a wider set 
of  high-voltage  power  conversion  applications,  ranging  from  milliwatts  to  megawatts  of  output,  and  spanning  the  clean-
power ecosystem from the generation and transmission of energy to the efficient consumption of power in everything from 
electronics to lighting to heavy industry. This broader mission is reflected in our updated branding, which features a new 
logo  emblematic  of  our  unparalleled  expertise  in  power  conversion,  as  well  as  a  new  website  at  a  new  address: 
www.power.com. The new site shines a brighter light on the breadth of our product offerings and technical know-how, while 
the  change  of  address  signals  our  ambitious  long-term  goals  in  the  world  of  power  electronics.  We’re  excited  about  this 
important symbolic step for our company, and I hope you like the new look.  

As always, I thank you for your continued support and I look forward to reporting on our progress in the year ahead. 

Sincerely, 

Balu Balakrishnan 
President and Chief Executive Officer 
March 2015 

The  statements  in  this  Annual  Report  relating  to  future  events  or  results  are  forward-looking  statements  that  involve  many  risks  and 
uncertainties. In some cases, forward-looking statements are indicated by the use of words such as “would,” “could,” “will,” “may,” 
“expect,”  “believe,”  “look  forward,”  “anticipate,”  “if,”  “future,”  “intend,”  “plan,”  “estimate,”  “potential,”  “seek,”  “scheduled,” 
“continue” and similar words and phrases, including the negatives of these terms, or other variations of these terms. Our actual results 
could differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including changes in global 
macroeconomic  conditions;  potential  changes  and  shifts  in  customer  demand  away  from  end  products  that  utilize  our  products;  the 
effects of competition; the outcome and cost of patent litigation; unforeseen costs and expenses; unfavorable fluctuations in component 
costs  resulting  from  changes  in  commodity  prices  and/or  the  exchange  rate  between  the  U.S.  dollar  and  the  Japanese  yen;  and  the 
challenges inherent in integrating and forecasting the performance of acquired businesses. In addition, new product introductions and 
design wins are subject to the risks and uncertainties that typically accompany development and delivery of complex technologies to the 
marketplace, including product development delays and defects and market acceptance of the new products. These and other risk factors 
that may cause actual results to differ are discussed in Part I, Item 1A — “Risk Factors” included in the Form 10-K which is part of this 
Annual  Report.  Also,  this  letter  references  non-GAAP  financial  information  that  excludes  stock-based  compensation  expenses,  certain 
acquisition-related expenses and other items. The company believes that these non-GAAP measures offer an important analytical tool to 
help investors understand the company's core operating results and trends, and to facilitate comparability with the company's historical 
results  and  with  the  operating  results  of  other  companies  that  provide  similar  non-GAAP  measures.  These  non-GAAP  measures  have 
certain limitations as analytical tools and are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP financial information. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
UNITED STATES 
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 
Washington, DC 20549 
__________________________________
FORM 10-K 
__________________________________

(Mark One) 

Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the fiscal year ended 

December 31, 2014

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 0-23441 
__________________________________

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC. 

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) 

DELAWARE
(State or other jurisdiction of
Incorporation or organization)

5245 Hellyer Avenue, San Jose, California

 (Address of principal executive offices)

94-3065014
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

95138-1002
(Zip code)

(408) 414-9200 

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code) 
__________________________________

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

Title of Each Class

Common Stock, $.001 Par Value

Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered

The NASDAQ Global Select Market

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

_________________________________

YES  

YES  

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.     
    NO 
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.     
    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 Regulation S-T 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 Regulation S-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 Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 
or  a  smaller  reporting  company.    See  the  definitions  of  “large  accelerated  filer”,  “accelerated  filer”  and  “smaller  reporting 
company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act: 

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

Accelerated filer  
Smaller reporting company  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).  YES 

NO 

  The aggregate market value of registrant's voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of registrant on 
June 30, 2014, the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $1.6 
billion, based upon the closing sale price of the common stock as reported on The NASDAQ Global Select Market.  Shares of 
common stock held by each officer, director and holder of 10% or more of the outstanding common stock have been excluded 
in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates.  This determination of affiliate status is not a conclusive determination for 
other purposes. 

  Outstanding shares of registrant's common stock, $0.001 par value, as of January 30, 2015: 29,331,133. 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The information required by Part III of this report, to the extent not set forth herein, is incorporated by reference from 

the Registrant's definitive proxy statement relating to the 2015 annual meeting of stockholders, which definitive proxy 
statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the fiscal year to which this Report 
relates.

 
 
 
           
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ITEM 1.

ITEM 1A.

ITEM 1B.

ITEM 2.

ITEM 3.

ITEM 4.

ITEM 5.

ITEM 6.

ITEM 7.

ITEM 7A.

ITEM 8.

ITEM 9.

ITEM 9A.

ITEM 9B.

ITEM 10.

ITEM 11.

ITEM 12.

ITEM 13.

PART I. 

BUSINESS .........................................................................................................................................

RISK FACTORS ................................................................................................................................

UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS .............................................................................................

PROPERTIES.....................................................................................................................................

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS ..................................................................................................................

MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES......................................................................................................

PART II.

MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER 
MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES............................................

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA ......................................................................................................

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND 
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS ...........................................................................................................
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK ....................

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA .....................................................

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

CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES ..................................................................................................

OTHER INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................

PART III.

DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ...........................

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION......................................................................................................

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT 
AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS ...............................................................................
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR 
INDEPENDENCE..............................................................................................................................

ITEM 14.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES .....................................................................

PART IV.

ITEM 15.

EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES ..................................................................

SIGNATURES . ...........................................................................................................................................................

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(cid:19)

 
 
 
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, including information incorporated by reference herein, includes a 

number of forward-looking statements that involve many risks and uncertainties.  In some cases, forward-
looking statements are indicated by the use of words such as “would”, “could”, “will”, “may”, “expect”, 
“believe”, “anticipate”, “if”, “future”, “intend”, “plan”, “estimate”, “potential”, “seek” or “continue” and similar 
words and phrases, including the negatives of these terms, or other variations of these terms.  These statements 
reflect our current views with respect to future events and our potential financial performance and are subject to 
risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results and financial position to differ materially and 
adversely from what is projected or implied in any forward-looking statements included in this Form 10-K.  
These factors include, but are not limited to: we do not have long-term contracts with any of our customers and 
if they fail to place, or if they cancel or reschedule orders for our products, our operating results and our 
business may suffer; intense competition in the high-voltage power supply industry may lead to a decrease in 
our average selling price and reduced sales volume of our products; if demand for our products declines in our 
major end markets, our net revenues will decrease; we depend on third-party suppliers to provide us with wafers 
for our products and if they fail to provide us sufficient quantities of wafers, our business may suffer; if we are 
unable to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, we could lose market share, incur costly 
litigation expenses, suffer incremental price erosion or lose valuable assets, any of which could harm our 
operations and negatively impact our profitability; fluctuations in exchange rates, particularly the exchange rate 
between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen, Swiss franc and Euro, may impact our gross margin or net 
income; audits of our tax returns and potential future changes in tax laws may increase the amount of taxes we 
are required to pay; we are engaged in intellectual property litigation, and if the outcome is unfavorable to us, it 
could result in significant losses and the right to use some of our technologies; and the other risks factors 
described in Item 1A of Part I -- “Risk Factors” of this Form 10-K.  We make these forward looking statements 
based upon information available on the date of this Form 10-K, and we have no obligation (and expressly 
disclaim any obligation) to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new 
information or otherwise.  In evaluating these statements, you should specifically consider the risks described 
under Item 1A of Part I -- “Risk Factors,” Item 7 of Part II -“Management's Discussion and Analysis of 
Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(cid:20)

 
PART I. 

Item 1. Business.

Overview 

  We design, develop and market analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs) and other electronic 

components and circuitry used in high-voltage power conversion. Our products are used in power converters 
that convert electricity from a high-voltage source (i.e., 48 volts or higher) to the type of power required for a 
specified downstream use. In most cases, this conversion entails, among other functions, converting 
alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) or vice versa, reducing or increasing the voltage, and regulating 
the output voltage and/or current according to the customer's specifications.

  A large percentage of our products are ICs used in AC-DC power supplies, which convert high-

voltage AC from a wall outlet to the low-voltage DC required by most electronic devices. Power supplies 
incorporating our products are used with all manner of electronic products including mobile phones, 
computers, entertainment and networking equipment, appliances, utility meters, industrial controls and LED 
lights. Our highly integrated IC products incorporate high-voltage transistors (MOSFETs) and low-voltage 
control circuitry on either a monolithic die or in a hybrid configuration (i.e., separate MOSFETs and 
controllers side-by-side in a single package). We believe our patented TOPSwitch ICs, introduced in 1994, 
were the first highly integrated ICs to achieve widespread acceptance in the power-supply market. We have 
since introduced additional product families to broaden our addressable market and increase the functionality 
of our products; we currently offer IC products that can be used in power supplies with output wattages up to 
approximately 500 watts. 

   Since our May 2012 acquisition of CT-Concept Technologie AG (Concept), we also offer IGBT 

drivers - circuit boards containing multiple ICs, electrical isolation components and other circuitry - used to 
operate arrays of high-voltage, high-power transistors known as IGBT modules. These driver/module 
combinations are used for power conversion in high-power applications (i.e., power levels ranging from tens 
of kilowatts up to one gigawatt) such as industrial motors, solar- and wind-power systems, electric vehicles 
and high-voltage DC transmission systems. 

Our products bring a number of important benefits to the power-conversion market compared with less 

advanced alternatives, including reduced component count and design complexity, smaller size, higher 
reliability and reduced time-to-market. Our products also improve the energy efficiency of power converters, 
helping our customers meet the increasingly stringent efficiency standards that have been adopted around the 
world for many electronic products, and improving the efficacy of renewable-energy systems, electric vehicles 
and other high-power applications. 

Industry Background 

  Virtually every electronic device that plugs into a wall socket requires a power supply to convert the 

high-voltage alternating current provided by electric utilities into the low-voltage direct current required by 
most electronic devices.  A power supply may be located inside a device, such as consumer appliances or 
desktop computer, or it may be outside the device as in the case of a mobile-phone charger or an adapter for a 
cordless phone.

  Until approximately 1970, AC-DC power supplies were generally in the form of line-frequency, or 

linear, transformers.  These devices, consisting primarily of copper wire wound around an iron core, tend to be 
bulky and heavy, and typically waste a substantial amount of electricity. In the 1970s, the invention of high-
voltage discrete semiconductors enabled the development of a new generation of power supplies known as 
switched-mode power supplies, or switchers. These switchers generally came to be a cost-effective alternative 
to linear transformers in applications requiring more than about three watts of power; in recent years the use of 
linear transformers has declined even further as a result of energy-efficiency standards and higher raw-material 
prices.  

(cid:21)

 
 
Switchers are generally smaller, lighter-weight and more energy-efficient than linear transformers. 

However, switchers designed with discrete components are highly complex, containing numerous components 
and requiring a high level of analog design expertise. Further, the complexity and high component count of 
discrete switchers make them relatively costly, difficult to manufacture and prone to failures. Also, some 
discrete switchers lack inherent safety and energy-efficiency features; adding these features may further 
increase the component count, cost and complexity of the power supply.

In high-power systems such as industrial motor drives, electric locomotives and renewable-energy 

systems, power conversion is typically performed using arrays of high-power silicon transistors known as IGBT 
modules; these modules are operated by electronic circuitry known as IGBT drivers, whose function is to ensure 
accurate, safe and reliable operation of the IGBT modules. Much like discrete power supplies, discrete IGBT 
drivers tend to be highly complex, requiring a large number of components and a great deal of design expertise.

Our Highly Integrated Approach 

In 1994 we introduced TOPSwitch, the industry's first cost-effective high-voltage IC for switched-

mode AC-DC power supplies; we have since introduced a range of other product families such as TinySwitch, 
LinkSwitch and Hiper, which have expanded the range of power-supply applications we can address. In May 
2012 we acquired Concept, further expanding our addressable market to include IGBT drivers.

  Our ICs and IGBT drivers drastically reduce the complexity and component count of power 

converters compared to typical discrete designs by integrating many of the functions otherwise performed by 
numerous discrete electronic components, and by eliminating (or reducing the size and cost of) additional 
components through innovative system design. As a result, our products enable power converters to have 
superior features and functionality at a total cost equal to or lower than that of many competing alternatives. 
Our products offer the following key benefits: 

•  Fewer Components, Reduced Size and Higher Reliability 

  Our highly integrated ICs and IGBT drivers enable designs with up to 70% fewer components than 
comparable discrete designs. This reduction in component count enhances reliability and efficiency, reduces 
size, accelerates time-to-market and results in lower manufacturing costs for our customers. Power supplies 
that incorporate our ICs are also lighter and more portable than comparable power supplies built with copper-
and-iron linear transformers, which are still used in some low-power applications.

•  Reduced Time-to-Market, Enhanced Manufacturability 

  Because our products eliminate much of the complexity associated with the design of power 

converters, designs can typically be completed in much less time, resulting in more efficient use of our 
customers' design resources and shorter time-to-market for new designs. The lower component count and 
reduced complexity enabled by our products also makes designs more suitable for high-volume 
manufacturing. We also provide extensive hands-on design support as well as online design tools, such as our 
PI Expert design software, that further reduce time-to-market and product development risks. 

•  Energy Efficiency 

  Our patented EcoSmart technology, introduced in 1998, improves the energy efficiency of electronic 

devices during normal operation as well as standby and "no-load" conditions. This technology enables 
manufacturers to cost-effectively meet the growing demand for energy-efficient products, and to comply with 
increasingly stringent energy-efficiency requirements. Our Concept IGBT drivers also enable very high 
efficiency in high-power systems; in many such systems, such as renewable-energy installations, even small 
efficiency gains can dramatically shorten the payback period over which the cost of a system is recovered 
through energy savings.

(cid:22)

 
 
 
•  Wide Power Range and Scalability 

Products in our current IC families can address AC-DC power supplies with output power up to 
approximately 500 watts as well as some high-voltage DC-DC applications; our Concept IGBT drivers are used 
in applications with power levels as high as one gigawatt. Within each of our product families, the designer can 
scale up or down in power to address a wide range of designs with minimal design effort. 

Energy Efficiency

Power supplies often draw significantly more electricity than the amount needed by the devices they 

power. As a result, billions of dollars' worth of electricity is wasted each year, and millions of tons of 
greenhouse gases are unnecessarily produced by power plants. Energy waste occurs during the normal 
operation of a device and in standby mode, when the device is plugged in but idle. For example, computers 
and printers waste energy while in “sleep” mode. TVs that are turned off by remote control consume energy 
while awaiting a remote-control signal to turn them back on. A mobile-phone charger left plugged into a wall 
outlet continues to draw electricity even when not connected to the phone (a condition known as “no-load”).  
Many common household appliances, such as microwave ovens, dishwashers and washing machines, also 
consume power when not in use. One study has estimated that standby power alone amounts to as much as 
10% of residential energy consumption in developed countries.  

  Lighting is another major source of energy waste. Less than 5% of the energy consumed by traditional 

incandescent light bulbs is converted to light, while the remainder is wasted as heat. The Alliance to Save 
Energy has estimated that a conversion to efficient lighting technologies such as compact fluorescent bulbs and 
light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, could save as much as $18 billion worth of electricity and 158 million tons of 
carbon dioxide emissions per year in the U.S. alone.

In response to concerns about the environmental impact of carbon emissions, policymakers are taking 

action to promote energy efficiency. For example, the ENERGY STAR® program and the European Union 
Code of Conduct encourage manufacturers of electronic devices to comply with voluntary energy-efficiency 
specifications. In 2007 the California Energy Commission, or CEC, implemented mandatory efficiency 
standards for external power supplies. The CEC standards were implemented nationwide in the U.S. in July 
2008 as a result of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, or EISA; these federal standards are 
scheduled to tighten in 2016. Similar standards for external power supplies took effect in the European Union in 
2010 as part of the EU's EcoDesign Directive for Energy-Related Products.

 In 2009 the CEC announced mandatory efficiency standards for televisions, which took effect in 2011, 

and in January 2012 the CEC announced mandatory efficiency standards for battery-charging systems, which 
took effect in 2013. 

In 2010, the EU EcoDesign Directive implemented standards limiting standby power consumption on a 

wide range of electronic products; the limit was reduced by 50 percent beginning in 2013, with many products 
now limited to 500 milliwatts of standby usage. The EISA law also required substantial improvements in the 
efficiency of lighting technologies beginning in 2012; effective in 2014, traditional  100-, 75-, 60- and 40-watt 
bulbs may no longer be manufactured or sold in the U.S. Plans to eliminate conventional incandescent bulbs 
have also been announced or enacted in other geographies such as Canada, Australia and Europe.

  We believe we offer products that enable manufacturers to meet or exceed these regulations, and all 

other such regulations of which we are aware. Our EcoSmart technology, introduced in 1998, dramatically 
reduces waste in both operating and standby modes; we estimate that this technology has saved billions of 
dollars' worth of standby power worldwide since 1998. In 2010 we introduced our CapZero and SenZero IC 
families, which eliminate additional sources of standby waste in some power supplies; we have also introduced 
a range of product families designed specifically for LED-lighting applications. 

(cid:23)

 
 
 
 
 
Products 

  Below is a brief description of our products: 

•  AC-DC power conversion products 

TOPSwitch, our first commercially successful product family, was introduced in 1994. Since that time 

we have introduced a wide range of products (such as our TinySwitch, LinkSwitch, Hiper and InnoSwitch 
families) to increase the level of integration, improve upon the functionality of the original TOPSwitch and 
broaden the range of power levels we can address. In January 2015 we further expanded our product portfolio 
with the acquisition of Cambridge Semiconductor Ltd., a producer of controller ICs for low-power AC-DC 
applications. Since 2010 we have also introduced products designed specifically for LED-lighting applications, 
including our LYTSwitch family.

In 2010 we introduced our CapZero and SenZero families, which reduce standby-power consumption 

in certain applications by eliminating waste caused by so-called bleed resistors and sense resistors. Also, by 
virtue of our 2010 acquisition of Qspeed Semiconductor, we offer a range of high-performance, high-voltage 
diodes known as Qspeed diodes. Qspeed diodes utilize a proprietary silicon technology to provide a unique 
combination of high efficiency and low noise, as well as high-frequency operation, which reduces the cost and 
size of magnetic components in a power supply.

This portfolio of power-conversion products generally addresses power supplies ranging from less than 

one watt of output up to approximately 500 watts of output, a market we refer to as the “low-power” market.  
This market consists of an extremely broad range of applications including mobile-device chargers, consumer 
appliances, utility meters, LCD monitors, main and standby power supplies for desktop computers and TVs, 
LED lamps, and numerous other consumer and industrial applications.

• 

IGBT drivers

As a result of our May 2012 acquisition of Concept, we offer a range of IGBT-driver products sold 
primarily under the SCALE and SCALE-2 product-family names. These products are fully assembled circuit 
boards incorporating multiple ICs, electrical isolation components and other circuitry. We offer both ready to 
operate “plug-and-play” drivers designed specifically for use with particular IGBT modules, as well as “driver 
cores,” which provide more basic driver functionality that customers can customize to their own specifications 
after purchase. In addition, we offer custom made drivers based on our Scale technology.

•  High-voltage DC-DC products

  The DPA-Switch family of products, introduced in June 2002, was the first monolithic high-voltage 

DC-DC power conversion IC designed specifically for use in distributed power architectures.  Applications 
include power-over-Ethernet powered devices such as voice-over-IP phones and security cameras, as well as 
network hubs, line cards, servers, digital PBX phones, DC-DC converter modules and industrial controls. 

Other Product Information

TOPSwitch, TinySwitch, LinkSwitch, DPA-Switch, EcoSmart, Hiper, Qspeed, InnoSwitch, Scale-I, 
Scale-II, Scale-III, Peakswitch, Capzero, Chiphy, CONCEPT, Concept A Power Integrations Company and PI 
Expert are trademarks of Power Integrations, Inc.

End Markets and Applications

  Our net revenues consist primarily of sales of the products described above. When evaluating our net 

revenues, we categorize our sales into the following four major end-market groupings: communications, 
computer, consumer, and industrial electronics. 

(cid:24)

  
 
 
 
 
  The table below provides the approximate mix of our net sales by end market:

End Market
Communications.................................................................
Computer............................................................................
Consumer ...........................................................................
Industrial electronics ..........................................................

Year Ended December 31,
2013

2014

2012

18%
10%
37%
35%

21%
10%
35%
34%

24%
12%
36%
28%

Our products are used in a vast range of power-conversion applications in the above-listed end-

market categories. The following chart lists the most prominent applications for our products in each category.

Market Category

Primary Applications

Communications.................................. Mobile phones, routers, cordless phones, broadband modems, voice-

Computer .............................................

over-IP phones, other network and telecom gear
Desktop PCs, LCD monitors, servers, LCD projectors, adapters for
notebook computers

Consumer............................................. Major and small appliances, air conditioners, TV set-top boxes, digital

Industrial electronics ...........................

Sales, Distribution and Marketing 

cameras, TVs, video-game consoles

LED lighting, industrial controls, utility meters, motor controls,
uninterruptible power supplies, tools, industrial motor drives,
renewable energy systems, electric locomotives, high-voltage DC
transmission systems

  We sell our products to original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, and merchant power supply 
manufacturers through our direct sales staff and a worldwide network of independent sales representatives and 
distributors. We have sales offices in the United States, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, India, 
China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan.  Direct sales to OEMs and merchant power 
supply manufacturers represented approximately 25%, 25% and 26% of our net product revenues for 2014, 
2013 and 2012, respectively, while sales to and through distributors accounted for approximately 75%, 75% 
and 74% for 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Most of our distributors are entitled to return privileges based 
on sales revenue and are protected from price reductions affecting their inventories. Our distributors are not 
subject to minimum purchase requirements, and sales representatives and distributors can discontinue 
marketing our products at any time. 

  Our top ten customers, including distributors that resell to OEMs and merchant power supply 
manufacturers, accounted for 59%, 59% and 64% of our net revenues for 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.  

The following distributors accounted for 10% or more of total net revenues in 2014, 2013 and 2012:

Year Ended December 31,

Customer
Avnet.................................................................................
ATM Electronic Corporation............................................

2014
19%

*

2013
19%

*

2012
20%

12%

___________________________
* Total customer revenue was less than 10% of net revenues

  No other customers accounted for more than 10% of net revenues in these periods.  

In 2014, 2013 and 2012 sales to customers in the United States accounted for approximately 5% of 

our net revenues in each of the respective years, and sales to customers outside of the United States accounted 

(cid:25)

 
 
 
 
for approximately 95% of our net revenues in the same periods. See Note 6, “Significant Customers and 
International Sales,” in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements regarding sales to customers located 
in foreign countries.  See our consolidated financial statements regarding total revenues and profit for the last 
three fiscal years.

  We are subject to risks stemming from the fact that most of our manufacturing and most of our 
customers are located in foreign jurisdictions. Risks related to our foreign operations are set forth in Item 1A 
of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and include: potential weaker intellectual property rights under foreign 
laws, the burden of complying with foreign laws and foreign-currency exchange risk. See, in particular, the 
risk factor “Our international sales activities account for a substantial portion of our net revenues, which 
subjects us to substantial risks” in Item 1A of this Form 10-K.

Backlog

  Our sales are primarily made pursuant to standard purchase orders. The quantity of products purchased 

by our customers as well as shipment schedules are subject to revisions that reflect changes in both the 
customers' requirements and in manufacturing availability. Historically, our business has been characterized by 
short-lead-time orders and quick delivery schedules; for this reason, and because orders in backlog are subject 
to cancellation or postponement, backlog is not necessarily a reliable indicator of future revenues. Furthermore, 
except in the case of our IGBT-driver products, we do not recognize revenue on distribution sales until our 
distributors report that they have sold our products to their customers. As a result, our revenues in a given 
period can differ significantly from the value of the products we ship in the same period. We believe this further 
reduces the reliability of order backlog as an indicator of future revenues.  

Research and Development 

  Our research and development efforts are focused on improving our technologies, introducing new 
products to expand our addressable markets, reducing the costs of existing products, and improving the cost-
effectiveness and functionality of our customers' power converters. We have assembled teams of highly skilled 
engineers to meet our research and development goals. These engineers have expertise in high-voltage device 
structure and process technology, analog IC design, system architecture and packaging.  

In 2014, 2013 and 2012, we incurred costs of $55.0 million, $51.7 million and $45.7 million, 

respectively, for research and development. R&D expenses increased in 2014 compared to 2013, driven 
primarily by increased payroll and related expenses as a result of increased headcount, due mainly to the 
expansion of our product-development efforts. Research and development expenses increased in 2013 
compared to the prior year due primarily to the May 2012 acquisition of Concept, which affected our results 
for the full year in 2013 but was only included in our results for eight months of 2012. (See Note 11, 
Acquisitions, in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, for details).  

Intellectual Property and Other Proprietary Rights 

  We use a combination of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and confidentiality procedures 

to protect our intellectual-property rights. As of December 31, 2014, we held 724 U.S. patents and had 
received foreign patent protection on these patents resulting in 434 foreign patents. The U.S. patents have 
expiration dates ranging from 2016 to 2033.  We also hold trademarks in the U.S. and various other 
geographies including Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, China, Europe and Japan.

  We regard as proprietary some equipment, processes, information and knowledge that we have 
developed and used in the design and manufacture of our products. Our trade secrets include a high-volume 
production process that produces our patented high-voltage ICs. We attempt to protect our trade secrets and 
other proprietary-information through non-disclosure agreements, proprietary information agreements with 
employees and consultants, and other security measures. 

(cid:26)

 
Long-lived Assets

  Our long-lived assets consist of property and equipment and intangible assets. Our intangible assets 
consist of developed and in-process technology, licenses, patents, customer relationships, trade name, domain 
name and goodwill. Our long-lived assets, including property and equipment and intangible assets, are located 
in the United States and in foreign countries; U.S. long-lived assets represented 40% in 2014, 2013 and 2012. 
Long-lived assets held outside of the United States represented 60% in 2014, 2013 and 2012. In 2014, 2013 
and 2012 the majority of our long-lived assets were located in foreign countries, primarily Switzerland, which 
held approximately 31%, 33% and 33%, respectively, of our long-lived assets. See Note 2, Summary of 
Significant Accounting Policies, in our notes to consolidated financial statements regarding total property and 
equipment located in foreign countries. 

Manufacturing 

We contract with four foundries for the manufacture of the vast majority of our silicon wafers: (1) 

ROHM Lapis Semiconductor Co., Ltd., or Lapis, (formerly OKI Electric Industry), (2) Seiko Epson 
Corporation, or Epson, (3) X-FAB  Semiconductor Foundries AG, or X-FAB, and (4) Renesas Electronics 
Corporation (RSMC), or Renesas (through its subsidiary Renesas Electronics America, Inc.). These 
contractors manufacture wafers using our proprietary high-voltage process technologies at fabrication facilities 
located in Japan, Germany and the United States. For a small number of our products, we also buy wafers 
manufactured in Singapore by Global Foundries using a standard, non-proprietary process to implement some 
integrated control circuits for use in combination with our proprietary high-voltage MOSFETs.

Our IC products are assembled and packaged by independent subcontractors in China, Malaysia, 

Thailand and the Philippines. Our ICs are tested predominantly at the facilities of our packaging subcontractors 
in Asia and, to a small extent, at our headquarters facility in San Jose, California. Our IGBT-driver boards are 
assembled by an independent subcontractor in Sri Lanka and tested at our facility in Switzerland. 

  Our fabless manufacturing model enables us to focus on our engineering and design strengths, 
minimize capital expenditures and still have access to high-volume manufacturing capacity. We utilize both 
proprietary and standard IC packages for assembly. Some of the materials used in our packages and aspects of 
assembly are specific to our products. We require our assembly manufacturers to use high-voltage molding 
compounds which are more difficult to process than industry standard molding compounds. We work closely 
with our contractors on a continuous basis to maintain and improve our manufacturing processes. 

  Our proprietary high-voltage processes do not require leading-edge geometries for them to be cost-
effective, and can therefore use our foundries' older, low-cost facilities for wafer manufacturing. However, 
because of our highly sensitive high-voltage process, we must interact closely with our foundries to achieve 
satisfactory yields. Our wafer supply agreements with Lapis, Epson, X-FAB and Renesas expire in April 2018, 
December 2020, December 2020 and December 2014, respectively. (The contract with Renesas is currently 
being renegotiated and is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2015; until that time we are operating 
under the terms of the expired contract.) Under the terms of the Lapis agreement, Lapis has agreed to reserve a 
specified amount of production capacity and to sell wafers to us at fixed prices, which are subject to periodic 
review jointly by Lapis and us. In addition, Lapis requires us to supply them with a rolling six-month forecast 
on a monthly basis. Our agreement with Lapis provides for the purchase of wafers in U.S. dollars, with mutual 
sharing of the impact of the fluctuations in the exchange rate between the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar. 
Under the terms of the Epson agreement, Epson has agreed to reserve a specified amount of production 
capacity and to sell wafers to us at fixed prices, which are subject to periodic review jointly by Epson and us. 
The agreement with Epson also requires us to supply rolling six-month forecasts on a monthly basis, to 
provide for the purchase of wafers in U.S. dollars and to share the impact of the exchange rate fluctuation 
between the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar. Under the terms of the Renesas agreement and X-FAB 
agreement, both foundries have agreed to reserve a specified amount of production capacity and to sell wafers 
to us at fixed prices, which are subject to periodic review jointly by each of these foundries and us. The 
agreements with Renesas and X-FAB also require us to supply them with rolling six-month forecasts on a 
monthly basis. Our purchases of wafers from Renesas and X-FAB are denominated in U.S. dollars.

(cid:18)(cid:17)

 
 
  Although some aspects of our relationships with Lapis, Epson, X-FAB and Renesas are contractual, 

some important aspects of these relationships are not written in binding contracts and depend on the suppliers' 
continued cooperation. We cannot assure that we will continue to work successfully with Lapis, Epson, X-
FAB or Renesas in the future, that they will continue to provide us with sufficient capacity at their foundries to 
meet our needs, or that any of them will not seek an early termination of their wafer supply agreement with us.  
Our operating results could suffer in the event of a supply disruption with Lapis, Epson, X-FAB or Renesas if 
we were unable to quickly qualify alternative manufacturing sources for existing or new products or if these 
sources were unable to produce wafers with acceptable manufacturing yields. 

  We typically receive shipments from our foundries approximately four to six weeks after placing 

orders, and lead times for new products can be substantially longer. To provide sufficient time for assembly, 
testing and finishing, we typically need to receive wafers four weeks before the desired ship date to our 
customers.  As a result of these factors and the fact that customers' orders can be placed with little advance 
notice, we have only a limited ability to react to fluctuations in demand for our products. We try to carry a 
substantial amount of wafer and finished goods inventory to help offset these risks and to better serve our 
markets and meet customer demand.

