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Power Integrations

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FY2018 Annual Report · Power Integrations
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Power Integrations
2018 Annual Report

PI 2018 Annual Report Covers 8.5in11in EN.indd   1

3/22/19   9:46 AM

Dear Fellow Stockholders, 

After two consecutive years of double-digit revenue growth, our revenues declined by four percent in 2018. The decrease 
reflects,  in  part,  a  broad  slowdown  in  demand  afflicting  the  semiconductor  industry  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year.  The 
downturn appears cyclical in nature, though it has undoubtedly been amplified by trade tensions as well as weaker domestic 
demand in China. These additional factors have been especially impactful in the smartphone and appliance markets, which 
account for roughly half of our total sales.  

In fact, revenues for our communications category, which is dominated by smartphone chargers and skews toward Chinese 
OEMs, declined nearly 20 percent for the full year. The decline was driven not only by soft smartphone sales and associated 
inventory excesses in the supply chain, but also by slower adoption of fast chargers ahead of the upcoming transition to USB 
PD charging technology. Meanwhile, revenues from our consumer category, which is dominated by appliances, fell by about 
six percent for the year reflecting weaker consumer demand in China as well as the impact of tariffs and the US-China trade 
dispute, which have driven up the cost of appliances while making customers and distributors more cautious about building 
products and holding inventory. 

While disappointed in our 2018 results, we feel good about our prospects for 2019 – and beyond – for a variety of reasons. 
For one, we were among the first companies to feel the effects of the downturn, and thus experienced a greater impact to our 
2018 performance than the broader industry. While we can’t predict the timing or pace of a rebound, we also expect to be 
among the first companies to benefit from a recovery, as has been the case in past semiconductor cycles.  

Another reason  for confidence in the  year ahead is that  while the  smartphone  market experienced headwinds in 2018, we 
expect  it  to  be  a  growth  driver  in  2019  even  if  demand  for  new  handsets  remains  subdued,  as  many  industry  observers 
expect.  As  smartphone OEMs look  for new  ways to differentiate their products, they are increasingly turning  to charging 
speed, which naturally creates a need for higher-power chargers. This is great news for Power Integrations, as higher power 
not only increases the available dollar content in a charger, but also creates a greater need for the efficiency and integration 
for  which our products are known.  And after  much delay, the roll-out of USB PD technology  is now  underway, bringing 
with  it  a  new  phase  of  growth  in  rapid  charging.  USB  PD,  which  utilizes  the  new  USB  Type-C  connector,  can  deliver 
substantially more power than previous USB standards, while also enabling more versatile chargers able to charge a variety 
of PD-enabled devices.  

In the second half of 2018 we got a taste of what’s to come, winning a design for a new USB PD tablet charger for a major 
OEM. This design win drove strong growth in our computer category last year, and with multiple high-volume designs for 
the  smartphone  market  expected  to  begin  production  later  this  year,  we  expect  healthy  growth  in  our  communications 
category.  

Next,  we  expect  continued  strength  in  our  industrial  category,  a  bright  spot  for  us  in  2018  with  growth  of  about  seven 
percent. Our high-power gate-driver business, which makes up more than a third of the industrial category, grew at a double-
digit rate for the second straight year driven by strength in renewable energy, electric locomotives and energy exploration. 
We are seeing particularly healthy demand for high-power products in China, where spending on infrastructure such as rail 
and power-grid projects is likely being used to offset weaker consumer demand. Our industrial category is also benefiting 
from  the  transition  to  battery  power  in  lawn  equipment,  vacuum  cleaners  and  personal  transportation,  as  well  as  the 
proliferation  of  home-and-building  automation  products  that  are  continuously  connected  to  the  grid  and  therefore  benefit 
from our ultra-low standby power technology. 

Fourth, we believe the secular trends that have driven our growth in the appliance market over the past several years remain 
intact,  and  we  expect  improvement  in  our  consumer  category  in  2019.  Even  after  a  down  year  in  2018,  our  appliance 
revenues have grown on average at a double-digit rate over the past eight years, driven by market-share gains, the increasing 
adoption of networking, LED lighting and other electronic features in many appliances, and the growth of the middle class 
in emerging markets, where products like air conditioners and dishwashers are now more widely affordable than ever before.  

We see even greater opportunity in the appliance market following the November launch of our BridgeSwitch™ motor-drive 
products. The introduction of BridgeSwitch adds a fourth major product category to our high-voltage product portfolio – in 
addition to our AC-DC power-conversion chips, high-voltage LED drivers and high-power gate-drivers – and expands our 
addressable market by approximately half a billion dollars.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BridgeSwitch products are highly integrated motor-drive ICs addressing brushless DC motors up to about 300 watts. Such 
applications include air conditioners, ceiling fans, and a wide range of appliances, including refrigerator compressors, water 
pumps for dishwashers and washing machines, and fans and blowers used in clothes dryers, air purifiers and range hoods. 
As you would expect from Power Integrations, these new ICs offer significant improvements in energy efficiency compared 
to  existing  solutions,  enabling  efficiency  of  up  to  98.5%.  This  superior  efficiency  and  a  distributed  thermal  footprint 
eliminate the need for heatsinks, which are commonly used with existing solutions. Also, the energy savings enabled by our 
products  give  designers  flexibility  to  add  power-consuming  features  such  as  internet-of-things  (IoT)  connectivity  while 
remaining in compliance with energy-efficiency regulations and voluntary specifications like ENERGY STAR®. 

Because  our  AC-DC  products  are  already  used  by  virtually  every  major  appliance  manufacturer  in  the  world,  we  are 
entering this market from a position of strength, and we expect our reputation for quality and innovation to be a major asset 
for  us.  We  have  design  activity  underway  at  several  tier-one  appliance  OEMs,  and  we  expect  BridgeSwitch  products  to 
begin generating meaningful revenues in 2020. 

Also in 2018, we announced our entry into the automotive market with the successful completion of AEC-Q100 automotive 
qualification  for  our  SCALE-iDriver™  products.  SCALE-iDriver  is  a  gate-driver  IC  capable  of  addressing  all  of  the  key 
high-voltage applications in an electric car, including the drivetrain inverter, DC-DC conversion and charging. As specialists 
in high-voltage power conversion, our opportunities in the automotive sector have historically been limited. However, with 
electrification now bringing high voltage into the car market, we believe our turn is coming. And while design cycles in this 
market  are  long,  we  believe  our  entry  into  the  market  is  well  timed  to  coincide  with  the  ramp  in  EV  sales  that  is  widely 
expected to begin a few years from now. 

Our confidence in the  future is  reflected in the  fact that  we’ve invested heavily in our own shares over the past  year. We 
used more than $100 million for repurchases in 2018, buying back roughly five percent of our shares, and had $51 million 
remaining  on  our  repurchase  authorization  at  year-end.  Including  dividends,  we  returned  $122  million  to  stockholders  in 
2018 – about twice our free cash flow – and yet our balance sheet remains exceptionally strong, with cash and investments 
totaling $229 million at year end. 

In  conclusion,  we  are  as  excited  as  ever  about  the  future  of  our  company.  We  are  exposed  to  big-picture  trends  such  as 
energy efficiency, faster charging for mobile devices, renewable energy, smart homes and the IoT, the electrification of tools 
and transportation, and the mass adoption of convenience and comfort appliances in developing markets. These trends are 
creating an ever-greater need for the innovative, energy-efficient power-conversion technology for which Power Integrations 
is known, and we are addressing these opportunities with a strong, expanding product portfolio. 

Thank you for your continued support of Power Integrations. I look forward to reporting on our continued progress in the 
year ahead. 

Sincerely, 

Balu Balakrishnan 
President and Chief Executive Officer 
March 2019 

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,”  “outlook,”  “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 trade tensions and competition; the outcome and cost of patent litigation; unforeseen costs 
and expenses; and 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. 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. 

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, 2018

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

Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered

Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value

The Nasdaq Global Select Market

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

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

    NO 

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

    NO 

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

    NO 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 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, a smaller reporting company, 
or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging 
growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act: 

Large accelerated filer  
Non-accelerated filer    

Accelerated filer  
Smaller reporting company  
Emerging growth company  

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant 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 29, 2018, 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 and director 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 February 6, 2019: 28,901,578.

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 2019 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.

ITEM 14.

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

PART IV.

ITEM 15.

ITEM 16.

EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.....................................................
FORM 10-K SUMMARY ....................................................................................................
SIGNATURES.............................................................................................................................................

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes a number of forward-looking statements that involve many 
risks and uncertainties.  Forward-looking statements are identified by the use of the words “would,” “could,” “will,” 
“may,”  “expect,”  “believe,”  “should,”  “anticipate,”  “if,”  “future,”  “intend,”  “plan,”  “estimate,”  “potential,” 
“target,” “seek” or “continue” and similar words and phrases, including the negatives of these terms, or other 
variations of these terms, that denote future events. 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/or 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: if demand for our 
products  declines  in  our  major  end  markets,  our  net  revenues  will  decrease;  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; 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; intense 
competition may lead to a decrease in our average selling price and reduced sales volume of our products; if our 
products do not penetrate additional markets, our business will not grow as we expect; 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; 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; 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 expressly disclaim any obligation 
to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or otherwise, except as 
required by laws.  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.

3

 
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 (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, computing and networking 
equipment, appliances, electronic utility meters, power tools, industrial controls, and “smart-home,” or “internet 
of things” applications such as networked thermostats, power strips and other building-automation and security 
devices.  We  also  supply  high-voltage  LED  drivers,  which  are AC-DC  ICs  specifically  designed  for  lighting 
applications that utilize light-emitting diodes.

We also offer high-voltage gate drivers - either standalone ICs or circuit boards containing ICs, electrical 
isolation components and other circuitry - used to operate high-voltage switches such as insulated-gate bipolar 
transistors (IGBTs) and silicon-carbide (SiC) MOSFETs. These combinations of switches and drivers are used for 
power conversion in high-power applications (i.e., power levels ranging from a few kilowatts up to one gigawatt) 
such as industrial motors, solar- and wind-power systems, electric vehicles and high-voltage DC transmission 
systems. In 2018, we introduced a new category of power-conversion ICs BridgeSwitchTM: a family of motor-
driver ICs addressing brushless DC (BLDC) motors used in refrigerators, HVAC systems, ceiling fans and other 
consumer-appliance and light commercial applications. 

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 efficiency of renewable-energy systems, electric vehicles and other high-
power applications.

• 

  While  the  size  of  our  addressable  market  fluctuates  with  changes  in  macroeconomic  and  industry 
conditions, the market has generally exhibited a modest growth rate over time as growth in the unit volume of 
power converters has been offset to a large degree by reductions in the average selling price of components in this 
market. Therefore, the growth of our business depends largely on increasing our penetration of the markets that 
we serve and on further expanding our addressable market. Our growth strategy includes the following elements:
Increase our penetration of the markets we serve. We currently address AC-DC applications 
with power outputs up to approximately 500 watts, gate-driver applications of approximately 
ten kilowatts and higher, and motor-drive applications up to approximately 300 watts. Through 
our research and design efforts, we seek to introduce more advanced products for these markets 
offering higher levels of integration and performance compared to earlier products. We also 
continue to expand our sales and application-engineering staff and our network of distributors, 
as well as our offerings of technical documentation and design-support tools and services to help 
customers use our products. These tools and services include our PI Expert™ design software, 
which we offer free of charge, and our transformer-sample service.
Our market-penetration strategy also includes capitalizing on the importance of energy efficiency 
in the power conversion market. For example, our EcoSmart™ technology drastically reduces 
the amount of energy consumed by electronic products when they are not in use, helping our 

4

 
 
 
 
 
• 

customers comply with regulations that seek to curb this so-called “standby” energy consumption. 
Also, our gate-driver products are critical components in energy-efficient DC motor drives, high-
voltage  DC  transmission  systems,  renewable-energy  installations  and  electric  transportation 
applications.
Increase the size of our addressable market. Prior to 2010 our addressable market consisted of 
AC-DC applications with up to about 50 watts of output, a served available market (“SAM”) 
opportunity  of  approximately  $1.5  billion.  Since  that  time  we  have  expanded  our  SAM  to 
approximately $4 billion through a variety of means. These include the introduction of products 
that enable us to address higher-power AC-DC applications (such as our Hiper™ product families, 
which address applications up to about 500 watts) and our entry into the gate-driver market 
through  the  acquisition  of  CT-Concept Technologie AG  in  2012.  In  2016  we  introduced  the 
SCALE-iDriverTM family of gate-driver ICs, which enables us to address applications between 
approximately 10 kilowatts and 100 kilowatts, whereas previously our gate-driver products were 
primarily  for  applications  above  100  kilowatts.  In  2018  we  introduced  our  BridgeSwitch™ 
motor-driver ICs, as described above.

Also contributing to our SAM expansion has been the emergence of new applications within the 
power ranges that our products can address. For example, applications such as LED lighting, 
“smart” utility meters, battery-powered lawn equipment and bicycles, and USB power ports 
(installed alongside traditional AC wall outlets) can incorporate our products; the increased use 
of  electronic  intelligence  and  controls  in  consumer  appliances  has  also  enhanced  our  SAM. 
Finally, we have enhanced our SAM by increasing the level of integration of our products, which 
in turn increases their value. For example, our InnoSwitch™ ICs integrate circuitry from the 
secondary,  or  low-voltage,  side  of AC-DC  power  supplies,  whereas  earlier  product  families 
integrated circuitry only on the primary, or high-voltage side.

We intend to continue expanding our SAM in the years ahead through all of the means described 
above.

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 a consumer appliance or flat-panel TV, 
or it may be outside the device as in the case of a mobile-phone charger or an adapter for a cordless phone or cable 
modem.

  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 availability 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 cost-effective alternatives to linear transformers in 
applications requiring more than a few 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.

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 protection 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 gate drivers (or IGBT drivers), whose function 

5

 
 
is to ensure accurate, safe and reliable operation of the IGBT modules. Much like discrete power supplies, discrete 
gate 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, 
Hiper and InnoSwitch which have expanded the range of power-supply applications we can address. In 2012 we 
expanded our addressable market to include high-voltage gate drivers.

  Our ICs and gate 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  gate  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 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 motor-driver ICs enable efficiency of up to 98.5 percent, 
which not only minimizes waste but also eliminates the need for heatsinks in many applications, which in turn 
reduces cost and weight.

• 

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 high-voltage gate drivers are used 
in applications with power levels as high as one gigawatt, while our motor-driver ICs address BLDC applications 
up to 300 watts. Within each of our product families, designers 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”); and many common household appliances, 

6

 
 
 
such as microwave ovens, dishwashers and washing machines, also consume power when not in use. In fact, a 
2015 study by the National Resources Defense Council found that devices that are “always-on” but inactive may 
be causing as much as $19 billion in annual energy waste in the United States alone.

  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 LEDs 
could save as much as $18 billion worth of electricity and 158 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year 
in the United States 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 (CEC) implemented mandatory efficiency standards 
for external power supplies. The CEC standards were implemented nationwide in the United States in July 2008 
as a result of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA); these federal standards were tightened 
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; further tightening of the standards is under consideration. The 
EISA legislation also required substantial improvements in the efficiency of lighting technologies beginning in 
2012; as of 2014, traditional 100-, 75-, 60- and 40-watt bulbs may no longer be manufactured or sold in the United 
States. 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 also offer a range of products designed specifically 
for LED-lighting applications.

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 and Hiper families) to increase 
the level of integration and improve upon the functionality of the original TOPSwitch, and to broaden the range 
of power levels we can address. 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. We also offer a range of high-performance, high-voltage diodes known as Qspeed diodes.

In 2014 we introduced our InnoSwitch product family, the first-ever power-supply ICs to combine primary, 
secondary  and  feedback  circuits  into  a  single  package. These  ICs  employ  a  proprietary  technology  known  as 
FluxLink to enable precise control without the need for optical components, which tend to add cost and diminish 
the reliability of power supplies.

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. We have also introduced 
products designed specifically for LED-lighting applications, such as our LYTSwitch family.

7

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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, and numerous 
other consumer and industrial applications, as well as LED lighting.

• 

High-voltage gate drivers

  We offer a range of high-voltage gate-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 May 2016 we introduced 
the SCALE-iDriver family of standalone ICs, which enables us to address applications between approximately 10 
kilowatts and 100 kilowatts, whereas previously our sales of high-power products were primarily for applications 
above 100 kilowatts.

• 

Motor-driver products

  The BridgeSwitch family of products, introduced in 2018, is a family of motor-driver ICs addressing 
BLDC motor applications up to approximately 300 watts. Such applications include refrigerator compressors, 
ceiling fans, air purifiers as well as pumps, fans and blowers used in consumer appliances such as dishwashers 
and laundry machines.

Other Product Information

TOPSwitch,  TinySwitch,  LinkSwitch,  DPA-Switch,  EcoSmart,  Hiper,  Qspeed, 

InnoSwitch, 
BridgeSwitch,  SCALE,  SCALE-II,  SCALE-III,  SCALE-iDriver,  PeakSwitch,  CAPZero,  SENZero,  ChiPhy, 
FluxLink, CONCEPT 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. 

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

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

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

20%
5%
38%
37%

24%
5%
38%
33%

27%
6%
36%
31%

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
Communications....... Mobile-phone chargers, routers, cordless phones, broadband modems, voice-over-IP phones, other

Primary Applications

network and telecom gear

Computer .................. Desktop PCs, LCD monitors, servers, LCD projectors, adapters for tablets and notebook computers

Consumer.................. Major and small appliances, air conditioners, TV set-top boxes, digital cameras, TVs, video-game

Industrial...................

consoles
Industrial controls, LED lighting, utility meters, motor controls, uninterruptible power supplies,
tools, networked thermostats, power strips and other “smart home” devices, industrial motor drives,
renewable energy systems, electric locomotives, electric buses and other electric vehicles, high-
voltage DC transmission systems

8

 
 
 
 
Sales, Distribution and Marketing 

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, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, India, China, Japan, 
South  Korea,  the  Philippines,  Singapore  and  Taiwan.  Direct  sales  to  OEMs  and  merchant  power  supply 
manufacturers represented approximately 25%, 23% and 25% of our net product revenues in 2018, 2017 and 2016, 
respectively, while sales to distributors accounted for the remainder in each of the corresponding years. Most of 
our distributors are entitled to return privileges based on revenues 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  approximately  56%,  54%  and  60%  of  net  revenues  in  2018,  2017,  and  2016, 
respectively. In each of 2018, 2017 and 2016 one distributor accounted for more than 10% of revenues. A second 
customer, also a distributor, accounted for more than 10% of revenues in 2016.

The following table discloses these customers’ percentage of net revenues for the respective years:

Customer
Avnet........................................................................................................
Powertech Distribution Ltd......................................................................
_______________

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

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

14%
*

16%
*

18%
10%

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

Sales to customers outside of the United States accounted for approximately 96% of our net revenues in 
each of 2018, 2017 and 2016, with sales to customers within the United States accounting for the remainder in 
each of the corresponding years. See Note 8, “Significant Customers and Geographic Net Revenues,” in our Notes 
to Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K regarding sales to customers located in 
foreign countries. See our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 regarding total revenues and profits for the 
last three fiscal years, and total assets.

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. 

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 and digital IC design, system architecture and packaging.

9

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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. In 2018 we received 41 U.S. and 50 foreign patents. As of December 31, 
2018, we held 559 U.S. patents and 364 foreign patents. Both U.S. and foreign patents have expiration dates ranging 
from 2019 to 2038. While our patent portfolio as a whole is important to the success of our business, we are not 
materially dependent upon any single patent. 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 
used in the manufacture of our 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.

Manufacturing 

We contract with three foundries for the manufacture of the vast majority of our silicon wafers: (1) 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. These contractors manufacture wafers using our proprietary 
high-voltage process technologies at fabrication facilities located in Japan, Germany and the United States.

Our ICs are assembled, packaged and tested by independent subcontractors in China, Malaysia, Thailand 
and the Philippines; a small percentage of our ICs are tested at our headquarters facility in California. Our gate-
driver boards are assembled and tested by independent subcontractors in Sri Lanka and Thailand; some of the 
boards are 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 certain aspects of the assembly 
process  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, which enables us to use 
our foundries’ older, lower-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 and X-FAB expire in April 2028, December 2025 and December 2028, respectively. 
Under the terms of the Lapis and Epson agreements, each supplier 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 the 
supplier and us. In addition, Lapis and Epson require us to supply them with a rolling six-month forecast on a 
monthly basis. Our agreements with Lapis and Epson each provide 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 X-FAB agreement, X-FAB 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 X-FAB and us. The agreement 
with X-FAB also requires us to supply them with rolling six-month forecasts on a monthly basis. Our purchases 
of wafers from X-FAB are denominated in U.S. dollars.

Although some aspects of our relationships with Lapis, Epson and X-FAB 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 or X-FAB 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 one or more of our foundries 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.

10

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 ON Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics, Infineon, and Sanken Electric Company, as 
well as PWM-controller chips paired with discrete high-voltage bipolar transistors and MOSFETs; such controller 
chips 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 gate-driver products 
compete with alternatives from such companies as Avago, Infineon and Semikron, as well as driver circuits made 
up of discrete devices. Our motor-driver ICs compete with alternatives from such companies as ON Semiconductor, 
Infineon, STMicroelectronics and Sanken Electric Company.

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 and conditions of sale, 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, 2018, we employed 662 full-time personnel, consisting of 79 in manufacturing, 237 
in research and development, 287 in sales, marketing and applications support, and 59 in finance and administration. 

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, www.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.  

11

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 31, 2019, our executive officers, who are appointed by and serve at the discretion of the 

board of directors, were as follows:

Name
Balu Balakrishnan
Douglas Bailey
Radu Barsan
David “Mike” Matthews
Sandeep Nayyar
Ben Sutherland
Raja Petrakian
Clifford Walker

Position With Power Integrations
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director ...........................
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
64
52
66
54
59
47
54
67

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. 
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 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, Dr. 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.  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 semiconductor company. Dr. Barsan has 40 years of commercial experience in semiconductor 
and photonic 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-

12

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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. Mr. Nayyar has also served as 
a director and chairman of the audit committee for Smart Global Holdings, Inc. since September 2014.

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.

Raja  Petrakian  has  served  as  vice  president  of  operations  since  May  2015.  From  1995  to  2015,  Dr. 
Petrakian served in a succession of roles in operations and supply chain management, most recently as senior vice 
president  of  worldwide  operations,  at  Xilinx  Inc.  where   he  was  responsible  for  manufacturing,  supply  chain 
management (fabrication through delivery), customer service, supplier relationships, purchasing, import/export 
compliance, new product introduction operations, and logistics. Prior to joining Xilinx he was a research staff 
member at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center.

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.

The following are important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from 
those contained in any forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf. The risks and uncertainties 
described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or 
that we deem immaterial also may impair our business operations. If any of the following risks or such other 
risks actually occurs, our business could be harmed.

Our 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 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 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;

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

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

competitive pressures on selling prices; 

the ability of our products to penetrate additional markets;
the volume and timing of orders received from customers; 

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

13

 
 
 
 
 
 
• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 
• 

• 

• 

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

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

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 our internal controls over financial reporting;

the lengthy timing of our sales cycle;

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

changes in tax rules and regulations, changes in interpretation of tax rules and regulations, or unfavorable 
assessments from tax audits 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;

interruptions in our information technology systems; and

• 

uncertainties arising out of economic consequences of current and potential military actions or terrorist 
activities and associated political instability.
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  consumer 
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 approximately 75%, 77% and 75% of net revenues in the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 
2016, respectively. 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 are 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.

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 96% of our net revenues for each of the years 

14

 
 
 
 
ended December 31, 2018, and 2017. 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: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

tariffs, protectionist measures and other trade barriers and restrictions; 

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;

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.

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. Our primary supply arrangements for the production of 
wafers are with Epson, Lapis, and X-FAB. Our contracts with these suppliers expire on varying dates, with the 
earliest to expire in December 2025. Although some aspects of our relationships with Lapis, 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 Epson, Lapis and X-FAB 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 Epson, Lapis and 
X-FAB 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.

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 

15

 
 
 
 
 
 
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 2019 to 2038. 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 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 56% and 54% of our net revenues in each 
of the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. 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.

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 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.

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 

16

 
 
 
 
 
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 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 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.

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 13, Legal Proceedings 
and Contingencies, in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 
10-K. 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.

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.

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 
over  financial  reporting,  will  continue  to  impact  our  results.  Complying  with  the  requirements  of  the  federal 

17

 
 
 
 
 
securities  laws  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  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 and/or impose significant costs to us. 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 product warranty or liability 
claims and costs associated with customer support and product recalls, delays in or cancellations or rescheduling 
of orders or shipments and product returns or discounts. While we specifically exclude consequential damages in 
our standard terms and conditions, certain of our contracts may not exclude such liabilities. Our liability insurance 
which covers certain damages arising out of product defects may not cover all claims or be of a sufficient amount 
to fully protect against such claims. Costs or payments in connection with such claims could harm our operating 
results.

Changes in tax rules and regulations, changes in interpretation of tax rules and regulations, or unfavorable 
assessments from tax audits 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 U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and state, local and foreign tax authorities. In addition, the United States, 
countries in Asia and other countries where we do business have recently enacted or are 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.

Recently enacted U.S. tax legislation will significantly change the taxation of U.S.-based multinational 
corporations, by, among other things, reducing the U.S. corporate income tax rate, adopting elements of a territorial 
tax system, assessing a one-time transition tax on earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries that were previously tax 
deferred, and the creation of new taxes on certain foreign-sourced earnings. The legislation is unclear in some 
respects and will require interpretations and implementing regulations by the Internal Revenue Service, as well as 
state tax authorities, and the legislation could be subject to potential amendments and technical corrections, any 
of which could lessen or increase certain adverse impacts of the legislation. A significant portion of our earnings 
are earned by our subsidiaries outside the U.S. Changes to the taxation of certain foreign earnings resulting from 

18

 
 
 
 
 
the newly enacted U.S. tax legislation, along with the state tax impact of these changes and potential future cash 
distributions,  may  have  an  adverse  effect  on  our  effective  tax  rate.  Furthermore,  changes  to  the  taxation  of 
undistributed foreign earnings could change our future intentions regarding reinvestment of such earnings. The 
foregoing items could have a material effect on our business, cash flow, results of operations or financial conditions.
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. 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; 

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 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 

19

 
 
 
 
 
 
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 an R&D facility in New Jersey and a test facility in Biel, Switzerland. We 
lease administrative office space in Singapore and Switzerland, R&D facilities in Canada, United Kingdom and 
Malaysia 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 13, 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 here by reference.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

20

 
 
 
 
 
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”.

  As of February 6, 2019, there were approximately 36 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.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Over the years our board of directors has authorized the use of funds to repurchase shares of our common 
stock, including $80.0 million in October 2018, with repurchases to be executed according to pre-defined price/
volume guidelines. As of December 31, 2018, we had $51.2 million available for future stock repurchases, all of 
which was under our October 2018 repurchase authorization, which has no expiration date. 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 and business conditions as well as other factors.

The following table summarizes repurchases of our common stock during the fourth quarter of fiscal 

2018:

Period

Total Number
of Shares
Purchased

Average
Price Paid
Per Share

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)

October 1, 2018, to October 31, 2018 ................

November 1, 2018, to November 30, 2018 ........

December 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018 .........

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

$

$

$

40,000

266,367

182,005

488,372

55.42

58.69

60.03

$

$

$

40,000

266,367

182,005

488,372

77.8

62.2

51.2

21

 
 
Performance Graph (1)

The following graph shows the cumulative total stockholders return of an investment of $100 in cash on 
December 31, 2013, through December 31, 2018, in our common stock, the Nasdaq Composite Index and the 
Nasdaq Electronic Components Index and assuming that all dividends were reinvested. 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.

Company/Index
Power Integrations, Inc. ...................
Nasdaq Composite ...........................
Nasdaq Electronic Components .......

12/31/13

12/31/14

12/31/15

12/31/16

12/31/17

12/31/18

100.00
100.00
100.00

93.44
114.62
133.28

88.71
122.81
130.82

124.96
133.19
169.00

136.55
172.11
240.33

114.26
165.84
213.45

_______________

(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.

22

 
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 Annual Report on Form 10-K to fully understand 
factors that may affect the comparability of the information presented below.

Consolidated Statement of Income Data

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

2018

Year Ended December 31,
2016(1)

2017(1)(2)

2015(1)(3)

2014

Net revenues........................................................................................ $ 415,955

$ 431,755

$ 389,668

$ 344,609

$ 348,797

Income from operations ......................................................................

55,648

Provision (benefit) for income taxes...................................................

(10,220)

57,637

32,690

48,874

1,054

38,906

179

55,796

(2,730)

Net income .......................................................................................... $

69,984

$

27,609

$

48,898

$

39,152

$

59,544

Earnings per share:

 Basic................................................................................................ $

 Diluted............................................................................................. $

2.38

2.32

$

$

0.93

0.90

$

$

1.69

1.65

$

$

1.35

1.32

$

$

1.99

1.93

Shares used in per share calculation:

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

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

29,456

30,147

29,674

30,545

28,925

29,619

29,001

29,696

29,976

30,829

Dividends per share............................................................................. $

0.64

$

0.56

$

0.52

$

0.48

$

0.44

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data

(in thousands)

2018

Year Ended December 31,
2016(1)

2017(1)(2)

2015(1)(3)

2014

Cash and cash equivalents .................................................................. $ 134,137

$

93,655

$

62,134

$

90,092

$

60,708

Short-term marketable securities ........................................................

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term marketable securities..........

Working capital...................................................................................

Total assets..........................................................................................

Long-term liabilities............................................................................

94,451

228,588

284,066

588,697

13,259

189,236

282,891

313,483

621,074

22,341

188,323

250,457

274,318

554,410

7,380

83,769

173,861

203,050

486,707

6,925

114,575

175,283

210,752

493,663

7,827

Stockholders’ equity............................................................................ $ 527,072

$ 547,682

$ 503,084

$ 442,590

$ 430,676

_______________
(1) 

In 2017 we adopted Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which amended 
the accounting standards for revenue recognition. The standards were applied on a retrospective basis to 2015 and 
2016 but not to 2014.

(2) 

In December 2017 the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts 
and Jobs Act (Refer to Note 11, Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes, in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 
in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for details).

(3) 

In 2015 we acquired Cambridge Semiconductor Limited (CamSemi), a UK company.

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. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” at the beginning of this Form 10-
K.  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, computing and networking 
equipment, appliances, electronic utility meters, power tools, industrial controls, and “smart-home,” or “internet 
of things” applications such as networked thermostats, power strips and other building-automation and security 
devices.  We  also  supply  high-voltage  LED  drivers,  which  are AC-DC  ICs  specifically  designed  for  lighting 
applications that utilize light-emitting diodes.

We also offer high-voltage gate drivers — either standalone ICs or circuit boards containing ICs, electrical 
isolation components and other circuitry — used to operate high-voltage switches such as insulated-gate bipolar 
transistors (IGBTs) and silicon-carbide (SiC) MOSFETs. These combinations of switches and drivers are used for 
power conversion in high-power applications (i.e., power levels ranging from a few kilowatts up to one gigawatt) 
such as industrial motors, solar- and wind-power systems, electric vehicles and high-voltage DC transmission 
systems. In 2018, we introduced a new category of power-conversion ICs: a family of motor-driver ICs addressing 
brushless DC (BLDC) motors used in refrigerators, HVAC systems, ceiling fans and other consumer-appliance 
and light commercial applications.

Our  net  revenues  were  $416.0  million,  $431.8  million  and  $389.7  million  in  2018,  2017  and  2016, 
respectively. In 2018 revenues decreased by $15.8 million due mainly to weaker unit sales into the communications 
end-market, reflecting weaker demand for mobile-phone chargers, as well as lower sales into the consumer market, 
primarily reflecting softness in the consumer-appliance market. In 2017 revenues increased by $42.1 million due 
to higher unit sales into the industrial and consumer end-markets, driven by growth from a broad range of industrial 
and consumer-appliance applications.

Our  top  ten  customers,  including  distributors  that  resell  to  OEMs  and  merchant  power  supply 
manufacturers,  accounted  for  approximately  56%,  54%  and  60%  of  net  revenues  in  2018,  2017  and  2016, 
respectively. In 2018, 2017 and 2016 one customer, a distributor of our products, accounted for approximately 
14%, 16% and 18% of net revenues, respectively. In 2016 a second customer, also a distributor, accounted for 10%
of our net revenues. International sales represented approximately 96% of net revenues in each of 2018, 2017, and 
2016.

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 corresponding change in our gross 
margin of approximately 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 

24

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 $214.8 million or 52% of net revenues 
in 2018, compared to $213.7 million or 49% of net revenues in 2017, and $192.2 million or 49% of net revenues 
in  2016.  Our  gross  margin  increased  in  2018  primarily  due  to  a  more  favorable  end-market  mix,  particularly 
reflecting  the  growth  in  revenues  from  the  industrial  end-market  and  the  decrease  in  revenues  from  the 
communications end-market. Our gross margin in 2017 was flat compared to 2016 as a favorable change in end-
market mix was offset by higher manufacturing costs stemming from a decline in the value of the U.S. dollar versus 
the Japanese yen in 2016, which subsequently increased the cost of silicon wafers purchased from our Japanese 
wafer-fabrication foundries. 

Total operating expenses in 2018, 2017 and 2016 were $159.1 million, $156.0 million and $143.3 million, 
respectively. The increase in operating expenses in 2018 was due primarily to the expansion of our workforce, 
resulting in higher salary and related expenses, and higher product-development expenses. These increases were 
partially  offset  by  lower  stock-based  compensation  expense,  reflecting  a  reduction  of  expense  related  to 
performance-based awards in light of our 2018 performance. Operating expenses increased in 2017 due primarily 
to higher salary and related expenses due to the expansion of our workforce, increased patent-litigation expenses 
and increased stock-based compensation expense.

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 and Recent Accounting Pronouncements, in our 
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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 2018. 
We  apply  the  provisions  of Accounting  Standards  Codification  (ASC)  606-10,  Revenue  from  Contracts  with 
Customers,  and  all  related  appropriate  guidance. We  recognize  revenue  under  the  core  principle  to  depict  the 
transfer of control to our customers in an amount reflecting the consideration we expect to be entitled. In order to 
achieve that core principle, we apply the following five-step approach: (1) identify the contract with a customer, 
(2)  identify  the  performance  obligations  in  the  contract,  (3)  determine  the  transaction  price,  (4)  allocate  the 
transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and (5) recognize revenue when a performance 
obligation is satisfied.

25

 
 
 
Product revenues consist of sales to original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, merchant power supply 
manufacturers and distributors. We consider customer purchase orders, which in some cases are governed by master 
sales agreements, to be the contracts with a customer. In situations where sales are to a distributor, we have concluded 
that our contracts are with the distributor as we hold contracts bearing enforceable rights and obligations with only 
the distributor. As part of our consideration of the contract, we evaluate certain factors including the customer’s 
ability to pay (or credit risk). For each contract, we consider the promise to transfer products, each of which is 
distinct, to be the identified performance obligations. In determining the transaction price we evaluate whether the 
price is subject to refund or adjustment to determine the net consideration to which we expect to be entitled. As 
our standard payment terms are less than one year, we elected the practical expedient under ASC 606-10-32-18 to 
not assess whether a contract has a significant financing component. We allocate the transaction price to each 
distinct product based on their relative standalone selling price. We consider the product price as specified on the 
purchase order the standalone selling price as it is an observable input which depicts the price as if sold to a similar 
customer in similar circumstances. We recognize revenue when control of the product is transferred to the customer 
(i.e., when our performance obligation is satisfied), which typically occurs at shipment. Further, in determining 
whether control has transferred, we consider if there is a present right to payment and legal title, along with risks 
and rewards of ownership having transferred to the customer.

Frequently, we receive orders for products to be delivered over multiple dates that may extend across 
several reporting periods. We invoice for each delivery upon shipment and recognize revenue for each distinct 
product delivered, assuming transfer of control has occurred. As scheduled delivery dates are within one year, 
under the optional exemption provided by ASC 606-10-50-14 revenues allocated to future shipments of partially 
completed contracts are not disclosed. We have also elected the practical expedient under ASC 340-40-25-4 to 
expense commissions when incurred as the amortization period of the commission asset we would have otherwise 
recognized is less than one year.

Sales to international customers that are shipped from our facility outside of the United States are pursuant 
to EX Works, or EXW, shipping terms, meaning that control of the product transfers to the customer upon shipment 
from our foreign warehouse. Sales to international customers that we ship from our facility in California are pursuant 
to Delivered at Frontier, or DAF, shipping terms. As such, control of the product passes to the customer when the 
shipment reaches the destination country and we recognize revenue upon the arrival of the product in that country. 
Shipments to customers in the Americas are pursuant to Free on Board, or FOB, point of origin shipping terms 
meaning that we pass control to the customer upon shipment.