Competition 

  Competing alternatives to our high-voltage ICs for the power-supply market include monolithic and 
hybrid ICs from companies such as Fairchild Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics, Infineon, ON Semiconductor 
and Sanken Electric Company, as well as PWM-controller chips paired with discrete high-voltage bipolar 
transistors and MOSFETs, which are produced by a large number of vendors, including those listed above as 
well as such companies as NXP Semiconductors, Diodes Inc., On-Bright Electronics and Dialog 
Semiconductor. Self-oscillating switchers, built with discrete components supplied by numerous vendors, are 
also commonly used. For some applications, line-frequency transformers are also a competing alternative to 
designs utilizing our products. Our IGBT-driver products compete with alternatives from such companies as 
Avago, Infineon and Semikron, as well as driver circuits made up of discrete devices.

  Generally, our products enable customers to design power converters with total bill-of-materials 
(BOM) costs similar to those of competing alternatives. As a result, the value of our products is influenced by 
the prices of discrete components, which fluctuate in relation to market demand, raw-material prices and other 
factors, but have generally decreased over time.  

  While we vary the pricing of our ICs in response to fluctuations in prices of alternative solutions, we 

also compete based on a variety of other factors. Most importantly, the highly integrated nature of our products 
enables designs that utilize fewer total components than comparable discrete designs or designs using other 
integrated or hybrid products. This enables power converters to be designed more quickly and manufactured 
more efficiently and reliably than competing designs. We also compete on the basis of product functionality 
such as safety features and energy-efficiency features and on the basis of the technical support we provide to 
our customers. This support includes hands-on design assistance as well as a range of design tools and 
documentation such as software and reference designs. We also believe that our record of product quality and 
history of delivering products to our customers on a timely basis serve as additional competitive advantages.

Warranty

  We generally warrant that our products will substantially conform to the published specifications for 

12 months from the date of shipment.  Under the terms of our purchase orders, our liability is limited generally 
to either a credit equal to the purchase price or replacement of the defective part.

Employees 

  As of December 31, 2014, we employed 590 full-time personnel, consisting of 95 in manufacturing, 

189 in research and development, 252 in sales, marketing and applications support, and 54 in finance and 
administration. 

(cid:18)(cid:18)

Investor Information 

  We make available, free of charge, copies of our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on 

Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to 
Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after filing this material 
electronically or otherwise furnishing it to the SEC.  Investors may obtain free electronic copies or request 
paper copies of these reports via the “for investors” section of our website, http://investors.power.com. Our 
website address is provided solely for informational purposes.  We do not intend, by this reference, that our 
website should be deemed to be part of this Annual Report. The reports filed with the SEC are also available at 
www.sec.gov.  

  Our corporate governance guidelines, the charters of our board committees, and our code of business 
conduct and ethics, including ethics provisions that apply to our principal executive officer, principal financial 
officer, controller and senior financial officers, are also available via the investor website listed above. These 
items are also available in print to any stockholder who requests them by calling (408) 414-9200.

Power Integrations, Inc. was incorporated in California on March 25, 1988, and reincorporated in 

Delaware in December 1997.

Executive Officers of the Registrant

  As of January 30, 2015, our executive officers, who are appointed by and serve at the discretion of 

the board of directors, were as follows: 

Name
Balu Balakrishnan
Wolfgang Ademmer
Douglas Bailey
Radu Barsan
David "Mike" Matthews
Sandeep Nayyar
Ben Sutherland
John Tomlin
Clifford Walker

Position With Power Integrations
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director.............................................
Vice President, High-Power Products .............................................................
Vice President, Marketing ...............................................................................
Vice President, Technology.............................................................................
Vice President, Product Development.............................................................
Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer......................................
Vice President, Worldwide Sales.....................................................................
Vice President, Operations ..............................................................................
Vice President, Corporate Development .........................................................

Age
60
47
48
62
50
55
43
67
63

  Balu Balakrishnan has served as president and chief executive officer and as a director of Power 

Integrations since January 2002.  He served as president and chief operating officer from April 2001 to 
January 2002.  From January 2000 to April 2001, he was vice president of engineering and strategic 
marketing.  From September 1997 to January 2000, he was vice president of engineering and new business 
development.  From September 1994 to September 1997, Mr. Balakrishnan served as vice president of 
engineering and marketing.  Prior to joining Power Integrations in 1989, Mr. Balakrishnan was employed by 
National Semiconductor Corporation. 

  Wolfgang Ademmer serves as vice president of high-power products.  Mr. Ademmer joined Power 
Integrations in 2012 in connection with our acquisition of Concept. Mr. Ademmer served as president and 
CEO of Concept since 2009, where he was responsible for overseeing the operations of Concept. Prior to 
joining Concept, he was with Infineon Technologies AG in Germany, leading that company’s appliance and 
hybrid-vehicle business segment. He began his career in the power-electronics industry in 1993 at Eupec 
Gmbh, where he held a succession of roles, including vice president of sales and marketing, until the merger 
of Eupec and Infineon in 2005. 

  Douglas Bailey has served as our vice president of marketing since November 2004. From March 
2001 to April 2004, he served as vice president of marketing at ChipX, a structured ASIC company. His earlier 

(cid:18)(cid:19)

 
 
experience includes serving as business management and marketing consultant for Sapiential Prime, Inc., 
director of sales and business unit manager for 8x8, Inc., and serving in application engineering management 
for IIT, Inc. and design engineering roles with LSI Logic, Inmos, Ltd. and Marconi.

  Radu Barsan has served as our vice president of technology since January 2013, leading our foundry 

engineering, technology development and quality organizations. Prior to joining Power Integrations, Mr. 
Barsan served as chairman and CEO at Redfern Integrated Optics, Inc., a supplier of single frequency narrow 
linewidth lasers, modules, and subsystems, from 2001 to 2013, where he was responsible for overseeing the 
operations of Redfern Integrated Optics. Previously, he served in a succession of engineering-management and 
technology-development roles at Phaethon Communications, Inc., a photonics technology company, Cirrus 
Logic, Inc., a high-precision analog and digital signal processing company, Advanced Micro Devices, a 
semiconductor design company, Cypress Semiconductor, Inc., a semiconductor company and Microelectronica 
a distributor of electronic components. Mr. Barsan has more than 30 years of commercial experience in 
semiconductor and optical components development, engineering and operations. 

  Mike Matthews has served as our vice president of product development since August 2012. Mr. 
Matthews joined Power Integrations in 1992, managing our European application-engineering group and then 
our European sales organization as managing director of Power Integrations (Europe). He has led our product-
definition team since 2000, serving as director of strategic marketing prior to assuming his current role. Prior 
to joining Power Integrations, Mr. Matthews worked at several electric motor-drive companies and then at 
Siliconix, a semiconductor company, as a motor-control applications specialist.

Sandeep Nayyar has served as our vice president and chief financial officer since June 2010.  
Previously Mr. Nayyar served as vice president of finance at Applied Biosystems, Inc., a developer and 
manufacturer of life-sciences products, from 2002 to 2009.  Mr. Nayyar was a member of the executive 
team with world-wide responsibilities for finance.  From 1990 to 2001, Mr. Nayyar served in a 
succession of financial roles including vice president of finance at Quantum Corporation, a computer 
storage company.  Mr. Nayyar also worked for five years in the public-accounting field at Ernst & 
Young LLP.  Mr. Nayyar is a Certified Public Accountant, Chartered Accountant and has a Bachelor of 
Commerce from the University of Delhi, India.    

  Ben Sutherland has served as our vice president, worldwide sales since July 2011.  Mr. 
Sutherland joined our company in May 2000 as a member of our sales organization in Europe.  From 
May 2000 to July 2011, Mr. Sutherland served in various sales positions responsible primarily for our 
international sales, and more recently for domestic sales.  From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Sutherland served in 
various product marketing and sales roles at Vishay Intertechnology, Inc., a manufacturer and supplier of 
discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components.  

John Tomlin has served as our vice president, operations since October 2001.  From 1981 to 2001, 

Mr. Tomlin served in a variety of senior management positions in operations, service, logistics and marketing, 
most recently as vice president of worldwide operations at Quantum Corporation, a computer storage 
company.  In addition, Mr. Tomlin held positions in operations and supply chain management at Intel, a 
semiconductor chip manufacturer, and Diablo Systems, a disc drive and daisy wheel printer company.

  Clifford Walker has served as our vice president, corporate development since June 1995.  From 
September 1994 to June 1995, Mr. Walker served as vice president of Reach Software Corporation, a software 
company.  From December 1993 to September 1994, Mr. Walker served as president of Morgan Walker 
International, a consulting company.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

In addition to the other information in this report, the following factors should be considered carefully 

in evaluating our business before purchasing shares of our stock. 

Our quarterly operating results are volatile and difficult to predict. If we fail to meet the expectations 
of public market analysts or investors, the market price of our common stock may decrease significantly. Our 

(cid:18)(cid:20)

 
 
 
 
net revenues and operating results have varied significantly in the past, are difficult to forecast, are subject to 
numerous factors both within and outside of our control, and may fluctuate significantly in the future. As a 
result, our quarterly operating results could fall below the expectations of public market analysts or investors. If 
that occurs, the price of our stock may decline. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Some of the factors that could affect our operating results include the following:

the demand for our products declining in the major end markets we serve, which may occur due to 
competitive factors, supply-chain fluctuations or changes in macroeconomic conditions;

our products are sold through distributors, which limits our direct interaction with our end customers, 
which reduces our ability to forecast sales and increases the complexity of our business;

competitive pressures on selling prices; 

the inability to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights;

expenses we are required to incur (or choose to incur) in connection with our intellectual property 
litigations;

reliance on international sales activities for a substantial portion of our net revenues; 

fluctuations in exchange rates, particularly the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese 
yen, the Euro and the Swiss franc;

the volume and timing of delivery of orders placed by us with our wafer foundries and assembly 
subcontractors, and their ability to procure materials; 

our ability to develop and bring to market new products and technologies on a timely basis;

earthquakes, terrorists acts or other disasters;

continued impact of changes in securities laws and regulations, including potential risks resulting from 
our evaluation of internal controls under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002;

the lengthy timing of our sales cycle;

undetected defects and failures in meeting the exact specifications required by our products; 

the ability of our products to penetrate additional markets;

the volume and timing of orders received from customers; 

audits by the Internal Revenue Service, and potential future changes in tax laws may increase the 
amount of taxes we are required to pay; 

our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel;

risks associated with acquisitions and strategic investments;

our ability to successfully integrate, or realize the expected benefits from, our acquisitions;

changes in environmental laws and regulations, including with respect to energy consumption and 
climate change; and

interruptions in our information technology systems.

(cid:18)(cid:21)

 
If demand for our products declines in our major end markets, our net revenues will decrease. A 

limited number of applications of our products, such as cellphone chargers, LED lights, desktop PCs and home 
appliances make up a significant percentage of our net revenues. We expect that a significant level of our net 
revenues and operating results will continue to be dependent upon these applications in the near term. The 
demand for these products has been highly cyclical and has been impacted by economic downturns in the past. 
Any economic slowdown in the end markets that we serve could cause a slowdown in demand for our ICs.  
When our customers are not successful in maintaining high levels of demand for their products, their demand 
for our ICs decreases, which adversely affects our operating results. Any significant downturn in demand in 
these markets would cause our net revenues to decline and could cause the price of our stock to fall.

Our products are sold through distributors, which limits our direct interaction with our end customers, 

therefore reducing our ability to forecast sales and increasing the complexity of our business. Sales to 
distributors accounted for 75% of net revenues in both the years ended December 31, 2014, and December 31, 
2013. Selling through distributors reduces our ability to forecast sales and increases the complexity of our 
business, requiring us to: 

• 
• 
• 

manage a more complex supply chain;
monitor the level of inventory of our products at each distributor and
monitor the financial condition and credit-worthiness of our distributors, many of which are located 
outside of the United States and not publicly traded.

Since we have limited ability to forecast inventory levels at our end customers, it is possible that there 

may be significant build-up of inventories in the distributor channel, with the OEM or the OEM’s contract 
manufacturer. Such a buildup could result in a slowdown in orders, requests for returns from customers, or 
requests to move out planned shipments. This could adversely impact our revenues and profits. Any failure to 
manage these complexities could disrupt or reduce sales of our products and unfavorably impact our financial 
results.

Intense competition in the high-voltage power supply industry may lead to a decrease in our average 

selling price and reduced sales volume of our products. The high-voltage power supply industry is intensely 
competitive and characterized by significant price sensitivity. Our products face competition from alternative 
technologies, such as linear transformers, discrete switcher power supplies, and other integrated and hybrid 
solutions. If the price of competing solutions decreases significantly, the cost effectiveness of our products will 
be adversely affected. If power requirements for applications in which our products are currently utilized go 
outside the cost-effective range of our products, some of these alternative technologies can be used more cost 
effectively. In addition, as our patents expire, our competitors could legally begin using the technology covered 
by the expired patents in their products, potentially increasing the performance of their products and/or 
decreasing the cost of their products, which may enable our competitors to compete more effectively. Our 
current patents may or may not inhibit our competitors from getting any benefit from an expired patent.  Our 
U.S. patents have expiration dates ranging from 2016 to 2033. We cannot assure that our products will continue 
to compete favorably or that we will be successful in the face of increasing competition from new products and 
enhancements introduced by existing competitors or new companies entering this market. We believe our failure 
to compete successfully in the high-voltage power supply business, including our ability to introduce new 
products with higher average selling prices, would materially harm our operating results.

If we are unable to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, we could lose market 

share, incur costly litigation expenses, suffer incremental price erosion or lose valuable assets, any of which 
could harm our operations and negatively impact our profitability. Our success depends upon our ability to 
continue our technological innovation and protect our intellectual property, including patents, trade secrets, 
copyrights and know-how. We are currently engaged in litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, and 
associated expenses have been, and are expected to remain, material and have adversely affected our operating 
results. We cannot assure that the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property will be adequate to 
prevent misappropriation, or that others will not develop competitive technologies or products. From time to 
time, we have received, and we may receive in the future, communications alleging possible infringement of 
patents or other intellectual property rights of others. Costly litigation may be necessary to enforce our 

(cid:18)(cid:22)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
intellectual property rights or to defend us against claimed infringement. The failure to obtain necessary licenses 
and other rights, and/or litigation arising out of infringement claims could cause us to lose market share and 
harm our business.

As our patents expire, we will lose intellectual property protection previously afforded by those 

patents.  Additionally, the laws of some foreign countries in which our technology is or may in the future be 
licensed may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, thus 
limiting the protections applicable to our technology. 

If we do not prevail in our litigation, we will have expended significant financial resources, potentially 
without any benefit, and may also suffer the loss of rights to use some technologies.  We are currently involved 
in a number of patent litigation matters and the outcome of the litigation is uncertain.  See Note 10, Legal 
Proceedings and Contingencies, in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.  For example, in one of our 
patent suits the infringing company has been found to infringe four of our patents. Despite the favorable court 
finding, the infringing party filed an appeal to the damages awarded.  In another matter, we are being sued in an 
ongoing case for patent infringement. Should we ultimately be determined to be infringing another party's 
patents, or if an injunction is issued against us while litigation is pending on those claims, such result could 
have an adverse impact on our ability to sell products found to be infringing, either directly or indirectly. In the 
event of an adverse outcome, we may be required to pay substantial damages, stop our manufacture, use, sale, 
or importation of infringing products, or obtain licenses to the intellectual property we are found to have 
infringed.  We have also incurred, and expect to continue to incur, significant legal costs in conducting these 
lawsuits, including the appeal of the case we won, and our involvement in this litigation and any future 
intellectual property litigation could adversely affect sales and divert the efforts and attention of our technical 
and management personnel, whether or not such litigation is resolved in our favor.  Thus, even if we are 
successful in these lawsuits, the benefits of this success may fail to outweigh the significant legal costs we will 
have incurred.

Our international sales activities account for a substantial portion of our net revenues, which subjects 

us to substantial risks.   Sales to customers outside of the United States of America account for, and have 
accounted for a large portion of our net revenues, including approximately 95% of our net revenues for both the 
years ended December 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013.  If our international sales declined and we were 
unable to increase domestic sales, our revenues would decline and our operating results would be harmed.  
International sales involve a number of risks to us, including: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

potential insolvency of international distributors and representatives; 

reduced protection for intellectual property rights in some countries; 

the impact of recessionary environments in economies outside the United States; 

tariffs and other trade barriers and restrictions; 

the burdens of complying with a variety of foreign and applicable U.S. Federal and state laws; and 

foreign-currency exchange risk. 

Our failure to adequately address these risks could reduce our international sales and materially and 

adversely affect our operating results. Furthermore, because substantially all of our foreign sales are 
denominated in U.S. dollars, increases in the value of the dollar cause the price of our products in foreign 
markets to rise, making our products more expensive relative to competing products priced in local currencies. 

Fluctuations in exchange rates, particularly the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the 

Japanese yen, Swiss franc and euro, may impact our gross margin and net income. Our exchange rate risk 
related to the Japanese yen includes two of our major suppliers, Epson and Lapis, with which we have wafer 
supply agreements based in U.S. dollars; however, these agreements also allow for mutual sharing of the impact 
of the exchange rate fluctuation between Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar. Each year, our management and 

(cid:18)(cid:23)

  
 
 
 
 
 
these suppliers review and negotiate pricing; the negotiated pricing is denominated in U.S. dollars but is subject 
to contractual exchange rate provisions. The fluctuation in the exchange rate is shared equally between Power 
Integrations and each of these suppliers. We completed the acquisition of Concept (located in Biel, Switzerland) 
in the second quarter of 2012. We maintain cash denominated in Swiss francs and euros to fund the operations 
of our Swiss subsidiary. The functional currency of our Swiss subsidiary is the U.S. dollar; gains and losses 
arising from the re-measurement of non-functional currency balances are recorded in other income in our 
consolidated statements of income, and material unfavorable exchange-rate fluctuations with the Swiss franc 
could negatively impact our net income. 

We depend on third-party suppliers to provide us with wafers for our products and if they fail to 
provide us sufficient quantities of wafers, our business may suffer. We have supply arrangements for the 
production of wafers with Lapis, Renesas, X-FAB and Epson. Our contracts with these suppliers expire on 
varying dates, with the earliest having expired as of December 2014, which was Renesas (the contract with 
Renesas is currently being renegotiated and is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2015, until that time 
we are operating under the terms of the expired contract). Although some aspects of our relationships with 
Lapis, Renesas, X-FAB and Epson are contractual, many important aspects of these relationships depend on 
their continued cooperation. We cannot assure that we will continue to work successfully with Lapis, Renesas, 
X-FAB and Epson in the future, and that the wafer foundries' capacity will meet our needs. Additionally, one or 
more of these wafer foundries could seek an early termination of our wafer supply agreements. Any serious 
disruption in the supply of wafers from Lapis, Renesas, X-FAB or Epson could harm our business. We estimate 
that it would take 12 to 24 months from the time we identified an alternate manufacturing source to produce 
wafers with acceptable manufacturing yields in sufficient quantities to meet our needs.

Although we provide our foundries with rolling forecasts of our production requirements, their ability 

to provide wafers to us is ultimately limited by the available capacity of the wafer foundry. Any reduction in 
wafer foundry capacity available to us could require us to pay amounts in excess of contracted or anticipated 
amounts for wafer deliveries or require us to make other concessions to meet our customers' requirements, or 
may limit our ability to meet demand for our products. Further, to the extent demand for our products exceeds 
wafer foundry capacity, this could inhibit us from expanding our business and harm relationships with our 
customers.  Any of these concessions or limitations could harm our business.

If our third-party suppliers and independent subcontractors do not produce our wafers and assemble 

our finished products at acceptable yields, our net revenues may decline. We depend on independent foundries 
to produce wafers, and independent subcontractors to assemble and test finished products, at acceptable yields 
and to deliver them to us in a timely manner. The failure of the foundries to supply us wafers at acceptable 
yields could prevent us from selling our products to our customers and would likely cause a decline in our net 
revenues and gross margin. In addition, our IC assembly process requires our manufacturers to use a high-
voltage molding compound that has been available from only a few suppliers. These compounds and their 
specified processing conditions require a more exacting level of process control than normally required for 
standard IC packages. Unavailability of assembly materials or problems with the assembly process can 
materially and adversely affect yields, timely delivery and cost to manufacture. We may not be able to maintain 
acceptable yields in the future.

In addition, if prices for commodities used in our products increase significantly, raw material costs 
would increase for our suppliers which could result in an increase in the prices our suppliers charge us. To the 
extent we are not able to pass these costs on to our customers; this would have an adverse effect on our gross 
margins.

If our efforts to enhance existing products and introduce new products are not successful, we may not 

be able to generate demand for our products. Our success depends in significant part upon our ability to 
develop new ICs for high-voltage power conversion for existing and new markets, to introduce these products 
in a timely manner and to have these products selected for design into products of leading manufacturers. New 
product introduction schedules are subject to the risks and uncertainties that typically accompany development 
and delivery of complex technologies to the market place, including product development delays and defects. If 
we fail to develop and sell new products in a timely manner then our net revenues could decline. 

(cid:18)(cid:24)

 
 
 
 
 
In addition, we cannot be sure that we will be able to adjust to changing market demands as quickly 

and cost-effectively as necessary to compete successfully. Furthermore, we cannot assure that we will be able to 
introduce new products in a timely and cost-effective manner or in sufficient quantities to meet customer 
demand or that these products will achieve market acceptance. Our failure, or our customers' failure, to develop 
and introduce new products successfully and in a timely manner would harm our business. In addition, 
customers may defer or return orders for existing products in response to the introduction of new products. 
When a potential liability exists we will maintain reserves for customer returns, however we cannot assure that 
these reserves will be adequate. 

In the event of an earthquake, terrorist act or other disaster, our operations may be interrupted and 
our business would be harmed. Our principal executive offices and operating facilities are situated near San 
Francisco, California, and most of our major suppliers, which are wafer foundries and assembly houses, are 
located in areas that have been subject to severe earthquakes, such as Japan.  Many of our suppliers are also 
susceptible to other disasters such as tropical storms, typhoons or tsunamis. In the event of a disaster, such as 
the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, we or one or more of our major suppliers may be temporarily unable to 
continue operations and may suffer significant property damage. Any interruption in our ability or that of our 
major suppliers to continue operations could delay the development and shipment of our products and have a 
substantial negative impact on our financial results. 

Securities laws and regulations, including potential risk resulting from our evaluation of internal 

controls under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, will continue to impact our results. Complying with the 
requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and NASDAQ's conditions for continued listing have imposed 
significant legal and financial compliance costs, and are expected to continue to impose significant costs and 
management burden on us. These rules and regulations also may make it more expensive for us to obtain 
director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur 
substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These rules and regulations could also make it more difficult for 
us to attract and retain qualified executive officers and members of our board of directors, particularly qualified 
members to serve on our audit committee. Further, the rules and regulations under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street 
Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which became effective in 2011, may impose significant costs and 
management burden on us.

Additionally, because these laws, regulations and standards promulgated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 
and the Dodd-Frank Act are expected to be subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may 
evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty 
regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and 
governance practices. 

Because the sales cycle for our products can be lengthy, we may incur substantial expenses before we 
generate significant revenues, if any. Our products are generally incorporated into a customer's products at the 
design stage. However, customer decisions to use our products, commonly referred to as design wins, can often 
require us to expend significant research and development and sales and marketing resources without any 
assurance of success. These significant research and development and sales and marketing resources often 
precede volume sales, if any, by a year or more. The value of any design win will largely depend upon the 
commercial success of the customer's product. We cannot assure that we will continue to achieve design wins or 
that any design win will result in future revenues. If a customer decides at the design stage not to incorporate 
our products into its product, we may not have another opportunity for a design win with respect to that product 
for many months or years.

Our products must meet exacting specifications, and undetected defects and failures may occur which 

may cause customers to return or stop buying our products. Our customers generally establish demanding 
specifications for quality, performance and reliability, and our products must meet these specifications. ICs as 
complex as those we sell often encounter development delays and may contain undetected defects or failures 
when first introduced or after commencement of commercial shipments. We have from time to time in the past 
experienced product quality, performance or reliability problems. If defects and failures occur in our products, 
we could experience lost revenue, increased costs, including warranty expense and costs associated with 

(cid:18)(cid:25)

 
 
 
 
 
 
customer support and customer expenses, delays in or cancellations or rescheduling of orders or shipments and 
product returns or discounts, any of which would harm our operating results.

If our products do not penetrate additional markets, our business will not grow as we expect. We 

believe that our future success depends in part upon our ability to penetrate additional markets for our products. 
We cannot assure that we will be able to overcome the marketing or technological challenges necessary to 
penetrate additional markets. To the extent that a competitor penetrates additional markets before we do, or 
takes market share from us in our existing markets, our net revenues and financial condition could be materially 
adversely affected. 

We do not have long-term contracts with any of our customers and if they fail to place, or if they cancel 

or reschedule orders for our products, our operating results and our business may suffer. Our business is 
characterized by short-term customer orders and shipment schedules, and the ordering patterns of some of our 
large customers have been unpredictable in the past and will likely remain unpredictable in the future. Not only 
does the volume of units ordered by particular customers vary substantially from period to period, but also 
purchase orders received from particular customers often vary substantially from early oral estimates provided 
by those customers for planning purposes. In addition, customer orders can be canceled or rescheduled without 
significant penalty to the customer. In the past, we have experienced customer cancellations of substantial 
orders for reasons beyond our control, and significant cancellations could occur again at any time. Also, a 
relatively small number of distributors, OEMs and merchant power supply manufacturers account for a 
significant portion of our revenues. Specifically, our top ten customers, including distributors, accounted for 
59% of our net revenues in both the years ended December 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013.  However, a 
significant portion of these revenues are attributable to sales of our products through distributors of electronic 
components. These distributors sell our products to a broad, diverse range of end users, including OEMs and 
merchant power supply manufacturers, which mitigates the risk of customer concentration to a large degree.

Audits of our tax returns and potential future changes in tax laws may increase the amount of taxes we 

are required to pay.  Our operations are subject to income and transaction taxes in the United States and in 
multiple foreign jurisdictions and to review or audit by the IRS and state, local and foreign tax authorities. In 
addition, the United States, countries in Asia and other countries where we do business have been considering 
changes in relevant tax, accounting and other laws, regulations and interpretations, including changes to tax 
laws applicable to multinational companies. These potential changes could adversely affect our effective tax 
rates or result in other costs to us. 

We must attract and retain qualified personnel to be successful and competition for qualified personnel 
is intense in our market. Our success depends to a significant extent upon the continued service of our executive 
officers and other key management and technical personnel, and on our ability to continue to attract, retain and 
motivate qualified personnel, such as experienced analog design engineers and systems applications engineers. 
The competition for these employees is intense, particularly in Silicon Valley. The loss of the services of one or 
more of our engineers, executive officers or other key personnel could harm our business. In addition, if one or 
more of these individuals leaves our employ, and we are unable to quickly and efficiently replace those 
individuals with qualified personnel who can smoothly transition into their new roles, our business may suffer. 
We do not have long-term employment contracts with, and we do not have in place key person life insurance 
policies on, any of our employees.  

We are exposed to risks associated with acquisitions and strategic investments. We have made, and in 
the future intend to make, acquisitions of, and investments in, companies, technologies or products in existing, 
related or new markets such as Concept. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including but not limited to:

• 

• 

inability to realize anticipated benefits, which may occur due to any of the reasons described below, or 
for other unanticipated reasons;

the risk of litigation or disputes with customers, suppliers, partners or stockholders of an acquisition 
target arising from a proposed or completed transaction; 

(cid:18)(cid:26)

 
 
 
 
 
• 

• 

impairment of acquired intangible assets and goodwill as a result of changing business conditions, 
technological advancements or worse-than-expected performance, which would adversely affect our 
financial results; and

unknown, underestimated and/or undisclosed commitments, liabilities or issues not discovered in our 
due diligence of such transactions.

We also in the future may have strategic relationships with other companies, which may decline in 

value and/or not meet desired objectives. The success of these strategic relationships depends on various factors 
over which we may have limited or no control and requires ongoing and effective cooperation with strategic 
partners.  Moreover, these relationships are often illiquid, such that it may be difficult or impossible for us to 
monetize such relationships.

Our inability to successfully integrate, or realize the expected benefits from, our acquisitions could 

adversely affect our results. We have made, and in the future intend to make, acquisitions of other businesses, 
such as Cambridge Semiconductor Limited and Concept, and with these acquisitions there is a risk that 
integration difficulties may cause us not to realize expected benefits.  The success of the acquisitions could 
depend, in part, on our ability to realize the anticipated benefits and cost savings (if any) from combining the 
businesses of the acquired companies and our business, which may take longer to realize than expected.

Changes in environmental laws and regulations may increase our costs related to obsolete products in 

our existing inventory.  Changing environmental regulations and the timetable to implement them continue to 
impact our customers' demand for our products. As a result there could be an increase in our inventory 
obsolescence costs for products manufactured prior to our customers' adoption of new regulations. Currently we 
have limited visibility into our customers' strategies to implement these changing environmental regulations into 
their business. The inability to accurately determine our customers' strategies could increase our inventory costs 
related to obsolescence.

Interruptions in our information technology systems could adversely affect our business.  We rely on 
the efficient and uninterrupted operation of complex information technology systems and networks to operate 
our business. Any significant system or network disruption, including but not limited to new system 
implementations, computer viruses, security breaches, or energy blackouts could have a material adverse impact 
on our operations, sales and operating results. We have implemented measures to manage our risks related to 
such disruptions, but such disruptions could still occur and negatively impact our operations and financial 
results. In addition, we may incur additional costs to remedy any damages caused by these disruptions or 
security breaches.

Uncertainties arising out of economic consequences of current and potential military actions or 
terrorist activities and associated political instability could adversely affect our business. Like other U.S. 
companies, our business and operating results are subject to uncertainties arising out of economic consequences 
of current and potential military actions or terrorist activities and associated political instability, and the impact 
of heightened security concerns on domestic and international travel and commerce. These uncertainties could 
also lead to delays or cancellations of customer orders, a general decrease in corporate spending or our inability 
to effectively market and sell our products. Any of these results could substantially harm our business and 
results of operations, causing a decrease in our revenues.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

Not applicable.

Item 2. Properties.

We own our principal executive, administrative, manufacturing and technical offices which are located 

in San Jose, California. We also own a research and development facility in New Jersey, which was purchased 
in 2010 in connection with our acquisition of an early-stage research and development company, and a test 
facility in Biel, Switzerland which was acquired in connection with our acquisition of Concept.  We lease 

(cid:19)(cid:17)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
administrative office space in Singapore and Switzerland, a research and development facility in Canada and a 
design center in Germany, in addition to sales offices in various countries around the world to accommodate our 
sales force.  We believe that our current facilities are sufficient for our company; however, if headcount 
increases above capacity we may need to lease additional space.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

Information with respect to this item may be found in Note 10, Legal Proceedings and Contingencies, 

in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included later in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which 
information is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

(cid:19)(cid:18)

 
 
PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of 
Equity Securities.