Sales to most distributors are made under terms allowing certain price adjustments and limited rights of 
return (known as “stock rotation”) of our products held in their inventory or upon sale to their end customers. We 
recognize revenue from sales to distributors upon the transfer of control to the distributor. 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,  we  issue  a  credit  memo  to  the  distributor  for  the  ship  and  debit  claim.  In  determining  the 
transaction price, we consider ship and debit price adjustments to be variable consideration. Such price adjustments 
are estimated using the expected value method based on an analysis of actual ship and debit claims, at the distributor 
and product level, over a period of time considered adequate to account for current pricing and business trends. 
Historically,  actual price  adjustments  for  ship  and  debit  claims  relative  to  those  estimated  and  included  when 
determining the transaction price have not materially differed. To the extent future ship and debit claims significantly 
exceed amounts estimated, there could be a material impact on our revenues and results of operations. Stock rotation 
rights grant the distributor the ability to return certain specified amounts of inventory. Stock rotation adjustments 
are an additional form of variable consideration and are also estimated using the expected value method based on 
historical return rates. Historically, these distributor stock rotation adjustments have not been material.

Sales to certain distributors are made under terms that do not include rights of return or price concessions 
after  the  product  is  shipped  to  the  distributor. Accordingly,  upon  application  of  steps  one  through  five  above, 
product revenue is recognized upon shipment and transfer of control.

26

 
 
 
 
 
We generally provide an assurance warranty that our products will substantially conform to the published 
specifications for twelve months from the date of shipment. Our 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. As 
such, we do not record a specific warranty reserve or consider activities related to such warranty, if any, to be a 
separate performance obligation.

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, 
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.

For awards with performance conditions, we recognize compensation expense when it becomes probable 
that the performance target will be achieved. A probability assessment is performed on a quarterly basis and requires 
significant assumptions and estimates made by management related to the projected achievement of the performance 
targets,  which  consist  of  non-GAAP  operating  earnings,  strategic  goals  and/or  net  revenues.  Changes  in  the 
probability assessment of achieving the performance targets are accounted for in the period of change by recording 
a cumulative catch-up adjustment as if the new estimate had been applied since the service inception date. If the 
actual  performance  targets  achieved  differ  significantly  from  those  projected  by  management,  additional 
compensation  expense  may  be  recorded  for  the  performance-based  awards  due  to  the  cumulative  catch-up 
adjustment, which could have an adverse impact on our results of operations.

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

We account for income taxes under the provisions of ASC 740, Income Taxes. 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. 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, 2018, we continue to maintain a valuation allowance on our California, New Jersey 
and Canada deferred tax assets as we believe that it is not more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be 
fully realized.

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 

27

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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  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. Under the amendments of Accounting 
Standards Update (ASU) 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350), we compare the fair value of 
our single reporting unit to the carrying amount, including goodwill. If the fair value of our single reporting unit 
exceeds the carrying amount no impairment adjustment is required. If the carrying amount of our reporting unit 
exceeds the fair value, then we record an impairment loss equal to the difference, but not in excess of the carrying 
amount of the goodwill. Under ASC 350-10, 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 comparing the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying amount is unnecessary. 
We have not elected this option to date. We evaluated goodwill for impairment in the fourth quarters of 2018 and 
2017, and concluded that no impairment existed as of December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017.

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.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth statement of income data as a percentage of net revenues for the periods 

indicated:

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

Net revenues ............................................................................................
Cost of revenues ......................................................................................
Gross profit ..............................................................................................
Operating expenses:

Research and development....................................................................
Sales and marketing ..............................................................................
General and administrative ...................................................................
Total operating expenses ....................................................................
Income from operations...........................................................................
Other income ...........................................................................................
Income before income taxes ....................................................................
Provision (benefit) for income taxes........................................................
Net income...............................................................................................

100.0%
48.4
51.6

17.0
12.8
8.4
38.2
13.4
1.0
14.4
(2.4)
16.8%

100.0%
50.5
49.5

15.9
11.9
8.4
36.2
13.3
0.6
13.9
7.5
6.4%

100.0%
50.7
49.3

16.0
12.3
8.5
36.8
12.5
0.3
12.8
0.3
12.5%

28

 
 
 
Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

Net revenues.  Net revenues consist of revenues from product sales, which are calculated net of returns 
and allowances. In 2018 revenues decreased by $15.8 million compared to 2017 due mainly to weaker unit sales 
into the communications end-market, reflecting weaker demand for mobile-phone chargers, as well as lower sales 
into the consumer end-market, primarily reflecting softness in the consumer-appliance market. These decreases 
were partially offset by growth in the industrial end-market across a broad range of applications, and by higher 
revenues from the computer end-market reflecting growth in charger applications for tablets. Overall, we believe 
that demand for our products has been affected in recent months by a variety of factors including caution among 
our customers with respect to global trade disputes, weaker global sales of smartphones, and a slowdown in demand 
for consumer products in China. In 2017 revenues increased by $42.1 million as compared to 2016 due to higher 
unit sales into the industrial and consumer end-markets, driven by growth from a broad range of industrial and 
consumer-appliance applications. These increases were partially offset by lower unit sales into the computer end-
market, reflecting reduced demand for power supplies for desktop computers.

Our approximate net revenue mix by end-markets served in 2018, 2017 and 2016 is as follows:

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

2018

2017

2016

20%
5%
38%
37%

24%
5%
38%
33%

27%
6%
36%
31%

Sales to customers outside of the United States were $400.6 million in 2018, compared to $415.1 million 
in 2017 and $374.7 million in 2016, representing approximately 96% of net revenues each year. 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 77%, 79% and 81% of our 
net revenues in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. We expect international sales to continue to account for a large 
portion of our net revenues for the foreseeable future.

Sales to distributors accounted for 75%, 77% and 75% of our net revenues in 2018, 2017 and 2016, 
respectively,  with direct sales to OEMs and merchant power supply manufacturers accounting for the remainder 
in each of the corresponding years. In each of 2018 and 2017 one distributor accounted for more than 10% of 
revenues. A second customer, also a distributor, accounted for more than 10% of revenues in 2016.

The following table discloses these customers’ percentage of net revenues for the respective years:

Customer
Avnet........................................................................................................
Powertech Distribution Ltd......................................................................

2018

2017

2016

14%
*

16%
*

18%
10%

_______________

* 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 following table compares gross profit and gross margin for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 
2016:

(dollars in millions)
Gross profit.......................................... $
Gross margin.....................................

2018

Change

2017

Change

2016

214.8
51.6%

0.5% $

213.7
49.5%

11.2% $

192.2
49.3%

29

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our gross margin increased in 2018 as compared to 2017 primarily due to a more favorable end-market 
mix, particularly reflecting the growth in revenues from the industrial end-market and the decrease in revenues 
from the communications end-market. Our gross margin was essentially flat in 2017 as compared to 2016 as a 
favorable change in end-market mix was largely offset by higher costs stemming from a decline in the value of 
the U.S. dollar versus the Japanese yen in 2016, which subsequently increased the cost of silicon wafers purchased 
from our Japanese foundries.

Research and development expenses.  Research and development (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 following table compares R&D expenses 
for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016:

(dollars in millions)
R&D expenses..................................... $
Percentage of net revenues ...............

2018

Change

2017

Change

2016

70.6
17.0%

3.0% $

68.5
15.9%

10.0% $

62.3
16.0%

R&D expenses increased in 2018 compared to 2017 due to higher salary and related expenses from the 
expansion of headcount and product development expenses, partially offset by lower stock-based compensation 
expense related to performance-based stock awards in light of our 2018 performance. R&D expenses increased in 
2017 as compared to 2016, reflecting increased salary and related expenses from the expansion of headcount, and 
greater equipment and product-development expenses.

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 following table compares sales and marketing expenses for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 
2016:

(dollars in millions)
Sales and marketing expenses ............. $
Percentage of net revenues ...............

2018

Change

2017

Change

2016

53.1
12.8%

3.3% $

51.4
11.9%

7.1% $

48.0
12.3%

Sales and marketing expenses increased in both 2018 and 2017 due primarily to the continued expansion 

of our sales force, resulting in higher salary and related expenses.

General and administrative expenses.  General and administrative (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, 2018, 2017 and 2016:

(dollars in millions)
G&A expenses..................................... $
Percentage of net revenues ...............

2018

35.5
8.4%

Change
(1.8)%

$

2017

Change

2016

36.1
8.4%

9.4% $

33.0
8.5%

G&A expenses decreased in 2018 due primarily to lower stock-based compensation expense related to 
performance-based awards in light of our 2018 performance. G&A expenses increased in 2017 as compared to 
2016 due primarily to increased expenses related to patent litigation, as well as increased stock-based compensation 
expense.

30

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other income.  Other income 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. The following 
table compares other income for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016:

(dollars in millions)
Other income ....................................... $
Percentage of net revenues ...............

2018

Change

2017

Change

2016

4.1
1.0%

54.6%   $

2.7
0.6%

146.9%   $

1.1
0.3%

Other income increased in 2018 compared to 2017 due primarily to an increase in interest income reflecting 
higher yields earned on our cash and investments. Other income increased in 2017 compared to 2016 due primarily 
to an increase in interest income reflecting an increase in our cash and investment balances along with higher yields 
earned on those balances.

Provision (benefit) for income taxes. Provision (benefit) for income taxes represents federal, state and 
foreign taxes. The following table compares the provision (benefit) for income taxes for the years ended December 
31, 2018, 2017 and 2016:

(dollars in millions)

2018

Change

2017

Change

2016

Provision (benefit) for income taxes .. $
Percentage of net revenues ..............
Effective tax rate..............................

(10.2)
(2.4)%
(17.1)%

(131.3)%   $

3,001.5%   $

32.7
7.5%
54.2%

1.1
0.3%
2.1%

In 2018 and 2017, the effective tax rate was lower than the then-statutory federal income-tax rates of 21% 
and 35%, respectively, due to the geographic distribution of our world-wide earnings in lower tax jurisdictions, 
the impact of federal research tax credits, the recognition of excess tax benefits related to share-based compensation 
as well as the enactment of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Act). For additional details, refer to Note 11, 
Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes, in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual 
Report on Form 10-K.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We had approximately $228.6 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term marketable securities at 
December 31, 2018 compared to $282.9 million at December 31, 2017, and $250.5 million at December 31, 2016. 
As of December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, we had working capital, defined as current assets less current liabilities, 
of approximately $284.1 million, $313.5 million and $274.3 million, respectively.

On July 27, 2016, we entered into a credit agreement with a bank (the "Credit Agreement") that provides 
us with a $75.0 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. We amended the Credit Agreement on April 30, 2018, 
to extend the termination date from July 26, 2019, to April 30, 2022, with all other terms remaining the same. Our 
ability to borrow under the revolving line of credit is conditioned upon our compliance with specified covenants, 
including reporting and financial covenants, primarily a minimum liquidity measure and a debt to earnings ratio, 
with which we are currently in compliance. The Credit Agreement terminates on April 30, 2022; 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, 
2018 and 2017, we had no amounts outstanding under the Credit Agreement.

Our operating activities generated cash of $84.0 million, $82.0 million, and $97.9 million in the years 
ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. In each of these years, we primarily generated cash from 
operating activities in the ordinary course of business.

In 2018, our net income was $70.0 million, which included stock-based compensation expenses, non-
cash depreciation and amortization of $21.6 million, $18.9 million and $5.3 million, respectively. Sources of cash 
also included a $5.8 million decrease in accounts receivable due to decreased shipments and the timing of collections. 
These sources of cash were partially offset by a $23.8 million increase in inventories, partially reflecting lower-
than-normal inventory levels at the beginning of the year, but also driven by lower-than-expected sales, particularly 

31

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
in the latter half of the year, and a $9.9 million decrease in taxes payable and accrued liabilities due primarily to 
a decrease in taxes payable related to the enactment of the Tax Act.

In 2017, our net income was $27.6 million, which included stock-based compensation expenses, non-
cash depreciation and amortization of $24.7 million, $18.4 million, and $6.1 million, respectively. Sources of cash 
also included a $20.0 million increase in taxes payable and accrued liabilities driven by the long-term portion of 
the taxes payable related to the transitional impact of the U.S. Tax Act and a $0.4 million increase in accounts 
payable due to the timing of payments. These sources of cash were partially offset by a $17.6 million increase in 
prepaid expenses and other assets, primarily driven by advances to suppliers and prepaid legal expenses, a $10.5 
million increase in accounts receivable due to the timing of collections along with increased shipments and a $4.5 
million increase in inventories to support increased demand.

In  2016,  our  net  income  was  $48.9  million,  which  included  non-cash  depreciation,  stock-based 
compensation expenses and amortization of $16.8 million, $20.9 million and $6.7 million, respectively. Sources 
of cash included a $7.7 million increase in accounts payable due to timing of payments. These sources of cash 
were partially offset by a $2.5 million increase in prepaid expenses and other assets due to an increase in prepaid 
income taxes, and a $1.1 million decrease in taxes payable and accrued liabilities.

Our investing activities provided $69.1 million of cash in the year ended December 31, 2018, consisting 
primarily of $94.7 million from sales and maturities of marketable securities, net of purchases, partially offset by 
$24.7  million  for  purchases  of  property  and  equipment,  primarily  machinery  and  equipment  for  use  in  the 
manufacture of our products.

Our investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2017, resulted in a net $34.7 million use of cash, 
consisting primarily of $32.5 million for purchases of property and equipment, primarily machinery and equipment 
for use in the manufacture of our products, and $2.2 million from the purchase of marketable securities, net of 
maturities.

Our investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2016, resulted in a net $117.4 million use of cash, 
consisting primarily of $105.2 million for the purchase of marketable securities, net of maturities, and $12.2 million 
for purchases of property and equipment, primarily machinery and equipment for use in the manufacture of our 
products.

Our financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2018, resulted in a net use of $112.6 million of 
cash. Financing activities consisted primarily of $103.2 million for the repurchase of our common stock and $18.8 
million for the payment of dividends to stockholders, partially offset by proceeds of $9.4 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.

Our financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2017, resulted in a net use of $15.8 million of 
cash. Financing activities consisted primarily of $16.6 million for the payment of dividends to stockholders and $9.2 
million for the repurchase of our common stock, partially offset by proceeds of $10.0 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.

Our financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2016, resulted in a net use of $8.4 million of 
cash. Financing activities consisted primarily of $15.1 million for the payment of dividends to stockholders and 
$6.4 million for the repurchase of our common stock, partially offset by proceeds of $13.1 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 January 2016, our board of directors declared four quarterly cash dividends in the amount of $0.13 per 
share to be paid to stockholders of record at the end of each quarter in 2016. In January 2017, our board of directors 
declared four quarterly cash dividends in the amount of $0.14 per share to be paid to stockholders of record at the 
end of each quarter in 2017. In January 2018, our board of directors declared four quarterly cash dividends in the 
amount of $0.16 per share to be paid to stockholders of record at the end of each quarter in 2018.

In January 2019, our board of directors declared four quarterly cash dividends in the amount of $0.17 per 
share to be paid to stockholders of record at the end of each quarter in 2019. The declaration of any future cash 

32

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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.

Over the years our board of directors has authorized the use of funds to repurchase shares of our common 
stock, including $60.0 million authorized in 2015, $30.0 million authorized in each of July 2017 and January 2018, 
and  $80.0  million  in  October  2018  with  repurchases  to  be  executed  according  to  pre-defined  price/volume 
guidelines. In 2016, we purchased 146,000 shares for approximately $6.4 million. In 2017, we purchased 129,000
shares for approximately $9.2 million. In 2018, we purchased 1,572,000 shares for approximately $103.2 million. 
As of December 31, 2018, $51.2 million was available for future stock repurchases, which has no expiration date. 
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 and business conditions as well as other factors.

As of December 31, 2018, we had a contractual obligation related to income tax, consisting primarily of 
unrecognized tax benefits of approximately $18.6 million. The tax obligation was classified as long-term income 
taxes payable or recorded as contra deferred tax assets in our consolidated balance sheet.

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. The Tax Act signed into law on December 22, 2017 subjects U.S. companies to a one-time transition 
tax on total post-1986 earnings and profits of their foreign subsidiaries and generally allows companies to repatriate 
accumulated foreign earnings without incurring additional U.S. federal taxes beginning after December 31, 2017. 
Accordingly, as of December 31, 2018, our worldwide cash and marketable securities are available to fund capital 
allocation  needs,  including  capital  and  internal  investments,  acquisitions,  stock  repurchases  and/or  dividends 
without incurring significant U.S. federal income taxes.

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

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, 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 Obligation

As of December 31, 2018, we had the following contractual obligations and commitments, consisting 

solely of non-cancelable operating lease agreements:

Payments Due by Period

(in thousands)

Total

Less than 1
Year

1 - 3 Years

4 - 5 Years

Over 5 Years

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

8,115

$

2,310

$

3,176

$

1,635

$

994

In addition to our contractual obligations noted above we have a contractual obligation related to income 
tax  as  of  December 31,  2018,  which  primarily  comprises  unrecognized  tax  benefits  of  approximately  $18.6 
million, and was classified as contra deferred tax assets or long-term income taxes payable in our consolidated 
balance sheet. As of December 31, 2018 we also had approximately $6.1 million classified as long-term income 
taxes payable related to the estimated one-time transition tax from the enactment of the Tax Act which will be 
payable in seven annual installments.

33

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

For recently issued accounting announcements, see “Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements” in 
Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies and Recent Accounting Pronouncements, in our Notes to Consolidated 
Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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, 2018 and 2017, 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, 2018, or December 31, 2017, 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 5, Marketable Securities, in our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in 
this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for a tabular presentation of our available-for-sale investments and the expected 
maturity dates.

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk. As of December 31, 2018, our primary transactional currency was the 
U.S. dollar; in addition, we hold cash in Swiss francs and euros to fund the operation of our Swiss subsidiary. 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. 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, 2018. This sensitivity 
analysis applies a change in the U.S. dollar value of 5% and 10%.

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

December 31, 2018

5%

10%

34

$

68

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. 

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, 2018, and December 31, 2017, 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 (Epson) and ROHM Lapis Semiconductor 
Co., Ltd. (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 
34

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 eventually result in a corresponding change in 
our gross margin of approximately 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.

35

 
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

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

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We  have  audited  the  accompanying  consolidated  balance  sheets  of  Power  Integrations,  Inc.  and 
subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the related consolidated statements of income, 
comprehensive income, stockholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 
31, 2018, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial 
statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2018 
and 2017, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 
31, 2018, in conformity with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight 
Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, 
based  on  criteria  established  in  Internal  Control  -  Integrated  Framework  (2013)  issued  by  the  Committee  of 
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated February 13, 2019 expressed an 
unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

Basis for Opinion

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

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

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

San Jose, California
February 13, 2019

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2005.

36

 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share amounts and par value)
ASSETS

CURRENT ASSETS:

December 31, December 31,

2018

2017

Cash and cash equivalents .............................................................................................. $
Short-term marketable securities ....................................................................................

134,137 $

94,451

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $706 and $734 in
2018 and 2017, respectively ...........................................................................................

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

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

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

PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, net...............................................................................
INTANGIBLE ASSETS, net .............................................................................................
GOODWILL......................................................................................................................
DEFERRED TAX ASSETS ..............................................................................................
OTHER ASSETS ..............................................................................................................

11,072

80,857

11,915

332,432
114,117
21,152
91,849
6,906
22,241

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

588,697 $

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
CURRENT LIABILITIES:

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

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

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

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

LONG-TERM INCOME TAXES PAYABLE...................................................................

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

OTHER LIABILITIES......................................................................................................

Total liabilities..............................................................................................................

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (NOTES 11, 12 and 13)
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

Common stock, $0.001 par value

Authorized - 140,000,000 shares

31,552 $

12,131

933

3,750

48,366

8,652

216

4,391

61,625

93,655

189,236

16,798

57,087

7,758

364,534
111,705
25,419
91,849
2,364
25,203

621,074

33,211

12,064

1,767

4,009

51,051

18,259

138

3,944

73,392

Outstanding - 28,888,643 and 29,782,455 shares in 2018 and 2017, respectively......
Additional paid-in capital ...............................................................................................

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

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

Total stockholders’ equity ............................................................................................

28

126,164

(1,689)

402,569

527,072

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

588,697 $

29

198,384

(2,139)

351,408

547,682

621,074

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

37

 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

 (In thousands, except per share amounts)
NET REVENUES ............................................................................ $
COST OF REVENUES....................................................................

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

OPERATING EXPENSES:

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

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

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

Total operating expenses.............................................................

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

OTHER INCOME............................................................................

INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES ...........................................

PROVISION (BENEFIT) FOR INCOME TAXES .........................

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

415,955

$

431,755

$

201,167

214,788

70,580

53,064

35,496

159,140

55,648

4,116

59,764

(10,220)

218,091

213,664

68,501

51,384

36,142

156,027

57,637

2,662

60,299

32,690

389,668

197,477

192,191

62,310

47,978

33,029

143,317

48,874

1,078

49,952

1,054

48,898

NET INCOME ................................................................................. $

69,984

$

27,609

$

EARNINGS PER SHARE:

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

2.38

2.32

$

$

0.93

0.90

$

$

1.69

1.65

SHARES USED IN PER SHARE CALCULATION:

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

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

29,456

30,147

29,674

30,545

28,925

29,619

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

38

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

 (In thousands)

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

Net income ........................................................................................ $

69,984

$

27,609

$

48,898

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax

Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of $0 tax in 2018,
2017 and 2016 ................................................................................

Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities, net of $0 tax in
2018, 2017 and 2016 ......................................................................

Unrealized actuarial gain (loss) on pension benefits, net of tax of
($144), ($194), and $98 in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively......

Total other comprehensive income (loss) ....................................

(236)

161

525

450

79

(207)

699

571

(384)

(123)

(352)

(859)

Total comprehensive income ............................................................ $

70,434

$

28,180

$

48,039

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

39

 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(In thousands)

Common Stock

Shares Amount

Additional 
Paid-In
Capital

Accumulated
Other 

Comprehensive Retained
 Earnings

Loss

Total
Stockholders’
Equity

BALANCE AT JANUARY 1, 2016.............................

28,653 $

28 $

145,366 $

(1,851) $ 299,047 $

442,590

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

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

Unrealized loss on marketable securities.....................

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

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

615

(146)

128

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

BALANCE AT DECEMBER 31, 2016 .......................

29,250

Cumulative-effect adjustment from adoption of ASU
2016-09 ........................................................................

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

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 gain on pension benefits .............

Unrealized loss on marketable securities.....................

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

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

—

569

(129)

92

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

BALANCE AT DECEMBER 31, 2017 .......................

29,782

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

28

—

1

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

29

8,479

(6,435)

4,580

19,599

1,286

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

(352)

(123)

(384)

—

—

—

—

—

—

(15,054)

—

—

—

48,898

172,875

(2,710)

332,891

8,479

(6,435)

4,580

19,599

1,286

(15,054)

(352)

(123)

(384)

48,898

503,084

7,542

7,542

—

5,086

(9,188)

4,934

23,337

1,340

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

699

(207)

79

—

—

—

—

—

—

(16,634)

—

—

—

27,609

198,384

(2,139)

351,408

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

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

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

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

Unrealized actuarial gain on pension benefits .............

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

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

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

591

(1,572)

—

(1)

4,010

(103,153)

88

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

5,343

20,027

1,553

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

525

161

(236)

—

—

—

—

—

—

(18,823)

—

—

—

69,984

BALANCE AT DECEMBER 31, 2018 .......................

28,889 $

28 $

126,164 $

(1,689) $ 402,569 $

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

40

5,087

(9,188)

4,934

23,337

1,340

(16,634)

699

(207)

79

27,609

547,682

4,010

(103,154)

5,343

20,027

1,553

(18,823)

525

161

(236)

69,984

527,072

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

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

Depreciation ...................................................................................
Amortization of intangibles............................................................
Loss on disposal of property and equipment..................................
Stock-based compensation expense ...............................................
Amortization of premium on marketable securities .......................
Deferred income taxes....................................................................
Increase (decrease) in accounts receivable allowances..................
Change in operating assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable.....................................................................
Inventories ...................................................................................
Prepaid expenses and other assets ...............................................
Accounts payable.........................................................................
Taxes payable and accrued liabilities ..........................................
Net cash provided by operating activities .................................

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

Purchases of property and equipment ............................................
Acquisition of technology licenses.................................................
Purchases of marketable securities.................................................
Proceeds from sales and maturities of marketable securities .........
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities ..................

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

Issuance of common stock under employee stock plans................
Repurchase of common stock.........................................................
Payments of dividends to stockholders ..........................................
Proceeds from draw on line of credit .............................................
Payments on line of credit ..............................................................
Net cash used in financing activities.........................................

NET INCREASE (DECREASE) 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,
2017

2016

2018

69,984

$

27,609

$

48,898

18,918
5,267
553
21,580
227
(4,465)
(28)

5,754
(23,770)
(1,495)
1,336
(9,897)
83,964

(24,677)
(900)
(62,833)
157,551
69,141

9,353
(103,153)
(18,823)
8,000
(8,000)
(112,623)

18,374
6,083
360
24,677
1,100
15,838
209

(10,479)
(4,523)
(17,646)
396
20,041
82,039

(32,496)
—
(151,663)
149,443
(34,716)

10,020
(9,188)
(16,634)
5,000
(5,000)
(15,802)

16,812
6,663
332
20,885
555
(638)
207

751
(630)
(2,524)
7,714
(1,124)
97,901

(12,198)
—
(188,654)
83,423
(117,429)

13,059
(6,435)
(15,054)
—
—
(8,430)

40,482

31,521

(27,958)

93,655
134,137

62,134
93,655

$

90,092
62,134

4,913

$
— $

1,825
—

$

$
$

Unpaid property and equipment ..................................................... $
Unpaid technology licenses............................................................ $

1,818
100

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW
INFORMATION:

Cash paid (refund) for income taxes, net of refunds (Note 11)...... $

7,437

$

(1,571) $

6,613

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

41

 
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 (typically 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, which convert the high-voltage 
AC from a wall outlet to the low-voltage DC required by most electronic devices. Power supplies incorporating 
the Company’s products are used with all manner of electronic products including mobile phones, computing 
and networking equipment, appliances, electronic utility meters, power tools, industrial controls, and “smart-
home,”  or  “internet  of  things”  applications  such  as  networked  thermostats,  power  strips  and  other  building-
automation and security devices. The Company also supplies high-voltage LED drivers, which are AC-DC ICs 
specifically designed for lighting applications that utilize light-emitting diodes. The Company also offers high-
voltage gate drivers – either standalone ICs or circuit boards containing ICs, electrical isolation components and 
other circuitry – used to operate high-voltage switches such as insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and 
silicon-carbide (SiC) MOSFETs. These combinations of switches and drivers are used for power conversion in 
high-power applications (i.e., power levels ranging from a few kilowatts up to one gigawatt) such as industrial 
motors, solar- and wind-power systems, electric vehicles and high-voltage DC transmission systems. In 2018, 
the  Company  introduced  a  new  category  of  power-conversion  ICs:  a  family  of  motor-driver  ICs  addressing 
brushless DC (BLDC) motors used in refrigerators, HVAC systems, ceiling fans and other consumer-appliance 
and light commercial applications. 

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS:

Significant Accounting Policies and Estimates

Segment Reporting

The Company is organized and operates as one reportable segment, the design, development, manufacture 
and marketing of integrated circuits and related components for use primarily in high-voltage power conversion 
market. 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.

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. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles 
(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.

Revenue Recognition

The Company applies the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606-10, Revenue from 
Contracts with Customers, and all related appropriate guidance. The Company recognizes revenue under the core 

42

 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

principle to depict the transfer of control to the Company’s customers in an amount reflecting the consideration 
the Company expects to be entitled. In order to achieve that core principle, the Company applies the following 
five-step approach: (1) identify the contract with a customer, (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract, 
(3) determine the transaction price, (4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, 
and (5) recognize revenue when a performance obligation is satisfied.

Product revenues consist of sales to original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, merchant power supply 
manufacturers  and  distributors.  The  Company  considers  customer  purchase  orders,  which  in  some  cases  are 
governed  by  master  sales  agreements,  to  be  the  contracts  with  a  customer.  In  situations  where  sales  are  to  a 
distributor, the Company has concluded that its contracts are with the distributor as the Company holds a contract 
bearing enforceable rights and obligations only with the distributor. As part of its consideration of the contract, the 
Company evaluates certain factors including the customer’s ability to pay (or credit risk). For each contract, the 
Company considers the promise to transfer products, each of which is distinct, to be the identified performance 
obligations. In determining the transaction price the Company evaluates whether the price is subject to refund or 
adjustment to determine the net consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled. As the Company’s 
standard  payment  terms  are  less  than  one  year,  the  Company  has  elected  the  practical  expedient  under ASC 
606-10-32-18 to not assess whether a contract has a significant financing component. The Company allocates the 
transaction price to each distinct product based on their relative standalone selling price. The product price as 
specified on the purchase order is considered the standalone selling price as it is an observable input which depicts 
the price as if sold to a similar customer in similar circumstances. Revenue is recognized when control of the 
product is transferred to the customer (i.e., when the Company’s performance obligation is satisfied), which typically 
occurs at shipment. Further, in determining whether control has transferred, the Company considers if there is a 
present right to payment and legal title, along with risks and rewards of ownership having transferred to the customer.

Frequently, the Company receives orders for products to be delivered over multiple dates that may extend 
across several reporting periods. The Company invoices for each delivery upon shipment and recognizes revenues 
for each distinct product delivered, assuming transfer of control has occurred. As scheduled delivery dates are 
within  one  year,  under  the  optional  exemption  provided  by ASC  606-10-50-14  revenues  allocated  to  future 
shipments of partially completed contracts are not disclosed. The Company has also elected the practical expedient 
under ASC 340-40-25-4 to expense commissions when incurred as the amortization period of the commission asset 
the Company would have otherwise recognized is less than one year.

Sales to international customers that are shipped from the Company’s facility outside of the United States 
are pursuant to EX Works, or EXW, shipping terms, meaning that control of the product transfers to the customer 
upon shipment from the Company’s foreign warehouse. Sales to international customers that are shipped from the 
Company’s facility in California are pursuant to Delivered at Frontier, or DAF, shipping terms. As such, control 
of 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 customers in the Americas are pursuant to Free on 
Board, or FOB, point of origin shipping terms meaning that control is passed to the customer upon shipment.

Sales to most distributors are made under terms allowing certain price adjustments and limited rights of 
return (known as “stock rotation”) of the Company’s products held in their inventory or upon sale to their end 
customers. Revenue from sales to distributors is recognized upon the transfer of control to the distributor. 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 the Company to adjust the distributor’s cost from the standard price to the pre-approved lower price. After 
the Company verifies that the claim was pre-approved, a credit memo is issued to the distributor for the ship and 
debit claim. In determining the transaction price, the Company considers ship and debit price adjustments to be 
variable consideration. Such price adjustments are estimated using the expected value method based on an analysis 
of actual ship and debit claims, at the distributor and product level, over a period of time considered adequate to 
account for current pricing and business trends. Historically, actual price adjustments for ship and debit claims 

43

 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

relative to those estimated and included when determining the transaction price have not materially differed. Stock 
rotation  rights  grant  the  distributor  the  ability to  return  certain  specified  amounts  of  inventory.  Stock  rotation 
adjustments are an additional form of variable consideration and are also estimated using the expected value method 
based on historical return rates. Historically, distributor stock rotation adjustments have not been material.

Sales to certain distributors are made under terms that do not include rights of return or price concessions 
after  the  product  is  shipped  to  the  distributor. Accordingly,  upon  application  of  steps  one  through  five  above, 
product revenue is recognized upon shipment and transfer of control.

The Company generally provides an assurance warranty that its products will substantially conform to 
the published specifications for twelve 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. As such, the Company does not record a specific warranty reserve or consider activities 
related to such warranty, if any, to be a separate performance obligation.

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.

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, Income Taxes. 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.

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 

44

 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

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 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.

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.

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 a maturity date greater than three months at the date of purchase as short-term 
marketable securities in its consolidated balance sheet. As of December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, the 
Company’s marketable securities consisted primarily of commercial paper, corporate bonds, government securities 
and/or other high-quality commercial securities.

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, the Company contributes a 
certain percentage of employee annual salaries on a discretionary basis, not to exceed an established threshold. 
The Company provided for a contribution of approximately $1.3 million, $1.2 million and $1.1 million in 2018, 
2017 and 2016, respectively.

Retirement Benefit Obligations (Pension)

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

Foreign Currency Risk and Foreign Currency Translation

As of December 31, 2018, the Company’s primary transactional currency was U.S. dollars; in addition, 
the Company holds cash in Swiss francs and euros to fund the operations of the Company’s Swiss subsidiary. The 
foreign exchange rate fluctuation between the U.S. dollar versus the Swiss franc and euro is recorded in other 
income in the consolidated statements of income.

45

 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Gains and losses arising from the remeasurement of non-functional currency balances are recorded in 
other income in the accompanying consolidated statements of income. In each of the years ended December 31, 
2018, 2017 and 2016, the Company realized a foreign exchange transaction loss of $0.1 million.

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. In 2018, advertising costs amounted to $1.2 million and were 

$1.3 million in each of 2017 and 2016.

Research and Development

  Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.

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, 2018. 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 February 2016, the FASB amended the existing accounting standards for leases, ASU 2016-02, Leases. 
The amendments require lessees to recognize, on the balance sheet, assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations 
created by leases of greater than twelve months. The accounting by lessors will remain largely unchanged from 
that applied under previous U.S. GAAP. The Company is required to adopt the amendments in the first quarter of 
fiscal 2019, with early adoption permitted. The amendments require a modified retrospective transition approach 
to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented. In July 2018, the FASB issued 

46

 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

ASU 2018-11, Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements. The update provides an optional transition method 
that allows entities to apply the standards prospectively, versus recasting the prior periods presented. If elected, an 
entity would recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to opening retained earnings in the period of adoption. The 
Company expects to adopt the new standards using the optional transition method with the recognition of both a 
right-of-use asset and corresponding lease liability of approximately $6.5 million to $7.5 million on the balance 
sheet upon adoption. No impact on the income statement is expected.

3. COMPONENTS OF THE COMPANY’S CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS:

Accounts Receivable

(in thousands)
Accounts receivable trade................................................................................................ $
Accrued ship and debit ....................................................................................................
Allowance for stock rotation and rebate..........................................................................
Allowance for doubtful accounts.....................................................................................

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

Inventories

December 31,
2018

December 31,
2017

54,055
(40,118)
(2,159)
(706)
11,072

$

$

58,718
(39,486)
(1,700)
(734)
16,798

(in thousands)
Raw materials .................................................................................................................. $
Work-in-process...............................................................................................................
Finished goods .................................................................................................................

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

Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets

December 31,
2018

December 31,
2017

41,138
15,612
24,107
80,857

$

$

15,517
16,765
24,805
57,087

December 31,
2018

December 31,
2017

3,081
181
2,047
2,157
595
3,854
11,915

$

$

460
213
856
1,211
1,195
3,823
7,758

(in thousands)
Prepaid income tax .......................................................................................................... $
Prepaid legal fees.............................................................................................................
Prepaid maintenance agreements.....................................................................................
Advance to suppliers........................................................................................................
Interest receivable............................................................................................................
Other ................................................................................................................................

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

47

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Property and Equipment

(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,
2018

December 31,
2017

20,288
21,696
53,610
160,028
53,681
309,303
(195,186)
114,117

$

$

20,288
15,353
52,655
151,269
50,440
290,005
(178,300)
111,705

Depreciation expense for property and equipment for fiscal years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 
2016, was approximately $18.9 million, $18.4 million and $16.8 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
4-7 years

Total  property  and  equipment  (excluding  accumulated  depreciation)  located  in  the  United  States  at 
December 31,  2018,  2017  and  2016,  was  approximately  $167.6  million,  $159.5  million  and  $155.1  million, 
respectively. In each of 2018, 2017 and 2016, approximately 12% of total property and equipment (excluding 
accumulated depreciation) was held in Thailand by one of the Company’s subcontractors. No other country held 
10% or more of total property and equipment in the periods presented.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

Changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss for the three years ended December 31, 2018:

Unrealized
Gains and
Losses on
Available-for-
Sale Securities

Defined
Benefit
Pension
Items

Foreign
Currency
Items

Total

(97) $ (1,584)
(505)
(123)

$

(170) $ (1,851)
(1,012)
(384)

—
(123)
(220)
(207)

—
(207)
(427)
161

153 (1)
(352)
(1,936)
502

197 (1)
699
(1,237)
401

—
(384)
(554)
79

—
79
(475)
(236)

153
(859)
(2,710)
374

197
571
(2,139)
326

—
161
(266) $

124 (1)
525
(712)

$

124
—
(236)
450
(711) $ (1,689)

(in thousands)
Balance at January 1, 2016........................................................... $
Other comprehensive loss before reclassifications ......................
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive
loss ...............................................................................................
Other comprehensive loss ............................................................
Balance at December 31, 2016.....................................................
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications.......
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive
loss ...............................................................................................
Other comprehensive loss ............................................................
Balance at December 31, 2017.....................................................
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications.......
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive
loss ...............................................................................................
Other comprehensive income.......................................................
Balance at December 31, 2018..................................................... $
_______________
(1) 
for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016.