  Our common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “POWI”.  The 

following table shows the high and low closing sales prices per share of our common stock as reported on the 
NASDAQ Global Select Market for the periods indicated during which our common stock traded on the 
NASDAQ Global Select Market.    

Year Ended December 31, 2014
Fourth quarter.................................................................... $
Third quarter ..................................................................... $
Second quarter................................................................... $
First quarter ....................................................................... $

Price Range

High

Low

54.96 $
60.25 $
66.60 $
67.16 $

42.78
51.69
47.23
54.94

Year Ended December 31, 2013
Fourth quarter.................................................................... $
Third quarter ..................................................................... $
Second quarter................................................................... $
First quarter ....................................................................... $

High

Low

57.28 $
56.45 $
45.18 $
44.65 $

51.40
41.16
38.28
34.07

  As of January 30, 2015, there were approximately 39 stockholders of record.  Because brokers and 

other institutions hold many of our shares on behalf of stockholders, we are unable to estimate the total 
number of stockholders represented by these record holders.  

In October 2013, our board of directors declared four quarterly cash dividends in the amount of $0.10 per 
share to be paid to stockholders of record at the end of each quarter in 2014; payouts of approximately $3.0 million 
each occurred on March 31, 2014, and June 30, 2014. In April 2014, our board of directors increased the dividend 
payments for the third and fourth quarters of 2014 to $0.12 per share; these quarterly payouts of approximately 
$3.6 million and $3.5 million were made on September 30, 2014, and December 31, 2014. In 2013 we paid quarterly 
dividends of $0.08 per share, which resulted in cash payouts of approximately $2.3 million to $2.4 million per 
quarter. In January 2015, our board of directors extended the $0.12 quarterly dividend through each quarter in 
2015. The declaration of any future cash dividend is at the discretion of the board of directors and will depend on 
our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, business conditions and other factors, as well 
as a determination that cash dividends are in the best interest of our stockholders.

(cid:19)(cid:19)

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

In October 2012, our board of directors authorized the use of $50.0 million for the repurchase of our 

common stock, subject to pre-defined price/volume guidelines. In 2012, we purchased approximately 0.7 
million shares for $20.5 million under this stock repurchase program. No shares were purchased in the twelve 
months ended December 31, 2013, due to the stock price levels exceeding the pre-defined price guidelines 
mentioned above. In 2014 our board of directors authorized the use of an additional $75.0 million for this 
purpose. In the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, we purchased 1.6 million shares for $80.8 million. As 
of December 31, 2014, we had $23.7 million available for future stock repurchases. Authorization of future 
repurchase programs is at the discretion of the board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, 
results of operations, capital requirements, business conditions as well as other factors.

Period

October 1, 2014 to October 31, 2014.............

November 1, 2014 to November 30, 2014.....

December 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014......

Total ...............................................................

Total
Number of
Shares
Purchased

564,602

153,831

9,983

728,416

Average
Price Paid
Per Share

$

$

$

48.09

51.04

49.81

Total Number of
Shares Purchased
as Part of Publicly
Announced Plans
or Programs

Approximate Dollar
Value of Shares that
May Yet be
Repurchased Under
the Plans or
Programs (in
millions)

$

$

$

564,602

153,831

9,983

728,416

32.1

24.3

23.7

(cid:19)(cid:20)

 
Performance Graph(1)

The following graph shows the cumulative total stockholder return of an investment of $100 in cash on 

December 31, 2009 through December 31, 2014, for (a) our common stock, (b) The NASDAQ Composite 
Index and (c) The NASDAQ Electronic Components Index.  Pursuant to applicable SEC rules, all values 
assume reinvestment of the full amount of all dividends.  The stockholder return shown on the graph below is 
not necessarily indicative of future performance, and we do not make or endorse any predictions as to future 
stockholder returns. 

COMPARISON OF 5 YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*
Among Power Integrations, Inc., the NASDAQ Composite Index,
and the NASDAQ Electronic Components Index

$250

$200

$150

$100

$50

$0

12/09

12/10

12/11

12/12

12/13

12/14

Power Integrations, Inc.

NASDAQ Composite

NASDAQ Electronic Components

*$100 invested on 12/31/09 in stock or index, including reinvestment of dividends.
Fiscal year ending December 31, 2014.

g

y

,

Power Integrations, Inc.

NASDAQ Composite

NASDAQ Electronic Components

______________________________

12/09

100.00

100.00

100.00

12/10

111.10

118

116

12/11

92

12/12

94

118.70

139.00

105

104

12/13

12/14

157

197

144

147

224

191

(1)  This Section is not “soliciting material,” is not deemed “filed” with the SEC and is not to be 

incorporated by reference in any filing of Power Integrations under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or 
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, whether made before or after the date hereof and irrespective of any 
general incorporation language in any such filing.

(cid:19)(cid:21)

 
Item 6.   Selected Financial Data. 

  The following selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with ''Management's 

Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations'' and the consolidated financial 
statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this Form 10-K to fully understand factors that may 
affect the comparability of the information presented below. We derived the selected consolidated balance 
sheet data as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the consolidated statements of income (loss) data for the 
years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, from our audited consolidated financial statements, and 
accompanying notes, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  In the year ended December 31, 2012, we incurred 
charges related to our investment in SemiSouth Laboratories (see Note 12, Transactions With Third Party, in 
our notes to consolidated financial statements), and from our settlement with the IRS related to the 
examination of our tax returns for the years 2003 through 2006 (refer to Note 8, Provision for Income Taxes, in 
our notes to consolidated financial statements). The consolidated statements of income (loss) data for each of 
the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 
2012, 2011 and 2010, are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements which are not included in 
this report.  Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of results for any future period.  

(cid:19)(cid:22)

 
40,295
32,624
24,508
—
97,427
43,219

1,876
—
1,876

35,886
31,167
25,562
—
92,615
59,926

1,879
—
1,879

  Our selected financial data is presented below (in thousands, except per share data).

Year Ended December 31,

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss):
Net revenues .................................................................... $ 348,797
159,227
Cost of revenues ..............................................................
Gross profit ......................................................................
189,570
Operating expenses:

$ 347,089
163,853
183,236

$ 305,370
154,868
150,502

$ 298,739
158,093
140,646

$ 299,803
147,262
152,541

Research and development ......................................
Sales and marketing.................................................
General and administrative ......................................
Charge related to SemiSouth ...................................
Total operating expenses..................................
Income from operations...................................................
Other income (expense):

54,981
47,796
30,997
—
133,774
55,796

51,654
45,466
32,050
—
129,170
54,066

45,709
37,998
30,243
25,200
139,150
11,352

Other income, net.....................................................
Charge related to SemiSouth ...................................
                 Total other income (expense)..........................
Income (loss) before provision for (benefit from)
56,814
income taxes ....................................................................
(2,730)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes.......................
Net income (loss)............................................................. $ 59,544
Earnings (loss) per share:

1,018
—
1,018

 Basic ....................................................................... $
 Diluted .................................................................... $

1.99
1.93

Shares used in per share calculation:

 Basic .......................................................................
 Diluted ....................................................................
Dividend per share........................................................... $

29,976
30,829
0.44

1,361
—
1,361

1,611
(33,745)
(32,134)

55,427
(1,839)
$ 57,266

(20,782)
13,622
$ (34,404)

45,095
10,804
$ 34,291

61,805
12,341
$ 49,464

$
$

$

1.95
1.88

29,421
30,420
0.32

$
$

$

(1.20)
(1.20)

28,636
28,636
0.20

$
$

$

1.20
1.14

28,609
29,964
0.20

$
$

$

1.78
1.67

27,837
29,556
0.20

2014

Year Ended December 31,
2012

2013

2011

2010

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:
Cash and cash equivalents ............................................... $ 60,708
Short-term marketable securities .....................................
114,575
Cash, cash equivalents and short-term marketable
securities .......................................................................... $ 175,283
Working capital................................................................ $ 210,752
Total assets....................................................................... $ 493,663
Long-term liabilities ........................................................ $
7,827
Stockholders' equity......................................................... $ 430,676

$ 92,928
109,179

$ 63,394
31,766

$ 139,836
40,899

$ 155,667
27,355

$ 202,107
$ 227,004
$ 501,421
$ 14,317
$ 436,686

$ 95,160
$ 124,297
$ 399,130
$ 17,514
$ 341,049

$ 180,735
$ 216,079
$ 432,919
$ 34,368
$ 364,529

$ 183,022
$ 210,664
$ 433,070
$ 29,580
$ 352,644

(cid:19)(cid:23)

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

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of our operations should 

be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes to those statements included 
elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  This discussion contains forward-looking statements that 
involve risks and uncertainties.  Our actual results could differ materially from those contained in these 
forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in Part I, Item 1A “Risk 
Factors” and elsewhere in this report.  

Business Overview

We design, develop and market analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs) and other electronic 

components and circuitry used in high-voltage power conversion. Our products are used in power converters 
that convert electricity from a high-voltage source (typically 48 volts or higher) to the type of power required 
for a specified downstream use. In most cases, this conversion entails, among other functions, converting 
alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) or vice versa, reducing or increasing the voltage, and regulating 
the output voltage and/or current according to the customer's specifications.

  A large percentage of our products are ICs used in AC-DC power supplies, which convert the high-

voltage AC from a wall outlet to the low-voltage DC required by most electronic devices. Power supplies 
incorporating our products are used with all manner of electronic products including mobile phones, 
computers, entertainment and networking equipment, appliances, electronic utility meters, industrial controls 
and LED lights. 

   Since our May 2012 acquisition of CT-Concept Technologie AG (Concept), we also offer IGBT 

drivers - circuit boards containing multiple ICs, electrical isolation components and other circuitry - used to 
operate arrays of high-voltage, high-power transistors known as IGBT modules. These driver/module 
combinations are used for power conversion in high-power applications (i.e., power levels ranging from tens 
of kilowatts up to one gigawatt) such as industrial motors, solar- and wind-power systems, electric vehicles 
and high-voltage DC transmission systems. 

  Our net revenues were $348.8 million, $347.1 million and $305.4 million in 2014, 2013 and 2012, 
respectively. In 2014 revenue increased by $1.7 million, due primarily to growth in three of our primary end-
market categories (consumer, industrial and computer), driven by higher unit sales for a range of applications 
including consumer appliances, industrial motor drives and desktop computers. The increase was partially 
offset by lower sales into the communications end market due primarily to lower unit sales for residential-
networking applications and cellphone chargers. The increase in revenues from 2012 to 2013 was due in part 
to the inclusion of the former Concept business for the full year (compared to only eight months in 2012), and 
also reflected higher unit sales into the industrial, consumer and computing end markets, particularly for 
applications such as consumer appliances, industrial controls, LED lighting, industrial motor drives, 
renewable-energy systems and desktop PCs.

  Our top ten customers, including distributors that resell to OEMs and merchant power supply 
manufacturers, accounted for 59%, 59% and 64% of our net revenues for 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. 
Our top two customers, both distributors of our products, collectively accounted for approximately 28% of our 
net revenues for 2014, 28% for 2013 and 32% in 2012.  In 2014, 2013 and 2012, international sales made up 
95% of net revenues.  

Because our industry is intensely price-sensitive, our gross margin (gross profit divided by net 

revenues) is subject to change based on the relative pricing of solutions that compete with ours. Variations in 
product mix, end-market mix and customer mix can also cause our gross margin to fluctuate. Also, because we 
purchase a large percentage of our silicon wafers from foundries located in Japan, our gross margin is 
influenced by fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen. All else being 
equal, a 10% change in the value of the U.S. dollar compared to the Japanese yen would eventually result in a 

(cid:19)(cid:24)

 
 
 
corresponding change in our gross margin of approximately 0.8% to 1.0%; this sensitivity may increase or 
decrease depending on the percentage of our wafer supply that we purchase from Japanese suppliers. Also, 
although our wafer fabrication and assembly operations are outsourced, as are most of our test operations, a 
portion of our production costs are fixed in nature. As a result, our unit costs and gross profit margin are 
impacted by the volume of units we produce.

Our gross profit, defined as net revenues less cost of revenues, was $189.6 million, or 54% of net 

revenues, in 2014, compared to $183.2 million, or 53% of net revenues in 2013, and $150.5 million, or 49% of 
net revenues, in 2012. The increase in 2014 was due primarily to: a favorable end-market mix, with a greater 
percentage of revenue coming from higher-margin end markets; a decline in the value of the Japanese yen 
versus the U.S. dollar, which decreased the cost of silicon wafers purchased from our Japanese wafer-
fabrication foundries; and unit cost benefits resulting from higher production volumes. The increase in gross 
margin from 2012 to 2013 was due primarily to lower manufacturing costs stemming from a combination of 
internal cost-reduction initiatives, unit-cost benefits from higher production volumes, the decline in the value of 
the Japanese yen versus the U.S. dollar and a more favorable end-market mix. 

  Total operating expenses in 2014, 2013 and 2012 were $133.8 million, $129.2 million and $139.2 
million, respectively. Operating expenses increased in 2014 compared to the prior year as a result of higher 
research and development expenses, including increased headcount as well as greater engineering-materials 
and equipment-depreciation expenses, all in support of our product-development efforts. Sales and marketing 
expenses also increased, due primarily to the expansion of our sales and application-support staffs, which 
resulted in higher salary and related expenses. Operating expenses decreased in 2013 from 2012 because in 
2012 we recognized impairment charges associated with our investment in SemiSouth Laboratories, including 
the write-off of $10.0 million for a prepaid royalty and $15.2 million related to a payment under a loan 
guarantee for SemiSouth. (Refer to Note 12, Transactions With Third Party, in our Notes to Consolidated 
Financial Statements, for details on the impairment). The decrease in 2013 was partially offset by higher salary 
and intangible asset amortization expenses associated with the former Concept business, reflecting its 
inclusion for the full year of 2013 compared to only eight months in 2012. (Refer to Note 11, Acquisitions, in 
our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, for details).

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting 

principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP, requires management to make 
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent 
assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses 
during the reporting period.  On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those listed below. We 
base our estimates on historical facts and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable at the time 
the estimates are made.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Our critical accounting policies are as follows:  

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

revenue recognition;
stock-based compensation;
estimating write-downs for excess and obsolete inventory;
income taxes;
business combinations; and
goodwill and intangible assets.

Our critical accounting policies are important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of 
operations, and require us to make judgments and estimates about matters that are inherently uncertain.  A brief 
description of these critical accounting policies is set forth below. For more information regarding our 
accounting policies, see Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, in our Notes to Consolidated 
Financial Statements. 

(cid:19)(cid:25)

 
Revenue recognition

Product revenues consist of sales to original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, merchant power 

supply manufacturers and distributors. Approximately 75% of our net product sales were made to distributors in 
2014. We apply the provisions of Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) 605-10 (“ASC 605-10”) and all 
related appropriate guidance. Revenue is recognized when all of the following criteria have been met: 
(1) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (2) delivery has occurred, (3) the price is fixed or 
determinable, and (4) collectability is reasonably assured. Customer purchase orders are generally used to 
determine the existence of an arrangement. Delivery is considered to have occurred when title and risk of loss 
have transferred to our customer. We evaluate whether the price is fixed or determinable based on the payment 
terms associated with the transaction and whether the sales price is subject to refund or adjustment. With respect 
to collectability, we perform credit checks for new customers and perform ongoing evaluations of our existing 
customers' financial condition and require letters of credit whenever deemed necessary. 

Sales to international OEMs and merchant power supply manufacturers for shipments from our facility 

outside of the United States are pursuant to EX Works, or EXW, shipping terms, meaning that title to the 
product transfers to the customer upon shipment from our foreign warehouse. Sales to international OEM 
customers and merchant power supply manufacturers that are shipped from our facility in California are 
pursuant to Delivered at Frontier, or DAF, shipping terms. As such, title to the product passes to the customer 
when the shipment reaches the destination country and revenue is recognized upon the arrival of the product in 
that country. Shipments to OEMs and merchant power supply manufacturers in the Americas are pursuant to 
Free on Board, or FOB, point of origin shipping terms meaning that title is passed to the customer upon 
shipment. Revenue is recognized upon title transfer for sales to OEMs and merchant power supply 
manufacturers, assuming all other criteria for revenue recognition are met. 

Sales to most distributors are made under terms allowing certain price adjustments and rights of return 
on our products held by the distributors. As a result of these rights, we defer the recognition of revenue and the 
costs of revenues derived from sales to these distributors until our distributors report that they have sold our 
products to their customers. Our recognition of such distributor sell-through is based on point of sales reports 
received from the distributor, at which time the price is no longer subject to adjustment and is fixed, and the 
products are no longer subject to return to us except pursuant to warranty terms. The gross profit that is deferred 
upon shipment to the distributor is reflected as “deferred income on sales to distributors” in the accompanying 
consolidated balance sheets. The total deferred revenue as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, was approximately 
$25.0 million and $25.5 million, respectively. The total deferred cost as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, was 
approximately $9.8 million and $9.8 million, respectively.

Frequently, distributors need to sell at a price lower than the standard distribution price in order to win 
business. At the time the distributor invoices its customer or soon thereafter, the distributor submits a “ship and 
debit” price adjustment claim to us to adjust the distributor's cost from the standard price to the pre-approved 
lower price. After we verify that the claim was pre-approved, a credit memo is issued to the distributor for the 
ship and debit claim. We maintain a reserve for these unprocessed claims and for estimated future ship and debit 
price adjustments.  The reserves appear as a reduction to accounts receivable and deferred income on sales to 
distributors in our accompanying consolidated balance sheets. To the extent future ship and debit claims 
significantly exceed amounts estimated, there could be a material impact on the deferred revenue and deferred 
margin ultimately recognized.  To evaluate the adequacy of our reserves, we analyze historical ship and debit 
payments and levels of inventory in the distributor channels.

Sales to certain of our distributors are made under terms that do not include rights of return or price 
concessions after the product is shipped to the distributor.  Accordingly, product revenue is recognized upon 
shipment and title transfer assuming all other revenue recognition criteria are met.

Stock-based compensation

We apply the provisions of ASC 718-10, Share-Based Payment. Under the provisions of ASC 718-10, 

we recognize the fair value of stock-based compensation in our financial statements over the requisite service 
period of the individual grants, which generally equals a four-year vesting period. We use estimates of volatility, 

(cid:19)(cid:26)

 
 
 
 
 
expected term, risk-free interest rate, dividend yield and forfeitures in determining the fair value of these awards 
and the amount of compensation expense to recognize. Changes in the estimated forfeiture rate could result in 
changes to our current compensation charges for historical grants.

Estimating write-downs for excess and obsolete inventory

When evaluating the adequacy of our valuation adjustments for excess and obsolete inventory, we 

identify excess and obsolete products and also analyze historical usage, forecasted production based on demand 
forecasts, current economic trends and historical write-offs. This write-down is reflected as a reduction to 
inventory in the consolidated balance sheets and an increase in cost of revenues.  If actual market conditions are 
less favorable than our assumptions, we may be required to take additional write-downs, which could adversely 
impact our cost of revenues and operating results. 

Income taxes

Income tax expense is an estimate of current income taxes payable or refundable in the current fiscal 

year based on reported income before income taxes. Deferred income taxes reflect the effect of temporary 
differences and carry-forwards that are recognized for financial reporting and income tax purposes. 

We account for income taxes under the provisions of ASC 740. Under the provisions of ASC 740, 

deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized based on the differences between the financial statement 
carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, utilizing the tax rates that are 
expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be 
recovered or settled. We recognize valuation allowances to reduce any deferred tax assets to the amount that we 
estimate will more likely than not be realized based on available evidence and management’s judgment. We 
limit the deferred tax assets recognized related to some of our officers’ compensation to amounts that we 
estimate will be deductible in future periods based upon Internal Revenue Code Section 162(m). In the event 
that we determine, based on available evidence and management judgment, that all or part of the net deferred 
tax assets will not be realized in the future, we would record a valuation allowance in the period the 
determination is made. In addition, the calculation of tax liabilities involves significant judgment in estimating 
the impact of uncertainties in the application of complex tax laws. Resolution of these uncertainties in a manner 
inconsistent with our expectations could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial 
position. 

As of December 31, 2014, we continue to maintain a valuation allowance on our California deferred 
tax assets as we believe that it is not more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be fully realized. We 
also maintain a valuation allowance with respect to some of our deferred tax assets relating primarily to tax 
credits in Canada and the state of New Jersey as well as Federal capital loss carryforwards.

On May 20, 2014, we signed an agreement to settle all positions and close out the examination of our 

income tax returns for the years 2007 through 2009. As a result, we adjusted our tax balances based on the facts, 
circumstances, and information available at the reporting date. The resolution of the audit resulted in a federal 
tax benefit to us of $2.8 million; we also recorded a state tax benefit of $0.5 million. The agreement with IRS 
also allowed us to repatriate up to $5.0 million from our foreign subsidiary without incurring additional U.S. 
income taxes.

We engage in qualifying activities for R&D credit purposes.  The Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 

was signed into law on December 19, 2014, to extend the federal research and development credit for 2014. 

Business combinations 

The purchase price of an acquisition is allocated to the underlying assets acquired and liabilities 
assumed based upon their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. To the extent the purchase price 
exceeds the fair value of the net identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, such 
excess is allocated to goodwill. We determine the estimated fair values after review and consideration of 
relevant information, including discounted cash flows, quoted market prices and estimates made by 

(cid:20)(cid:17)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
management. We adjust the preliminary purchase price allocation, as necessary, during the measurement period 
of up to one year after the acquisition closing date as we obtain more information as to facts and circumstances 
existing at the acquisition date impacting asset valuations and liabilities assumed. Acquisition-related costs are 
recognized separately from the acquisition and are expensed as incurred.

Goodwill and intangible assets

In accordance with ASC 350-10, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, we evaluate goodwill for 
impairment on an annual basis, or as other indicators of impairment emerge. The provisions of ASC 350-10 
require that we perform a two-step impairment test. In the first step, we compare the implied fair value of our 
single reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. If the fair value of our reporting unit exceeds the 
carrying amount no impairment adjustment is required. If the carrying amount of our reporting unit exceeds the 
fair value, step two will be completed to measure the amount of goodwill impairment loss, if any exists. If the 
carrying value of our single reporting unit's goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, then we record an 
impairment loss equal to the difference, but not in excess of the carrying amount of the goodwill. Under the 
amendments of ASC 350-10, ASU No. 2011-08, Testing Goodwill for Impairment, beginning in the first quarter 
of 2012 we have the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or 
circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less 
than its carrying amount. If, we elect this option and after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, we 
determine it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, 
then performing the two-step impairment test is unnecessary. We have not elected this option to date. We 
evaluated goodwill for impairment in the fourth quarters of 2014 and 2013, and concluded that no impairment 
existed as of December 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013.  

ASC 350-10 also requires that intangible assets with estimable useful lives be amortized over their 

respective estimated useful lives, and reviewed for impairment in accordance with ASC 360-10, Accounting for 
the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets. We review long-lived assets, such as acquired intangibles and 
property and equipment, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying 
amount of an asset may not be recoverable. We measure recoverability of assets to be held and used by a 
comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be 
generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, we recognize 
an impairment charge by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the 
asset. 

(cid:20)(cid:18)

 
Results of Operations 

  The following table sets forth some operating data in dollars, as a percentage of total net revenues 

and the increase (decrease) over prior periods for the periods indicated (dollar amounts in thousands). 

Year Ended December 31,

Amount

2014

2013

2012

Total net revenues............................. $348,797 $347,089 $305,370
154,868
Cost of revenues ...............................
Gross profit .......................................
150,502
Operating expenses:

163,853
183,236

159,227
189,570

Increase
(Decrease)

2014
vs.
2013

2013 vs.
2012

$ 1,708 $ 41,719
8,985
32,734

(4,626)
6,334

Research and development .......
Sales and marketing..................
General and administrative.......

54,981
47,796
30,997

51,654
45,466
32,050

45,709
37,998
30,243

3,327
2,330
(1,053)

5,945
7,468
1,807

Charge related to SemiSouth ....
Total operating expenses ..
Income from operations....................

—
133,774
55,796

— 25,200
139,150
11,352

129,170
54,066

— (25,200)
(9,980)
42,714

4,604
1,730

Other income (expense)

Charge related to SemiSouth ....
Other income, net .....................

—
1,018

— (33,745)
1,611

1,361

— 33,745
(250)

(343)

Total other income
(expense)...........................

1,018

1,361

(32,134)

(343)

33,495

Income (loss) before provision for
(benefit from) income tax .................
Provision for (benefit from) income
taxes ..................................................
Net income (loss).............................. $ 59,544 $ 57,266 $ (34,404) $ 2,278 $ 91,670

(20,782)

(1,839)

(2,730)

56,814

76,209

13,622

55,427

1,387

(891)

(15,461)

Percent of Net Revenues

2012

2013

2014
100.0% 100.0% 100.0 %
47.2
45.7
52.8
54.3

50.7
49.3

15.8
13.7
8.9

—
38.4
16.0

—
0.3

0.3

14.9
13.1
9.2

—
37.2
15.6

15.0
12.4
9.9

8.3
45.6
3.7

— (11.1)
0.6
0.4

0.4

(10.5)

16.3

16.0

(6.8)

(0.8)

(0.5)

4.5

17.1% 16.5% (11.3)%

Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012

  Net revenues.  Net revenues consist of revenues from product sales, which are calculated net of 

returns and allowances. In 2014 revenue increased by $1.7 million, due primarily to growth in three of our 
primary end-market categories (consumer, industrial and computer), driven by higher unit sales for a range of 
applications including consumer appliances, industrial motor drives and desktop computers. The increase was 
partially offset by lower sales into the communications end market due primarily to lower unit sales for 
residential-networking applications and cellphone chargers.

The increase in revenues from 2012 to 2013 was due in part to the inclusion of the former Concept 

business for the full year (compared to only eight months in 2012), and also reflected higher unit sales into the 
industrial, consumer and computing end markets, particularly for such applications such as consumer 
appliances, industrial controls, LED lighting, industrial motor drives, renewable-energy systems and desktop 
PCs. 

  Our net revenue mix by the end markets served in 2014, 2013 and 2012 were as follows: 

End Market
Communications ..............................................................
Computer..........................................................................
Consumer .........................................................................
Industrial electronics........................................................

(cid:20)(cid:19)

Year Ended December 31,
2013

2012

2014

18%
10%
37%
35%

21%
10%
35%
34%

24%
12%
36%
28%

 
Sales to customers outside of the United States were $332.8 million in 2014, compared to $328.5 

million in 2013 and $289.5 million in 2012, representing approximately 95% of net revenues in each of 2014, 
2013 and 2012.  Although power supplies using our products are designed and distributed worldwide, most of 
these power supplies are manufactured by our customers in Asia. As a result, sales to this region accounted for 
approximately 80% of our net revenues in 2014, 81% in 2013 and 82% in 2012. We expect international sales 
to continue to account for a large portion of our net revenues. 

  Distributors accounted for 75% of our net product sales for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 
2013, and 74% of our net product sales for the year ended December 31, 2012, with direct sales to OEMs and 
power supply manufacturers accounting for the remainder in each of the corresponding years. In 2014 and 
2013, one distributor, Avnet, accounted for more than 10% of revenues. In 2012, two distributors, Avnet and 
ATM Electronic Corporation, each accounted for more than 10% of revenues. The table below includes net 
revenues from each of these customers for the three years ended December 31, 2014. 

Customer
Avnet................................................................................
ATM Electronic Corporation...........................................

Year Ended December 31,
2013

2012

2014

19%
*

19%
*

20%
12%

________________________
* Total customer revenue was less than 10% of net revenues

  No other customers accounted for 10% or more of net revenues during these years.  

  Gross profit.  Gross profit is net revenues less cost of revenues. Our cost of revenues consists 
primarily of the purchase of wafers from our contracted foundries, the assembly, packaging and testing of our 
products by sub-contractors, product testing performed in our own facility, overhead associated with the 
management of our supply chain and the amortization of acquired intangible assets.  Gross margin is gross 
profit divided by net revenues.  The table below compares gross profit and gross margin for the years ended 
December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 (dollars in millions):

Net revenues..................................................................... $
Gross profit ...................................................................... $
Gross margin....................................................................

348.8
189.6
54.3%

$
$

347.1
183.2
52.8%

$
$

305.4
150.5
49.3%

Year Ended December 31,
2013

2012

2014

  The increase in gross margin from 2013 to 2014 was due primarily to: a favorable end-market mix, 

with a greater percentage of revenue coming from higher-margin end markets; a continued decline in the value 
of the Japanese yen versus the U.S. dollar, which decreased the cost of silicon wafers purchased from our 
Japanese wafer-fabrication foundries; and unit cost benefits from higher production volumes. The increase in 
gross margin from 2012 to 2013 was due primarily to lower manufacturing costs stemming from a 
combination of internal cost-reduction initiatives, unit-cost benefits from higher production volumes, the 
decline in the value of the Japanese yen versus the U.S. dollar and a more favorable end-market mix. 

  Research and development expenses.  Research and development, or R&D, expenses consist 

primarily of employee-related expenses including stock-based compensation and expensed material and 
facility costs associated with the development of new processes and new products.  We also record R&D 
expenses for prototype wafers related to new products until the products are released to production.  The table 
below compares R&D expenses for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 (dollars in millions):

Net revenues..................................................................... $
R&D expenses ................................................................. $
R&D expenses as a % of net revenues.............................

$
$

348.8
55.0
15.8%

$
$

347.1
51.7
14.9%

305.4
45.7
15.0%

Year Ended December 31,

2014

2013

2012

(cid:20)(cid:20)

 
 
 
 
 
  R&D expenses increased in 2014 compared to 2013, driven primarily by increased payroll and related 

expenses as a result of increased headcount, due mainly to the expansion of our product-development efforts. 
We also increased outside-service expenses related to product design and development. The R&D increase was 
partially offset by lower stock-based compensation expense, reflecting the fact that our 2014 performance-based 
stock awards failed to vest due to our 2014 performance. R&D expenses increased in 2013 compared to 2012, 
driven primarily by increased payroll and related expenses as a result of increased headcount, due mainly to our 
acquisition of Concept in May 2012. In addition, we expanded our product-development efforts resulting in 
increased outside-service expenses related to product design and development. 

Sales and marketing expenses.  Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of employee-related 

expenses, including stock-based compensation, commissions to sales representatives, amortization of acquired 
intangible assets and facilities expenses, including expenses associated with our regional sales and support 
offices.  The table below compares sales and marketing expenses for the years ended December 31, 2014, 
2013 and 2012 (dollars in millions):

Net revenues..................................................................... $
Sales and marketing expenses.......................................... $
Sales and marketing expenses as a % of net revenue ......

$
$

348.8
47.8
13.7%

$
$

347.1
45.5
13.1%

305.4
38.0
12.4%

Year Ended December 31,

2014

2013

2012

Sales and marketing expenses increased in 2014 compared to 2013, due primarily to increased salary 

and related expenses reflecting the expansion of our sales and application-support staffs. This increase was 
partially offset by lower amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, as our Concept trade name was 
fully amortized in the second quarter of 2014. The increase in sales and marketing expenses in 2013 compared 
to 2012 was due primarily to the acquisition of Concept in May of 2012, which in turn resulted in higher payroll 
and related expenses including stock-based compensation expense, as well as increased amortization expenses 
related to acquired intangible assets. The expansion of our sales force also contributed to the year-over-year 
increase, as did higher marketing expenses, which increased due to the development of marketing materials for 
the Concept IGBT-driver product line as well as trade-show attendance. 

General and administrative expenses.  General and administrative, or G&A, expenses consist primarily 
of employee-related expenses, including stock-based compensation expenses for administration, finance, human 
resources and general management, as well as consulting, professional services, legal and auditing expenses.  
The table below compares G&A expenses for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 (dollars in 
millions):

Net revenues..................................................................... $
G&A expenses ................................................................. $
G&A expenses as a % of net revenue..............................

Year Ended December 31,

2014

348.8
31.0

2013

347.1
32.1

$
$

2012

305.4
30.2

$
$

8.9%  

9.2%  

9.9%

G&A expenses decreased in 2014 compared to 2013 due primarily to lower stock-based compensation 

expense, reflecting the fact that our 2014 performance-based stock awards failed to vest due to our 2014 
performance. In addition, we incurred lower legal expenses as a result of lower patent fees and general legal 
fees, partially offset by increased outside service fees related to our acquisition in January 2015 of Cambridge 
Semiconductor Ltd. ("CamSemi"), a UK company (refer to Note 11, Acquisitions, in our Notes to Consolidated 
Financial Statements for details). G&A expenses increased in 2013 compared to 2012 due primarily to increased 
headcount year-over-year, due primarily to our acquisition of Concept in May of 2012, which resulted in 
increased payroll and related expenses, including stock-based compensation expense. The increase was partially 
offset by decreased legal expenses related to patent litigation (refer to Note 10, Legal Proceedings and 
Contingencies, in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for details), and a decrease in professional-

(cid:20)(cid:21)

 
 
 
 
service expenses following elevated expenses in 2012 in conjunction with the Concept acquisition and our audit 
settlement with the IRS. 

Charge Related to SemiSouth.  In October 2012, we determined that our assets related to SemiSouth 

Laboratories were impaired as of September 30, 2012. As a result we incurred a net charge to operating 
expenses of $25.2 million, comprising the write-offs of a prepaid royalty of $10.0 million and $15.2 million 
related to a loan guarantee for SemiSouth. Refer to Note 12, Transactions With Third Party, in our Notes to 
Consolidated Financial Statements for details on the SemiSouth charge.

Other income/expense, net.   Other income (expense), net consists primarily of interest income earned 
on cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities and other investments, and the impact of foreign exchange 
gains or losses, in addition to an impairment charge related to SemiSouth. The table below compares other 
income, net for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 (dollars in millions): 

Net revenues..................................................................... $
Other income (expense) ................................................... $
Other income as a % of net revenue ................................

  $
  $

348.8
1.0
0.3%  

  $
  $

347.1
1.4
0.4%  

Year Ended December 31,

2014

2013

2012
305.4
(32.1)
(10.5)%

Other income/expense decreased in 2014 compared to 2013 due to a 2013 gain realized for the sale of 

assets related to SemiSouth, partially offset by increased interest income in 2014. Other income/expense 
increased in 2013 compared to 2012, due primarily to a charge of $33.7 million in 2012 related to SemiSouth, 
comprising the write-off of $6.7 million of lease receivables, $7.0 million of preferred stock, a promissory note 
(net of imputed interest) in the amount of $13.2 million, $6.2 million for a purchase option, and other assets of 
$0.6 million. Refer to Note 12, Transactions With Third Party, in our Notes to Consolidated Financial 
Statements for details on the SemiSouth impairment. In addition, in 2013 we had the above-mentioned other 
income of $0.5 million gain for the sale of assets related to SemiSouth. 

Provision for income taxes.  Provision for income taxes represents federal, state and foreign taxes.  The 

table below compares the provision for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 
(dollars in millions):

Year Ended December 31,

2014

2013

2012

Income (loss) before provision for (benefit from)
income taxes..................................................................... $
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes ....................... $
Effective tax rate ..............................................................

  $
  $

56.8
(2.7)
(4.8)%  

  $
  $

55.4
(1.8)
(3.3)%  

(20.8)
13.6
(65.5)%

In 2014, our effective tax rate was impacted by an agreement reached with the Internal Revenue 

Service to conclude the examination of our income tax returns for the years 2007 through 2009. The resolution 
of the audit resulted in a federal tax benefit to us of $2.8 million; we also recorded a state tax benefit of $0.5 
million. The one-time benefit included the reversal of $4.1 million of related unrecognized tax benefits that 
had been recorded as non-current liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets. Our effective tax rate for the 
year ended December 31, 2013, was favorably impacted by the geographic distribution of our world-wide 
earnings and earnings in lower-tax jurisdictions. Additionally, the rate was favorably impacted by federal 
research tax credits for 2014, 2013 and 2012. 

  The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2012, was unfavorably impacted as a result of 

our audit agreement with the IRS, in connection with the IRS examination of our income tax returns for the 
years ended 2003 through 2006.  The settlement included federal and state taxes plus interest charges totaling 
approximately $44.8 million, partially offset by the reversal of related unrecognized tax benefits of $29.1 
million, for a net charge of $18.1 million. During the third quarter of 2012, we recorded an impairment charge 
and write-of

f of certain assets related to SemiSouth of approximately 

$58.9 million on which we recognized 

(cid:20)(cid:22)

 
 
 
 
an $8.0 million tax benefit. The write-off resulted in a net loss for the year. For further income tax information 
refer to Note 8, Provision for Income Taxes, in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We had approximately $175.3 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term marketable securities 
at December 31, 2014, compared to $202.1 million at December 31, 2013, and $95.2 million at December 31, 
2012. As of December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, we had working capital, defined as current assets less current 
liabilities, of approximately $210.8 million, $227.0 million and $124.3 million, respectively. 

In March 2012, we loaned $18.0 million to SemiSouth in exchange for a promissory note. In October 

2012, we determined that the loan to SemiSouth was other-than-temporarily impaired as of September 30, 2012; 
the loan was written off, resulting in a charge in our consolidated statements of income (loss) for the year ended 
December 31, 2012, under the caption “other income (expense), charge related to SemiSouth” (see Note 12, 
Transactions With Third Party, in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further details on the 
SemiSouth loan). 

On July 5, 2012, we entered into a Credit Agreement (the "Credit Agreement") with two banks. The 

Credit Agreement provides us with a $100.0 million revolving line of credit to use for general corporate 
purposes with a $20.0 million sub-limit for the issuance of standby and trade letters of credit. The Credit 
Agreement was amended on April 1, 2014, to extend the Credit Agreement termination date from July 5, 2015, 
to April 1, 2017, with all other terms of the Credit Agreement remaining the same. Our ability to borrow under 
the revolving line of credit is conditioned upon our compliance with specified covenants, primarily a minimum 
cash requirement and a debt-to-earnings ratio, with which we are currently in compliance. The Credit 
Agreement terminates on April 1, 2017, and all advances under the revolving line of credit will become due on 
such date, or earlier in the event of a default. As of December 31, 2014, we had no amounts outstanding under 
our agreement.

Our operating activities generated cash of $85.6 million, $98.7 million, and $51.8 million in the years 

ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. In each of these years, cash was primarily generated 
from operating activities in the ordinary course of business. 

Cash provided by operating activities totaled $85.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2014. Our 

net income was $59.5 million, which included non-cash depreciation, amortization and stock-based 
compensation expenses of $15.9 million, $6.1 million and $14.3 million, respectively. Sources of cash also 
included: (1) an $8.2 million decrease in prepaid expenses and other assets as a result of lower payments related 
to legal and R&D services, in addition to tax refunds received during the year; (2) a $2.1 million decrease in 
accounts receivable as a result of lower sales in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared to 2013 and improved 
collections; and (3) a $2.3 million increase in accounts payable due to the timing of payments. These sources of 
cash were partially offset by a $21.7 million increase in our inventories as a result of lower-than expected sales, 
and by a $3.2 million decrease in taxes payable.

Cash provided by operating activities totaled $98.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2013. Our 

net income was $57.3 million, which included non-cash depreciation, amortization and stock-based 
compensation expenses of $16.1 million, $7.4 million and $16.5 million, respectively. Sources of cash also 
included a $4.2 million increase in deferred income on sales to distributors, resulting from increased shipments 
to distributors in the fourth quarter of 2013 compared to the same period of 2012. These sources of cash were 
partially offset by a $4.9 million increase in accounts receivable resulting primarily from revenue growth in the 
fourth quarter of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012.

Cash provided by operating activities totaled $51.8 million in the year ended December 31, 2012. In 

2012, our net loss was $34.4 million, which included non-cash depreciation, amortization and stock-based 
compensation expenses of $15.3 million, $5.2 million and $14.2 million, respectively. In addition we incurred a 
$58.9 million impairment charge related to our SemiSouth related assets (refer to Note 12, Transactions With 
Third Party, in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, for details on our SemiSouth impairment and 
charges).  Additional sources of cash included (1) a $18.0 million decline in inventory due to reduced wafer 

(cid:20)(cid:23)

 
 
 
 
 
 
purchases in 2012, and increased sales at the end of 2012 compared to 2011, and (2) a $5.3 million decrease in 
accounts receivable primarily due to the timing of ship-and-debit credit processing.  These additional sources of 
cash and non-cash items were partially offset by (1) a $26.0 million decrease in taxes payable and other accrued 
liabilities primarily in connection with our IRS agreement (refer to Note 8, Provision for Income Taxes, in our 
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for details on our agreement) and (2) a $11.0 million increase in 
prepaid expenses and other assets primarily related to prepaid taxes (in connection with the tax benefit related to 
the SemiSouth impairment and the above-mentioned tax agreement).

Our investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2014, resulted in a net $38.1 million use of 

cash, consisting primarily of: (1) $7.2 million, net, for purchases of marketable securities; (2) $23.1 million for 
purchases of property and equipment, primarily machinery and equipment for production and research and 
development; (3) $1.3 million for the purchase of power.com, our new domain name; and (4) a $6.6 million 
cash payment to CamSemi under a loan agreement (refer to Note 11, Acquisitions, in our Notes to Consolidated 
Financial Statements, for further details).

Our investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2013, resulted in a net $90.7 million use of 
cash, consisting primarily of $78.1 million, net, for purchases of marketable securities and $14.0 million for 
purchases of property and equipment.  Our investment in property and equipment included purchases of 
manufacturing and research and development equipment, as well as an enterprise resource planning, or ERP, 
software upgrade and building improvements to our San Jose, California facility.  

Our investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2012, resulted in a $124.7 million net use of 

cash, consisting of: (1) $115.7 million related to the acquisition of Concept; (2) $18.0 million for a loan to 
SemiSouth (refer to Note 12, Transactions With Third Party, in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, 
for further details); (3) $15.2 million related to a payment under a loan guarantee for SemiSouth, refer to Note 
12, Transactions With Third Party, in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, for further details; and 
(4) $16.4 million for purchases of property and equipment, primarily building improvements in connection with 
our research and development facility in New Jersey and manufacturing equipment and software to support our 
growth. These uses of cash were partially offset by $40.5 million of proceeds from maturities of marketable 
securities.

Our financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2014, resulted in a net use of $79.6 million, 

consisting primarily of $80.8 million for the repurchase of our common stock, and $13.2 million for the 
payment of dividends to stockholders. The use of cash was partially offset by proceeds of $13.9 million from 
issuance of common stock, including the exercise of employee stock options and the issuance of shares through 
our employee stock purchase plan.

Our financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2013, resulted in net proceeds of $21.5 

million, consisting primarily of $30.2 million from the issuance of common stock, including the exercise of 
employee stock options and the issuance of shares through our employee stock purchase plan, partially offset by 
$9.4 million for the payment of dividends to stockholders. Our financing activities in the year ended December 
31, 2012, resulted in a net $3.6 million use of cash, consisting of $20.5 million used for the repurchase of our 
common stock and $5.8 million for the payment of dividends to stockholders, partially offset by proceeds of 
$22.0 million from the issuance of common stock, including the exercise of employee stock options and the 
issuance of shares through our employee stock purchase plan.

In October 2013, our board of directors declared four quarterly cash dividends in the amount of $0.10 

per share to be paid to stockholders of record at the end of each quarter in 2014. Dividend payouts totaling 
approximately $3.0 million each were paid on March 31, 2014, and June 30, 2014. In April 2014, our board of 
directors increased the quarterly dividends for the third and fourth quarters of 2014 to $0.12 per share. Dividend 
payouts totaling approximately $3.6 million and $3.5 million were paid on September 30, 2014, and December 
31, 2014, respectively. In January 2015, our board of directors extended the $0.12 quarterly dividend through 
each quarter in 2015. 

In January 2013, our board of directors declared four quarterly cash dividends in the amount of  $0.08 

per share paid to stockholders of record at the end of each quarter in 2013. Payouts of approximately $2.3 

(cid:20)(cid:24)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
million each were paid on March 29, 2013, and June 28, 2013, and approximately $2.4 million was paid on 
September 30, 2013, and December 31, 2013, respectively. In January 2012, our board of directors declared 
four quarterly cash dividends in the amount of $0.05 per share to be paid to stockholders of record at the end of 
each quarter in 2012. The quarterly dividend payments were each in the aggregate amount of approximately 
$1.4 million to stockholders of record. The declaration of any future cash dividend is at the discretion of the 
board of directors and will depend on the Company's financial condition, results of operations, capital 
requirements, business conditions and other factors, as well as a determination that cash dividends are in the 
best interest of the Company's stockholders.

In October 2012, our board of directors authorized the use of $50.0 million for the repurchase of our 

common stock, with repurchases to be executed according to certain pre-defined price/volume guidelines set by 
the board of directors. In 2012, we purchased 0.7 million shares for approximately $20.5 million under this 
stock repurchase program. No shares were purchased during the twelve months ended December 31, 2013, due 
to the then current stock price levels which exceeded the pre-defined price guidelines mentioned above. In 2014 
the our board of directors authorized the use of an additional $75.0 million for this purpose. In the twelve 
months ended December 31, 2014, we purchased 1.6 million shares for $80.8 million. As of December 31, 
2014, we had $23.7 million available for future stock repurchases. Authorization of future stock repurchase 
programs is at the discretion of the board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of 
operations, capital requirements, business conditions as well as other factors.

As of December 31, 2014, we had a contractual obligation related to income tax, consisting primarily 

of unrecognized tax benefits of approximately $11.2 million. The tax obligation was classified as long-term 
income taxes payable and a portion is recorded in deferred tax assets in our consolidated balance sheet. 

In connection with our IRS settlements in 2014 and in 2012, we were entitled to repatriate $106.9 
million from our foreign subsidiary without incurring additional U.S. income tax (See Note 8, Provision for 
Income Taxes, in our Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements). 

Our cash, cash equivalents and investment balances may change in future periods due to changes in 

our planned cash outlays, including changes in incremental costs such as direct and integration costs related to 
future acquisitions. We expect continued sales growth in our foreign business and plan to use the earnings 
generated by our foreign subsidiaries to continue to fund both the working capital and growth needs of our 
foreign entities, along with providing funding for any future foreign acquisitions. We do not provide for U.S. 
taxes on our undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that we intend to invest indefinitely outside the U.S., 
unless such taxes are otherwise required under U.S. tax law. Beginning in 2013, we determined that a portion of 
our foreign subsidiaries current and future earnings may be remitted prospectively to the U.S. for domestic cash 
flow purposes and, accordingly, provided for the related U.S. taxes in our consolidated financial statements. 
Currently the majority of our cash and marketable securities are held in the U.S. If we change our intent to 
invest our undistributed earnings outside the U.S. indefinitely or if a greater amount of undistributed earnings 
are needed for U.S. operations than previously anticipated and for which U.S. taxes have not been recorded, we 
would be required to accrue or pay U.S. taxes (subject to an adjustment for foreign tax credits, where 
applicable) and withholding taxes payable to various foreign countries on some or all of these undistributed 
earnings.  As of December 31, 2014, we had undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that are indefinitely 
invested outside of the U.S. of approximately $144.0 million.

If our operating results deteriorate in future periods, either as a result of a decrease in customer 

demand, or severe pricing pressures from our customers or our competitors, or for other reasons, our ability to 
generate positive cash flow from operations may be jeopardized.  In that case, we may be forced to use our 
cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, use our current financing or seek additional financing from 
third parties to fund our operations. We believe that cash generated from operations, together with existing 
sources of liquidity, will satisfy our projected working capital and other cash requirements for at least the next 
12 months. 

(cid:20)(cid:25)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements or 

relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as 
structured finance or special purpose entities, which are typically established for the purpose of facilitating off-
balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes.

Contractual Obligations 

As of December 31, 2014, we had the following contractual obligations and commitments required 

by SEC regulations to be disclosed in this table, consisting solely of non-cancelable operating lease 
agreements (in thousands):

Payments Due by Period
1 - 3
Years

Less
than 1

4 - 5
Years

Over 5
Years

Total

Operating lease obligations ............. $

4,832

$

1,485

$

1,969

$

1,378

$

—

In addition to our contractual obligations noted above we have a contractual obligation related to 

income tax as of December 31, 2014, which primarily comprises unrecognized tax benefits of approximately 
$11.2 million, and was classified as long-term income taxes payable and a portion is recorded in deferred tax 
assets in our consolidated balance sheet. 

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

Interest Rate Risk.  Our exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relates primarily to our 

investment portfolio.  We consider cash invested in highly liquid financial instruments with a remaining 
maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.  Investments in highly liquid 
financial instruments with maturities greater than three months are classified as short-term investments. We 
generally hold securities until maturity; however, they may be sold under certain circumstances, including, but 
not limited to, when necessary for the funding of acquisitions and other strategic investments.  As a result of 
this policy, we classify our investment portfolio as available-for-sale. We invest in high-credit quality issuers 
and, by policy, limit the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer. As stated in our policy, we seek to ensure 
the safety and preservation of our invested principal funds by limiting default risk, market risk and 
reinvestment risk.  We mitigate default risk by investing in safe and high-credit quality securities and by 
constantly positioning our portfolio to respond appropriately to a significant reduction in a credit rating of any 
investment issuer, guarantor or depository. The portfolio includes only marketable securities with active 
secondary or resale markets to facilitate portfolio liquidity.  At December 31, 2014 and 2013, we held 
primarily cash equivalents and short-term investments with fixed interest rates. We do not hold any 
instruments for trading purposes.

Our investment securities are subject to market interest rate risk and will vary in value as market 

interest rates fluctuate.  To minimize market risk, we invest in high-credit quality issuers and, by policy, limit 
the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer, and therefore if market interest rates were to increase or 
decrease by 10% from interest rates as of December 31, 2014, or December 31, 2013, the increase or decrease 
in the fair market value of our portfolio on these dates would not have been material. We monitor our 
investments for impairment on a periodic basis.  Refer to Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, 
for a tabular presentation of our available-for-sale investments and the expected maturity dates.  

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk. As of December 31, 2014, our primary transactional currency was 
the U.S. dollar; in addition, we hold cash in Swiss francs and euro as a result of our acquisition of Concept in 
2012. Cash balances held in foreign countries are subject to local banking laws and may bear higher or lower 
risk than cash deposited in the United States. 

(cid:20)(cid:26)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The following represents the potential impact on our pretax income from a change in the value of the 
U.S. dollar compared to the Swiss franc and euro as of December 31, 2014. This sensitivity analysis applies a 
change in the U.S. dollar value of 5% and 10%. 

December 31, 2014
10%
5%

Swiss franc and euro foreign exchange impact (in thousands of USD) .................. $

124

$

248

The foreign exchange rate fluctuation between the U.S. dollar versus the Swiss franc and euro is 

recorded in other income in our consolidated statements of income (loss). 

We have sales offices in various other foreign countries in which our expenses are denominated in the 

local currency, primary Asia and Western Europe.  From time to time we may enter into foreign currency 
hedging contracts to hedge certain foreign currency transactions.  As of December 31, 2014, and 
December 31, 2013, we did not have an open foreign currency hedge program utilizing foreign currency 
forward exchange contracts.  

With two of our major suppliers, Seiko Epson Corporation, or Epson, and ROHM Lapis 
Semiconductor Co., Ltd., or Lapis, we have wafer supply agreements based in U.S. dollars; however, our 
agreements with Epson and Lapis also allow for mutual sharing of the impact of the exchange rate fluctuation 
between Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar.  Each year, our management and these suppliers review and negotiate 
pricing; the negotiated pricing is denominated in U.S. dollars but is subject to contractual exchange rate 
provisions.  The fluctuation in the exchange rate is shared equally between us and each of these suppliers. 

Nevertheless, as a result of our above-mentioned supplier agreements, our gross margin is influenced 
by fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen. All else being equal, a 10% 
change in the value of the U.S. dollar compared to the Japanese yen would result in a corresponding change in 
our gross margin of approximately 0.8% to 1.0%; this sensitivity may increase or decrease depending on the 
percentage of our wafer supply that we purchase from some of our Japanese suppliers and could subject our 
gross profit and operating results to the potential for material fluctuations.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. 

  The financial statements required by this item are set forth in the pages indicated in Item 15(a), and 
the supplementary data required by this item is included in Note 15, Selected Quarterly Information, in our 
notes to consolidated financial statements. 

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

  Management is required to evaluate our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15

(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Disclosure controls and 
procedures are controls and other procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance that information 
required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, such as this Annual Report on Form 10-K, 
is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and 
Exchange Commission's rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include controls and procedures 
designed to provide reasonable assurance that such information is accumulated and communicated to our 
management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer as appropriate to allow timely 
decisions regarding required disclosure. Our disclosure controls and procedures include components of our 
internal control over financial reporting, which consists of control processes designed to provide reasonable 
assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in 

(cid:21)(cid:17)

 
 
 
 
 
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. To the extent that components of our 
internal control over financial reporting are included within our disclosure controls and procedures, they are 
included in the scope of our periodic controls evaluation.  Based on our management's evaluation (with the 
participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer), our principal executive officer 
and principal financial officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 
13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) were effective as of the end of the period covered by this 
report.  

Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial 

reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. 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 reporting purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting 
principles. Internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

• 

• 

• 

pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the 
transactions and dispositions of our assets;

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 are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and 
directors; and

provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use 
or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Internal control over financial reporting cannot provide absolute assurance of achieving financial 

reporting objectives because of its inherent limitations. Internal control over financial reporting is a process that 
involves human diligence and compliance and is subject to lapses in judgment and breakdowns resulting from 
human failures. Because of such limitations, there is a risk that material misstatements may not be prevented or 
detected on a timely basis by internal control over financial reporting.

  Management conducted an assessment of Power Integrations' internal control over financial reporting 

as of December 31, 2014, based on the framework established by the Committee of Sponsoring Organization 
(COSO) of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued in 2013. Based on 
this assessment, management concluded that, as of December 31, 2014, our internal control over financial 
reporting was effective.

  The effectiveness of Power Integrations' internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 
2014, has been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated 
in their report which appears below.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting during the fourth quarter of 
2014, which were identified in connection with management's evaluation required by paragraph (d) of Rules 
13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially 
affect our internal control over financial reporting. 

(cid:21)(cid:18)

 
 
 
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of 
Power Integrations, Inc. 
San Jose, California 

  We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of Power Integrations, Inc. and 
subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2014, based on criteria established in Internal Control - 
Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway 
Commission. 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 conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight 

Board (United States). 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.

  A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision 

of, the company's principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, 
and effected by the company's Board of Directors, management, and other personnel 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 the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility 
of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not 
be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of the 
internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become 
inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures 
may deteriorate.

In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over 

financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on the criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated 
Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight 

Board (United States), the consolidated financial statements and consolidated financial statement schedule as of 
and for the year ended December 31, 2014 of the Company and our report dated February 10, 2015 expressed 
an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements and consolidated financial statement 
schedule.

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
San Jose, California
February 10, 2015

(cid:21)(cid:19)

 
 
Item 9B. Other Information.

None

(cid:21)(cid:20)

 
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance. 

PART III

  The names of our executive officers and their ages, titles and biographies as of the date hereof are 

incorporated by reference from Part I, Item 1, above.  

  The following information is included in our Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy 

Statement to be filed within 120 days after our fiscal year end of December 31, 2014, or the Proxy Statement, 
and is incorporated herein by reference:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Information regarding our directors and any persons nominated to become a director, as well 
as with respect to some other required board matters, is set forth under Proposal 1 entitled 
“Election of Directors.”

Information regarding our audit committee and our designated “audit committee financial 
expert” is set forth under the captions “Information Regarding the Board and its 
Committees” and “Audit Committee” under Proposal 1 entitled “Election of Directors.”

Information on our code of business conduct and ethics for directors, officers and employees 
is set forth under the caption “Code of Business Conduct and Ethics” under Proposal 1 
entitled “Election of Directors.”

Information regarding Section 16(a) beneficial ownership reporting compliance is set forth 
under the caption “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance.”

Information regarding procedures by which stockholders may recommend nominees to our 
board of directors is set forth under the caption “Nominating and Governance Committee” 
under Proposal 1 entitled “Election of Directors.”

Item 11. Executive Compensation. 

Information  regarding  compensation  of  our  named  executive  officers  is  set  forth  under  the  caption 
"Compensation  of  Executive  Officers"  in  the  Proxy  Statement,  which  information  is  incorporated  herein  by 
reference.  

Information regarding compensation of our directors is set forth under the caption "Compensation of 

Directors" in the Proxy Statement, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

Information relating to compensation policies and practices as they relate to risk management is set forth 
under the caption “Compensation Policies and Practices as They Relate to Risk Management” under Proposal 1 
entitled “Election of Directors” in the Proxy Statement, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

Information regarding compensation committee interlocks is set forth under the caption "Compensation 
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation" in the Proxy Statement, which information is incorporated herein 
by reference.  

The Compensation Committee Report is set forth under the caption "Compensation Committee 

Report" in the Proxy Statement, which report is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder 
Matters. 

Information regarding security ownership of certain beneficial owners, directors and executive 

officers is set forth under the caption "Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management" in 
the Proxy Statement, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

(cid:21)(cid:21)

 
 
 
 
 
 
Information regarding our equity compensation plans, including both stockholder approved plans and 
non-stockholder approved plans, is set forth under the caption “Equity Compensation Plan Information" in the 
Proxy Statement, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence. 

Information regarding certain relationships and related transactions is set forth under the caption 

"Certain Relationships and Related Transactions" in the Proxy Statement, which information is incorporated 
herein by reference.

Information regarding director independence is set forth under the caption “Proposal 1 - Election of 

Directors” in the Proxy Statement, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.

Information regarding principal auditor fees and services is set forth under "Principal Accountant Fees 

and Services" in the Proposal entitled “Ratification of Selection of Independent Registered Public Accounting 
Firm” in the Proxy Statement, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

(cid:21)(cid:22)

 
 
 
 
 
PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

(a) The following documents are filed as part of this Form: 

1. Financial Statements 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm ............................................
Consolidated Balance Sheets ...........................................................................................
Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) .....................................................................
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) ...........................................
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity ...........................................................
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows..........................................................................
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements....................................................................

Page
47
48
49
50
51
52
54

2. Financial Statement Schedules 

Schedule II:  Valuation and Qualifying Accounts.

All other schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or the required information 
is shown in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto. 

3. Exhibits 

See Index to Exhibits at the end of this Report, which is incorporated herein by reference.  
The Exhibits listed in the accompanying Index to Exhibits are filed as part of this report. 

(cid:21)(cid:23)

 
 
 
 
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of
Power Integrations, Inc.
San Jose, California

  We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Power Integrations, Inc. and 
subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related consolidated statements of 
income (loss), comprehensive income (loss), stockholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in 
the period ended December 31, 2014.  Our audits also included the consolidated financial statement schedule 
listed in the Index at Item 15 (a) 2.  These financial statements and financial statement schedule are the 
responsibility of the Company's management.  Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the consolidated 
financial statements and consolidated financial statement schedule based on our audits.

  We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting 
Oversight Board (United States).  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.  An audit 
includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.  
An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, 
as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.  We believe that our audits provide a 
reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the 
financial position of Power Integrations, Inc. and subsidiaries at December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the results of 
their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2014, in 
conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.  Also, in our opinion, 
such consolidated financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial 
statements taken as a whole, presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight 
Board (United States), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based 
on the criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of 
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated February 10, 2015, expressed an 
unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

San Jose, California
February 10, 2015

(cid:21)(cid:24)

 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except share amounts and par value)

ASSETS
CURRENT ASSETS:

Cash and cash equivalents ....................................................................................... $
Short-term marketable securities .............................................................................
Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $191 and $120 in 2014 and 2013,
respectively (Note 2)................................................................................................
Inventories................................................................................................................

Deferred tax assets ...................................................................................................

Prepaid expenses and other current assets ...............................................................

Total current assets ...........................................................................................

PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, net............................................................................
INTANGIBLE ASSETS, net...........................................................................................
GOODWILL ...................................................................................................................
DEFERRED TAX ASSETS (NOTE 8)...........................................................................
OTHER ASSETS ............................................................................................................

Total assets........................................................................................................ $

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
CURRENT LIABILITIES:

Accounts payable ..................................................................................................... $
Accrued payroll and related expenses......................................................................

Taxes payable...........................................................................................................

Deferred tax liabilities..............................................................................................

Deferred income on sales to distributors .................................................................

Other accrued liabilities ...........................................................................................

Total current liabilities......................................................................................

LONG-TERM INCOME TAXES PAYABLE (NOTE 8)...............................................

DEFERRED TAX LIABILITIES ...................................................................................

OTHER LIABILITIES ...................................................................................................
Total liabilities ..................................................................................................

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Notes 8, 9 and 10)
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

Common stock, $0.001 par value

Authorized - 140,000,000 shares

December 31,
2014

December 31,
2013

60,708
114,575

$

10,186

64,025

39

16,379

265,912
95,823
35,524
80,599
11,562
4,243
493,663

$

21,980

$

9,071

2,963

2,193

15,223

3,730

55,160

743

4,272

2,812
62,987

92,928
109,179

12,389

42,235

2,059

18,632

277,422
90,141
40,334
80,599
9,449
3,476
501,421

20,772

8,900

2,266

943

15,727

1,810

50,418

6,885

5,273

2,159
64,735

Outstanding - 29,208,468 and 30,021,943 shares in 2014 and 2013,
respectively .......................................................................................................
Additional paid-in capital ........................................................................................

Accumulated other comprehensive loss...................................................................