48

This component of accumulated other comprehensive loss is included in the computation of net periodic pension cost 

 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

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 equivalents 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 
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 does not hold any instruments that would be classified within Level 3 of the fair-value hierarchy.

The fair value hierarchy of the Company’s cash equivalents and marketable securities at December 31, 

2018, and 2017, was as follows:

(in thousands)
Corporate securities................................................ $
Commercial paper ..................................................
Money market funds...............................................
     Total................................................................... $

(in thousands)
Corporate securities................................................ $
Commercial paper ..................................................
Government securities............................................
Money market funds...............................................
     Total................................................................... $

Fair Value Measurement at
December 31, 2018
Quoted Prices in
Active Markets for
Identical Assets
(Level 1)

Significant Other 
Observable Inputs
(Level 2)

Total Fair Value

94,451
96,366
304
191,121

$

$

— $
—
304
304

$

94,451
96,366
—
190,817

Fair Value Measurement at
December 31, 2017
Quoted Prices in
Active Markets for
Identical Assets
(Level 1)

Significant Other 
Observable Inputs
(Level 2)

Total Fair Value

179,951
51,122
9,285
195
240,553

$

$

— $
—
—
195
195

$

179,951
51,122
9,285
—
240,358

The Company did not transfer any investments between level 1 and level 2 of the fair value hierarchy in 

the years ended December 31, 2018, and 2017.

49

 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

5. MARKETABLE SECURITIES:

Amortized cost and estimated fair market value of marketable securities classified as available-for-sale 

(excluding cash equivalents) at December 31, 2018, were as follows: 

(in thousands)
Investments due in 3 months or less:

Amortized
Cost

Gross Unrealized

Gains

Losses

Estimated Fair
 Market Value

Corporate securities ................................................ $
Total......................................................................

$

6,788
6,788

— $
—

Investments due in 4-12 months:

Corporate securities ................................................
Total......................................................................

Investments due in 12 months or greater:

Corporate securities ................................................
Total......................................................................
Total marketable securities..................................... $

60,123
60,123

27,806
27,806
94,717

$

—
—

2
2
2

$

(2) $
(2)

(244)
(244)

(22)
(22)
(268) $

6,786
6,786

59,879
59,879

27,786
27,786
94,451

Amortized cost and estimated fair market value of marketable securities classified as available-for-sale 

(excluding cash equivalents) at December 31, 2017, were as follows:

(in thousands)
Investments due in 3 months or less:

Amortized
Cost

Gross Unrealized

Gains

Losses

Estimated Fair
Market Value

Corporate securities ......................................... $
Total ..............................................................

$

38,485
38,485

Investments due in 4-12 months:

Corporate securities .........................................
Government securities .....................................
Total ..............................................................

Investments due in 12 months or greater:

Corporate securities.......................................
Total............................................................
Total marketable securities.............................. $

104,440
9,302
113,742

37,436
37,436
189,663

$

— $
—

—
—
—

—
—
— $

(16) $
(16)

(199)
(17)
(216)

(195)
(195)
(427) $

38,469
38,469

104,241
9,285
113,526

37,241
37,241
189,236

The weighted average interest rate of investments at December 31, 2018 and 2017, was approximately 
2.65% and 1.57%, respectively. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, there were no individual securities that had 
been in a continuous loss position for 12 months or greater.

6. GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS:

The carrying amount of goodwill as of December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 was $91.8 million with no 

changes to goodwill in any of the respective fiscal years.

Intangible assets consist primarily of developed technology, acquired licenses, customer relationships, 

trade name, domain name, in-process R&D 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, customer relationships, technology licenses and in-place leases, which range 
from two to twelve years, with the exception of $4.7 million of in-process R&D and $1.3 million paid to acquire 
an internet domain name. In-process R&D 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 R&D. The Company 
expects the amortization of in-process R&D to begin sometime in the second half of fiscal 2019. The Company 

50

 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

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 of acquired intangible assets was approximately $5.3 million, $6.1 
million and $6.7 million in the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The Company does 
not believe there is any significant residual value associated with the following intangible assets:

Gross

(in thousands)
Domain name............................................ $ 1,261
4,690
In-process research and development.......
33,270
Developed technology ..............................
20,030
Customer relationships .............................
1,000
Technology licenses..................................
In-place leases...........................................
—
Total intangible assets............................... $ 60,251

December 31, 2018
Accumulated
Amortization
$

Net

— $ 1,261
4,690
—
10,806
(22,464)
3,510
(16,520)
885
(115)
—
—
(39,099) $ 21,152

Gross
$ 1,261
4,690
33,270
20,030
—
660
$ 59,911

December 31, 2017
Accumulated
Amortization
$

Net

— $ 1,261
4,690
—
14,059
(19,211)
5,409
(14,621)
—
—
—
(660)
(34,492) $ 25,419

$

$

  The estimated future amortization expense related to definite-lived intangible assets at December 31, 

2018, is as follows:

Fiscal Year
2019 ................................................................................................................................................................ $
2020 ................................................................................................................................................................
2021 ................................................................................................................................................................
2022 ................................................................................................................................................................
2023 ................................................................................................................................................................
Thereafter .......................................................................................................................................................
Total (1)............................................................................................................................................................ $

Estimated
Amortization
(in thousands)
4,878
3,653
2,787
1,709
1,467
707
15,201

_______________
(1) 

The total above excludes $4.7 million of in-process R&D which will be amortized upon completion of development 
over the estimated useful life of the technology.

7. STOCK PLANS AND SHARE BASED COMPENSATION:
Stock Plans

As of December 31, 2018, the Company had three stock-based compensation plans (the “Plans”) which 

are described below.

2007 Equity Incentive Plan

The 2007 Equity Incentive Plan (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 (1997 Plan). The 2007 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options, non-statutory stock 
options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit (RSU) awards, stock appreciation rights, performance-based 
(PSU) awards, long-term performance based (PRSU) awards and other stock awards to employees, directors and 
consultants. Pursuant to the 2007 Plan, the exercise price for incentive stock options and non-statutory 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. The 2007 Plan 

51

 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

expired in September 2017 with no further grants to be made under this plan; however previous grants under this 
plan shall remain outstanding until they are exercised, vest, forfeited or expire.

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.

2016 Incentive Award Plan

The 2016 Incentive Award Plan (2016 Plan) was adopted by the board of directors on March 17, 2016 
and approved by the stockholders on May 13, 2016. The Plan provides for the grant of RSU awards, PSU awards 
and PRSU awards. No other forms of equity-based awards, including stock options and stock appreciation rights, 
may  be  granted  under  the  2016  Plan. As  of  December 31,  2018,  0.4  million  awards  have  been  issued  and 
approximately 1.1 million shares of common stock remain available for future grant under the 2016 Plan. The 
2016 Plan also provides for performance-based cash awards that qualify as “performance-based compensation” 
within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code.

1997 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Under  the  1997  Employee  Stock  Purchase  Plan  (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 3.5 million shares of common stock were reserved for issuance to employees under the Purchase 
Plan. As of December 31, 2018, of the shares reserved for issuance, 3.1 million shares had been purchased and 0.4 
million shares were reserved for future issuance under the Purchase Plan.

Shares Reserved 

As of December 31, 2018, the Company had approximately 1.6 million shares of common stock reserved 

for future grant under all stock plans.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company applies the provisions of ASC 718-10, Stock Compensation. Under the provisions of ASC 
718-10, the Company recognizes the fair value of stock-based compensation in its 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.

52

 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

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

ASC 718-10 for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016:

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

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

1,097
7,688
4,729
8,066
21,580

$

$

1,321
8,496
5,197
9,663
24,677

$

$

1,148
7,309
4,489
7,939
20,885

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, 2018:

Unrecognized Compensation
Expense for Unvested
Awards
(in thousands)

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

2,042
34,546
138
36,726

Weighted Average
Remaining Recognition
Period
(in years)
0.91
3.27
0.08

Stock-based  compensation  expense  in  the  year  ended  December 31,  2018,  was  approximately  $21.6 
million  (comprising  approximately  $16.6  million  related  to  restricted  stock  units,  $3.4  million  related  to 
performance-based awards and $1.6 million related to the Company’s Purchase Plan).

Stock-based  compensation  expense  in  the  year  ended  December 31,  2017,  was  approximately  $24.7 
million  (comprising  approximately  $15.2  million  related  to  restricted  stock  units,  $8.2  million  related  to 
performance-based awards and $1.3 million related to the Company’s Purchase Plan).

Stock-based  compensation  expense  in  the  year  ended  December 31,  2016,  was  approximately  $20.9 
million  (comprising  approximately  $13.0  million  related  to  restricted  stock  units,  $6.4  million  related  to 
performance-based awards, $1.3 million related to the Company’s Purchase Plan and $0.2 million related to stock 
options).

The Company did not grant stock options in the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, and 

therefore no fair-value assumptions are reported.

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, 
2018, 2017 and 2016:

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

Year Ended December 31,
2017
0.91%
30%
0.80%
0.50
$16.74

2018
1.94%
31%
0.89%
0.50
$17.33

2016
0.44%
32%
0.96%
0.50
$12.23

53

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

A summary of stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2018, and activity during three years then 

ended, is presented below:

 (shares and intrinsic value in thousands)
Outstanding at January 1, 2016 .......................................
Granted ............................................................................
Exercised..........................................................................
Forfeited or expired .........................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2016 .................................
Granted ............................................................................
Exercised..........................................................................
Forfeited or expired .........................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2017 .................................
Granted ............................................................................
Exercised..........................................................................
Forfeited or expired .........................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2018 .................................
Vested and Exercisable at December 31, 2018................

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

Weighted Average
Remaining
Contractual Term
(in years)

Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value

Shares

$

$

1,030
—
(333) $
—
697
—
(186) $
—
511
—
(176) $
—
335
335

$

$

27.58
—
25.41
—
28.62
—
27.48
—
29.03
—
22.60
—
32.41

1.55
1.55

$
$

9,578
9,578

The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the year ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, 

was $7.5 million, $8.9 million and $11.5 million, respectively.

The following table summarizes the stock options outstanding at December 31, 2018: 

(shares in thousands)

Range of Exercise Prices
$17.75 - $36.95................................
$37.96 - $42.88................................

PSU Awards

Options Outstanding
Weighted Average
Remaining 
Contractual Term 
(in years)
0.88
2.35
1.55

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

$
$
$

26.05
39.85
32.41

Options Exercisable

Options
Exercisable
181
154
335

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

$
$
$

26.05
39.85
32.41

Options
Outstanding
181
154
335

Under the performance-based awards program, the Company grants awards in the performance year in 
an amount equal to twice the target number of shares to be issued if the maximum 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 
target number depending on the Company’s performance. The performance metrics of this program are annual 
targets consisting of a combination of net revenue, non-GAAP operating earnings and strategic goals.

As  the  net  revenue,  non-GAAP  operating  income  and  strategic  goals  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 PSUs 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.

54

 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

A summary of PSU awards outstanding as of December 31, 2018, and activity during the three years then 

ended, is presented below:

(shares and intrinsic value in thousands)
Outstanding at January 1, 2016 ...........................................
Granted ................................................................................
Vested...................................................................................
Forfeited or canceled ...........................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2016 .....................................
Granted ................................................................................
Vested...................................................................................
Forfeited or canceled ...........................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2017 .....................................
Granted ................................................................................
Vested...................................................................................
Forfeited or canceled ...........................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2018 .....................................
Outstanding and expected to vest at December 31, 2018....

Shares
$
11
101
$
(11) $
(2) $
$
99
88
$
(99) $
(9) $
$
79
89
$
(79) $
(63) $
26
$
26

Weighted
Average Grant-
Date Fair Value
Per Share

Weighted Average 
Remaining 
Contractual Term
(in years)

Aggregate 
Intrinsic
Value

— $
— $

1,610
1,610

52.35
46.26
52.35
46.87
46.25
63.99
46.25
63.99
63.99
62.87
63.99
62.87
62.87

The grant-date fair value of PSU awards released, which were fully vested, in the years ended December 31, 

2018, 2017 and 2016 were approximately $5.1 million, $4.6 million and $0.6 million, respectively.

PRSU Awards (Long-term Performance Based)

The  Company's  PRSU  program  provides  for  the  issuance  of  PRSUs  which  will  vest  based  on  the 
Company's performance measured against the PRSU Plan's established revenue targets. The PRSUs were granted 
in an amount equal to twice the target number of shares to be issued if the maximum performance metrics are 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 goals, and may range from zero to 200% of the target 
number. The performance goals for PRSUs granted in fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016 were based on the Company’s 
annual revenue growth over the respective three-year performance period.

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 fair value of PRSU 
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.

55

 
 
 
         
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

A summary of PRSU awards outstanding as of December 31, 2018, and activity during the three years 

then ended, is presented below:

(shares and intrinsic value in thousands)
Outstanding at January 1, 2016 ..........................................
Granted ...............................................................................
Vested .................................................................................
Forfeited or canceled ..........................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2016 ....................................
Granted ...............................................................................
Vested .................................................................................
Forfeited or canceled ..........................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2017 ....................................
Granted ...............................................................................
Vested .................................................................................
Forfeited or canceled ..........................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2018 ....................................
Outstanding and expected to vest at December 31, 2018...

$
$

Shares
129
78
—
(57) $
$
150
71
$
—
(37) $
$
184
72
$
(38) $
(5) $
$

213
141

Weighted
Average Grant-
Date Fair Value
Per Share

Weighted Average 
Remaining 
Contractual Term
(in years)

Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value

1.5
0.8

$
$

12,963
8,611

53.75
43.26
—
55.35
47.65
63.00
—
51.59
52.80
59.90
52.45
43.26
55.48

The  grant-date  fair  value  of  PRSU  awards  released,  which  were  fully  vested,  in  the  year  ended 

December 31, 2018 was approximately $2.0 million.

RSU Awards

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.

56

 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

A summary of RSU awards outstanding as of December 31, 2018, and activity during the three years then 

ended, is presented below:

(shares and intrinsic value in thousands)
Outstanding at January 1, 2016 ..........................................
Granted ...............................................................................
Vested .................................................................................
Forfeited .............................................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2016 ....................................
Granted ...............................................................................
Vested .................................................................................
Forfeited .............................................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2017 ....................................
Granted ...............................................................................
Vested .................................................................................
Forfeited .............................................................................
Outstanding at December 31, 2018 ....................................
Outstanding and expected to vest at December 31, 2018...

Shares
$
681
331
$
(270) $
(24) $
$
718
558
$
(284) $
(44) $
$
948
275
$
(296) $
(32) $
895
$
828

Weighted
Average Grant-
Date Fair Value
Per Share

Weighted Average 
Remaining 
Contractual Term
(in years)

Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value

1.75
1.63

$
$

54,575
50,477

46.98
46.70
45.13
47.21
47.54
60.82
46.52
50.89
55.51
62.85
53.78
59.43
58.19

The grant-date fair value of RSUs vested in the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, was 

approximately $15.9 million, $13.2 million and $12.2 million, respectively.

8. SIGNIFICANT CUSTOMERS AND GEOGRAPHIC NET REVENUES:

Customer Concentration

The Company's top ten customers accounted for approximately 56%, 54% and 60% of revenues in 2018, 
2017 and 2016, 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. Sales to distributors in 2018, 2017
and 2016 were $313.9 million, $330.9 million and $292.6 million, respectively. Direct sales to OEMs and power-
supply manufacturers accounted for the remainder.

In each of 2018, 2017 and 2016 one distributor accounted for more than 10% of revenues. A second 
customer, also a distributor, accounted for more than 10% of revenues in 2016. The following table discloses these 
customers’ percentage of net revenues for the respective years:

Customer
Avnet........................................................................................................
Powertech Distribution Ltd......................................................................

_______________

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

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

14%
*

16%
*

18%
10%

No other customers accounted for 10% or more of the Company’s net revenues in the periods presented.

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 does not have any off-balance-sheet credit 

57

 
 
 
  
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

exposure  related  to  its  customers. As  of  both  December 31,  2018  and  December 31,  2017,  64%  of  accounts 
receivable were concentrated with the Company’s top ten customers.

As of December 31, 2018 two customers, both distributors of the Company’s products, represented more 
than 10% of accounts receivable. As of December 31, 2017 one of these customers represented more than 10% of 
accounts receivable. The following table discloses these customers’ percentage of accounts receivable:

Customer
Avnet................................................................................................................................
Powertech Distribution Ltd..............................................................................................

December 31,
2018

December 31,
2017

17%
11%

18%
*

_______________

* Total customer accounts receivable was less than 10% of net accounts receivables.

No other customers accounted for 10% or more of the Company’s accounts receivable in the periods 

presented.

Geographic Net Revenues

The  Company  markets  its  products  globally  through  its  sales  personnel  and  a  worldwide  network  of 
independent sales representatives and distributors. Geographic net revenues based on “bill to” customer locations 
were as follows:

(In thousands)
United States of America......................................................................... $
Hong Kong/China....................................................................................
Taiwan......................................................................................................
Korea........................................................................................................
Western Europe (excluding Germany) ....................................................
Japan ........................................................................................................
Germany ..................................................................................................
Other ........................................................................................................

Total net revenues ................................................................................. $

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

15,315
218,752
43,081
33,877
49,834
19,897
14,403
20,796
415,955

$

$

16,647
227,335
50,307
38,012
48,230
20,769
11,558
18,897
431,755

$

$

14,948
198,858
50,324
41,996
41,214
19,767
7,563
14,998
389,668

9. COMMON STOCK REPURCHASES AND CASH DIVIDENDS:

Common Stock Repurchases

Over the years the Company’s board of directors has authorized the use of funds to repurchase shares of 
the Company’s common stock, including $60.0 million, $30.0 million and $110.0 million in 2015, 2017, and 2018, 
respectively, with repurchases to be executed according to pre-defined price/volume guidelines. In 2016, 2017 and 
2018 the Company purchased 146,000, 129,000 and 1,572,000 shares, respectively, for approximately $6.4 million, 
$9.2 million and $103.2 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had $51.2 million available 
for future stock repurchases, which has no expiration date. 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 and business conditions as well as other factors.