Retained earnings.....................................................................................................

Total stockholders’ equity.................................................................................
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity.......................................................... $

29

171,938
(1,136)
259,845

430,676

493,663

$

30

223,660
(470)
213,466

436,686

501,421

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

(cid:21)(cid:25)

 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (LOSS)

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

Year Ended December 31,

NET REVENUES ............................................................................................................... $ 348,797
COST OF REVENUES.......................................................................................................
159,227

GROSS PROFIT .................................................................................................................

189,570

2014

2013
$ 347,089

2012
$ 305,370

163,853

183,236

154,868

150,502

OPERATING EXPENSES:

Research and development ..........................................................................................

Sales and marketing .....................................................................................................

General and administrative ..........................................................................................

Charge related to SemiSouth (Note 12) .......................................................................
Total operating expenses.......................................................................................

INCOME FROM OPERATIONS.......................................................................................

54,981

47,796

30,997

—
133,774

55,796

51,654

45,466

32,050

—
129,170

54,066

45,709

37,998

30,243

25,200
139,150

11,352

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):

Interest income.............................................................................................................

Interest expense............................................................................................................

Charge related to SemiSouth (Note 12) .......................................................................

Other, net......................................................................................................................

Total other income (expense)................................................................................

INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES.................................................................

PROVISION FOR (BENEFIT FROM) INCOME TAXES................................................
NET INCOME (LOSS)....................................................................................................... $

1,203

—

—
(185)
1,018

736
(23)
—

648

1,361

56,814
(2,730)
59,544

55,427
(1,839)
$ 57,266

1,747
(2)
(33,745)
(134)
(32,134)
(20,782)
13,622
$ (34,404)

EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE:

Basic............................................................................................................................. $
Diluted.......................................................................................................................... $

1.99

1.93

$

$

1.95

1.88

$

$

(1.20)
(1.20)

SHARES USED IN PER SHARE CALCULATION:

Basic.............................................................................................................................

Diluted..........................................................................................................................

29,976

30,829

29,421

30,420

28,636

28,636

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

(cid:21)(cid:26)

 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(In thousands)

Net income (loss) ........................................................................................... $
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax

Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of $0 tax in 2014, 2013
and 2012..................................................................................................
Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities, net of $0 tax in 2014,
2013 and 2012.........................................................................................
Unrealized actuarial loss on pension benefits, net of tax of $128, $61
and $155 in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively (Note 13).....................
Total other comprehensive loss..........................................................

Total comprehensive income (loss) ............................................................... $

Year Ended December 31,

2014

2013

59,544

$

57,266

$

2012
(34,404)

(79)

(127)

(29)

72

79

138

(460)
(666)
58,878

$

(220)
(177)
57,089

$

(560)
(343)
(34,747)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

(cid:22)(cid:17)

 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
(In thousands)

BALANCE AT JANUARY 1, 2012.......................................

28,065 $

28 $

158,646 $

50 $

205,805 $

364,529

Common Stock

Additional 
Paid-In

Accumulated
Other 
Comprehensive

Retained

Total
Stockholders'

Shares

Amount

Capital

Income (Loss)

   Earnings

Equity

Issuance of common stock under employee stock option
and stock award plans.............................................................

Repurchase of common stock.................................................

Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase
plan .........................................................................................
Income tax benefits from employee stock plans ....................
Stock-based compensation expense related to employee
stock options and awards........................................................
Stock-based compensation expense related to employee
stock purchases.......................................................................
Payment of dividends to stockholders....................................
Unrealized actuarial loss on pension benefits (Note 13) ........

Unrealized gain on marketable securities...............................

Foreign currency translation adjustment ................................

Net loss ...................................................................................

1,022

(676)

125

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

BALANCE AT DECEMBER 31, 2012..................................

28,536

Issuance of common stock under employee stock option
and stock award plans.............................................................
Repurchase of common stock.................................................

Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase
plan .........................................................................................
Income tax benefits from employee stock plans ....................

Stock-based compensation expense related to employee
stock options and awards........................................................
Stock-based compensation expense related to employee
stock purchases.......................................................................
Payment of dividends to stockholders....................................

Unrealized actuarial loss on pension benefits (Note 13) ........

Unrealized gain on marketable securities...............................

Foreign currency translation adjustment ................................

Net income .............................................................................

1,358

—

128

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

BALANCE AT DECEMBER 31, 2013..................................

30,022

Issuance of common stock under employee stock option
and stock award plans.............................................................
Repurchase of common stock.................................................

697

(1,603)

Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase
plan .........................................................................................

Income tax benefits from employee stock plans ....................
Stock-based compensation expense related to employee
stock options and awards........................................................

Stock-based compensation expense related to employee
stock purchases.......................................................................

Payment of dividends to stockholders....................................

Unrealized actuarial loss on pension benefits (Note 13) ........
Unrealized loss on marketable securities ...............................
Foreign currency translation adjustment ................................

Net income .............................................................................

92

—

—

—

—

—
—
—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

28

2

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

30

—

(1)

—

—

—

—

—

—
—
—

—

18,200

(20,467)

3,752

1,303

13,092

1,142

—

—

—

—

—

175,668

26,267

—

3,971

1,284

15,275

1,195

—

—

—

—

—

223,660

9,571

(80,760)

4,284

815

12,983

1,385

—

—
—
—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

(560)

138

79

—

(293)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

(220)

72

(29)

—

(470)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

(460)
(127)
(79)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

(5,755)

—

—

—

(34,404)

165,646

—

—

—

—

—

—

(9,446)

—

—

—

57,266

213,466

—

—

—

—

—

—

(13,165)

—
—
—

59,544

BALANCE AT DECEMBER 31, 2014..................................

29,208 $

29 $

171,938 $

(1,136) $

259,845 $

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

(cid:22)(cid:18)

18,200

(20,467)

3,752

1,303

13,092

1,142

(5,755)

(560)

138

79

(34,404)

341,049

26,269

—

3,971

1,284

15,275

1,195

(9,446)

(220)

72

(29)

57,266

436,686

9,571

(80,761)

4,284

815

12,983

1,385

(13,165)

(460)
(127)
(79)

59,544

430,676

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net income (loss) .............................................................................................................. $
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating
activities:

Depreciation...............................................................................................................

Amortization of intangibles .......................................................................................

Charge related to SemiSouth (Note 12) .....................................................................

Loss (gain) on disposal of property and equipment...................................................

Gain on sale of asset held for sale..............................................................................

Stock-based compensation expense...........................................................................
Amortization of premium on marketable securities...................................................

Non-cash interest income from SemiSouth note .......................................................

Deferred income taxes ...............................................................................................

Increase (reduction) in accounts receivable allowances ............................................

Excess tax benefit from employee stock plans ..........................................................

Tax benefit associated with employee stock plans ....................................................

Change in operating assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable............................................................................................

Inventories ..........................................................................................................

Prepaid expenses and other assets ......................................................................

Accounts payable................................................................................................

Taxes payable and accrued liabilities .................................................................

Deferred income on sales to distributors ............................................................

Net cash provided by operating activities .................................................

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

Purchases of property and equipment ........................................................................

Proceeds from sale of property and equipment..........................................................

Proceeds from sale of assets held for sale..................................................................

Other assets ................................................................................................................

Acquisition (Note 11).................................................................................................

Payment of guarantee of SemiSouth debt (Note 12) .................................................
Increase in financing lease receivables ......................................................................
Collections of financing lease receivables and other receivables..............................

Loans to third parties (Notes 11 and 12)....................................................................

Purchases of marketable securities ............................................................................
Proceeds from sales and maturities of marketable securities.....................................

Net cash used in investing activities .........................................................

Year Ended

December 31,

2014

2013

2012

59,544

$

57,266

$ (34,404)

15,884

6,072

—

250

—

14,282
1,694

—

157

70
(437)
815

2,133
(21,703)
8,211

2,337
(3,242)
(505)
85,562

(23,071)
—

—
(1,261)
—

—
—

—
(6,600)
(45,269)
38,052
(38,149)

16,088

7,404

—
(131)
(497)
16,485
789

—
(2,781)
(127)
(734)
1,284

(4,936)
2,375
(1,523)
2,467

1,065

4,177

98,671

15,256

5,164

58,945
(1)
—

14,224
850
(1,445)
2,017
(24)
(704)
1,303

5,313

18,026
(11,008)
2,071
(26,029)
2,276

51,830

(13,960)
36

959

(16,358)
2

—

—
—
— (115,720)
(15,200)
—
(420)
—
527
(18,000)
—

433

40,463
(124,706)

—
(109,482)
31,350
(90,664)

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

Issuance of common stock under employee stock plans

...........................................

13,855

30,239

21,952

(cid:22)(cid:19)

 
 
 
Repurchase of common stock ....................................................................................

Payments of dividends to stockholders......................................................................

Excess tax benefit from employee stock plans ..........................................................

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities ..................................

NET (DECREASE) INCREASE  IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS...................

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD............................
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD.......................................... $

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING
ACTIVITIES:

Year Ended

December 31,

2013

—
(9,446)
734

21,527

2012
(20,467)
(5,755)
704
(3,566)

29,534

63,394

(76,442)
139,836

2014
(80,760)
(13,165)
437
(79,633)

(32,220)
92,928

60,708

$

92,928

$

63,394

Unpaid property and equipment................................................................................. $
Fair value of SemiSouth purchase option (Note 12).................................................. $

1,733

$

2,862

$

— $

— $

1,008

6,216

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:

Cash paid (refund) for income taxes, net of refunds (Note 8) ................................... $

(3,121) $

(4,137) $

46,689

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

(cid:22)(cid:20)

 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. THE COMPANY:

Power Integrations, Inc. ("Power Integrations" or the “Company”), incorporated in California on 
March 25, 1988 and reincorporated in Delaware in December 1997, designs, develops, manufactures and 
markets analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs) and other electronic components and circuitry used 
in high-voltage power conversion. The Company's products are used in power converters that convert 
electricity from a high-voltage source (i.e., 48 volts or higher) to the type of power required for a specified 
downstream use.  A large percentage of the Company's products are ICs used in AC-DC power supplies in a 
wide variety of end products, primarily in the consumer, communications, computer and industrial markets.  
The Company acquired CT-Concept Technologie AG (“Concept”) in May 2012, and since then offers IGBT 
drivers used to operate arrays of high-voltage, high-power transistors known as IGBT modules, which are used 
for power conversion in high-power applications such as industrial motors, solar- and wind-power systems, 
electric vehicles and high-voltage DC transmission systems.

2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES:

Principles of Consolidation 

  The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned 

subsidiaries after elimination of all intercompany transactions and balances. 

Estimates 

  The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make 

estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of 
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues 
and expenses during the reporting period.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.  On an ongoing 
basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to revenue recognition and allowances for 
receivables and inventories.  These estimates are based on historical facts and various other factors, which the 
Company believes to be reasonable at the time the estimates are made. However, as the effects of future events 
cannot be determined with precision, actual results could differ significantly from management's estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents 

The Company considers cash invested in highly liquid financial instruments with maturities of three 

months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents.  

Marketable Securities

The Company generally holds securities until maturity; however, they may be sold under certain 

circumstances including, but not limited to, when necessary for the funding of acquisitions and other strategic 
investments. As a result the Company classifies its investment portfolio as available-for-sale. The Company 
classifies all investments with an original maturity date greater than three months as short-term marketable 
securities in its Consolidated Balance Sheet. As of  December 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013, the Company's 
marketable securities consisted primarily of corporate bonds and other high-quality commercial securities. The 
weighted average interest rate of investments at December 31, 2014 and 2013, was approximately 0.76% and 
0.74%, respectively.  

(cid:22)(cid:21)

 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Amortized cost and estimated fair market value of investments classified as available-for-sale at 

December 31, 2014, were as follows (in thousands): 

Amortized
Cost

Gross Unrealized

Gains

Losses

Estimated Fair
Market Value

Investments due in 4-12 months:
      Corporate securities.................................................... $ 30,233
30,233
       Total...........................................................................
Investments due between 12 months and 5-years:
84,259
      Corporate securities....................................................
       Total...........................................................................
84,259
Total investment securities ............................................ $ 114,492

$

$

36 $
36

92
92
128 $

— $
—

30,269
30,269

(45)
(45)
(45) $

84,306
84,306
114,575

Amortized cost and estimated fair market value of investments classified as available-for-sale at 

December 31, 2013, were as follows (in thousands):

Amortized
Cost

Gross Unrealized

Gains

Losses

Estimated Fair
Market Value

Investments due in less than 3 months:
      Commercial paper ...................................................... $
      Total............................................................................
Investments due in 4-12 months:
      Corporate securities....................................................
      Total............................................................................
Investments due between 12 months and 5-years:
102,963
      Corporate securities....................................................
      Total............................................................................
102,963
Total investment securities ............................................ $ 112,068

6,007
6,007

3,098
3,098

$

$

1 $
1

— $
—

—
—

3,099
3,099

6,040
6,040

(26)
(26)
(26) $

103,139
103,139
112,278

33
33

202
202
236 $

As of December 31, 2014, and 2013, there were no individual securities that had been in a continuous 

loss position for 12 months or longer.

Inventories

Inventories (which consist of costs associated with the purchases of wafers from domestic and offshore 

foundries and of packaged components from offshore assembly manufacturers, as well as internal labor and 
overhead associated with the testing of both wafers and packaged components) are stated at the lower of cost 
(first-in, first-out) or market.  Provisions, when required, are made to reduce excess and obsolete inventories to 
their estimated net realizable values.  Inventories consist of the following (in thousands): 

Raw materials................................................................................................. $
Work-in-process.............................................................................................
Finished goods ...............................................................................................
Total ............................................................................................................... $

21,127
14,643
28,255
64,025

$

$

8,221
13,216
20,798
42,235

December 31,
2014

December 31,
2013

(cid:22)(cid:22)

 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Additional Components of the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheet 

Accounts Receivable (in thousands):

Accounts receivable trade .............................................................................. $
Accrued ship and debit and rebate claims......................................................
Allowance for doubtful accounts ...................................................................

Total................................................................................................. $

38,344
(27,967)
(191)
10,186

$

$

42,410
(29,901)
(120)
12,389

December 31,
2014

December 31,
2013

Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets (in thousands):

December 31,
2014

December 31,
2013

Prepaid legal fees ........................................................................................... $
Loan to Cambridge Semiconductor (Note 11)...............................................

Advance to suppliers......................................................................................

Prepaid income tax.........................................................................................

Prepaid maintenance agreements...................................................................

Interest receivable ..........................................................................................

Other ..............................................................................................................

1,506

$

6,600

800

3,208

1,023

664

2,578

Total................................................................................................. $

16,379

$

6,267

—

757

7,521

947

519

2,621

18,632

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment consist of the following (in thousands):

Land ................................................................................................................. $
Construction-in-progress..................................................................................
Building and improvements.............................................................................
Machinery and equipment................................................................................
Computer software and hardware and office furniture and fixtures ................

Accumulated depreciation ...............................................................................

Total ..................................................................................................... $

December 31,
2014

December 31,
2013

16,754
8,068
44,794
124,138
37,867
231,621
(135,798)
95,823

$

$

16,754
8,003
43,641
111,314
34,327
214,039
(123,898)
90,141

  Depreciation expense for property and equipment for fiscal years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 
and 2012, was approximately $15.9 million, $16.1 million and $15.3 million, respectively, and was determined 
using the straight-line method over the following useful lives:

Building and improvements....................................................................................................
Machinery and equipment ......................................................................................................
Computer software and hardware and office furniture and fixtures.......................................

4-40 years
2-8 years
4-5 years

  Total property and equipment located in the United States at December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, was 

approximately $140 million, $134 million and $126 million, respectively. In 2014 13% of total property and 

(cid:22)(cid:23)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

equipment was held in Thailand by one of the Company's sub-contractors. In 2013 and 2012, no more than 
10% of total property and equipment was held in any foreign country.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) for three years ended December 31, 2014 

(in thousands):

Unrealized
Gains and
Losses on
Available-
for-Sale
Securities

Defined
Benefit
Pension
Items

Foreign
Currency
Items

Total

— $

—

$

50

$

50

138

—
138
138

72

—
72
210

(560)

—
(560)
(560)

(277)

57 (1)

(220)
(780)

(127)

(538)

—

78 (1)

(127)
83

(460)
$ (1,240)

$

79

—
79
129

(29)

—
(29)
100

(79)

—

(79)
21

(343)

—
(343)
(293)

(234)

57
(177)
(470)

(744)

78

(666)
$ (1,136)

Balance at January 1, 2012 ......................................... $
Other comprehensive income (loss) before
reclassifications...........................................................
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other
comprehensive income (loss) .....................................
Other comprehensive income (loss) ...........................
Balance at December 31, 2012 ...................................
Other comprehensive income (loss) before
reclassifications...........................................................
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other
comprehensive income (loss) .....................................
Other comprehensive income (loss) ...........................
Balance at December 31, 2013 ...................................

Other comprehensive income (loss) before
reclassifications...........................................................

Amounts reclassified from accumulated other
comprehensive income (loss) .....................................

Other comprehensive income (loss) ...........................
Balance at December 31, 2014 ................................... $

____________________________

(1) This component of accumulated other comprehensive income is included in the computation of net periodic 
pension cost for the years ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Business Combinations  

The purchase price of an acquisition is allocated to the underlying assets acquired and liabilities 
assumed based upon their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. To the extent the purchase price 
exceeds the fair value of the net identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, such 
excess is allocated to goodwill. The Company determines the estimated fair values after review and 
consideration of relevant information, including discounted cash flows, quoted market prices and estimates 
made by management. The Company adjusts the preliminary purchase price allocation, as necessary, during the 
measurement period of up to one year after the acquisition closing date as it obtains more information as to facts 
and circumstances existing at the acquisition date impacting asset valuations and liabilities assumed. 
Acquisition-related costs are recognized separately from the acquisition and are expensed as incurred.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill and the Company's domain name are evaluated in accordance with Accounting Standards 

Codification, or ASC, 350-10, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, and an impairment analysis is conducted 
on an annual basis, or sooner if indicators exist for a potential impairment.  

(cid:22)(cid:24)

 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

In accordance with ASC 360-10, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, 

long-lived assets, such as property and equipment and intangible assets, are reviewed for impairment whenever 
events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.  
Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to 
estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset.  If the carrying amount of an 
asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized by the amount by which the 
carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset.  

Employee Benefits Plan

The Company sponsors a 401(k) tax-deferred savings plan for all employees in the United States who 

meet certain eligibility requirements.  Participants may contribute up to the amount allowable as a deduction for 
federal income tax purposes.  The Company is not required to contribute; however, from time-to-time the 
Company will contribute a certain percentage of employee annual salaries on a discretionary basis, not to 
exceed an established threshold.  In 2014 and 2013 the Company provided for a contribution of approximately 
$1.1 million and $1.1 million, respectively. No employee 401(k) contribution was provided for in 2012.

Retirement Benefit Obligations (Pension)

The Company recognizes the overfunded or underfunded status of a defined benefit pension or 
postretirement plan as an asset or liability in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Actuarial gains and 
losses are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a component of stockholders’ equity, 
and are amortized as a component of net periodic cost over the remaining estimated service period of 
participants.

Revenue Recognition

Product revenues consist of sales to original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”), merchant power 

supply manufacturers and distributors. Approximately 75% of the Company's net product sales were made to 
distributors in 2014. The Company applies the provisions of Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) 605-10 
(“ASC 605-10”) and all related appropriate guidance. Revenue is recognized when all of the following criteria 
have been met: (1) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (2) delivery has occurred, (3) the price is fixed 
or determinable, and (4) collectability is reasonably assured. Customer purchase orders are generally used to 
determine the existence of an arrangement. Delivery is considered to have occurred when title and risk of loss 
have transferred to the Company's customer. The Company evaluates whether the price is fixed or determinable 
based on the payment terms associated with the transaction and whether the sales price is subject to refund or 
adjustment. With respect to collectability, the Company performs credit checks for new customers and performs 
ongoing evaluations of its existing customers' financial condition and requires letters of credit whenever deemed 
necessary. 

Sales to international OEMs and merchant power supply manufacturers for shipments from the 
Company's facility outside of the United States are pursuant to “EX Works” ("EXW") shipping terms, meaning 
that title to the product transfers to the customer upon shipment from the Company's foreign warehouse. Sales 
to international OEM customers and merchant power supply manufacturers that are shipped from the 
Company's facility in California are pursuant to “delivered at frontier” (“DAF”) shipping terms. As such, title to 
the product passes to the customer when the shipment reaches the destination country and revenue is recognized 
upon the arrival of the product in that country. Shipments to OEMs and merchant power supply manufacturers 
in the Americas are pursuant to “free on board” (“FOB”) point of origin shipping terms meaning that title is 
passed to the customer upon shipment. Revenue is recognized upon title transfer for sales to OEMs and 
merchant power supply manufacturers, assuming all other criteria for revenue recognition are met.

Sales to most of the Company's distributors are made under terms allowing certain price adjustments 

and rights of return on the Company's products held by its distributors. As a result of these rights, the Company 
defers the recognition of revenue and the costs of revenues derived from these sales until the Company's 

(cid:22)(cid:25)

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

distributors report that they have sold the Company's products to their customers. The Company's recognition of 
such distributor revenue is based on point of sale reports received from the distributors, at which time the price 
is no longer subject to adjustment and is fixed, and the products are no longer subject to return to the Company 
except pursuant to warranty terms.  The gross profit that is deferred as a result of this policy is reflected as 
“deferred income on sales to distributors” in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The total deferred 
revenue as of December 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013, was approximately $25.0 million and $25.5 million, 
respectively.  The total deferred cost as of December 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013, was approximately $9.8 
million and $9.8 million, respectively.  

Frequently, distributors need to sell at a price lower than the standard distribution price in order to 

win business. At or soon after the distributor invoices its customer, the distributor submits a “ship and debit” 
price adjustment claim to the Company to adjust the distributor's cost from the standard price to the pre-
approved lower price. After verification by the Company, a credit memo is issued to the distributor for the ship 
and debit claim. The Company maintains a reserve for unprocessed claims and future ship and debit price 
adjustments.  The reserves appear as a reduction to accounts receivable and deferred income on sales to 
distributors in the Company's accompanying consolidated balance sheets. To the extent future ship and debit 
claims significantly exceed amounts estimated, there could be a material impact on the deferred revenue and 
deferred margin ultimately recognized.  To evaluate the adequacy of its reserves, the Company analyzes 
historical ship and debit payments and levels of inventory in the distributor channels. 

Sales to certain distributors of the Company are made under terms that do not include rights of return 
or price concessions after the product is shipped to the distributor.  Accordingly, product revenue is recognized 
upon shipment and title transfer assuming all other revenue recognition criteria are met.

Foreign Currency Risk and Foreign Currency Translation

As of December 31, 2014, the Company's primary transactional currency was in U.S. dollars; in 
addition, the Company holds cash in Swiss francs and Euros as a result of its acquisition of Concept.  The 
Company completed the acquisition of Concept, which is located in Biel, Switzerland, in the second quarter of 
2012.  Included in the assets acquired was cash denominated in Swiss francs and Euros, which will be used to 
fund operations of the Company's Swiss subsidiary. The functional currency of the Company's Swiss subsidiary 
is the U.S. dollar.

Gains and losses arising from the remeasurement of non-functional currency balances are recorded in 

''other income (expense)'' in the accompanying consolidated statements of income (loss). For the years ended 
December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 the Company realized foreign exchange transaction gains (losses) of $0.1 
million, $(0.1) million and $(0.6) million, respectively.

The functional currencies of the Company's other subsidiaries are the local currencies.  Accordingly, all 

assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at the current exchange rates as of the applicable balance 
sheet date.  Revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rate prevailing during the period.  
Cumulative gains and losses from the translation of the foreign subsidiaries' financial statements have been 
included in stockholders' equity.

Warranty 

  The Company generally warrants that its products will substantially conform to the published 
specifications for 12 months from the date of shipment.  The Company's liability is limited to either a credit 
equal to the purchase price or replacement of the defective part.  Returns under warranty have historically 
been immaterial, and as a result, the Company does not record a specific warranty reserve.  

Advertising

  Advertising costs are expensed as incurred.  Advertising costs amounted to $1.5 million, $1.4 million, 

and $1.1 million, in 2014, 2013 and 2012

, respectively
.

(cid:22)(cid:26)

 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Research and Development

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense is an estimate of current income taxes payable or refundable in the current fiscal 

year based on reported income before income taxes. Deferred income taxes reflect the effect of temporary 
differences and carry-forwards that are recognized for financial reporting and income tax purposes.

The Company accounts for income taxes under the provisions of ASC 740. Under the provisions of 

ASC 740, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized based on the differences between the financial 
statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, utilizing the tax rates 
that are expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to 
be recovered or settled. The Company recognizes valuation allowances to reduce any deferred tax assets to the 
amount that it estimates will more likely than not be realized based on available evidence and management's 
judgment. The Company limits the deferred tax assets recognized related to certain officers' compensation to 
amounts that it estimates will be deductible in future periods based upon Internal Revenue Code Section 162
(m). In the event that the Company determines, based on available evidence and management judgment, that all 
or part of the net deferred tax assets will not be realized in the future, it would record a valuation allowance in 
the period the determination is made. In addition, the calculation of tax liabilities involves significant judgment 
in estimating the impact of uncertainties in the application of complex tax laws. Resolution of these 
uncertainties in a manner inconsistent with the Company's expectations could have a material impact on the 
Company's results of operations and financial position.

The Company engages in qualifying activities for R&D credit purposes. The Tax Increase Prevention 
Act of 2014 was signed into law on December 19, 2014, to extend the federal research and development credit 
for 2014. 

During 2014, the Company settled with the IRS and closed out the examination of its income tax 
returns for the years 2007 through 2009. The resolution of the audit resulted in a federal tax benefit to the 
Company of $2.8 million; the Company also recorded a state tax benefit of approximately $0.5 million. The 
agreement with IRS also allowed the Company to repatriate $5.0 million from its foreign subsidiary without 
incurring additional U.S. income taxes.

Common Stock Repurchases and Common Stock Dividend

In October 2012, the Company's board of directors authorized the use of $50.0 million for the 
repurchase of its common stock, with repurchases to be executed according to certain pre-defined price/volume 
guidelines set by the board of directors. As of December 31, 2012, the Company purchased 0.7 million shares 
for approximately $20.5 million. No shares were purchased during the twelve months ended December 31, 
2013, as the stock price levels exceeded the pre-defined price guidelines mentioned above. In 2014 the 
Company's board of directors authorized the use of an additional $75.0 million for this purpose. In the twelve 
months ended December 31, 2014, the Company purchased 1.6 million shares for $80.8 million. As of 
December 31, 2014, the Company had $23.7 million available for future stock repurchases. Authorization of 
future stock repurchase programs is at the discretion of the board of directors and will depend on the Company's 
financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, business conditions as well as other factors. 

In January 2012, the Company's board of directors declared four quarterly cash dividends in the 

amount of $0.05 per share to be paid to stockholders of record at the end of each quarter in 2012. The quarterly 
dividend payments were each in the aggregate amount of approximately $1.4 million to stockholders of record. 
In January 2013, the Company's board of directors declared four quarterly cash dividends in the amount of 
$0.08 per share paid to stockholders of record at the end of each quarter in 2013. Payouts of approximately $2.3 

(cid:23)(cid:17)

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

million each were paid on March 29, 2013, and June 28, 2013, and approximately $2.4 million was paid on 
September 30, 2013, and December 31, 2013, respectively. 

In October 2013, the Company's board of directors declared four quarterly cash dividends in the 

amount of $0.10 per share to be paid to stockholders of record at the end of each quarter in 2014. Dividend 
payouts totaling approximately $3.0 million each were paid on March 31, 2014, and June 30, 2014. In April 
2014, the Company's board of directors increased the quarterly dividends for the third and fourth quarters of 
2014 to $0.12 per share. Dividend payouts totaling approximately $3.6 million and $3.5 million were paid on 
September 30, 2014, and December 31, 2014, respectively. 

In January 2015, the Company's board of directors extended the $0.12 quarterly dividend through each 
quarter in 2015. The declaration of any future cash dividend is at the discretion of the board of directors and will 
depend on the Company's financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, business conditions 
and other factors, as well as a determination that cash dividends are in the best interest of the Company's 
stockholders.

Indemnifications

The Company sells products to its distributors under contracts, collectively referred to as Distributor 

Sales Agreements (“DSA”). Each DSA contains the relevant terms of the contractual arrangement with the 
distributor, and generally includes certain provisions for indemnifying the distributor against losses, expenses, 
and liabilities from damages that may be awarded against the distributor in the event the Company's products 
are found to infringe upon a patent, copyright, trademark, or other proprietary right of a third party (“Customer 
Indemnification”).  The DSA generally limits the scope of and remedies for the Customer Indemnification 
obligations in a variety of industry-standard respects, including, but not limited to, limitations based on time and 
geography, and a right to replace an infringing product.  The Company also, from time to time, has granted a 
specific indemnification right to individual customers. 

The Company believes its internal development processes and other policies and practices limit its 

exposure related to such indemnifications.  In addition, the Company requires its employees to sign a 
proprietary information and inventions agreement, which assigns the rights to its employees' development work 
to the Company.  To date, the Company has not had to reimburse any of its distributors or customers for any 
losses related to these indemnifications and no material claims were outstanding as of December 31, 2014.  For 
several reasons, including the lack of prior indemnification claims and the lack of a monetary liability limit for 
certain infringement cases, the Company cannot determine the maximum amount of potential future payments, 
if any, related to such indemnifications. 

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") amended the existing accounting 

standards for revenue recognition, ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The amendments are 
based on the principle that revenue should be recognized to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to 
customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for 
those goods or services. The Company is required to adopt the amendments in the first quarter of 2017. Early 
adoption is not permitted. The amendments may be applied retrospectively to each prior period presented or 
retrospectively with the cumulative effect recognized as of the date of initial application. The Company is 
currently evaluating the impact of these amendments and the transition alternatives on its consolidated financial 
statements.

3. STOCK PLANS AND SHARE BASED COMPENSATION:

Stock Plans

As of December 31, 2014, the Company had two stock-based compensation plans (the “Plans”) which 

are described below.

(cid:23)(cid:18)

 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

2007 Equity Incentive Plan

The 2007 Equity Incentive Plan (the "2007 Plan") was adopted by the board of directors on September 
10, 2007 and approved by the stockholders on November 7, 2007 as an amendment and restatement of the 1997 
Stock Option Plan (the "1997 Plan").  The 2007 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options, 
nonstatutory stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards ("RSUs"), stock appreciation 
rights, performance stock unit awards ("PSU") and other stock awards to employees, directors and consultants.  
As of December 31, 2014, the maximum remaining number of shares that may be issued under the 2007 Plan 
was 6.5 million shares, which includes options issued but not exercised and awards granted but unvested and 
shares remaining available for issuance under the 1997 Plan, including shares subject to outstanding options and 
stock awards under the 1997 Plan.  Pursuant to the 2007 Plan, the exercise price for incentive stock options and 
nonstatutory stock options is generally at least 100% of the fair market value of the underlying shares on the 
date of grant.  Options generally vest over 48 months measured from the date of grant. Options generally expire 
no later than ten years after the date of grant, subject to earlier termination upon an optionee's cessation of 
employment or service.  

Beginning January 27, 2009, grants pursuant to the Directors Equity Compensation Program (which 

was adopted by the board of directors on January 27, 2009) to non-employee directors have been made 
primarily under the 2007 Plan. The Directors Equity Compensation Program, provides for grants to outside 
directors as follows: effective annually, upon the first trading day of July, each outside director would receive a 
grant of an equity award with an aggregate value of $100,000.  At each outside director's election, such award 
would consist entirely of RSUs or entirely of stock options.  The quantity of options would be calculated by 
dividing $100,000 by the Black-Scholes value on the date of grant.  The quantity of RSUs issued would be 
calculated by dividing $100,000 by the grant date fair value.  Further, on the date of election of a new outside 
director, such new director would receive such grant as continuing outside directors receive on the first trading 
day of July; provided, however, that such grant is prorated for the portion of the year that such new outside 
director will serve until the next first trading day of July.  The Directors Equity Compensation Program will 
remain in effect at the discretion of the board of directors or the compensation committee. 

On July 28, 2009, the 2007 Plan was amended generally to prohibit outstanding options or stock 

appreciation rights from being canceled in exchange for cash without stockholder approval.

1997 Employee Stock Purchase Plan 

Under the 1997 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Purchase Plan”), eligible employees may apply 
accumulated payroll deductions, which may not exceed 15% of an employee's compensation, to the purchase 
of shares of the Company's common stock at periodic intervals. The purchase price of stock under the 
Purchase Plan is equal to 85% of the lower of (i) the fair market value of the Company's common stock on the 
first day of each offering period, or (ii) the fair market value of the Company's common stock on the purchase 
date (as defined in the Purchase Plan).  Each offering period consists of one purchase period of approximately 
six months duration.  An aggregate of 3.0 million shares of common stock were reserved for issuance to 
employees under the Purchase Plan. As of December 31, 2014, of the shares reserved for issuance, 2.7 million 
shares had been purchased and 0.3 million shares were reserved for future issuance under the Purchase Plan.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company applies the provisions of ASC 718-10. Under the provisions of ASC 718-10, the 

Company recognizes the fair value of stock-based compensation in financial statements over the requisite 
service period of the individual grants, which generally equals a four-year vesting period. The Company uses 
estimates of volatility, expected term, risk-free interest rate, dividend yield and forfeitures in determining the 
fair value of these awards and the amount of compensation expense to recognize. The Company uses the 
straight-line method to amortize all stock awards granted over the requisite service period of the award.

(cid:23)(cid:19)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Determining Fair Value of Stock Options

The Company uses the Black-Scholes valuation model for valuing stock option grants using the 

following assumptions and estimates:

Expected Volatility.  The Company calculates expected volatility based on the historical price volatility 

of the Company's stock.  

Expected Term.  The Company utilizes a model which uses historical exercise, cancellation and 

outstanding option data to calculate the expected term of stock option grants.  

Risk-Free Interest Rate.  The Company bases the risk-free interest rate used in the Black-Scholes 

valuation model on the implied yield available on a U.S. Treasury note with a term approximately equal to the 
expected term of the underlying grants.  

Dividend Yield.  The dividend yield was calculated by dividing the annual dividend by the average 

closing price of the Company's common stock on a quarterly basis. 

Estimated Forfeitures.  The Company uses historical data to estimate pre-vesting forfeitures, and 

records share-based compensation expense only for those awards that are expected to vest.

 The following table summarizes the stock-based compensation expense recognized in accordance with 

ASC 718-10 for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 (in thousands).

Year Ended December 31,
2013

2012

2014

Cost of revenues ....................................................................... $
Research and development .......................................................
Sales and marketing..................................................................
General and administrative .......................................................
Total stock-based compensation expense................................. $

879
4,784
3,540
5,079
14,282

$

$

1,074
5,746
3,642
6,023
16,485

$

$

1,058
5,503
3,317
4,346
14,224

The following table summarizes total compensation expense related to unvested awards not yet 
recognized, net of expected forfeitures, and the weighted average period over which it is expected to be 
recognized as of December 31, 2014.

December 31, 2014

Unrecognized
Compensation
Expense for Unvested
Awards

(In thousands)

Options ................................................................................. $
Long-term performance-based awards.................................
Restricted stock units ...........................................................
Purchase plan........................................................................
Total unrecognized compensation expense.......................... $

786
1,255
20,285
144
22,470

Weighted
Average
Remaining
Recognition
Period

(In years)
1.1
2.0
2.3
0.5

Stock compensation expense in the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, was approximately 

$14.3 million (comprising approximately $1.2 million related to stock options, $0.5 million related to long-term 
performance-based awards, $11.3 million related to restricted stock units and $1.3 million related to the 
Company's Purchase Plan).  

(cid:23)(cid:20)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Stock compensation expense in the twelve months ended December 31, 2013, was approximately 

$16.5 million (comprising approximately $2.3 million related to stock options, $3.2 million related to 
performance-based awards, $9.8 million related to restricted stock units and $1.2 million related to the 
Company's Purchase Plan).  

Stock compensation expense in the twelve months ended December 31, 2012, was approximately 

$14.2 million (comprising approximately $4.0 million related to stock options, $2.1 million related to 
performance-based awards, $7.0 million related to restricted stock units and $1.1 million related to the 
Company's Purchase Plan).

The fair value of stock options granted is established on the date of the grant using the Black-Scholes 

option-pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions used during the three years ended 
December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012:

2014*

2013*

2012

Risk-free interest rates ..........................................................
Expected volatility rates .......................................................
Expected dividend yield .......................................................
Expected term of stock options (in years) ............................
Weighted-average grant date fair value of options granted..

—%
—%
—%
0.0
$0.00

—%
—%
—%
0.0
$0.00

0.87% - 1.01%
45%
0.51% - 0.57%
6.4
$18.20

________________________
*The Company did not grant stock options in the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, and therefore no fair-
value assumptions were reported for those periods.

  The fair value of employees’ stock purchase rights under the Purchase Plan was estimated using the 

Black-Scholes model with the following weighted-average assumptions used during the three years ended 
December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012:

Risk-free interest rates.............................................
Expected volatility rates ..........................................
Expected dividend yield ..........................................
Expected term of purchase right (years)..................
Weighted-average estimated fair value of purchase
rights ........................................................................

2014
0.05% - 0.07%
30% - 48%
0.66% - 0.85%
0.5

2013
0.08% - 0.11%
33% - 37%
0.62% - 0.80%
0.5

2012
0.09% - 0.14%
34% - 48%
0.54% - 0.57%
0.5

$14.40

$11.01

$9.40

(cid:23)(cid:21)

 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

A summary of stock option activity under the Plans, excluding performance-based shares and restricted 

stock units, as of December 31, 2014, and changes during three years then ended, is presented below:

Outstanding at January 1, 2012..................................
Granted.......................................................................
Exercised....................................................................
Forfeited or expired....................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2012............................
Granted.......................................................................
Exercised....................................................................
Forfeited or expired....................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2013............................
Granted.......................................................................
Exercised....................................................................
Forfeited or expired....................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2014............................
Exercisable at December 31, 2014.............................
Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2014...

Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price

Weighted-
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
(in years)

Aggregate
Intrinsic Value
(in thousands)

24.01
42.66
20.48
21.10
26.00
—
23.72
39.70
27.34
—
27.64
—
27.27
26.69
27.25

3.56
3.42
3.56

$
$
$

32,905
32,366
32,889

2,817

Shares
(in thousands)
$
3,557
$
135
(870) $
(5) $
$
— $
(1,108) $
(18) $
$
— $
(347) $
— $
$
$
$

1,344
1,292
1,343

1,691

The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, 

2013 and 2012, was $9.9 million, $26.5 million and $14.5 million, respectively. 

  The following table summarizes the stock options outstanding at December 31, 2014: 

Options Outstanding

Options Vested and Exercisable

Number
Outstanding
(in thousands)
124
268
93
243
40
212
150
85
48
81
1,344

Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual 
Term (in years)
3.08
4.31
2.45
2.62
2.02
1.10
4.85
5.29
6.50
7.20
3.56

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

$19.08
$21.14
$23.68
$25.25
$25.73
$26.75
$33.10
$38.06
$39.49
$42.88
$27.27

Number Vested
(in thousands)
124
268
93
243
40
212
140
85
48
39
1,292

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

$19.08
$21.14
$23.68
$25.25
$25.73
$26.75
$32.89
$38.06
$39.49
$42.88
$26.69

Exercise
Price

$17.18 - $21.00 ........................
$21.14 - $21.14 ........................
$22.18 - $24.21 ........................
$25.25 - $25.25 ........................
$25.48 - $26.49 ........................
$26.75 - $26.75 ........................
$26.86 - $36.95 ........................
$37.96 - $38.07 ........................
$39.49 - $39.49 ........................
$42.88 - $42.88 ........................
$17.18 -  $42.88 .......................

Performance-based Awards

Under the performance-based awards program, the Company grants awards in the first half of the 

performance year in an amount equal to twice the target number of shares to be issued if the target performance 
metrics are met. The number of shares that are released at the end of the performance year can range from zero 
to 200% of the targeted number depending on the Company's performance. The performance metrics of this 
program are annual targets consisting of net revenue, non-GAAP operating earnings and strategic goals. Each 
performance-based award share granted from the 2007 Plan will reduce the number of shares available for 
issuance under the 2007 Plan by 2.0 shares.

(cid:23)(cid:22)

 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

During the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, the Company issued approximately 83,000 

performance-based awards to employees and executives.  As the net revenue and non-GAAP operating income 
are considered performance conditions, expense associated with these awards, net of estimated forfeitures is 
recognized over the service period based on an assessment of the achievement of the performance targets. The 
fair value of these performance-based awards is determined using the fair value of the Company's common 
stock on the date of the grant, reduced by the discounted present value of dividends expected to be declared 
before the awards vest. If the performance conditions are not achieved, no compensation cost is recognized and 
any previously recognized compensation is reversed.  The Company's net revenue and non-GAAP operating 
income performance targets were not met in 2014, and therefore the 2014 performance-based awards were 
canceled, and no related expense was recognized in the twelve months ended December 31, 2014.  

A portion of the 2013 performance-based awards issued to employees and executives vested in the first 

quarter of 2014. In January 2014, it was determined that approximately 83,000 shares of the approximately 
102,000 performance-based awards granted in 2013 vested in aggregate under the revenue, non-GAAP 
operating income and strategic goals performance conditions for such awards. Accordingly, 83,000 
performance-based awards were released to the Company's employees and executives in the first quarter of 
2014. 

A summary of performance-based awards outstanding as of December 31, 2014, and activity during 

the three years then ended, is presented below:

Outstanding at January 1, 2012 ..........................
Granted ...............................................................
Vested.................................................................
Forfeited or canceled ..........................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2012 ....................
Granted ...............................................................
Vested.................................................................
Change in units due to performance
achievement for PSUs not earned ......................
Forfeited or canceled ..........................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2013 ....................
Granted ...............................................................
Vested.................................................................
Change in units due to performance
achievement for PSUs not earned ......................
Forfeited or canceled ..........................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2014 ....................
Outstanding and expected to vest at December
31, 2014..............................................................

Weighted-
Average 
Remaining 
Contractual 
Term
(in years)

Aggregate 
Intrinsic Value
(in thousands)

Shares
(in thousands)

Weighted-
Average
Grant Date
Fair Value
Per Share
—
37.60
—
—
37.60
38.68
37.60

— $
102
$
— $
— $
$
102
$
102
$
(54)

37.60
41.79
38.48
53.93
38.48

38.48
53.93
—

(48)
(2)
100
83
(83)

$
$
$
$
$

$
(17)
(83)
$
— $

—

0

0

$

$

—

—

The weighted-average grant-date fair value per share of performance-based awards granted in the years 

ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, was approximately $53.93, $38.68 and $37.60, respectively.  The 
grant date fair value of awards released, which were fully vested, in the years ended December 31, 2014 and 
2013, was approximately $3.2 million  and $2.0 million, respectively. There were no performance-based awards 
released in year ended December 31, 2012.  

(cid:23)(cid:23)

 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Long-Term Performance-based Units ("PRSUs")

In the first quarter of 2014 the Company began granting long-term performance-based awards. The 

Company's PRSU program provides for the issuance of PRSUs which will vest based on Company performance 
measured against the 2014 PRSU Plan's established 2016 revenue target. The PRSUs were granted in an amount 
equal to twice the target number of shares to be issued if the target performance metric is met. The actual 
number of shares the recipient receives is determined at the end of a three-year performance period based on 
results achieved versus the Company's performance goal, and may range from zero to 200% of the targeted 
number. The performance goal for PRSUs granted in fiscal 2014 was based on the Company's adjusted annual 
revenue growth. Each long-term performance-based award granted from the 2007 Plan will reduce the number 
of shares available for issuance under the 2007 Plan by 2 shares.

Recipients of a PRSU award generally must remain employed by the Company on a continuous basis 

through the end of the applicable three-year performance period in order to receive shares subject to that award. 
Expenses associated with these awards, net of estimated forfeitures, are recorded throughout the year depending 
on the number of shares expected to vest based on progress toward the performance target. The cost of long-
term performance-based awards is determined using the fair value of the Company's common stock on the grant 
date, reduced by the discounted present value of dividends expected to be declared before the awards vest. If the 
performance conditions are not achieved, no compensation cost is recognized and any previously recognized 
compensation is reversed.

A summary of long-term performance-based awards outstanding as of December 31, 2014, and activity 

during the year then ended, is presented below:

Shares
(in thousands)

Weighted-
Average
Grant Date
Fair Value
Per Share
—
55.51
—
—
55.51

— $
$
61
— $
— $
$
61

37

Weighted-
Average 
Remaining 
Contractual 
Term
(in years)

Aggregate 
Intrinsic Value
(in thousands)

2.0

2.0

$

$

3,161

1,928

Outstanding at December 31, 2013 ....................
Granted ...............................................................
Vested.................................................................
Forfeited or canceled ..........................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2014 ....................
Outstanding and expected to vest at December
31, 2014..............................................................

Restricted Stock Units ("RSUs")

The Company grants restricted stock units to employees under the 2007 Plan.  RSUs granted to 
employees typically vest ratably over a four-year period, and are converted into shares of the Company's 
common stock upon vesting on a one-for-one basis subject to the employee's continued service to the Company 
over that period.  The fair value of RSUs is determined using the fair value of the Company's common stock on 
the date of the grant, reduced by the discounted present value of dividends expected to be declared before the 
awards vest. Compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of 
each grant adjusted for estimated forfeitures. Each RSU award granted from the 2007 plan will reduce the 
number of shares available for issuance under the 2007 Plan by 2 shares.

(cid:23)(cid:24)

         
         
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

  A summary of RSUs outstanding as of December 31, 2014, and activity during the three years then 

ended, is as follows:

Outstanding at January 1, 2012 ..........................
Granted ...............................................................
Vested.................................................................
Forfeited .............................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2012 ....................
Granted ...............................................................
Vested.................................................................
Forfeited .............................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2013 ....................
Granted ...............................................................
Vested.................................................................
Forfeited .............................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2014 ....................
Outstanding and expected to vest at December
31, 2014..............................................................

Shares
(in thousands)
458
293
(152)
(26)
573
386
(195)
(50)
714
281
(267)
(36)
692

645

$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$

Weighted-
Average
Grant Date
Fair Value
Per Share

Weighted-
Average 
Remaining 
Contractual 
Term
(in years)

Aggregate 
Intrinsic Value
(in thousands)

36.08
41.06
36.48
36.92
38.21
39.09
37.92
39.50
38.97
51.12
38.57
42.74
43.86

1.28

1.22

$

$

35,821

33,364

The weighted-average grant-date fair value per share of RSUs awarded in the years ended 

December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, was approximately $51.12, $39.09 and $41.06, respectively. The grant date 
fair value of awards vested in the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, was approximately $10.3 
million, $7.4 million and $5.5 million, respectively.    

Shares Reserved 

As of December 31, 2014, the Company had approximately 3.3 million shares of common stock 

reserved for future issuance under stock option and stock purchase plans.

4. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS:

ASC 820-10, Fair Value Measurements, clarifies that fair value is an exit price, representing the 

amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer 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 liability. As a basis for considering such 
assumptions, ASC 820-10 establishes a three-tier value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring 
fair value as follows: (Level 1) observable inputs such as quoted prices for identical assets in active markets; 
(Level 2) inputs other than the quoted prices in active markets that are observable either directly or indirectly; 
and (Level 3) unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which requires the Company to 
develop its own assumptions. This hierarchy requires the Company to use observable market data, when 
available, and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs when determining fair value. 

The Company's cash and investment instruments are classified within Level 1 or Level 2 of the fair-

value hierarchy because they are valued using quoted market prices, broker or dealer quotations, or alternative 
pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency. The type of instrument valued based on quoted 
market prices in active markets primarily includes money market securities. This type of instrument is generally 
classified within Level 1 of the fair-value hierarchy. The types of instruments valued based on other observable 
inputs (Level 2 of the fair-value hierarchy) include investment-grade corporate bonds and government, state, 
municipal and provincial obligations. Such types of investments are valued by using a multi-dimensional 

(cid:23)(cid:25)

 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

relational model, the inputs are primarily benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes, issuer 
spreads, two-sided markets, benchmark securities, bids, offers, and reference data including market research 
publications.  

The Company principally holds securities until maturity; however, they may be sold under certain 

circumstances, including, but not limited to, the funding of acquisitions and other strategic investments. 
Accordingly, the Company classified its investment portfolio as available-for-sale as of December 31, 2014 and 
December 31, 2013. The fair value hierarchy of the Company's short-term marketable securities at 
December 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013, was as follows (in thousands):

Fair Value Measurement at
December 31, 2014
Quoted Prices in
Active Markets for
Identical Assets
(Level 1)

Significant Other
Observable Inputs
(Level 2)

December 31,
2014

3,370
114,575
117,945

$

$

3,370
—
3,370

$

$

—
114,575
114,575

Description
Money market funds.................... $
Corporate securities .....................
     Total........................................ $

Fair Value Measurement at
December 31, 2013

Description
Commercial paper ......................... $
Money market funds .....................
Corporate securities.......................
     Total.......................................... $

December 31,
2013

Quoted Prices in
Active Markets for
Identical Assets
(Level 1)

Significant Other
Observable Inputs
(Level 2)

3,099
17,492
109,179
129,770

$

$

— $

17,492
—
17,492

$

3,099
—
109,179
112,278

  The Company did not transfer any investments between level 1 and level 2 of the fair value hierarchy 

in the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013.

5. GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS:

There were no changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the twelve months ended 

December 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013. 

 Intangible assets consist primarily of developed technology, acquired licenses, customer relationships, 

trade name, domain name, in-process research and development and patent rights, and are reported net of 
accumulated amortization. The Company amortizes the cost of all intangible assets over the shorter of the 
estimated useful life or the term of the developed technology, acquired licenses, customer relationships, trade 
name and patent rights, which range from two to 12 years, with the exception of $4.7 million of in-process 
research and development and $1.3 million to acquire an internet domain name. In-process research and 
development is assessed for impairment until the development is completed and products are available for sale, 
at which time the Company will begin to amortize the in-process research and development. The Company does 
not expect the amortization of in-process research and development to begin in 2015. The Company acquired 
the rights to the internet domain name www.power.com, which is now the Company's primary domain name; the 
cost to acquire the domain name has been recorded as an intangible asset and will not be amortized as it has an 
indefinite useful life.  Amortization for acquired intangible assets was approximately $6.1 million, $7.4 million 
and $5.2 million in the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. 

(cid:23)(cid:26)

 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

The Company does not believe there is any significant residual value associated with the following 

intangible assets:  

December 31, 2014

December 31, 2013

Gross

Accumulated
Amortization

1,261

$

— $

Net

Gross

(in thousands)
1,261

$

Accumulated
Amortization

Net

— $

— $

—

4,690
3,000
1,949
26,670
17,610
3,600
58,780

—
(2,625)
(1,949)
(7,828)
(7,254)
(3,600)
$ (23,256) $

4,690
375
—
18,842
10,356
—
35,524

$

4,690
3,000
1,949
26,670
17,610
3,600
57,519

—
(2,325)
(1,949)
(5,247)
(4,664)
(3,000)
$ (17,185) $

4,690
675
—
21,423
12,946
600
40,334

Domain name ......................... $
In-process research and
development...........................
Technology licenses...............
Patent rights ...........................
Developed technology ...........
Customer relationships...........
Trade name.............................
Total intangible assets............ $

  The estimated future amortization expense related to definite-lived intangible assets at December 31, 

2014, is as follows:

Fiscal Year
2015 ........................................................................................................................................... $
2016 ...........................................................................................................................................
2017 ...........................................................................................................................................
2018 ...........................................................................................................................................
2019 ...........................................................................................................................................
Thereafter ....................................................................................................................................
Total (1) ....................................................................................................................................... $

Estimated
Amortization
(in  thousands)

5,009
4,394
3,994
3,746
3,424
9,006
29,573

_______________

(1) 

 The total above excludes $4.7 million of in-process research and development which will be 
amortized upon completion of development over the estimated useful life of the technology.

6. SIGNIFICANT CUSTOMERS AND INTERNATIONAL SALES:

Segment Reporting

The Company is organized and operates as one reportable segment, the design, development, 
manufacture and marketing of analog and mixed-signal ICs and other electronic components and circuitry used 
in high-voltage power conversion.  The Company's chief operating decision maker, the chief executive officer, 
reviews financial information presented on a consolidated basis for purposes of making operating decisions and 
assessing financial performance.

Product Sales

Net revenues consist primarily of sales of the Company's high-voltage integrated-circuit products, 
IGBT drivers and high-voltage silicon diodes. When evaluating the Company's net revenues, the Company 
categorizes its sales into the following four major end markets served; communications, computer, consumer 
and industrial electronics. 

(cid:24)(cid:17)

 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

The table below provides the percentage of net sales activity by end markets served on a comparative 

basis for all periods: 

End Market
Communications.................................................................
Computer............................................................................
Consumer ...........................................................................
Industrial electronics ..........................................................

Customer Concentration

Year Ended December 31,
2013

2014

2012

18%
10%
37%
35%

21%
10%
35%
34%

24%
12%
36%
28%

Ten customers accounted for approximately 59%, 59% and 64% of net revenues for the years ended 

December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.  A significant portion of these revenues are attributable to 
sales of the Company’s products to distributors of electronic components. These distributors sell the Company’s 
products to a broad, diverse range of end users, including OEMs and merchant power supply manufacturers.  

The following customers each accounted for 10% or more of total net revenues:

Customer
Avnet.................................................................................
ATM Electronic Corporation............................................

___________________________
* Total customer revenue was less than 10% of net revenues

Year Ended December 31,

2014

2013

2012

19%
*

19%
*

20%
12%

Avnet and ATM Electronic Corporation are distributors of the Company's products.  No other 

customers accounted for 10% or more of the Company's net revenues in those periods.  

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consisted 

principally of cash investments and trade receivables.  The Company has cash investment policies that limit 
cash investments to low-risk investments. With respect to trade receivables, the Company performs ongoing 
evaluations of its customers' financial conditions and requires letters of credit whenever deemed necessary.  
Additionally, the Company establishes an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon factors surrounding the 
credit risk of specific customers, historical trends related to past write-offs and other relevant information.  
Account balances are charged off against the allowance after all means of collection have been exhausted and 
the potential for recovery is considered remote.  The Company does not have any off-balance-sheet credit 
exposure related to its customers. Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations 
of credit risk consist principally of cash investments and trade receivables.  As of December 31, 2014, and 
December 31, 2013, 66% and 71%, respectively, of accounts receivable were concentrated with the Company's 
top 10 customers.

  The following customers each represented 10% or more of accounts receivable:

Customer
Avnet .....................................................................
ATM Electronic Corporation ................................
Burnon International Ltd.......................................

December 31,
2014

December 31,
2013

22%
*
11%

21%
17%
*

___________________________
* Total customer accounts receivable was less than 10%

(cid:24)(cid:18)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Avnet, ATM Electronic Corporation and Burnon International Ltd. are distributors of the Company’s 

products. No other customers accounted for 10% or more of the Company’s accounts receivable in these 
periods.

International Sales

The Company markets its products globally through its sales personnel and a worldwide network of 
independent sales representatives and distributors. As a percentage of total net revenues, international sales, 
which consist of  sales to distributors and direct customers outside of the United States of America, comprise 
the following:

Year Ended December 31,

2014

2013

2012

Hong Kong/China.......................................................
Taiwan.........................................................................
Korea...........................................................................
Western Europe (excluding Germany) .......................
Japan ...........................................................................
Singapore ....................................................................
Germany .....................................................................
Other ...........................................................................
Total foreign revenue...........................................

47%
15%
11%
11%
5%
1%
2%
3%
95%

47%
15%
11%
11%
5%
2%
2%
2%
95%

45%
17%
12%
10%
6%
2%
1%
2%
95%

The remainder of the Company’s sales is to customers within the United States of America.

7. EARNINGS PER SHARE:

 Basic earnings (loss) per share are calculated by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted-average 

shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings (loss) per share are calculated by 
dividing net income (loss) by the weighted-average shares of common stock and dilutive common equivalent 
shares outstanding during the period. Dilutive common equivalent shares included in this calculation consist of 
dilutive shares issuable upon the assumed exercise of outstanding common stock options, the assumed vesting 
of outstanding restricted stock units and performance based awards, and the assumed issuance of awards under 
the stock purchase plan, as computed using the treasury stock method. A summary of the earnings (loss) per 
share calculation is as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts):

Year Ended December 31,

2014

2013

2012

Basic earnings (loss) per share:

Net income (loss) ...................................................................... $
Weighted-average common shares............................................
Basic earnings (loss) per share.................................................. $

Diluted earnings (loss) per share (1):

Net income (loss) ...................................................................... $
Weighted-average common shares............................................
Effect of dilutive securities:

Employee stock plans ........................................................
Diluted weighted-average common shares ...............................
Diluted earnings (loss) per share............................................... $

59,544
29,976
1.99

59,544
29,976

853
30,829
1.93

$

$

$

$

57,266
29,421
1.95

$ (34,404)
28,636
(1.20)

$

57,266
29,421

$ (34,404)
28,636

999
30,420
1.88

—
28,636
(1.20)

$

_______________ 

(1) 

The Company includes the shares underlying performance-based awards in the calculation of diluted earnings 
per share if the performance conditions have been satisfied as of the end of the reporting period and excludes 

(cid:24)(cid:19)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

such shares when the necessary conditions have not been met. The Company has excluded all performance-
based awards underlying the 2014 awards in the 2014 calculation as the performance conditions for those 
awards were not met as of the end of the period. The Company has included the shares underlying the 2013 
and 2012 awards in the respective year calculations, as those shares were contingently issuable upon the 
satisfaction of the annual targets consisting of net revenue, non-GAAP operating earnings and achievement of 
strategic goals as of the end of the periods. 

In the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, options to purchase 36,501 shares and 122,263 
shares outstanding, respectively, were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share for the 
periods then ended because they were determined to be anti-dilutive. In the year ended December 31, 2012, all 
shares attributable to stock-based awards were excluded in the computation of diluted earnings per share, as 
the Company was in a net loss position.  

8. PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES:

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes under the provisions of ASC 740. Under the provisions of 

ASC 740, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized based on the differences between the financial 
statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, utilizing the tax rates 
that are expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to 
be recovered or settled. 

  U.S. and foreign components of income before income taxes were (in thousands):

Year Ended December 31,
2013

2012

2014

U.S. operations........................................................................... $ (5,064)
Foreign operations .....................................................................
61,878
Total pretax income (loss).......................................................... $ 56,814

$

1,936
53,491
$ 55,427

$ (36,178)
15,396
$ (20,782)

  The components of the provision for (benefit from) income taxes are as follows (in thousands): 

Year Ended December 31,
2013

2012

2014

Current provision (benefit):

Federal ............................................................................................ $ (1,234) $
State ................................................................................................
Foreign ............................................................................................

(137)
3,094
1,723

(558)
2
3,049
2,493

$

9,813
(2,083)
1,892
9,622

Deferred provision (benefit):

Federal ............................................................................................
State ................................................................................................
Foreign ............................................................................................

(3,633)
—
(699)
(4,332)
Total ................................................................................................ $ (2,730) $ (1,839)

(3,279)
(284)
(890)
(4,453)

2,647
3,109
(1,756)
4,000
$ 13,622

The Company is entitled to a deduction for federal and state tax purposes with respect to employees' 
stock option activity. The net reduction in taxes otherwise payable in excess of any amount credited to income 
tax expense has been reflected as an adjustment to additional paid-in capital. For 2014, 2013 and 2012, the 

(cid:24)(cid:20)

 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

benefit arising from employee stock option activity that resulted in an adjustment to additional paid in capital 
was approximately $0.8 million, $1.3 million and $1.3 million, respectively.  

The provision for (benefit from) income taxes differs from the amount, which would result by applying 

the applicable federal income-tax rate to income before provision for (benefit from) income taxes, as follows: 

Provision computed at Federal statutory rate .....................
State tax provision, net of Federal benefit ..........................
Business tax credits.............................................................
Stock-based compensation..................................................
Foreign income taxed at different rate................................
IRS audit settlement............................................................
Valuation allowance............................................................
Other ...................................................................................
Total....................................................................................

2014
35.0%
—
(5.5)
(2.9)
(28.6)
(5.8)
2.0
1.0
(4.8)%

2013
35.0%
—
(8.1)
(2.8)
(29.5)
—
(0.1)
2.2
(3.3)%

2012
35.0%
8.9
4.9
2.5
25.9
(87.2)
(48.4)
(7.2)
(65.6)%

The Company reached a settlement with the IRS in the quarter ended June 30, 2014, to close out the 
examination of its federal income-tax returns for the years 2007 through 2009. As a result, the Company adjusted 
its tax balances and the provision for income tax for the year ended December 31, 2014, includes a one-time benefit 
of $3.3 million comprising $2.8 million in federal income taxes and interest, and state income taxes of approximately 
$0.5 million. The one-time benefit includes the reversal of $4.1 million of related unrecognized tax benefits that 
had been recorded as non-current liabilities in the Company's consolidated balance sheets. The Company has now 
concluded all U.S. federal income-tax matters for the years through 2009. The Company engages in qualifying 
activities for R&D credit purposes. The Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 was signed into law on December 
19, 2014, to extend the federal research and development credit for 2014. The related tax benefit was taken in the 
fourth quarter of 2014. 