58

 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Common Stock Dividend

The following table presents the quarterly dividends declared per share of the Company’s common stock 

for the periods indicated:

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2018

2016

First Quarter............................................................................................. $
Second Quarter ........................................................................................ $
Third Quarter ........................................................................................... $
Fourth Quarter ......................................................................................... $

0.16
0.16
0.16
0.16

$
$
$
$

0.14
0.14
0.14
0.14

$
$
$
$

0.13
0.13
0.13
0.13

The  Company  paid  a  total  of  approximately  $18.8  million,  $16.6  million  and  $15.1  million  in  cash 

dividends during 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

In January 2019, the Company’s board of directors declared a $0.17 per share quarterly dividend for each 
quarter in 2019. 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.

10. EARNINGS PER SHARE:

Basic earnings per share are calculated by dividing net income by the weighted-average shares of common 
stock  outstanding  during  the  period.  Diluted  earnings  per  share  are  calculated  by  dividing  net  income  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,  the 
assumed issuance of awards under the stock purchase plan and contingently issuable performance-based awards, 
as computed using the treasury stock method.

  A summary of the earnings per share calculation is as follows:

 (in thousands, except per share amounts)
Basic earnings per share:

Net income ...................................................................................... $
Weighted-average common shares..................................................
Basic earnings per share.................................................................. $

Diluted earnings per share (1):

Net income ...................................................................................... $
Weighted-average common shares..................................................
Effect of dilutive securities:

Employee stock plans ...................................................................
Diluted weighted-average common shares .....................................
Diluted earnings per share............................................................... $

_______________

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

69,984
29,456
2.38

69,984
29,456

691
30,147
2.32

$

$

$

$

27,609
29,674
0.93

27,609
29,674

871
30,545
0.90

$

$

$

$

48,898
28,925
1.69

48,898
28,925

694
29,619
1.65

(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 such shares 
when the necessary conditions have not been met. The Company has included in the 2018, 2017 and 2016 calculations 
those shares that were contingently issuable upon the satisfaction of the performance conditions as of the end of the 
respective periods.

59

 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

In the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016, no outstanding stock awards were determined 

to be anti-dilutive and therefore were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share.

11. PROVISION (BENEFIT) FOR INCOME TAXES:

U.S. Tax Reform

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Act) was enacted on December 22, 2017. The Act reduces the U.S. federal 
corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, requires companies to pay a one-time transition tax on earnings of certain 
foreign subsidiaries that were previously tax deferred and creates new taxes on certain foreign sourced earnings. 
The SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin 118 (SAB 118), which provides guidance on accounting for the 
tax effects of the Tax Act. SAB 118 provides a measurement period that should not extend beyond one year from 
the Tax Act enactment date for companies to complete the accounting under ASC 740. In accordance with SAB 
118, a company must reflect the income tax effects of those aspects of the Tax Act for which the accounting under 
ASC 740 is complete. To the extent that a company’s accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Act is 
incomplete but it is able to determine a reasonable estimate, it must record a provisional estimate in the financial 
statements. If a company cannot determine a provisional estimate to be included in the financial statements, it 
should continue to apply ASC 740 on the basis of the provisions of the tax laws that were in effect immediately 
before the enactment of the Tax Act. The Company completed the accounting for the effects of enactment of the 
Tax Act as of December 22, 2018.

The Company has completed the accounting for the transition effects of the Tax Act under ASC 740, 
which includes the recognition of the one-time transition tax of $34.1 million before utilization of net operating 
losses and credits; $6.7 million after utilization. The difference between the provisional transition tax estimate 
recorded at December 31, 2017, and the final amount was included in 2018 as a component of income tax expense.

Although the Tax Act generally eliminates U.S. federal income tax on dividends from foreign subsidiaries 
of domestic corporations, it creates a new requirement that global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) earned by 
foreign subsidiaries must be included in the current gross income of the foreign subsidiaries’ U.S. shareholder. 
GILTI is defined as the excess of the shareholder’s “net subsidiaries tested income” over the net deemed tangible 
income return. In 2018 the Company recognized $6.3 million of GILTI income tax before credits.

Under GILTI tax rules the Company must make an accounting policy election to either (1) recognize taxes 
due on future U.S. inclusions in taxable income related to GILTI as a current-period expense when incurred (the 
“period cost method”) or (2) factor such amount into the Company’s measure of its deferred taxes (the “deferred 
method”). The Company elected the deferred method and will recognize deferred taxes when basis differences 
exist that are expected to affect the amount of the GILTI inclusion upon reversal. The Company considered the 
current structure, operations and expectation that the Company will continue to pay incremental U.S. tax on GILTI 
in the foreseeable future when electing the deferred method. Upon election the Company set up a GILTI deferred 
tax asset for basis differences with future effects on GILTI taxes, which resulted in a tax benefit of $2.3 million in 
2018.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes under the provisions of ASC 740, Income Taxes. 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.

60

 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

  U.S. and foreign components of income before income taxes were:

(in thousands)
U.S. operations ....................................................................................... $
Foreign operations..................................................................................

Total pretax income ............................................................................. $

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2018

2016

(6,529) $
66,293
59,764

$

(6,944) $
67,243
60,299

$

(477)
50,429
49,952

  The components of the provision (benefit) for income taxes are as follows:

(in thousands)
Current provision (benefit):

Federal............................................................................................... $
State...................................................................................................
Foreign ..............................................................................................

Deferred provision (benefit):

Federal...............................................................................................
State...................................................................................................
Foreign ..............................................................................................

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

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2018

2016

(6,382) $
4
938
(5,440)

(4,593)
—
(187)
(4,780)
(10,220) $

35,311
4
1,483
36,798

(3,640)
—
(468)
(4,108)
32,690

$

$

—
—
1,638
1,638

(175)
(27)
(382)
(584)
1,054

  The  provision  (benefit)  for  income  taxes  differs  from  the  amount  that  would  result  by  applying  the 

applicable federal income tax rate to income before income taxes, as follows:

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2018

2016

Provision (benefit) computed at Federal statutory rate ..........................
Business tax credits ................................................................................
Stock-based compensation .....................................................................
Foreign income taxed at different rate ...................................................
GILTI inclusion ......................................................................................
U.S. Tax Act - transition tax ...................................................................
U.S. Tax Act - deferred tax asset and liability adjustment .....................
Valuation allowance ...............................................................................
Other.......................................................................................................
Total .....................................................................................................

21.0 %
(9.1)
(2.2)
(25.0)
10.6
(16.2)
—
2.8
1.0
(17.1)%

35.0%
(5.7)
(5.0)
(37.3)
—
54.1
8.1
2.2
2.8
54.2%

35.0%
(6.0)
2.2
(33.1)
—
—
—
1.8
2.2
2.1%

The Company’s effective tax rate is impacted by the geographic distribution of the world-wide earnings 
in lower tax jurisdictions and the federal R&D tax credit. Additionally, in 2018 the Company’s effective tax rate 
was favorably impacted by revisions to the Tax Act resulting in a $9.7 million income tax benefit. In 2017 our 
effective tax rate was also impacted by a $37.5 million charge resulting from the enactment of the Tax Act.

61

 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

The components of the net deferred income tax assets (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.....................................................................................................................
Other ................................................................................................................................

Net deferred tax assets ..................................................................................................... $

December 31,

2018

2017

$

3,695
18,052
3,050
157
3,144
(19,955)
8,143

(1,423)
(30)
(1,453)
6,690

$

979
10,442
4,064
163
7,059
(18,421)
4,286

(1,965)
(95)
(2,060)
2,226

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, 2018, the Company continues to maintain a valuation allowance primarily as a result 
of capital losses for federal purposes, and on its California, New Jersey and Canada deferred tax assets as the 
Company believes that it is not more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be fully realized.

As  of  December 31,  2018,  the  Company  had  approximately  $7.2  million  in  federal  research  and 
development tax credit carry-forwards, which will start to expire in 2033, California research and development 
tax credit carry-forwards of approximately $24.3 million (there is no expiration of research and development tax 
credit carry-forwards for the state of California) and California net operating losses of $54.7 million which will 
begin to expire in 2032. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had Canadian scientific research and experimental 
development tax credit carry-forwards of approximately $2.6 million and New Jersey research and experimental 
development tax credit carry-forwards of approximately $0.9 million, which will start to expire in 2030 and 2026, 
respectively.

As discussed above the Tax Act required a transition tax on previously untaxed accumulated and current 
foreign earnings.  Correspondingly, all undistributed earnings were deemed to be taxed and distributions of the 
unremitted earnings will not have any significant U.S. federal income tax impact.  We have not provided for any 
remaining  tax effect, if any, of limited outside basis differences of our foreign subsidiaries based upon plans of 
future reinvestment. The determination of the future tax consequences of the remittance of these earnings is not 
practicable.

62

 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

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, 2016.............................................................................. $
Gross Increase for Tax Positions of Current Year........................................................................................
Gross Decrease for Tax Positions of Prior Years .........................................................................................
Unrecognized Tax Benefits Balance at December 31, 2016........................................................................
Gross Increase for Tax Positions of Current Year........................................................................................
Gross Decrease for Tax Positions of Prior Years .........................................................................................
Unrecognized Tax Benefits Balance at December 31, 2017........................................................................
Gross Increase for Tax Positions of Current Year........................................................................................
Gross Decrease for Tax Positions of Prior Years .........................................................................................
Unrecognized Tax Benefits Balance at December 31, 2018........................................................................ $

Unrecognized
Tax Benefits

13,560
1,856
(23)
15,393
1,699
(409)
16,683
1,994
(70)
18,607

  The Company's total unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, were $18.6 
million, $16.7 million and $15.4 million, respectively. An income tax benefit of $9.4 million, net of valuation 
allowance adjustments, would be recorded if these unrecognized tax benefits are recognized. 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 had accrued interest and penalties of $0.1 million as of both December 31, 
2018, and December 31, 2017, which have been recorded in long-term income taxes payable in the accompanying 
consolidated balance sheets.

 As of December 31, 2018, the Company has concluded all U.S. federal income tax matters for the years 
through 2012. However, due to tax attributes, the IRS may calculate tax adjustments for subsequent years for 
positions taken prior to 2012. There are currently no pending income tax audits.

On July 27, 2015, in Altera Corp. v. Commissioner, the U.S. Tax Court issued an opinion related to the 
treatment of stock-based compensation expense in an intercompany cost-sharing arrangement. A final decision 
was issued by the Tax Court in December 2015. In February 2016, the Commissioner appealed the Tax Court 
decision. On July 24, 2018, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the U.S. Tax Court’s decision Altera 
Corp. v. Commissioner; the reversal was subsequently withdrawn. The Company has reviewed this case and its 
impact and concluded that no adjustment to the consolidated financial statements is appropriate at this time. The 
Company  will  continue  to  monitor  ongoing  developments  and  potential  impacts  to  the  consolidated  financial 
statements.

12. 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 and a test facility in Biel, 
Switzerland. The Company leases administrative office space in Singapore and Switzerland, and R&D facilities 
in Canada and the United Kingdom, in addition to sales offices in various countries around the world.

63

 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Future minimum lease payments under all non-cancelable operating lease agreements as of December 31, 

2018, are as follows:

Fiscal Year
2019 ................................................................................................................................................................ $
2020 ................................................................................................................................................................
2021 ................................................................................................................................................................
2022 ................................................................................................................................................................
2023 ................................................................................................................................................................
Thereafter .......................................................................................................................................................

Total minimum lease payments ................................................................................................................... $

(in thousands)
2,310
1,779
1,397
944
691
994
8,115

  Total rent expense amounted to $2.2 million, $2.0 million and $1.9 million in the years ended December 31, 

2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Purchase Obligations

At December 31, 2018, the Company had no non-cancelable purchase obligations that were due beyond 

one year.

13. 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, Contingencies, 
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 pulse width modulation (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 
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 

64

 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

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 District Court reinstated 
the prior findings that Fairchild willfully infringed three of the Company’s patents; the Company intends to pursue 
its claim for financial compensation based on Fairchild’s infringement. Moreover, following a new Supreme Court 
case on patent damages, the District Court on October 4, 2018 determined that the Federal Circuit’s ruling on 
damages in the earlier appeal had been overruled; that issue is now on appeal at the Federal Circuit, with further 
briefing on the impact of the Supreme Court’s ruling and the scope of the proceedings on remand expected in the 
coming months.

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 
(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 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-

65

 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

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 challenged 
adverse findings on appeal; nevertheless, the Company estimated that even if the verdict on Fairchild’s patent had 
ultimately been upheld, the sales potentially impacted would have amounted to less than 0.5% 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, and both parties filed appeals with the Federal Circuit. After briefing was completed, oral argument 
on the appeal took place in early July 2016, and on December 12, 2016, the Federal Circuit issued its opinion in 
the appeal, overturning the lone infringement verdict against the Company, finding one of the Company’s patents 
invalid, and overturning the District Court’s jury instruction on inducement. In view of the Federal Circuit’s rejection 
of the District Court’s jury instruction on inducement, the Court also vacated the inducement findings and associated 
injunction against Fairchild and remanded the case for a retrial on inducement, but the underlying validity and 
infringement findings against Fairchild on those two patents remain intact. At the conclusion of the retrial, the jury 
returned a verdict in favor of the Company, finding that Fairchild willfully infringed the Company’s patents and 
induced infringement of the patents, awarding $24.3 million in damages on November 9, 2018. 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. Fairchild challenged the verdict, and the Company is also seeking enhanced 
damages for Fairchild’s willful infringement, in post-trial proceedings that will take place over the coming months, 
with appeals to follow.

On June 28, 2004, the Company filed a complaint for patent infringement in the U.S. District Court, 
Northern District of California, against System General Corporation (SG), 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 an International Trade Commission 
(ITC) investigation on the patents asserted in the District Court lawsuit, 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. 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 

66

 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

order enjoining SG and Fairchild 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, SG and Fairchild filed an amended answer 
including counterclaims accusing the Company of infringing two patents, and later Fairchild withdrew 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. 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 SG and Fairchild infringed the Company’s asserted patents and induced infringement by others, 
and  awarding  $105.0  million  in  damages.  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, with the retrial scheduled for December 2015. Thereafter, the 
parties completed pretrial proceedings challenging each other’s experts, and the Court granted portions of each 
party’s motions limiting the scope of expert testimony for purposes of the damages retrial, but neither party was 
successful in their efforts to prevent the other side’s experts from testifying at trial. Following a retrial on the issue 
of damages in December 2015, the jury returned a verdict in the Company’s favor, finding that the Company’s 
patented technology created the basis for customer demand for the infringing Fairchild products and awarding 
$139.8 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. Fairchild filed post-trial motions 
challenging the verdict, but the Court rejected Fairchild’s motions challenging the damages verdict in August 2016. 
The  Company  also  filed  motions  requesting  enhanced  damages  and  attorney  fees  and  reinstatement  of  the 
willfulness finding against Fairchild in view of an intervening change of law; on January 13, 2017, the District 
Court reinstated the finding that Fairchild’s infringement was willful but declined to enhance damages or award 
fees. In January 2017, Fairchild filed a further challenge to the verdict, but the Court rejected Fairchild’s motion 
and entered a final judgment of $146.5 million after factoring in pre-judgment interest. Fairchild’s appeal on the 
merits challenged the  infringement findings and  damages award.  In  July  2018,  on appeal,  the Federal Circuit 
affirmed the findings that Fairchild infringed both of the Company’s asserted patents but vacated the damages 
award and remanded the case for further proceedings. The Company has filed a petition for review by the Supreme 
Court seeking to overturn the Federal Circuit’s ruling, and the Court is expected to address the petition in the 
coming months.  Regardless of the outcome of the appeal, the Company intends to pursue its claim for damages, 
although the claims at issue in litigation currently stand rejected in IPR proceedings, subject to appeal as discussed 
below.

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 took place. Following a hearing in May 2015, the Federal Circuit ruled 
in the Company’s favor on August 12, 2015, overturning the PTO’s claim construction and remanding the case for 
further proceedings. On remand, the PTO ignored the Federal Circuit’s guidance, so the Company filed another 

67

 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

appeal to the Federal Circuit; in that second appeal, the Federal Circuit overturned the PTO’s rulings and confirmed 
the validity of the challenged claims of the Company’s patent on March 19, 2018. On September 21, 2018, the 
Patent Office issued a reexamination certificate confirming the validity of the claims of the patent in question, 
bringing this matter to a close.

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 alleged 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 withdrew its claim for infringement of one 
of the patents it asserted against the Company after the Company’s preliminary challenge. The parties streamlined 
their contentions in view of the Court’s pretrial rulings, and following a trial in late May and early June 2015, a 
jury returned a verdict finding that Fairchild infringed one of the Company’s patents, that Fairchild has induced 
and contributed to others’ infringement of  the Company’s patent, and that the Company induced infringement of 
a Fairchild patent that was previously found infringed in the 2012 trial described above, with a damages award of 
$2.4 million in favor of Fairchild. Both parties filed post-trial motions and challenges to various portions of the 
jury verdicts, and the Court addressed the first wave of post-trial motions, denying each side’s challenges to the 
verdict and denying Fairchild’s request for an injunction. In parallel proceedings, the Federal Circuit overturned 
the underlying finding of infringement against the Company on the Fairchild patent-in-suit, and the Company 
moved to vacate the inducement and damages judgment against the Company, a motion that Fairchild did not 
oppose.  Following  a  retrial  on  indirect  infringement  and  damages  for  Fairchild’s  infringement  of  one  of  the 
Company’s asserted patents, a jury awarded the Company $0.7 million in damages on November 15, 2018; post-
trial proceedings are under way, with appeals to follow.

On October 21, 2015, the Company filed a complaint for patent infringement in the United States District 
Court for the Northern District of California against Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation, Fairchild Semiconductor 
International,  Inc.,  and  wholly-owned  subsidiary  Fairchild  (Taiwan)  Corporation  (referred  to  collectively  as 
“Fairchild”) to address Fairchild’s continued infringement of two patents Fairchild was previously found to infringe 
in the three District Court cases the Company brought against Fairchild discussed above. In each of the three prior 
cases, Fairchild was found to infringe one of the patents at issue in the latest complaint, and Fairchild’s challenges 
to the validity of the patents were rejected during the course of the prior lawsuits as well. Fairchild has answered 
the Company’s complaint, 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. Fairchild’s answer also included counterclaims 
accusing the Company of infringing four patents pertaining to power conversion integrated circuit devices, including 
one patent the Company was found not to infringe in prior litigation. 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. On December 15, 2016, the Court stayed the case pending 
resolution of the parties’ inter partes review (IPR) and reexamination proceedings regarding the patents-in-suit. 
Further rulings are expected from the Court in the coming months in view of additional briefing regarding the 
Company’s proposal to move forward with some of the Company’s claims.