The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2013, was favorably impacted by the 

geographic distribution of the Company's world-wide earnings and earnings in lower-tax jurisdictions.  
Additionally, the rate was favorably impacted by federal research tax credits both for 2013 and 2012. 

During the third quarter of 2012, the Company recorded an impairment charge and write-off of certain 

assets related to SemiSouth of approximately $58.9 million, on which the Company recognized a $8.0 million 
tax benefit. The write-off resulted in a net loss for 2012.

During the third quarter of 2012 the Company made a one-time payment of taxes and interest totaling 

$42.6 million in connection with settling the U.S. Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") examination of the 
Company's income tax returns for the years 2003 through 2006.  Related to this, the provision for income tax in 
the second quarter of 2012 included a one-time charge of $44.8 million, comprising $35.0 million in federal 
income taxes, net interest of $5.7 million, and state income taxes (including interest) of approximately $4.1 
million. The impact of the charge was partially offset by the reversal of $26.9 million of related unrecognized 
tax benefits that had been recorded as non-current liabilities in the Company's consolidated balance sheet 
resulting in a net charge of $18.1 million. Additionally, there was a $2.2 million reduction of the valuation 
allowance on the Company's California deferred tax assets.

(cid:24)(cid:21)

 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

  The components of the net deferred income tax asset (liabilities) were as follows (in thousands): 

Deferred tax assets:
Other reserves and accruals ........................................................................... $
Tax credit carry-forwards...............................................................................
Stock compensation .......................................................................................
Capital losses .................................................................................................
Net operating loss ..........................................................................................
Valuation allowance.......................................................................................

Deferred tax liabilities:
Depreciation...................................................................................................
Acquired intangibles ......................................................................................
Unremitted earnings.......................................................................................
Other ..............................................................................................................

Net deferred tax asset..................................................................................... $

December 31,

2014

2013

3,928
19,602
5,429
11,401
3,680
(25,828)
18,212

(3,320)
(3,502)
(5,182)
(1,072)
(13,076)
5,136

$

6,893
12,453
5,964
10,307
1,014
(19,271)
17,360

(4,226)
(4,303)
(2,432)
(1,107)
(12,068)
5,292

$

In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely 

than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of 
deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those 
temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax 
liabilities and projected future taxable income. In the event that the Company determines, based on available 
evidence and management judgment, that all or part of the net deferred tax assets will not be realized in the 
future, the Company would record a valuation allowance in the period the determination is made. In addition, 
the calculation of tax liabilities involves significant judgment in estimating the impact of uncertainties in the 
application of complex tax laws. Resolution of these uncertainties in a manner inconsistent with the Company’s 
expectations could have a material impact on its results of operations and financial position.

As of December 31, 2014, the Company continues to maintain a valuation allowance primarily as a 

result of SemiSouth capital losses for federal purposes, and on its California deferred tax assets as the Company 
believes that it is not more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be fully realized. In addition, the 
Company maintains a valuation allowance with respect to certain of its deferred tax assets relating to tax credits 
in Canada and the state of New Jersey. 

As of December 31, 2014, the Company had federal research and development tax credit carry-

forwards of approximately $10.8 million, which will begin to expire in 2030 if unutilized, California research 
and development tax credit carry-forwards of approximately $14.9 million (there is no expiration of research 
and development tax credit carry-forwards for the state of California) and California net operating losses of 
$31.5 million which will begin to expire in 2032. As of December 31, 2014, the Company had Canadian 
scientific research and experimental development tax credit carry-forwards of approximately $2.3 million and 
New Jersey research and experimental development tax credit carry-forwards of approximately $0.4 million, 
which will start to expire in 2026 and 2027, respectively.

  The Company does not provide for U.S. taxes on its undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries 
that it intends to invest indefinitely outside the U.S., unless such taxes are otherwise required under U.S. tax 
law.  Beginning in 2013, the Company determined that a portion of its foreign subsidiaries current and future 
earnings may be remitted prospectively to the U.S. for domestic cash flow purposes and, accordingly, provided 
for the related U.S. taxes in its consolidated financial statements. If the Company changes its intent to invest 
its undistributed foreign earnings indefinitely or if a greater amount of undistributed earnings are needed for 
U.S. operations than previously anticipated and for which U.S. taxes have not been recorded, the Company 

(cid:24)(cid:22)

 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

would be required to accrue or pay U.S. taxes (subject to an adjustment for foreign tax credits, where 
applicable) and withholding taxes payable to various foreign countries on some or all of these undistributed 
earnings. As of December 31, 2014, the Company had undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that are 
indefinitely invested outside of the U.S. of approximately $144.0 million. It is not practicable to determine the 
income tax liability that might be incurred if these earnings were to be distributed.

Unrecognized Tax Benefits

  The Company applies the provisions of ASC 740-10, relating to accounting for uncertain income 

taxes.

 Reconciliation of the Beginning and Ending Amount of Unrecognized Tax Benefits (in thousands):

Unrecognized Tax Benefits Balance at January 1, 2012............................................................. $
Gross Increases for Tax Positions of Current Year......................................................................
Gross Increases for Tax Positions of Prior Years.........................................................................
Settlements ..................................................................................................................................
Lapse of Statute of Limitations ...................................................................................................
Unrecognized Tax Benefits Balance at December 31, 2012 .......................................................
Gross Increases for Tax Positions of Current Year......................................................................
Gross Increase for Tax Positions of Prior Years..........................................................................
Settlements ..................................................................................................................................
Lapse of Statute of Limitations ...................................................................................................
Unrecognized Tax Benefits Balance at December 31, 2013 .......................................................
Gross Increases for Tax Positions of Current Year......................................................................
Gross Increases for Tax Positions of Prior Years.........................................................................
Settlements ..................................................................................................................................
Lapse of Statute of Limitations ...................................................................................................
Unrecognized Tax Benefits Balance at December 31, 2014 ....................................................... $

34,855
1,110
9,344
(34,496)
—
10,813
1,881
—
—
—
12,694
2,117
710
(4,361)
—
11,160

  The Company's total unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, was $11.2 
million, $12.7 million and $10.8 million, respectively. An income-tax benefit of $4.9 million, net of valuation 
allowance adjustments, would be recorded if these unrecognized tax benefits are recognized. As of December 
31, 2014, the Company is not under any income tax audit. The Company cannot reasonably estimate the 
amount of the unrecognized tax benefit that could be adjusted in the next twelve months.

The Company's continuing practice is to recognize interest and/or penalties related to income-tax matters 
in income-tax expense. The Company has accrued interest and penalties at December 31, 2014, and December 31, 
2013, of $0.1 million and $0.7 million, respectively, which have been recorded in long-term income taxes payable 
in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. Approximately $10,000 of interest, net of the benefit, was 
included in the Company's benefit from income taxes for the year-ended December 31, 2014.

In  July  2013,  the  FASB  issued  a  new  accounting  standard  that  requires  the  presentation  of  certain 
unrecognized tax benefits as reductions to deferred tax assets rather than as liabilities in the Company's condensed 
consolidated balance sheets when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward 
exists. The Company adopted this new standard on a prospective basis in the first quarter of 2014. The impact of 
the adoption was a reduction to long-term deferred tax assets and non-current income tax payable of approximately 
$4.3 million.

In the quarter ended June 30, 2012, the Company reached an understanding regarding the terms for 

settling with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") and closed out all positions as part of the examination of 
the Company's income tax returns for the years 2003 through 2006. On August 2, 2012, the IRS signed a formal 
closing agreement with the Company that is consistent with the intentions of the parties pursuant to their earlier 
understanding. Further, the agreement confirmed that the royalty arrangement between the Company and its 

(cid:24)(cid:23)

 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

foreign subsidiary concluded on October 31, 2012, resulting in a substantially lower effective tax rate for the 
Company in subsequent years. 

 As of December 31, 2014, the Company has concluded all U.S. federal income tax matters for the 

years through 2009, and has finalized Swiss income tax returns for the years through 2012. There is currently no 
pending income tax audit.

9. COMMITMENTS:

Facilities  

  The Company owns its main executive, administrative, manufacturing and technical offices in San 

Jose, California. The Company also owns a research and development facility in New Jersey, which was 
purchased in 2010 in connection with its acquisition of an early-stage research and development company, and 
a test facility in Biel, Switzerland which was acquired in connection with the Company's acquisition of 
Concept.  The Company leases administrative office space in Singapore and Switzerland, and a research and 
development facility in Canada, in addition to sales offices in various countries around the world.

Future minimum lease payments under all non-cancelable operating lease agreements as of 

December 31, 2014, are as follows (in thousands):

Fiscal Year
2015 ........................................................................................................ $ 1,485
1,082
2016 ........................................................................................................
887
2017 ........................................................................................................
966
2018 ........................................................................................................
412
2019 ........................................................................................................
Thereafter................................................................................................
—
         Total minimum lease payments ..................................................... $ 4,832

  Total rent expense amounted to $1.8 million, $1.5 million and $1.4 million in the years ended 

December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Purchase Obligations 

At December 31, 2014, the Company had no non-cancelable purchase obligations that were due 

beyond one year. 

10. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AND CONTINGENCIES:

From time to time in the ordinary course of business, the Company becomes involved in lawsuits, or 

customers and distributors may make claims against the Company.  In accordance with ASC 450-10, the 
Company makes a provision for a liability when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the 
amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated.  

 On October 20, 2004, the Company filed a complaint against Fairchild Semiconductor International, 

Inc. and Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation (referred to collectively as "Fairchild") in the United States 
District Court for the District of Delaware.  In its complaint, the Company alleged that Fairchild has and is 
infringing four of Power Integrations' patents pertaining to PWM integrated circuit devices. Fairchild denied 
infringement and asked for a declaration from the court that it does not infringe any Power Integrations patent 
and that the patents are invalid.  The Court issued a claim construction order on March 31, 2006 which was 
favorable to the Company.  The Court set a first trial on the issues of infringement, willfulness and damages for 

(cid:24)(cid:24)

 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

October 2, 2006.  At the close of the first trial, on October 10, 2006, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the 
Company finding all asserted claims of all four patents-in-suit to be willfully infringed by Fairchild and 
awarding $34.0 million in damages.  Fairchild raised defenses contending that the asserted patents are invalid or 
unenforceable, and the Court held a second trial on these issues beginning on September 17, 2007.  On 
September 21, 2007, the jury returned a verdict in the Company's favor, affirming the validity of the asserted 
claims of all four patents-in-suit.  Fairchild submitted further materials on the issue of enforceability along with 
various other post-trial motions, and the Company filed post-trial motions seeking a permanent injunction and 
increased damages and attorneys' fees, among other things.  On September 24, 2008, the Court denied 
Fairchild's motion regarding enforceability and ruled that all four patents are enforceable.  On December 12, 
2008, the Court ruled on the remaining post-trial motions, including granting a permanent injunction, reducing 
the damages award to $6.1 million, granting Fairchild a new trial on the issue of willful infringement in view of 
an intervening change in the law, and denying the Company's motion for increased damages and attorneys' fees 
with leave to renew the motion after the resolution of the issue of willful infringement.  On December 22, 2008, 
at Fairchild's request, the Court temporarily stayed the permanent injunction for 90 days. On January 12, 2009, 
Fairchild filed a notice of appeal challenging the Court's refusal to enter a more permanent stay of the 
injunction, and Fairchild filed additional motions requesting that both the Federal Circuit and the District Court 
extend the stay of injunction.  The District Court temporarily extended the stay pending the Federal Circuit 
ruling on Fairchild's pending motion, but the Federal Circuit dismissed Fairchild's appeal and denied its motion 
on May 5, 2009, and the District Court issued an order on May 13, 2009 confirming the reinstatement of the 
permanent injunction as originally entered in December 2008.  On June 22, 2009, the Court held a brief bench 
re-trial on the issue of willful infringement.  On July 22, 2010, the Court found that Fairchild willfully infringed 
all four of the asserted patents, and the Court also invited briefing on enhanced damages and attorneys' fees. 
Fairchild also filed a motion requesting that the Court amend its findings regarding willfulness.  On January 18, 
2011, the Court denied Fairchild's request to amend the findings regarding Fairchild's willful infringement and 
doubled the damages award against Fairchild but declined to award attorneys' fees.  On February 3, 2011, the 
Court entered final judgment in favor of the Company for a total damages award of $12.9 million. Fairchild 
filed a notice of appeal challenging the final judgment and a number of the underlying rulings, and the 
Company filed a cross-appeal seeking to increase the damages award. The appeal was argued on January 11, 
2012, and the Federal Circuit issued a mixed ruling on March 26, 2013, affirming Fairchild's infringement of 
certain claims that support the basis for the permanent injunction while reversing, vacating, and remanding the 
findings with respect to other claims, including the Company's claim for damages. The Company filed a petition 
seeking Supreme Court review of the Federal Circuit’s ruling on damages issues, and the Supreme Court called 
for a response from Fairchild but ultimately declined to review the case. On remand, the Company intends to 
pursue its claim for financial compensation based on Fairchild's infringement.  

On May 9, 2005, the Company filed a Complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission 
(“ITC”) under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, 19 U.S.C. section 1337 against System 
General (“SG”). The Company filed a supplement to the complaint on May 24, 2005. The Company alleged 
infringement of its patents pertaining to pulse width modulation (“PWM”) integrated circuit devices produced 
by SG, which are used in power conversion applications such as power supplies for computer monitors. The 
Commission instituted an investigation on June 8, 2005 in response to the Company's complaint. SG filed a 
response to the ITC complaint asserting that the patents-in-suit were invalid and not infringed. The Company 
subsequently and voluntarily narrowed the number of patents and claims in suit, which proceeded to a hearing. 
The hearing on the investigation was held before the Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) from January 18 to 
January 24, 2006. Post-hearing briefs were submitted and briefing concluded February 24, 2006. The ALJ's 
initial determination was issued on May 15, 2006. The ALJ found all remaining asserted claims valid and 
infringed, and recommended the exclusion of the infringing products as well as certain downstream products 
that contain the infringing products. After further briefing, on June 30, 2006, the Commission decided not to 
review the initial determination on liability, but did invite briefs on remedy, bonding and the public interest. On 
August 11, 2006, the Commission issued an order excluding from entry into the United States the infringing SG 
PWM chips, and any LCD computer monitors, AC printer adapters and sample/demonstration circuit boards 
containing an infringing SG chip. The U.S. Customs Service is authorized to enforce the exclusion order. On 
October 11, 2006, the presidential review period expired without any action from the President, and the ITC 
exclusion order is now in full effect. SG appealed the ITC decision, and on November 19, 2007, the Federal 
Circuit affirmed the ITC's findings in all respects.  On October 27, 2008, SG filed a petition to modify the 

(cid:24)(cid:25)

 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

exclusion order in view of a recent Federal Circuit opinion in an unrelated case, and the Company responded to 
oppose any modification, but the Commission modified the exclusion order on February 27, 2009.  
Nevertheless, the exclusion order still prohibits SG and related entities from importing the infringing SG chips 
and any LCD computer monitors, AC printer adapters, and sample/demonstration circuit boards containing an 
infringing SG chip.

On May 23, 2008, the Company filed a complaint against Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc., 
Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation, and Fairchild's wholly owned subsidiary System General Corporation in 
the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.  In its complaint, the Company alleged that 
Fairchild has infringed and is infringing three patents pertaining to power supply controller integrated circuit 
devices. Fairchild answered the Company's complaint on November 7, 2008, denying infringement and asking 
for a declaration from the Court that it does not infringe any Power Integrations patent and that the patents are 
invalid and unenforceable. Fairchild's answer also included counterclaims accusing the Company of infringing 
three patents pertaining to primary side power conversion integrated circuit devices.  Fairchild had earlier 
brought these same claims in a separate suit against the Company, also in Delaware, which Fairchild dismissed 
in favor of adding its claims to the Company's already pending suit against Fairchild. The Company has 
answered Fairchild's counterclaims, denying infringement and asking for a declaration from the Court that it 
does not infringe any Fairchild patent and that the Fairchild patents are invalid. Fairchild also filed a motion to 
stay the case, but the Court denied that motion on December 19, 2008. On March 5, 2009, Fairchild filed a 
motion for summary judgment to preclude any recovery for post-verdict sales of parts found to infringe in the 
parties' other ongoing litigation, described above, and the Company filed its opposition and a cross-motion to 
preclude Fairchild from re-litigating the issues of infringement and damages for those same products. On June 
26, 2009, the Court held a hearing on the parties' motions, and on July 9, 2009 the Court issued an order 
denying the parties' motions but staying proceedings with respect to the products that were found to infringe and 
which are subject to the injunction in the other Delaware case between the parties pending the entry of final 
judgment in that case; those products are expected to be addressed in the context of the parties’ remand 
proceedings following the appeal in their earlier litigation in Delaware, and the remainder of the case is 
proceeding. On December 18, 2009, the Court issued an order construing certain terms in the asserted claims of 
the Company's and Fairchild's patents in suit. Following the Court's ruling on claim construction, Fairchild 
withdrew its claim related to one of its patents and significantly reduced the number of claims asserted for the 
remaining two patents. The parties thereafter filed and argued a number of motions for summary judgment, and 
the Court denied the majority of the parties' motions but granted the Company's motion to preclude Fairchild 
from re-arguing validity positions that were rejected in the prior case between the parties. Because the assigned 
Judge retired at the end of July 2010, the case was re-assigned to a different Judge, and the Court vacated the 
trial schedule and had the parties provide their input on the appropriate course of action.  The Court thereafter 
set a trial schedule with the jury trial on infringement and validity to begin in July 2011. On April 18, 2011, the 
Court rescheduled the trial to begin in January 2012, and on June 2, 2011, the Court moved the trial date to 
April 2012 to permit the parties to address another patent the Company accused Fairchild of infringing. 
Following a trial in April 2012, the jury returned a verdict finding that Fairchild infringes two of the Company's 
patents, that Fairchild has induced others to infringe the Company's patents, and also upheld the validity of the 
infringed patents. Of the two remaining counterclaim patents Fairchild asserted in the case, one was found not 
to be infringed, but the jury found the second patent to be infringed by a limited number of the Company's 
products, although the jury further found the Company did not induce infringement by any customers, including 
customers outside the United States. On March 29, 2013, the District Court denied most of the parties' post-trial 
motions on liability but granted the Company's motion for judgment as a matter of law finding that Fairchild 
infringed another of the Company's patents. On April 25, 2013, the Court denied both parties' motions regarding 
the  unenforceability of each other's patents. The Company intends to challenge adverse findings on appeal; 
nevertheless, the Company estimates that even if the verdict on Fairchild's patent were ultimately upheld, the 
sales potentially impacted would amount to only about 0.3% of the Company's revenues. The Company 
requested an injunction preventing further infringement of its own patents by Fairchild, and Fairchild requested 
an injunction as well; following a hearing on the issue in June 2014, the Court denied Fairchild's request for an 
injunction against the Company and granted the Company's request for an injunction against Fairchild. On 
January 13, 2015, the District Court entered final judgment on the liability and validity issues discussed above, 
either party may appeal to the Federal Circuit in the coming months. The Company is also seeking financial 

(cid:24)(cid:26)

 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

damages, as well as enhanced damages for willful infringement, issues to be decided in separate proceedings at 
a later date.

On June 28, 2004, the Company filed a complaint for patent infringement in the U.S. District Court, 
Northern District of California, against SG Corporation, a Taiwanese company, and its U.S. subsidiary.  The 
Company's complaint alleged that certain integrated circuits produced by SG infringed and continue to infringe 
certain of its patents.  On June 10, 2005, in response to the initiation of the International Trade Commission 
(ITC) investigation discussed above, the District Court stayed all proceedings.  Subsequent to the completion of 
the ITC proceedings, the District Court temporarily lifted the stay and scheduled a case management 
conference.  On December 6, 2006, SG filed a notice of appeal of the ITC decision as discussed above.  In 
response, and by agreement of the parties, the District Court vacated the scheduled case management 
conference and renewed the stay of proceedings pending the outcome of the Federal Circuit appeal of the ITC 
determination.  On November 19, 2007, the Federal Circuit affirmed the ITC's findings in all respects, and SG 
did not file a petition for review.  The parties subsequently filed a motion to dismiss the District Court case 
without prejudice.  On November 4, 2009, the Company re-filed its complaint for patent infringement against 
SG and its parent corporations, Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. and Fairchild Semiconductor 
Corporation, to address their continued infringement of patents at issue in the original suit that recently emerged 
from SG requested reexamination proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The 
Company seeks, among other things, an order enjoining Fairchild and SG from infringing the Company's 
patents and an award of damages resulting from the alleged infringement. Fairchild has denied infringement and 
asked for a declaration from the Court that it does not infringe any Power Integrations patent, that the patents 
are invalid, and that one of the two of the Company's patents now at issue in the case is unenforceable. On May 
5, 2010, Fairchild and SG filed an amended answer including counterclaims accusing the Company of 
infringing two patents, and since that time Fairchild has withdrawn its claim for infringement of one of the 
patents it originally asserted against the Company but added another patent to the case over the Company's 
objections; the Company contests these claims vigorously. Both parties filed summary judgment motions and 
challenges to each other’s experts’ testimony, and the Court granted the Company’s motion for summary 
judgment of non-infringement with respect to one of Fairchild’s two patents. Following a trial on the remaining 
claims in February 2014, the jury returned a verdict in the Company’s favor, affirming the validity of the 
asserted claims of the Company’s patents-in-suit, finding that Fairchild and SG infringed the Company’s 
asserted patents and induced infringement by others, and awarding $105.0 million in damages. Although the 
jury awarded damages, at this stage of the proceedings the Company cannot state the amount, if any, it might 
ultimately recover from Fairchild, and no benefits have been recorded in the Company’s consolidated financial 
statements as a result of the damages verdict. The Jury also rejected Fairchild’s remaining counterclaims for 
infringement against the Company.  Fairchild challenged these rulings in post-trial motions, but the judge 
confirmed the jury’s determinations on infringement and damages, although the Court declined to find 
Fairchild’s infringement willful. Fairchild also pressed its unenforceability claim with respect to one of the two 
patents it was found to infringe in post-trial briefing, but the Court rejected Fairchild’s unenforceability claim. 
Fairchild also requested reconsideration of the damages determinations, and the Court granted a new trial with 
respect to damages but none of the other issues addressed in the previous trial; further proceedings with respect 
to the damages retrial will take place over the coming months.  The Company has filed a motion requesting a 
permanent injunction to prevent further infringement by Fairchild; a ruling is expected in the coming months. 

In February 2010, Fairchild and System General (“SG”) filed suits for patent infringement against the 
Company, Power Integrations Netherlands B.V., and representative offices of Power Integrations Netherlands in 
Shanghai and Shenzhen with the Suzhou Intermediate Court in the People's Republic of China.  The suits assert 
four Chinese patents and seek an injunction and damages of approximately $19.0 million.  Power Integrations 
Netherlands filed invalidation proceedings for all four asserted SG patents in the People's Republic of China 
Patent Reexamination Board (PRB) of the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), and all four challenges 
were accepted by the PRB, with hearings conducted in September 2010. In early January 2012, the Company 
received rulings from the PRB invalidating the majority of the claims Fairchild asserted in litigation, and the 
PRB determinations are currently on appeal. The Suzhou Court conducted evidentiary hearings in 2012 and 
issued rulings in late December 2012, finding that the Company did not infringe any of the asserted patents.  
Fairchild filed appeals challenging the Suzhou Court's non-infringement rulings, and the appeals court in 

(cid:25)(cid:17)

 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Nanjing held further hearings in the infringement proceedings late last year, but Fairchild has since dismissed its 
appeals, bringing the infringement proceedings to a close.

On July 11, 2011, the Company filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, 

against David Kappos in his capacity as Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“PTO”) as 
part of the ongoing reexamination proceedings related to one of the patents asserted against Fairchild and SG in 
the Delaware litigation described above. The Company filed a motion for summary judgment on a preliminary 
jurisdictional issue, and the PTO filed a cross-motion to dismiss on this same issue; briefing on those motions 
was completed in October, 2011. On November 18, 2013, the Court granted the PTO’s motion and transferred 
the case to the Federal Circuit, where additional briefing has taken place and a hearing is expected to be 
scheduled in the coming months.

On May 1, 2012, Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation and Fairchild's wholly-owned subsidiary, 

System General Corporation (referred to collectively as “Fairchild”), filed a complaint against the Company in 
the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.  In its complaint, Fairchild alleges that the 
Company has infringed and is infringing four patents pertaining to power conversion integrated circuit devices. 
The Company answered Fairchild's complaint, denying infringement and asking for a declaration from the 
Court that it does not infringe any Fairchild patent and that the Fairchild patents are invalid, and the Company 
also asserted counterclaims against Fairchild for infringement of five of the Company's patents. Fairchild has 
withdrawn its claim for infringement of one of the patents it asserted against the Company after the Company's 
preliminary challenge; expert discovery is now complete on the remaining patents. Both parties have filed 
dispositive motions on a number of issues, and trial is scheduled to begin on May 26, 2015. 

On February 5, 2013, Trinity Capital Investment, LLC (“Trinity”) filed suit against the Company in 

California Superior Court. The complaint alleged that SemiSouth Laboratories Inc. had entered into a lease 
agreement with Trinity, and that the Company guaranteed SemiSouth's obligations under the lease agreement. 
The complaint further alleged that SemiSouth defaulted on the lease agreement in October 2012, and therefore 
the Company owed Trinity $2.4 million under the lease guaranty. On April 19, 2013, the Company answered the 
complaint, denying the allegations therein.  On April 18, 2014, Trinity filed a request to dismiss the action 
without prejudice.

The Company is unable to predict the outcome of legal proceedings with certainty, and there can be no 

assurance that Power Integrations will prevail in the above-mentioned unsettled litigations.  These litigations, 
whether or not determined in Power Integrations' favor or settled, will be costly and will divert the efforts and 
attention of the Company's management and technical personnel from normal business operations, potentially 
causing a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition and operating results.  Currently, the 
Company is not able to estimate a loss or a range of loss for the ongoing litigation disclosed above, however 
adverse determinations in litigation could result in monetary losses, the loss of proprietary rights, subject the 
Company to significant liabilities, require Power Integrations to seek licenses from third parties or prevent the 
Company from licensing the technology, any of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's 
business, financial condition and operating results.  

In the quarter ended June 30, 2014, the IRS issued the Company a notice of proposed adjustments to 

the Company's taxable income for the years 2007 through 2009. The Company and IRS signed a formal closing 
agreement on May 20, 2014, to settle all positions and close out the examination of the Company's income-tax 
returns for the years 2007 through 2009.  As a result, the Company adjusted its tax balances based on the facts, 
circumstances, and information available at the reporting date. The resolution of the 2007-2009 IRS audit 
resulted in a federal tax benefit to the Company of $2.8 million. Additionally, the Company recorded a state tax 
benefit of $0.5 million. Also, the agreement allowed the Company to repatriate up to $5.0 million from its 
foreign subsidiary without incurring additional U.S. income taxes.

(cid:25)(cid:18)

 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

11. ACQUISITIONS:

Cambridge Semiconductor Limited

In December 2014, the Company entered into a loan agreement with Cambridge Semiconductor 

Limited ("CamSemi"), a UK company, in which $6.6 million was outstanding as of December 31, 2014. The 
estimated fair value of the loan, which was a level 3 fair value measurement (see Note 4, Fair Value 
Measurements, for details) approximated the carrying value of $6.6 million, as the loan was outstanding for less 
than a month and the interest rate approximated a market rate for such a loan. The loan was in anticipation of  a 
definitive agreement the Company entered into to acquire CamSemi on January 2, 2015, for approximately 
$23.0 million, including an estimated working capital adjustment. The Company closed the acquisition on 
January 2, 2015.  Pursuant to the purchase agreement, the purchase price is subject to a net asset value 
adjustment which will be determined within approximately three months after January 2, 2015.

  CamSemi  was  acquired  to  accelerate  the  Company's  product  development  efforts  for  the  low-power 
market. The acquisition also broadens the Company's technology and product portfolio for low-power applications, 
particularly in the mobility and LED lighting markets. 

The initial accounting for the acquisition is still ongoing as of the date this Annual Report on Form 10-

K was issued. It is expected that intangible assets and goodwill will be recorded on the consolidated balance 
sheets; however, as the initial accounting for the acquisition has not been completed at the time of the issuance 
of these consolidated financial statements, further details have not yet been disclosed. 

CT-Concept Technologie AG

On May 1, 2012, the Company, through its subsidiaries Power Integrations Netherlands B.V., a Dutch 

company, and Power Integrations Limited, a Cayman Islands company, completed the acquisition of CT 
Concept Technologie AG ("Concept" or "Concept Group"), a Swiss company, by acquiring all of the 
outstanding shares of its Swiss parent companies Concept Beteiligungen AG and CT-Concept Holding AG (the 
“Acquisition”), pursuant to the Share Purchase Agreement ("Purchase Agreement"). 

The acquisition has been accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with 

ASC 805 - Business Combinations. Goodwill is not expected to be deductible for tax purposes. 

The acquisition furthers the Company's strategic aim to offer highly integrated high-voltage power-

conversion products across the widest possible range of power levels and applications. While Power 
Integrations has historically focused on power supplies up to 500 watts of output, Concept products address 
higher-power applications, such as industrial motors and renewable energy systems. As such, the combination is 
complementary to Power Integrations' existing business. Furthermore, Concept also has an expanding 
addressable market and a growing, profitable revenue stream that are consistent with Power Integrations' 
financial goals/targets.  

(cid:25)(cid:19)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

The following table summarizes the purchase price and estimated fair values of the assets acquired and 

the liabilities assumed as of May 1, 2012, the completion of the acquisition of Concept ("Closing Date").  

Assets Acquired

Total Amount
(in thousands)

Cash ...................................................................................................... $
Accounts receivable..............................................................................
Inventories ............................................................................................
Prepaid expenses and other current assets ............................................
Property and equipment, net .................................................................
Intangible assets:...................................................................................
Developed technology .....................................................................
Trade name.......................................................................................
Customer relationships.....................................................................
Goodwill ...............................................................................................
Total assets acquired.................................................................

Current liabilities ..................................................................................
Deferred tax liabilities ..........................................................................
Other liabilities .....................................................................................
Total liabilities assumed ...........................................................

Total purchase price ........................................................ $

14,933
3,220
10,631
2,777
2,310

23,750
3,600
16,700
65,813
143,734

4,587
7,860
634
13,081
130,653

Liabilities assumed

The fair value of intangible assets of $44.1 million has been allocated to the following three asset 

categories: 1) developed technology, 2) trade name and 3) customer relationships.  The first two will be 
amortized on a straight line basis over the estimated useful life of the assets.  The third intangible asset, 
customer relationships, will be amortized on an accelerated basis over the estimated life of the asset.  The 
following table represents details of the purchased intangible assets as part of the acquisition:

Developed technology ......................................................................................... $
Trade name ..........................................................................................................
Customer relationships ........................................................................................
Total Concept intangibles.................................................................................... $

Fair Value
Amount
 (in thousands)
23,750
3,600
16,700
44,050

Estimated
Useful Life
(in years)
4 - 12
2
10

The fair value of the identifiable intangible assets: developed technology, trademark and customer 

relationships were determined based on the following approach.

Developed Technology: The value assigned to the acquired developed technology was determined 

using the income approach.  The royalty savings were estimated by applying an estimated royalty rate to the 
projected revenues for Concept for each developed technology. The selected royalty rate for the developed 
technology was based on the Company's analysis of comparable technology, royalty rate indications, and 
licensing agreements for comparable technologies. The royalty savings were then adjusted for taxes and 
discounted to present value. The fair value of developed technology was capitalized as of the acquisition date 
and is being amortized using a straight-line method to cost of revenues over the estimated life of 4 - 12 years.

Trade Name: The value assigned to Concept's trade name was determined using the income approach. 
The present value of the expected after-tax royalty savings was added to the sum of the expected amortization 
tax benefit. The royalty rate was selected based on an analysis of comparable trade name agreements. In 
addition, the rate was adjusted based on an analysis of Concept's projected performance and the importance of 
the trade name to the industry. The selected royalty rate was then applied to the projected revenues for the trade 

(cid:25)(cid:20)

 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

name. The fair value of the trade name was amortized on a straight-line basis to sales and marketing expenses 
over its estimated life of 2 years.

Customer Relationships: An intangible customer relationship asset was recognized to the extent that 

the Company was expected to benefit from future revenues reasonably anticipated given the history and 
operating practices of Concept. The value assigned to customer relationships was determined using the income 
approach. Forecasted cash flows derived from the acquired customer relationships, net of returns on 
contributory assets, were discounted to present value. Expectations related to future customer retention were 
based on historical data and a long-term forecast that was constructed based on the Company's financial 
projections and expectations. The associated income taxes were based on an assumed tax rate of a hypothetical 
buyer. The net income was then charged for the required returns of debt-free working capital, net fixed and 
other assets, developed technology and trade name to derive the residual cash flows related to the customer 
relationships acquired. The residual cash flows were then discounted to present value. The fair value of 
customer relationships was capitalized as of the acquisition date and is being amortized on an accelerated basis 
to sales and marketing expenses over the estimated life of 10 years. 

12. TRANSACTIONS WITH THIRD PARTY:

On October 22, 2010, the Company purchased SemiSouth preferred stock for $7.0 million, which 

represented an approximate 16.0% interest in SemiSouth, a privately-held company.  The Company accounted 
for its investment under the cost method.  Also in October 2010, the Company paid $10.0 million as a prepaid 
royalty in exchange for the right to use SemiSouth's technology.  The Company's 2010 agreement with 
SemiSouth provided, among other things, that the Company had the option to acquire SemiSouth in the future 
(“Call Option”) and that the Company may be obligated to acquire SemiSouth at a future date if SemiSouth 
achieved certain financial performance conditions (“Put Option”). The Call and Put Options were intended to 
result in an acquisition price equal to the estimated fair value of SemiSouth at the time of exercise.  Pursuant to 
an amended agreement entered into in March 2012 in connection with the $18.0 million financing discussed 
below, the maximum purchase price under the call and put options would not exceed $80.0 million.

In July 2011, SemiSouth obtained $15.0 million of financing through the sale, and concurrent licensing 

back, of its intellectual property ("IP") with a financing company.  In connection with this arrangement, the 
Company entered into a contingent purchase commitment with the financing company for SemiSouth's IP, 
which effectively provided a guarantee of the arrangement to the finance company.  The contingent purchase 
commitment required the Company to purchase the IP previously owned by SemiSouth from its new owner for 
$15.0 million (plus reimbursement of certain expenses) under certain conditions generally relating to 
SemiSouth's failure to make certain payments or SemiSouth's insolvency.

In March 2012, the Company loaned SemiSouth $18.0 million, and in exchange the Company was 

issued a promissory note with interest of 2.0%.  In consideration for the loan the Company obtained the above-
mentioned amendment to its 2010 agreement with SemiSouth which established a maximum purchase price 
under the call  and put options.  The Company used a Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair 
value of the Company's purchase option to be approximately $6.2 million and the fair value of the loan to be 
$11.8 million The Company accreted the discount on the loan as interest income using the interest method over 
the term of the loan.

Based on SemiSouth's deteriorating financial condition at September 30, 2012, as further evidenced by 

its closure in the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company determined that its SemiSouth-related assets were 
impaired as of September 30, 2012. The Company's third quarter 2012 results included an impairment charge of 
$33.7 million, comprising a write-off of $6.7 million of lease receivables, $7.0 million of preferred stock, a 
promissory note (net of imputed interest) in the amount of $13.2 million, $6.2 million for the Purchase Option, 
and other assets of $0.6 million. The Company has also expensed the prepaid royalty of $10.0 million as it no 
longer expected to use SemiSouth's technology and foresaw no alternative use for it.

In addition, the financing company that owned SemiSouth's intellectual property exercised its 
contractual rights to put SemiSouth's intellectual property to the Company under the terms of the above-

(cid:25)(cid:21)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

mentioned SemiSouth contingent purchase commitment. Based on SemiSouth's financial situation and its 
closure in the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company estimated that this intellectual property had no value. 
Therefore, the Company took a charge of $15.3 million related to this contingent obligation in the third quarter 
of 2012, and in the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company settled and paid the commitment for $15.2 million to 
the financing company.

13. RETIREMENT PLANS:

In connection with the Company's acquisition of Concept in May 2012, the Company sponsors a 

defined benefit pension plan ("Pension Plan") in accordance with the legal requirements of Switzerland (refer to 
Note 11, Acquisition, for details on the Concept acquisition).  The plan assets, which provide benefits in the 
event of an employee's retirement, death or disability, are held in legally autonomous trustee-administered funds 
that are subject to Swiss law.  Benefits are based on the employee's age, years of service and salary, and the plan 
is financed by contributions by both the employee and the Company.  

The net periodic benefit cost of the Pension Plan was not material to the Company's financial 

statements during the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012. At December 31, 2014, the projected 
benefit obligation was $8.1 million, the plan assets were $5.8 million and the net pension liability was $2.3 
million. As of December 31, 2013, the projected benefit obligation was $7.0 million, the plan assets were $5.1 
million, and the net pension liability was $1.9 million. The Company has recorded the unfunded amount as a 
liability in its Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2014 and 2013, under the other liabilities caption. 
The Company expects to make contributions to the Pension Plan of approximately $0.4 million during 2015.  
The unrealized actuarial loss on pension benefits, net of tax at December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $1.2 
million, $0.8 million and $0.6 million, respectively. This amount was reflected in Note 2 above under the 
caption accumulated other comprehensive income. 

In accordance with the Compensation-Retirement Benefits Topic of ASC 715-20, the Company 
recognizes the over-funded or under-funded status of its defined postretirement plan as an asset or liability in its 
statement of financial position. The company measured the plan assets and benefit obligations as of the date of 
the fiscal year-end. 

14. BANK LINE OF CREDIT:

On July 5, 2012, the Company entered into a Credit Agreement (the "Credit Agreement") with two 
banks. The Credit Agreement provides the Company with a $100.0 million revolving line of credit to use for 
general corporate purposes with a $20.0 million sublimit for the issuance of standby and trade letters of credit. 
The Credit Agreement was amended on April 1, 2014, to extend the Credit Agreement termination date from 
July 5, 2015, to April 1, 2017, with all other terms of the Credit Agreement remaining the same. The Company's 
ability to borrow under the revolving line of credit is conditioned upon the Company's compliance with 
specified covenants, including reporting and financial covenants, primarily a minimum cash requirement and a 
debt to earnings ratio, with which the Company is currently in compliance. All advances under the revolving 
line of credit will become due on April 1, 2017, or earlier in the event of a default.  As of December 31, 2014, 
the Company had no amount outstanding under the Credit Agreement.

15. SELECTED QUARTERLY INFORMATION (Unaudited): 

  The following tables set forth certain data from the Company's consolidated statements of income for 

each of the quarters in the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.

  The unaudited quarterly consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as 
the audited consolidated financial statements contained herein and include all adjustments that the Company 
considers necessary for a fair presentation of such information when read in conjunction with the Company's 
annual audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this report.  

(cid:25)(cid:22)

 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

  The operating results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results for any subsequent 

period or for the entire fiscal year (in thousands, except per share data). 

Three Months Ended
(unaudited)

Dec. 31,
2014

Net revenues ................ $ 86,595
Gross profit.................. $ 45,805
Net income................... $ 14,354
Earnings per share:

Sept. 30,
2014
$ 90,144
$ 49,052
$ 16,111

June 30, Mar. 31, Dec. 31,
2014
$ 83,073
$ 45,977
$ 12,363

2014
$ 88,985
$ 48,736
$ 16,716

2013
$ 90,412
$ 48,391
$ 16,037

Sept. 30,
2013
$ 91,715
$ 48,774
$ 16,654

June 30, Mar. 31,

2013
$ 87,922
$ 46,207
$ 13,672

2013
$ 77,040
$ 39,864
$ 10,903

Basic................... $
Diluted................ $

0.49
0.48

$
$

0.54
0.52

$
$

0.55
0.54

$
$

0.41
0.40

$
$

0.54
0.52

$
$

0.56
0.54

$
$

0.47
0.45

$
$

0.38
0.37

Shares used in per share 
calculation:

Basic...................
Diluted................

29,350
30,051

30,013
30,757

30,310
31,110

30,239
31,167

29,974
30,924

29,762
30,652

29,178
30,158

28,754
29,783

(cid:25)(cid:23)

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts 

Schedule II

The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the 

inability of customers to make required payments. This allowance is established using estimates formulated by 
the Company's management based upon factors such as the composition of the accounts receivable aging, 
historical bad debt, changes in payments patterns, customer creditworthiness, and current economic trends. 
The Company maintains an allowance for the distributors' ship and debit credits relating to the sell-through of 
the Company's products.  This reserve is established using the Company's historical ship and debit amounts 
and levels of inventory in the distributor channels.

Following is a summary of the activity in the allowance for doubtful accounts and allowance for ship 

and debit credits:

Classification
(in thousands)
Allowances for doubtful accounts:
Year ended December 31, 2012........................ $
Year ended December 31, 2013........................ $
Year ended December 31, 2014........................ $

Balance at
Beginning
of Period

Charged to
Costs and
Expenses

Deductions
(1)

Balance at
End of
Period

215
247
120

$
$
$

32
12
135

$
$
$

— $
(139) $
(64) $

247
120
191

Balance at
Beginning
of Period

Classification
(in thousands)
Allowances for ship and debit credits:
Year ended December 31, 2012........................ $ 19,464
Year ended December 31, 2013........................ $ 23,040
Year ended December 31, 2014........................ $ 28,696

Charged to
Costs and
Expenses

Deductions
(2)

Balance at
End of
Period

$ 154,803
$ 172,621
$ 177,260

$ (151,227)
$ (166,965)
$ (178,531)

$ 23,040
$ 28,696
$ 27,425

(1) Deductions relate to amounts written off against the allowances for doubtful accounts. 

(2) Deductions relate to ship and debit credits issued which adjust the sell-in price from the standard 
distribution price to the pre-approved lower price.  Refer to Note 2, Summary of Significant 
Accounting Policies, for the Company's revenue recognition policy, including the Company's 
accounting for ship and debit claims.

(cid:25)(cid:24)

 
 
  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused 

this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. 

SIGNATURES

Dated: February 10, 2015

By:

/s/ SANDEEP NAYYAR

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

Sandeep Nayyar
Chief Financial Officer (Duly Authorized 
Officer, Principal Financial Officer and Chief 
Accounting Officer)

(cid:25)(cid:25)

 
POWER OF ATTORNEY

  KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below 

constitutes and appoints Balu Balakrishnan and Sandeep Nayyar his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, 
with full power of substitution and, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign 
any and all amendments to this Report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other 
documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said 
attorney-in-fact and agent 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 said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute or 
substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

PURSUANT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, 

THIS REPORT HAS BEEN SIGNED BY THE FOLLOWING PERSONS ON BEHALF OF THE 
REGISTRANT AND IN THE CAPACITIES AND ON THE DATES INDICATED.

Dated: February 10, 2015

By:

/s/ BALU BALAKRISHNAN

Balu Balakrishnan

President, Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

Dated: February 10, 2015

By:

/s/ SANDEEP NAYYAR

Dated: February 10, 2015

Dated: February 10, 2015

Dated: February 10, 2015

Sandeep Nayyar
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Principal
Accounting Officer

By:

/s/ ALAN D. BICKELL
Alan D. Bickell
Director

By:

/s/ NICHOLAS E. BRATHWAITE
Nicholas E. Brathwaite
Director

By:

/s/ E. FLOYD KVAMME
E. Floyd Kvamme
Director and Chairman of the Board

(cid:25)(cid:26)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dated: February 9, 2015

Dated: February 10, 2015

Dated: February 10, 2015

By:

/s/ STEVEN J. SHARP
Steven J. Sharp
Director

By:

/s/ BALAKRISHNAN S. IYER
Balakrishnan S. Iyer
Director

By:

/s/ WILLIAM GEORGE
William George
Director

(cid:26)(cid:17)

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
INDEX TO EXHIBITS 
TO
FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT
For the Year Ended 
December 31, 2014

EXHIBIT
NUMBER DESCRIPTION

3.1 Restated Certificate of Incorporation. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 3.1 to our Annual Report on

Form 10-K on February 29, 2012, SEC File No. 000-23441.)

3.2 Amended and Restated Bylaws. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 3.1 to our Current Report on

Form 8-K on April 26, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)

4.1 Reference is made to Exhibits 3.1 to 3.2.

10.1

10.2

10.3

10.4

10.5

10.6

10.7

10.8

10.9

Form of Indemnity Agreement for directors and officers. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.1 to
our Registration Statement on Form S-1 on September 11, 1997, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

1997 Stock Option Plan (as amended through January 25, 2005) (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit
10.5 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on May 6, 2005, SEC File No. 000-23441).*

1997 Outside Directors Stock Option Plan (filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.3 to our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q on August 6, 2009, SEC File No. 000-23441) and forms of agreements
thereunder (filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.4 to our Registration Statement on Form S-1 on
September 11, 1997, SEC File No. 000-23441).*

1997 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.5 to our Annual Report on
Form 10-K on March 2, 2009). The forms of agreements thereunder (filed with the SEC as
Exhibit 10.5 to our Registration Statement on Form S-1 on September 11, 1997, SEC File No.
000-23441).*

1998 Nonstatutory Stock Option Plan. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.4 to our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q on August 6, 2009, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

reserved

Executive Officer Benefits Agreement between us and John Tomlin, dated April 25, 2002. (Filed
with the SEC as Exhibit 10.19 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on May 10, 2002, SEC File
No. 000-23441.)*

Executive Officer Benefits Agreement between us and Clifford J. Walker, dated April 25, 2002.
(Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.20 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on May 10, 2002,
SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

Technology License Agreement between us and Matsushita Electronics Corporation, dated as of
June 29, 2000. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.28 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on
November 14, 2000, SEC File No. 000-23441.)

10.10 Amended and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement between us and OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd.,

dated as of April 1, 2003. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.31 to our Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q on August 7, 2003, SEC File No. 000-23441.)†

10.11 Wafer Supply Agreement between us and ZMD Analog Mixed Signal Services GmbH & Co. KG,

dated as of May 23, 2003. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.32 to our Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q on August 7, 2003, SEC File No. 000-23441.)†

10.12 Amendment Number One to the Amended and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement between us and

OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd., effective as of August 11, 2004. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit
10.22 to our Current Report on Form 8-K on April 18, 2006, SEC File No. 000-23441.)†

10.13

2014 Executive Officer Cash Compensation Arrangements and 2014 Bonus Plan (As described in
Item 5.02 of our Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 31, 2014, SEC File
No. 000-23441.)*

(cid:26)(cid:18)

 
 
 
 
 
EXHIBIT
NUMBER DESCRIPTION

10.14

Form of Director Option Grant Agreement. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.9 to our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q on May 6, 2009, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.15 Amendment No. 1 to Nonstatutory Stock Option Agreements for Outside Directors, dated

February 20, 2007, between us and Alan Bickell. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.35 to our
Annual Report on Form 10-K on March 8, 2007, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.16 Amendment No. 1 to Nonstatutory Stock Option Agreements for Outside Directors, dated

February 20, 2007, between us and Nicholas Brathwaite. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.36 to
our Annual Report on Form 10-K on March 8, 2007, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.17 Amendment Number One to the Wafer Supply Agreement between Power Integrations

International, Ltd. and Seiko Epson Corporation, with an effective date of December 19, 2008.
(Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.1 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on May 6, 2009, SEC
File No. 000-23441.)†

10.18

10.19

2007 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended and restated (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.2 to our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on August 7, 2012, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

Forms of Option Agreements under the 1997 Stock Option Plan with Executive Officers in
connection with the Chief Executive Officer Benefits Agreement and the Executive Officer
Benefits Agreements. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.40 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K
on August 8, 2007, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.20

Forms of Option Agreements under the 1997 Stock Option Plan. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit
10.41 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K on August 8, 2007, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.21

reserved

10.22 Amended and Restated Chief Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of August 8, 2007,

and entered into August 15, 2007, between Power Integrations, Inc. and Balu Balakrishnan.
(Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.3 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on November 9, 2007,
SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.23 Amendment to Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of August 8, 2007, and entered

into August 15, 2007, between Power Integrations, Inc. and Cliff Walker. (Filed with the SEC as
Exhibit 10.6 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on November 9, 2007, SEC File No.
000-23441.)*

10.24

Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of August 8, 2007, and entered into August 15,
2007, between Power Integrations, Inc. and Doug Bailey. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.8 to
our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on November 9, 2007, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.25

reserved

10.26 Amendment Number Two to the Amended and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement between Power

Integrations International, Ltd. and OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd., effective as of April 1, 2008.
(Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.5 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 8,
2008, SEC File No. 000-23441.)

10.27 Amendment Number Three to the Amended and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement between

Power Integrations International, Ltd. and OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd., effective as of June 9,
2008. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.5 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August
8, 2008, SEC File No. 000-23441.)

10.28

10.29

Form of Performance Stock Unit Grant Notice and Performance Stock Unit Agreement. (Filed
with the SEC as Exhibit 10.1 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on August 6, 2009, SEC File
No. 000-23441.)*

Form of Performance Stock Unit Grant Notice and Performance Stock Unit Agreement (as used
after to January 1, 2013). (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.29 to our Annual Report on Form 10-
K on February 22, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.30

Forms of Option Agreements under the 2007 Equity Incentive Plan (Filed with the SEC as
Exhibit 99.(d)(4) to our Schedule TO filed on December 3, 2008, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

(cid:26)(cid:19)

 
 
 
 
 
EXHIBIT
NUMBER DESCRIPTION

10.31 Wafer Supply Agreement, between Seiko Epson Corporation and Power Integrations

International, Ltd. effective as of April 1, 2005. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.1 to our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 7, 2008, SEC File No. 000-23441.)†

10.32 Amendment Number Four to the Amended and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement between

Power Integrations International, Ltd. and OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd., dated September 15,
2008. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.2 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on
November 7, 2008, SEC File No. 000-23441.)†

10.33

Forms of Stock Option Agreements to be used in Director Equity Compensation Program. (Filed
with the SEC as Exhibit 10.5 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 7, 2008,
SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.34 Amendment to Immediately Exercisable Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement between Power
Integrations, Inc. and Balu Balakrishnan, dated February 2, 2009 (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit
10.59 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K on March 2, 2009, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.35

Executive officer Benefits agreement, dated as of November 4, 2013, between Power
Integrations, Inc. and Wolfgang Ademmer.  (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.35 to our Annual
Report on Form 10-K on February 13, 2014, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.36 Director Equity Compensation Program, as revised in July 2012 and January 2013. (Filed with
the SEC as Exhibit 10.36 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K on February 22, 2013, SEC File
No. 000-23441.)*

10.37 Amendment Number Five to the Amended and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement between

Power Integrations International, Ltd. and OKI Semiconductor Co., Ltd., dated November 14,
2008 (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.61 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K on March 2,
2009, SEC File No. 000-23441.)

10.38 Amendment No. 1 to the Power Integrations, Inc. 1997 Outside Directors Stock Option Plan, 

effective as of January 27, 2009 (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.62 to our Annual Report on 
Form 10-K on March 2, 2009, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.39

Power Integrations, Inc. Compliance Policy Regarding IRC Section 409A (Filed with the SEC as 
Exhibit 10.63 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K on March 2, 2009, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.40 Amendment Number Five to the Amended and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement between 

Power Integrations International, Ltd. and XFAB Dresden GmbH & Co. KG, dated December 23, 
2009. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.65 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K on February 26, 
2010, SEC File No. 000-23441.) †

10.41 Amendment Number One to the Amended and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement between Power 

Integrations International, Ltd. and XFAB Dresden GmbH & Co. KG, effective as of July 20, 
2005. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.66 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K on February 26, 
2010, SEC File No. 000-23441.) †

10.42 Amendment No. 2 to Wafer Supply Agreement, between Seiko Epson Corporation and Power
Integrations International, Ltd., entered into on January 5, 2011 (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit
10.47 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 25, 2011, SEC File No. 000-23441.)
†

10.43

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement
(Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.1 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on May 6, 2010, SEC
File No. 000-23441.)*

10.44 Amendment No. 2 to the Power Integrations, Inc. 1997 Outside Directors Stock Option Plan,
effective as of April 12, 2010 (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.2 to our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q filed on May 6, 2010, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.45 Offer Letter, dated June 23, 2010, between Power Integrations, Inc. and Sandeep Nayyar (Filed

with the SEC as Exhibit 10.2 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on August 6, 2010, SEC File
No. 000-23441.).*

(cid:26)(cid:20)

 
 
 
 
 
EXHIBIT
NUMBER DESCRIPTION

10.46

10.47

10.48

Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated July 22, 2010, between Power Integrations, Inc. and
Sandeep Nayyar (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.3 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on
August 6, 2010, SEC File No. 000-23441.).*

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement 
for executive officers for use prior to January 2013. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.6 to our 
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on August 6, 2010, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement
for executive officers for use after January 2013. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.48 to our
Annual Report on Form 10-K on February 22, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.49 Outside Director Cash Compensation Arrangements (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.3 to our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on November 3, 2010, SEC File No. 000-23441.).*

10.50 Amendment to Executive Officer Benefits Agreement between Power Integrations, Inc. and

Sandeep Nayyar, dated October 29, 2010. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.57 to our Annual
Report on Form 10-K filed on February 25, 2011, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.51

2013 Executive Compensation Arrangements (Described under Item 5.02 of our Current Report
on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 28, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.52 Wafer Supply Agreement by and between Power Integrations, Inc. and NEC Electronics America, 

Inc., a California corporation (“NEC”), dated August 1, 2008.†

10.53 Amendment Number One to Wafer Supply Agreement by and between the Company and NEC,
effective March 20, 2009. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.2 to our Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q filed on August 8, 2011, SEC File No. 000-23441.)†

10.54 Amendment to Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of August 8, 2007, and entered

into August 15, 2007, between Power Integrations, Inc. and John Tomlin. (Filed with the SEC as
Exhibit 10.5 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on November 9, 2007, SEC File No.
000-23441.)*

10.55 Amendment Number Three to Wafer Supply Agreement, effective as of February 1, 2012, by

Power Integrations International Ltd. and Seiko Epson Corporation. (Filed with the SEC as
Exhibit 10.1 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on May 8, 2012, SEC File No. 000-23441.) †

10.56 Wafer Supply Agreement, made and entered into as of this 1st day of October, 2010, by and

between Power Integrations International, Ltd., and X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries AG. (Filed
with the SEC as Exhibit 10.2 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on May 8, 2012, SEC File
No. 000-23441.) †

10.57

reserved

10.58

reserved

10.59

reserved

10.60 Credit Agreement, dated July 5, 2012, by and between Power Integrations, Inc., Union Bank N.A.
and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.1 to our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q on October 31, 2012, SEC File No. 000-23441.)

10.61

10.62

First Amendment to Credit Agreement dated December 17, 2012, between Power Integrations,
Inc., Union Bank, N.A. and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association. (Filed with the SEC as
Exhibit 10.61 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K on February 22, 2013, SEC File No.
000-23441.)

Second Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated April 1, 2014, by and between Power
Integrations, Inc., Union Bank N.A. and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association. (Filed with the
SEC as Exhibit 10.1 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on May 5, 2014, SEC File No.
000-23441.)

(cid:26)(cid:21)

 
 
 
 
 
EXHIBIT
NUMBER DESCRIPTION

10.63

10.64

10.65

10.66

10.67

10.68

10.69

First Amendment to Amended and Restated Chief Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated
June 3, 2013, between Power Integrations, Inc. and Balu Balakrishnan.  (Filed with the SEC as
Exhibit 10.1 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on August 1, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)
*

Second Amendment to Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 13, 2013, between
Power Integrations, Inc. and Sandeep Nayyar.  (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.2 to our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on August 1, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of April 18, 2013, between Power Integrations,
Inc. and Ben Sutherland.  (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.3 to our Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q on August 1, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

Second Amendment to Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 30, 2013, between
Power Integrations, Inc. and John Tomlin.  (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.4 to our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q on August 1, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

First Amendment to Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 8, 2013, between
Power Integrations, Inc. and Doug Bailey.  (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.5 to our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q on August 1, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

Second Amendment to Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 6, 2013, between
Power Integrations, Inc. and Cliff Walker.  (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.6 to our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q on August 1, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

Second Amendment to Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of April 22, 2013,
between Power Integrations, Inc. and Derek Bell.  (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.7 to our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on August 1, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.70 Development Addendum to Wafer Supply Agreement, dated September 22, 2013, between Seiko
Epson Corporation and Power Integrations International Ltd.  (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.1
to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on November 1, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)†

10.71

10.72

Executive officer Benefits agreement, dated as of July 26, 2013, between Power Integrations, Inc.
and Radu Barsan.  (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.2 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on
November 1, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

Executive officer Benefits agreement, dated as of July 26, 2013, between Power Integrations, Inc.
and Mike Matthews.  (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.3 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
on November 1, 2013, SEC File No. 000-23441.)*

10.73 Amendment Number One to Wafer Supply Agreement, effective as of January 1, 2014, between
Power Integrations International, Ltd., and X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries AG. (Filed with the
SEC as Exhibit 10.2 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A on September 19, 2014, SEC File
No. 000-23441.) †

10.74 Amended and Restated Chief Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1, 2014,
between Power Integrations, Inc. and Balu Balakrishnan. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.3 to
our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on May 5, 2014, SEC File No. 000-23441.) *

10.75 Amended and Restated Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1, 2014, between

Power Integrations, Inc. and John Tomlin. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.4 to our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q on May 5, 2014, SEC File No. 000-23441.) *

10.76 Amended and Restated Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1, 2014, between

Power Integrations, Inc. and Cliff Walker. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.5 to our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q on May 5, 2014, SEC File No. 000-23441.) *

10.77 Amended and Restated Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1, 2014, between

Power Integrations, Inc. and Doug Bailey. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.6 to our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q on May 5, 2014, SEC File No. 000-23441.) *

10.78 Amended and Restated Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1, 2014, between
Power Integrations, Inc. and Ben Sutherland. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.7 to our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q on May 5, 2014, SEC File No. 000-23441.) *

(cid:26)(cid:22)

 
 
 
 
 
EXHIBIT
NUMBER DESCRIPTION

10.79 Amended and Restated Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1, 2014, between
Power Integrations, Inc. and Sandeep Nayyar. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.8 to our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on May 5, 2014, SEC File No. 000-23441.) *

10.8 Amended and Restated Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1, 2014, between

Power Integrations, Inc. and Wolfgang Ademmer. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.9 to our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on May 5, 2014, SEC File No. 000-23441.) *

10.81 Amended and Restated Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1, 2014, between
Power Integrations, Inc. and Mike Matthews. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.10 to our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on May 5, 2014, SEC File No. 000-23441.) *

10.82 Amended and Restated Executive Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1, 2014, between
Power Integrations, Inc. and Radu Barsan. (Filed with the SEC as Exhibit 10.11 to our Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q on May 5, 2014, SEC File No. 000-23441.) *

10.83 Compensation arrangement with Balu Balakrishnan (described in Item 5 of Part II of our

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 5, 2014, SEC File No. 000-23441, and incorporated
by reference here).*

10.84

Form of Long Term Performance Stock Unit Notice and Agreement

14.1 Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (Filed with the SEC as the like described exhibit to our

Current Report on Form 8-K on February 4, 2008, SEC File No. 000-23441.)
List of subsidiaries.

21.1
23.1 Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
24.1
31.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of

Power of Attorney (See signature page).

2002.

31.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of

2002.

32.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of

2002.**

32.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of

2002.**

101.INS XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

All references in the table above to previously filed documents or descriptions are incorporating those 

documents and descriptions by reference thereto.
_____________

†

*

**

This Exhibit has been filed separately with the Commission pursuant to an application for confidential
treatment. The confidential portions of this Exhibit have been omitted and are marked by an asterisk.

Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

The certifications attached as Exhibits 32.1 and 32.2 accompanying this Form 10-K, are not deemed
filed with the SEC, and are not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Power Integrations,
Inc. under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, whether made before or after the date of this Form 10-K, irrespective of any general
incorporation language contained in such filing.

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Board of Directors

Corporate Officers

Corporate Information

E. Floyd Kvamme (Chairman)
Partner Emeritus
Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers

Balu Balakrishnan
President and Chief Executive Officer
Power Integrations, Inc.

Alan D. Bickell
Former Senior Vice President
Hewlett-Packard Co., Retired

Nicholas E. Brathwaite
Partner, Riverwood Capital LLC

William L. George
Former Executive Vice President
ON Semiconductor Corp., Retired

Balakrishnan S. Iyer
Former Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
Conexant Systems, Inc., Retired

Steven J. Sharp
Former Chairman and CEO
TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc., Retired

Balu Balakrishnan
President and
Chief Executive Officer 

Wolfgang Ademmer
Vice President,
High-Power Products

Doug Bailey
Vice President,
Marketing

Radu Barsan
Vice President,
Technology

Mike Matthews
Vice President,
Product Development 

Sandeep Nayyar
Vice President, Finance
Chief Financial Officer

Ben Sutherland
Vice President,
Worldwide Sales

John Tomlin
Vice President,
Operations

Clifford J. Walker
Vice President,
Corporate Development

Corporate Counsel
Cooley LLP
Palo Alto, CA

Transfer Agent
Computershare
P.O. Box 30170
College Station, TX 77842-3170

Independent Auditors
Deloitte & Touche LLP
San Jose, CA

Investor Information
For additional information about
Power Integrations,  

visit our website at:
www.power.com  

write to:
Investor Relations Department
Power Integrations, Inc.
5245 Hellyer Avenue
San Jose, CA 95138

or email:
ir@power.com

Power Integrations, Inc.  5245 Hellyer Avenue, San Jose, CA 95138   www.power.com
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