On March 10, 2016, Silver Star Capital, LLC filed a petition with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office 
(PTO) requesting that the PTO conduct an IPR of the validity of the Company’s U.S. Patent No. 6,212,079 (the 
‘079 patent), which the Company has asserted against Fairchild Semiconductor in the California litigation initiated 
in 2004, as discussed above.  The Company’s ‘079 patent is also asserted in the Company’s most recent lawsuits 
against Fairchild filed in October 2015 and against ON Semiconductor filed in November 2016, also discussed 
herein.  On  March  29,  2016,  ON  Semiconductor  Corporation  filed  another  petition  requesting    -an  IPR  of  the 
Company’s ‘079 patent. Since that time, ON Semiconductor has filed eleven more IPR petitions requesting review 

68

 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

of various patents that the Company has previously asserted against Fairchild as described above, and another 
eleven IPR petitions requesting review of various patents that the Company asserted against ON Semiconductor 
as  described  herein. The  PTO  denied  Silver  Star  Capital’s  IPR  petition  on  the  ‘079  patent  but  instituted  IPR 
proceedings with respect to ON Semiconductor’s petition directed to the ‘079 patent. On September 22, 2017, the 
PTO rejected as obvious the claims of the Company’s ‘079 patent that were asserted in litigation and which formed 
the basis for the $146.5 million judgment against Fairchild; an appeal has been filed to reverse the PTO’s adverse 
findings, with further proceeding expected in the coming months. The PTO also instituted IPR proceedings in 
response to eight of ON Semiconductor’s eleven other petitions challenging patents previously asserted against 
Fairchild, denying institution in three cases, and the PTO has rejected a number of the Company’s patent claims 
in the context of these ongoing proceedings. In one case, the PTO rejected as anticipated the claims of the Company’s 
U.S. Patent No. 6,538,908 that were asserted in litigation against Fairchild; an appeal is under way, with briefing 
expected in the coming months, and further proceedings and appeals regarding other IPRs are expected in the 
coming months as well. Although the validity of many of the Company’s challenged patents has previously been 
confirmed in the Company’s District Court litigation with Fairchild and in many cases in prior PTO reexamination 
proceedings as well, and though the Company intends to vigorously defend the validity of its patents, the outcome 
of the IPR proceedings is uncertain.

On April 1, 2016, Opticurrent, LLC filed a complaint against the Company in the United States District 
Court for the Eastern District of Texas. In its complaint, Opticurrent alleges that the Company has infringed and 
is infringing one patent pertaining to transistor switch devices. The Company filed a motion to transfer the case 
to California, which the Court granted, and the case was assigned to a new judge in San Francisco following the 
transfer. On December 21, 2018, the Court granted the Company’s challenge to Opticurrent’s damages expert but 
denied the Company’s motion for summary judgment; trial is scheduled for February 2019, with further proceedings 
and appeals to follow. The Company intends to vigorously defend itself against Opticurrent’s claims.

On August 11, 2016, ON Semiconductor filed a complaint against the Company in the United States 
District  Court  for  the  District  of Arizona.  In  its  complaint,  ON  Semiconductor  alleged  that  the  Company  has 
infringed and is infringing six patents and requested injunctive relief. The Company filed a motion to transfer the 
case to the Northern District of California, which the Court granted, and the case has been consolidated with the 
Company’s affirmative case against ON Semiconductor in the Northern District of California, as discussed below. 
The Company believes it has valid defenses and intends to vigorously defend itself against ON Semiconductor’s 
claims.

On November 1, 2016, the Company filed a lawsuit against ON Semiconductor in the United States 
District Court for the Northern District of California to address ON Semiconductor’s infringement of six patents. 
The court denied ON Semiconductor’s motion requesting that the case be transferred to Arizona and scheduled 
trial for December of 2019, with interim deadlines for claim construction and dispositive motions. In consolidating 
the pleadings from the California and Arizona cases following the transfer of ON Semiconductor’s case from 
Arizona, ON Semiconductor asserted two additional patents, bringing the total number of patents asserted against 
the Company to eight in this case, and ON Semiconductor’s amended complaint also seeks a declaration of non-
infringement  with  respect  to  another  of  the  Company’s  patents  that  was  previously  asserted  against  Fairchild 
Semiconductor. Further proceedings and discovery will take place over the coming months, with a trial scheduled 
for December of 2019.

On December 27, 2016, ON Semiconductor filed a complaint against the Company in the United States 
District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. In its complaint, ON Semiconductor alleged that the Company has 
infringed  and  is  infringing  six  patents  and  requests  injunctive  relief.  On  March  9,  2017,  ON  Semiconductor 
dismissed its Texas complaint and re-filed a substantially similar complaint in the District of Delaware. After the 
Company filed a motion to dismiss, ON Semiconductor filed an amended complaint; the Company has answered 
ON Semiconductor’s complaint and asserted claims for infringement of several of the Company’s patents. Trial 

69

 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

has  been  scheduled  for  February  of  2020,  with  interim  deadlines  for  discovery  and  dispositive  motions. The 
Company believes it has valid defenses and intends to vigorously defend itself against ON Semiconductor’s claims.

In November 2017, ON Semiconductor filed suit against the Company in Taiwan charging the Company 
with infringing three Taiwanese patents and seeking an injunction and damages of approximately $1.0 million. 
Briefing  on  various  disputed  issues  is  under  way,  and  issues  of  jurisdiction,  claim  construction,  validity,  and 
infringement are expected to be addressed in the coming months, but the Company believes it has valid defenses 
and intends to vigorously defend itself against ON Semiconductor’s claims.

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.

14. RETIREMENT PLANS:

The Company sponsors a defined benefit pension plan (Pension Plan) for its Swiss subsidiary in accordance 
with the legal requirements of Switzerland. 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, 2018, 2017 and 2016. At December 31, 2018, the projected benefit obligation 
was  $10.2  million,  the  plan  assets  were  $6.4  million  and  the  net  pension  liability  was  $3.8  million. As  of 
December 31, 2017, the projected benefit obligation was $10.6 million, the plan assets were $6.8 million, and the 
net  pension  liability  was  $3.9  million.  The  Company  has  recorded  the  unfunded  amount  as  a  liability  in  its 
consolidated  balance  sheet  at  December 31,  2018  and  2017,  under  the  other  liabilities  caption. The  Company 
expects to make contributions to the Pension Plan of approximately $0.3 million during 2019. The unrealized 
actuarial loss on pension benefits, net of tax, at December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 was $0.7 million, $1.2 million
and  $1.9  million,  respectively.  These  amounts  were  reflected  in  Note  3  under  the  caption  accumulated  other 
comprehensive loss.

In accordance with the Compensation-Retirement Benefits Topic of ASC 715-20, Defined Benefits Plan, 
the Company recognizes the over-funded or under-funded status of its defined post-retirement 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.

15. BANK LINE OF CREDIT:

On July 27, 2016, the Company entered into a credit agreement with a bank (the "Credit Agreement") 
that provides the Company with a $75.0 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  30,  2018,  to  extend  the  termination  date  from  July  26,  2019,  to April  30,  2022,  with  all  other  terms 
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. The Credit Agreement terminates on April 30, 2022; all advances 

70

 
 
 
 
 
 
POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

under the revolving line of credit will become due on such date, or earlier in the event of a default. As of December 31, 
2018, the Company was compliant with all covenants and had no amount outstanding under the Credit Agreement.

16. 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, 2018 and 2017.

  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. The operating results for 
any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results for any subsequent period or for the entire fiscal year.

Three Months Ended

(unaudited)

(in thousands, except per share data)

2018

2018

2018

2018

2017

2017

2017

2017

Net revenues........................................... $ 93,307

$110,085

$109,482

$103,081

$108,249

$111,255

$107,563

$104,688

Dec. 31,

Sept. 30,

June 30, Mar. 31,

Dec. 31,

Sept. 30,

June 30, Mar. 31,

48,005
Gross profit ............................................
Net income (loss)(1) ................................ $ 22,736
Earnings (loss) per share

57,005

56,234

53,544

54,028

55,713

53,447

50,476

$ 17,667

$ 15,381

$ 14,200

$ (16,898) $ 16,506

$ 13,902

$ 14,099

Basic................................................. $

Diluted.............................................. $

0.78

0.77

$

$

0.60

0.59

$

$

0.52

0.51

$

$

0.48

0.46

$

$

(0.57) $

(0.57) $

0.55

0.54

$

$

0.47

0.46

$

$

0.48

0.47

Shares used in per share calculation

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

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

29,164

29,651

29,365

29,998

29,505

30,183

29,799

30,552

29,759

29,759

29,759

30,614

29,720

30,454

29,456

30,248

_______________
(1) 

In December 2017 the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts 
and  Jobs Act  (Refer  to  Note  11,  Provision  (Benefit)  for  Income  Taxes,  in  the  Notes  to  Consolidated  Financial 
Statements).

Schedule II

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

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.

The following is a summary of the activity in the allowance for ship and debit credits:

(in thousands)
Allowance for ship and debit credits:
Year ended December 31, 2016.......................... $
Year ended December 31, 2017.......................... $
Year ended December 31, 2018.......................... $

Balance at
Beginning of
Period

Charged to
Costs and
Expenses

Deductions(1)

Balance at End
of Period

34,415
38,075
39,486

$
$
$

262,501
273,492
242,068

$
$
$

(258,841) $
(272,081) $
(241,436) $

38,075
39,486
40,118

_______________
(1)  

Deductions relate to ship and debit credits issued which adjust the sales price from the standard distribution price to 
the  pre-approved  lower  price.  Refer  to  Note  2,  Significant  Accounting  Policies  and  Recent  Accounting 
Pronouncements, for the Company’s revenue recognition policy, including the Company’s accounting for ship and 
debit claims.

71

 
 
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  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, 2018, 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, 2018, our internal control over financial reporting was effective.

72

 
 
  The effectiveness of Power Integrations' internal control over financial reporting as of  December 31, 
2018, 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 2018, 
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. 

73

 
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

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

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of Power Integrations, Inc. and subsidiaries 
(the “Company”) as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework 
(2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). In our opinion, 
the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 
31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight 
Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 
2018,  of  the  Company  and  our  report  dated  February 13,  2019  expressed  an  unqualified  opinion  on  those 
consolidated financial statements.

Basis for Opinion 

The  Company’s  management  is  responsible  for  maintaining  effective  internal  control  over  financial 
reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the 
accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express 
an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting 
firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance 
with  the  U.S.  federal  securities  laws  and  the  applicable  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Securities  and  Exchange 
Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that 
we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial 
reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control 
over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and 
operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we 
considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

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

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect 
misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that 
controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the 
policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

San Jose, California
February 13, 2019

74

 
 
 
 
 
 
Item 9B. Other Information.

Compensation Matters

On February 12, 2019, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of Power Integrations, 
Inc. (the “Company”) took the following compensation actions with respect to the Company’s chief executive 
officer, chief financial officer, and other “named executive officers” as defined in Rule 402 of SEC Regulation S-
K (collectively, the “Officers”).

2019 Performance-based Incentive Plan

Approved the 2019 Performance-based Incentive Plan (the “2019 PSU Plan”) as follows:

Each officer, as described below, was granted performance stock units, referred to as “PSUs,” which will 
vest (referred to as a “payout” below) based on Company performance as against the 2019 PSU Plan’s established 
net  revenue  targets,  non-GAAP  operating  income  targets  and  strategic  goals,  each  as  established  by  the 
Compensation Committee.  The 2019 target net revenue and non-GAAP operating income levels are intended to 
have difficulty in attainment levels consistent with the Company’s 2018 PSU Plan.

The portion of the performance stock units granted under the 2019 PSU Plan that will vest will be calculated 
independently for each of its net revenue, non-GAAP operating income and strategic goals components. “Net 
revenue” is as set forth in the Company’s annual report for 2019 to be filed with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (“SEC”). “Non-GAAP operating income” means operating income for 2019 determined in accordance 
with GAAP but excluding the following items: (i) stock-based compensation expenses recorded under Accounting 
Standards Codification 718; (ii) amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, and the fair-value write-up 
of acquired inventory; (iii) any other mergers and acquisitions related expenses; and (iv) any other adjustment 
made to arrive at the Company’s non-GAAP financial information as presented in the Company’s SEC filings. 
Further, in the event of any mergers, acquisitions or divestitures, or any patent or other litigation settlements or 
judgments,  during  the  performance  period,  the  net  revenue  and  non-GAAP  operating  income  targets  shall  be 
adjusted based on a revised plan approved by the Board of Directors. The strategic goals component is made up 
of five different strategic goals for the Company.

Weighting of the target components is as follows:

Net revenue.............................................................................................................................
Non-GAAP operating income ................................................................................................
Strategic goals ........................................................................................................................
Total........................................................................................................................................

35%
35%
30%
100%

 Net Revenue Component of the 2019 PSU Plan:

No payout will be made under the net revenue component of the 2019 PSU Plan if the Company’s 2019 
actual net revenue does not exceed at least the established minimum amount of net revenue as set forth in the 2019 
PSU Plan. To the extent 2019 actual net revenue is above the minimum amount of net revenue, the payout increases 
linearly from zero at the minimum amount of net revenue as set forth in the 2019 PSU Plan up to 100% of the net 
revenue component of the target when actual net revenue equals target net revenue in the 2019 PSU Plan. If 2019 
actual net revenue is above the target amount of net revenue, then the payout for performance above target increases 
linearly from the target amount up to a maximum of 200% of the net revenue component of the target when actual 
net revenue equals or exceeds the established target to achieve the maximum amount payout under the net revenue 
component of the 2019 PSU Plan.

Non-GAAP Operating Income Component of the 2019 PSU Plan:

No payout will be made under the non-GAAP operating income component of the 2019 PSU Plan if the 
Company’s 2019 actual non-GAAP operating income does not exceed at least the established minimum amount 
of non-GAAP operating income as set forth in the 2019 PSU Plan. To the extent 2019 actual non-GAAP operating 

75

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
income is above the minimum amount of non-GAAP operating income, the payout increases linearly from zero at 
the minimum amount of non-GAAP operating income as set forth in the 2019 PSU Plan up to 100% of the non-
GAAP operating income component of the target when actual non-GAAP operating income equals target non-
GAAP operating income in the 2019 PSU Plan. If 2019 actual non-GAAP operating income is above the target 
amount of non-GAAP operating income, then the payout for performance above target increases linearly from the 
target amount up to a maximum of 200% of the non-GAAP operating income component of the target when actual 
non-GAAP operating income equals or exceeds the established target to achieve the maximum amount payout 
under the non-GAAP operating income component of the 2019 PSU Plan.

Strategic Goals Component of the 2019 PSU Plan:

Each of the five goals in the strategic goals component of the 2019 PSU Plan is assigned a percentage, 
which percentages range from 4% to 14%, and which collectively add up to 30%.  If the Company’s 2019 actual 
achievement of a goal does not exceed at least the established minimum requirement for a particular goal, then no 
amount is earned for that goal. To the extent 2019 actual performance for a goal is better than the established 
minimum for the goal, then the payout increases linearly from zero at the minimum amount of performance as set 
forth  in  the  2019  PSU  Plan  up  to  100%  of  the  amount  for  that  goal  when  actual  performance  equals  target 
performance for that goal in the 2019 PSU Plan. To the extent 2019 actual performance for a goal is better than 
the established target for the goal, then the payout for performance above target increasing linearly from the target 
amount actual performance, up to a maximum of 200% for the specific goal when actual performance equals or 
exceeds the established target to achieve the maximum payout under the specific goal as set forth in the 2019 PSU 
Plan.

2019 Target Performance Stock Units

Approved the 2019 target performance stock units for the Officers as follows:

Executive Officer
Balu Balakrishnan
Sandeep Nayyar
Radu Barsan
David “Mike” Matthews
Ben Sutherland

Title
President and Chief Executive Officer ..............................
Chief Financial Officer......................................................
Vice President, Technology ...............................................
Vice President, Product Development...............................
Vice President, Worldwide Sales.......................................

2019 Target PSUs
10,500
3,200
3,000
2,200
2,200

The actual number of shares subject to the performance stock units is twice the target level shown in the 
table above to enable the payout of up to 200% of the target amount if the actual net revenue, non-GAAP operating 
income and strategic goals achievement equal or exceed the established levels to achieve the maximum amount 
of the 2019 PSU Plan.

2019 Restricted Stock Unit Grants

Approved restricted stock unit, referred to as RSU, grants to the following Officers:

Executive Officer
Balu Balakrishnan
Sandeep Nayyar
Radu Barsan
David “Mike” Matthews
Ben Sutherland

Title
President and Chief Executive Officer ..............................
Chief Financial Officer......................................................
Vice President, Technology ...............................................
Vice President, Product Development...............................
Vice President, Worldwide Sales.......................................

2019 RSU Grants
48,000
11,100
9,900
8,700
7,800

The RSU grants will be effective on the grant date. Twenty-five percent (25%) of the RSUs vest on the 
one year anniversary of the vesting commencement date (as specified in the Officers’ RSU award agreements), 
and an additional twenty-five percent (25%) of the RSUs vest annually over the next three (3) years thereafter, 
subject to the respective Officer’s continuous service.

76

 
 
 
 
 
2019 Long-term Performance-Based Incentive Plan

Approved the 2019 Long-term Performance-Based Incentive Plan (“2019 PRSU Plan”) as follows:

Each officer, as described below, was granted long term performance stock units, referred to as “PRSUs,” 
which will vest (referred to as a “payout” below) based on Company performance as against the 2019 PRSU Plan’s 
established 2021 net revenue target, as established by the Compensation Committee.  The 2021 net revenue target 
level is intended to have a difficulty in attainment level consistent with the Company’s 2018 PRSU Plan target net 
revenue level.  The portion of the performance stock units that will vest will be calculated based on the Company’s 
2021 net revenue and awarded in early 2022 upon approval by the Compensation Committee. “Net revenue” is as 
set forth in the Company’s annual report for 2021 to be filed with the SEC.  Further, in the event of any mergers, 
acquisitions or divestitures, or any patent or other litigation settlements or judgments, during the performance 
period, the net revenue target shall be adjusted based on a revised plan approved by the Board of Directors.

No payout will be made in early 2022 under the 2019 PRSU Plan if the Company’s 2021 actual net revenue 
does not exceed at least the established minimum amount of net revenue as set forth in the 2019 PRSU Plan. To 
the extent 2021 actual net revenue is above the minimum amount of net revenue, the payout increases linearly 
from zero at the minimum amount of net revenue as set forth in the 2019 PRSU Plan up to 100% of the net revenue 
component of the target when actual net revenue equals target net revenue in the 2019 PRSU Plan. If 2021 actual 
net revenue is above the target amount of net revenue, then the payout for performance above target increases 
linearly from the target amount up to a maximum of 200% of the net revenue component of the target when actual 
net revenue equals or exceeds the established target to achieve the maximum amount payout under the 2019 PRSU 
Plan. Except to the extent provided in the executive officer benefits agreements between the Company and each 
Officer, each Officer must be employed through the end of the performance period to receive stock pursuant to 
the PRSUs under the 2019 PRSU Plan.

2019 Target PRSUs

Approved the target 2019 PRSUs for the Officers as follows:

Executive Officer
Balu Balakrishnan
Sandeep Nayyar
Radu Barsan
David “Mike” Matthews
Ben Sutherland

Title
President and Chief Executive Officer ..............................
Chief Financial Officer......................................................
Vice President, Technology ...............................................
Vice President, Product Development...............................
Vice President, Worldwide Sales.......................................

2019 Target PRSUs
16,000
3,700
3,300
2,900
2,600

The actual number of shares subject to the PRSUs is twice the target level shown in the table above to 
enable the payout of up to 200% of the target amount if actual net revenue equals or exceeds the established level 
to achieve the maximum amount of the 2019 PRSU Plan.

2019 Salaries

Approved the 2019 salaries for the Officers, to be effective at the end of March 2019, as follows:

Executive Officer
Balu Balakrishnan
Sandeep Nayyar
Radu Barsan
David “Mike” Matthews
Ben Sutherland

Title
President and Chief Executive Officer ..............................
Chief Financial Officer......................................................
Vice President, Technology ...............................................
Vice President, Product Development...............................
Vice President, Worldwide Sales.......................................

2019 Salary
610,000
375,000
350,000
320,000
320,000

77

 
 
 
 
 
 
PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance. 

  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, 2018, or the Proxy Statement, and 
is incorporated herein by reference:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Information regarding our directors and any persons nominated to become a director is set forth under 
the caption “Proposal 1 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 Election of Directors” and “Report of the Audit Committee of the 
Board.”

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  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 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 
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.

78

 
 
 
 
 
 
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  with  the  caption  “Ratification  of  Selection  of  Independent  Registered  Public 
Accounting Firm” in the Proxy Statement, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

79

 
 
 
 
 
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

PART IV

(a) 

1. 

2. 

The financial statements required by Item 15(a) are included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 
10-K.

The  financial  statement  schedule  required  by  Item  15(a)  (Schedule  II,  Valuation  and  Qualifying 
Accounts) is included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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

(b)  Exhibits

Exhibit
Number

Exhibit Description

3.1 Restated Certificate of Incorporation

3.2 Amended and Restated Bylaws

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*

Form of Indemnity Agreement for directors
and officers

Power Integrations, Inc. Compliance Policy
Regarding IRC Section 409A

1997 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as
amended

Forms of agreement under 1997 Employee
Stock Purchase Plan

1997 Stock Option Plan (as amended
through January 25, 2005)

Forms of Option Agreements under the
1997 Stock Option Plan

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

10.8* Amendment to Immediately Exercisable
Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement
between Power Integrations, Inc. and Balu
Balakrishnan, dated February 2, 2009

10.9*

1997 Outside Directors Stock Option Plan

10.10* Amendment No. 1 to the Power

Integrations, Inc. 1997 Outside Directors
Stock Option Plan, effective as of January
27, 2009

Incorporation by Reference

File
Number

000-23441

000-23441

Exhibit/
Appendix
Reference

3.1

3.1

Filing Date

2/29/2012

4/26/2013

Form

10-K

8-K

Filed
Herewith

S-1

333-35421

10.1

9/11/1997

10-K

000-23441

10.63

3/2/2009

DEF14A

000-23441

Appendix B

3/25/2016

S-1

333-35421

10-Q

000-23441

10.5

10.5

9/11/1997

5/6/2005

10-K

000-23441

10.41

8/8/2007

10-K

000-23441

10.40

8/8/2007

10-K

000-23441

10.59

3/2/2009

10-Q

10-K

000-23441

000-23441

10.3

10.62

8/6/2009

3/2/2009

10.11* Amendment No. 2 to the Power

10-Q

000-23441

10.2

5/6/2010

Integrations, Inc. 1997 Outside Directors
Stock Option Plan, effective as of April 12,
2010

10.12*

Forms of agreement under 1997 Outside
Directors Stock Option Plan

10.13* Amendment No. 1 to Nonstatutory Stock
Option Agreements for Outside Directors,
dated February 20, 2007, between us and
Alan Bickell

S-1

333-35421

10.4

9/11/1997

10-K

000-23441

10.35

3/8/2007

80

Exhibit
Number

Exhibit Description

10.14* Amendment No. 1 to Nonstatutory Stock
Option Agreements for Outside Directors,
dated February 20, 2007, between us and
Nicholas Brathwaite

10.15*

Form of Director Option Grant Agreement.

10.16* Director Equity Compensation Program, as

revised in March 2018

10.17*

Forms of Stock Option Agreements to be
used in Director Equity Compensation
Program

Incorporation by Reference

File
Number

Exhibit/
Appendix
Reference

Filing Date

Filed
Herewith

000-23441

10.36

3/8/2007

000-23441

000-23441

10.9

10.2

5/6/2009

4/27/2018

Form

10-K

10-Q

10-Q

10-Q

000-23441

10.5

11/7/2008

10.18* Outside Director Cash Compensation

10-Q

000-23441

10.3

11/3/2010

Arrangements

10.19*

2007 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended and
restated

10-Q

000-23441

10.2

8/7/2012

10.20*

Forms of Option Agreements under the
2007 Equity Incentive Plan

Schedule TO

000-23441

99.(D)(4)

12/3/2008

10.21*

10.22*

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice
and Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award
Agreement under the 2007 Equity Incentive
Plan

Form of Performance Stock Unit Grant
Notice and Performance Stock Unit
Agreement (as used after to January 1,
2013) under the 2007 Equity Incentive Plan

10.23*

Form of Long Term Performance Stock Unit
Notice and Agreement under the 2007
Equity Incentive Plan

10.24*

Power Integrations, Inc. 2016 Incentive
Award Plan

10.25*

10.26*

10.27*

Form of restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice
and Agreement under the 2016 Incentive
Award Plan

Form of Performance Stock Unit Notice and
Agreement under the 2007 Equity Incentive
Plan

Form of Long Term Performance Stock Unit
Notice and Agreement under the 2007
Equity Incentive Plan

10-Q

000-23441

10.1

5/6/2010

10-K

000-23441

10.29

2/22/2013

10-K

000-23441

10.84

2/10/2015

DEF14A

000-23441

Appendix A

3/25/2016

10-K

000-23441

10.25

2/8/2017

10-K

000-23441

10.26

2/8/2017

10-K

000-23441

10.27

2/8/2017

10.28 Technology License Agreement between us

10-Q

000-23441

10.28

11/14/2000

and Matsushita Electronics Corporation,
dated as of June 29, 2000

10.29† Wafer Supply Agreement between us and

10-Q

000-23441

10.32

8/7/2003

ZMD Analog Mixed Signal Services GmbH
& Co. KG, dated as of May 23, 2003

10.30† Amended and Restated Wafer Supply

10-Q

000-23441

10.31

8/7/2003

Agreement between us and OKI Electric
Industry Co., Ltd., dated as of April 1, 2003

81

Exhibit
Number

Exhibit Description

10.31† 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

Incorporation by Reference

File
Number

Exhibit/
Appendix
Reference

000-23441

10.22

Form

8-K

Filed
Herewith

Filing Date

4/18/2006

10.32 Amendment Number Two to the Amended

10-Q

000-23441

10.5

8/8/2008

and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement
between Power Integrations International,
Ltd. and OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd.,
effective as of April 1, 2008

10.33 Amendment Number Three to the Amended

10-Q

000-23441

10.6

8/8/2008

and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement
between Power Integrations International,
Ltd. and OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd.,
effective as of June 9, 2008

10.34† Amendment Number Four to the Amended

10-Q

000-23441

10.2

11/7/2008

and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement
between Power Integrations International,
Ltd. and OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd.,
dated September 15, 2008

10.35† Amendment Number Five to the Amended

10-K

000-23441

10.61

3/2/2009

and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement
between Power Integrations International,
Ltd. and OKI Semiconductor Co., Ltd.,
effective as of November 14, 2008

10.36† Amendment Number Six to the Amended

10-K

000-23441

10.32

2/11/2016

and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement
between Power Integrations International,
Ltd. and OKI Semiconductor Co., Ltd.,
effective as of November 1, 2015

10.37† Amendment Number Seven to the Amended

10-Q

000-23441

10.1

11/1/2016

and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement
between Power Integrations International,
Ltd. and OKI Semiconductor Co., Ltd.,
effective as of August 8, 2016

10.38† Amendment Number Eight to the Amended

10-Q

000-23441

10.1

10/26/2017

and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement
between Power Integrations International,
Ltd. and OKI Semiconductor Co., Ltd.,
effective as of July 26, 2017

10.39† Wafer Supply Agreement, between Seiko

10-Q

000-23441

10.1

11/7/2008

Epson Corporation and Power Integrations
International, Ltd. effective as of April 1,
2005

10.40† Amendment Number One to the Wafer

10-Q

000-23441

10.1

5/6/2009

Supply Agreement between Power
Integrations International, Ltd. and Seiko
Epson Corporation, with an effective date of
December 19, 2008

10.41† Amendment Number Two to Wafer Supply
Agreement, between Seiko Epson
Corporation and Power Integrations
International, Ltd., entered into on January
5, 2011

10.42† Amendment Number Three to Wafer Supply

Agreement, effective as of February 1,
2012, by Power Integrations International
Ltd. and Seiko Epson Corporation

10-K

000-23441

10.47

2/25/2011

10-Q

000-23441

10.1

5/8/2012

82

Exhibit
Number

Exhibit Description

10.43† Development Addendum to Wafer Supply

Agreement, dated September 22, 2013,
between Seiko Epson Corporation and
Power Integrations International Ltd

10.44† Amendment Number Four to Wafer Supply
Agreement, effective as of April 1, 2015, by
Power Integrations International Ltd. and
Seiko Epson Corporation

Incorporation by Reference

File
Number

Exhibit/
Appendix
Reference

000-23441

10.1

Form

10-Q

Filed
Herewith

Filing Date

11/1/2013

10-K

000-23441

10.38

2/11/2016

10.45† Amendment Number Five to Wafer Supply

10-K

000-23441

10.39

2/11/2016

Agreement, effective as of November 2,
2015, by Power Integrations International
Ltd. and Seiko Epson Corporation

10.46† Amendment Number Six to Wafer Supply

10-K

000-23441

10.40

2/11/2016

Agreement, effective as of December 8,
2015, by Power Integrations International
Ltd. and Seiko Epson Corporation

10.47† Amendment Number Seven to Wafer

10-K

000-23441

10.46

2/8/2017

Supply Agreement, effective as of October
3, 2016, by Power Integrations International
Ltd. and Seiko Epson Corporation

10.48† Amendment Number Eight to Wafer Supply

10-K

000-23441

10.47

2/8/2017

Agreement, effective as of November 8,
2016 by Power Integrations International
Ltd. and Seiko Epson Corporation

10.49† Amendment Number One to the Amended

10-K

000-23441

10.66

2/26/2010

and Restated Wafer Supply Agreement
between Power Integrations International,
Ltd. and XFAB Dresden GmbH & Co. KG,
effective as of July 20, 2005

10.50† Wafer Supply Agreement, made and entered

10-Q

000-23441

10.2

5/8/2012

into as of October 1, 2010, by and between
Power Integrations International, Ltd., and
X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries AG

10.51† Amendment Number One to Wafer Supply
Agreement, effective as of January 1, 2014,
between Power Integrations International,
Ltd., and X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries
AG

10.52† Amendment Number Two to the Wafer

Supply Agreement, effective as of
December 1, 2018, between Power
Integrations International, Ltd., and X-FAB
Semiconductor Foundries GmbH (formerly

10.53

First Amendment to Credit Agreement,
dated April 30, 2018 by and between Power
Integrations, Inc. and Wells Fargo Bank,
National Association

10-Q/A

000-23441

10.2

9/19/2014

X

10-Q

000-23441

10.1

7/26/2018

10.54 Credit Agreement, dated July 27, 2016, by

10-Q

000-23441

10.1

7/29/2016

and between Power Integrations Inc. and
Wells Fargo Bank, National Association

10.55

2017 Executive Officer Compensation
Arrangements and 2017 Performance Based
Incentive Plan

10-K

000-23441

Item 9B.

2/8/2017

83

Exhibit
Number

10.56*

Exhibit Description

2016 Executive Officer Compensation
Arrangements and 2016 Performance Based
Incentive Plan

Incorporation by Reference

File
Number

Exhibit/
Appendix
Reference

Filing Date

Filed
Herewith

000-23441

Item 5.02

2/1/2016

Form

8-K

10.57*

2018 Executive Officer Cash Compensation
Arrangements and 2018 Bonus Plan

10-K

000-23441

Item 9B

2/14/2018

10.58* Offer Letter, dated June 23, 2010, between

10-Q

000-23441

10.2

8/6/2010

10.59*

10.60*

Power Integrations, Inc. and Sandeep
Nayyar
Form of Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice
and Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award
Agreement for executive officers for use
prior to January 2013

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice
and Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award
Agreement for executive officers for use
after January 2013

10.61* Amended and Restated Chief Executive
Officer Benefits Agreement, dated as of
May 1, 2014, between Power Integrations,
Inc. and Balu Balakrishnan

10-Q

000-23441

10.6

8/6/2010

10-K

000-23441

10.48

2/22/2013

10-Q

000-23441

10.3

5/5/2014

10.62* Amended and Restated Executive Officer

10-Q

000-23441

10.5

5/5/2014

Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1,
2014, between Power Integrations, Inc. and
Cliff Walker

10.63* Amended and Restated Executive Officer

10-Q

000-23441

10.6

5/5/2014

Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1,
2014, between Power Integrations, Inc. and
Doug Bailey

10.64* Amended and Restated Executive Officer

10-Q

000-23441

10.7

5/5/2014

Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1,
2014, between Power Integrations, Inc. and
Ben Sutherland

10.65* Amended and Restated Executive Officer

10-Q

000-23441

10.8

5/5/2014

Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1,
2014, between Power Integrations, Inc. and
Sandeep Nayyar

10.66* Amended and Restated Executive Officer

10-Q

000-23441

10.10

5/5/2014

Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1,
2014, between Power Integrations, Inc. and
Mike Matthews

10.67* Amended and Restated Executive Officer

10-Q

000-23441

10.11

5/5/2014

Benefits Agreement, dated as of May 1,
2014, between Power Integrations, Inc. and
Radu Barsan

10.68*

Executive Officer Benefits Agreement,
dates as of April 23, 2015, between Power
Integrations, Inc. and Raja Petrakian

10-Q

000-23441

10.1

7/31/2015

10.69* May 2017 RSU grants to named executive

10-Q

000-23441

officers

Item 5 
of Part II

5/5/2017

14.1 Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

8-K

000-23441

14.1

2/4/2008

21.1 List of subsidiaries

23.1 Consent of Independent Registered Public

Accounting Firm

24.1

Power of Attorney (See signature page)

31.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-
Oxley Act of 2002

84

X

X

X

X

Exhibit
Number

Exhibit Description

Form

Incorporation by Reference

File
Number

Exhibit/
Appendix
Reference

Filing Date

Filed
Herewith

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

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

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.

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary

Not provided.

85

 
  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 13, 2019

By:

/s/ SANDEEP NAYYAR

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

Sandeep Nayyar
Chief Financial Officer (Duly Authorized 
Officer, Principal Financial Officer and Chief 
Accounting Officer)

86

 
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 or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and 
agent, with full power of substitution and, for him or her and in his or her 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 or she might 
or could do in  person,  hereby ratifying and  confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or  his or her 
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 13, 2019

Dated: February 13, 2019

Dated: February 13, 2019

Dated: February 13, 2019

Dated: February 13, 2019

Dated: February 13, 2019

Dated: February 13, 2019

Dated: February 13, 2019

Dated: February 13, 2019

Dated: February 13, 2019

By:

By:

By:

By:

By:

By:

By:

By:

By:

By:

/s/ BALU BALAKRISHNAN
Balu Balakrishnan
President, Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ SANDEEP NAYYAR
Sandeep Nayyar
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Principal
Accounting Officer)

/s/ ALAN D. BICKELL
Alan D. Bickell
Director

/s/ NICHOLAS E. BRATHWAITE
Nicholas E. Brathwaite
Director

/s/ E. FLOYD KVAMME
E. Floyd Kvamme
Director

/s/ STEVEN J. SHARP
Steven J. Sharp
Director

/s/ BALAKRISHNAN S. IYER
Balakrishnan S. Iyer
Director

/s/ WILLIAM GEORGE
William George
Director and Chairman of the Board

/s/ WENDY ARIENZO
Wendy Arienzo
Director

/s/ NECIP SAYINER
Necip Sayiner
Director

87

 
[THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

William L. George (Chairman)

Balu Balakrishnan

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:

www.power.com

Investor Relations

Investor Relations Department
Power Integrations, Inc.
5245 Hellyer Avenue
San Jose, CA 95138

ir@power.com

Former Executive Vice President
ON Semiconductor Corp., Retired

President and
Chief Executive Officer

Doug Bailey

Vice President,
Marketing

Radu Barsan

Vice President,
Technology

Mike Matthews

Vice President,
Product Development

Sandeep Nayyar

Vice President, Finance
Chief Financial Officer

Raja Petrakian

Vice President,
Operations

Ben Sutherland

Vice President,
Worldwide Sales

Clifford J. Walker

Vice President,
Corporate Development

Wendy A. Arienzo

Vice President, Operations
FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.

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

Balakrishnan S. Iyer

Former Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
Conexant Systems, Inc., Retired

E. Floyd Kvamme

Partner Emeritus
Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers

Necip Sayiner

Executive Vice President
Renesas Electronics Corporation 

Steven J. Sharp

Former Chairman and CEO
TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc.,
Retired

Power Integrations, Inc. 5245 Hellyer Avenue, San Jose, CA 95138 www.power.com
©2019 Power Integrations. Power Integrations and the Power Integrations logo are registered trademarks of Power Integrations, Inc. All rights reserved.

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