SanDisk 2013 Annual Report Download - page 101

PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and our
future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact are
statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. These statements may contain words such as
‘‘expects,’’ ‘‘anticipates,’’ ‘‘intends,’’ ‘‘plans,’’ ‘‘believes,’’ ‘‘seeks,’’ ‘‘estimates’’ or other wording indicating future
results or expectations. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may
differ materially from the results discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause our
actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, those discussed in ‘‘Risk Factors’’ in Item 1A,
and elsewhere in this report. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially
harmed by any of these factors. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements
to reflect any event or circumstance that arises after the date of this report. References in this report to
‘‘SanDisk↧,’’ ‘‘we,’’ ‘‘our,’’ and ‘‘us’’ collectively refer to SanDisk Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and its
subsidiaries. All references to years or annual periods are references to our fiscal years, which consisted of
52 weeks in 2013, 2012 and 2011.
Overview
Who We Are. SanDisk Corporation is a global leader in flash storage solutions with a strong history of
innovative products. Flash storage technology allows digital information to be stored in a durable, compact
format that retains the data even without power. Our flash-based products enable businesses and
consumers to efficiently and effectively capture, share and preserve digital content. Our products include
solid state drive, or SSD, solutions for client computing platforms and enterprise data centers, and
removable and embedded flash products for mobile devices, cameras and other devices. Our products are
used in a variety of large markets, and we distribute our products globally through commercial and retail
channels. We provide simple, reliable and affordable storage solutions for consumer and enterprise use in
a wide variety of formats and devices. We were incorporated in the State of Delaware in June 1988. Since
2006, we have been a Standards & Poor, or S&P, 500 company and since 2011, we have been a Fortune 500
company.
What We Do. We design, develop and manufacture data storage solutions in a variety of form factors
using flash memory, controller, firmware and software technologies. Our solutions include SSDs,
embedded products, removable cards, universal serial bus, or USB, drives, wireless media drives, digital
media players, and wafers and components. Our SSD products are used in both client computing platforms
and enterprise data centers and provide high-speed, high-capacity storage solutions that can be used in lieu
of hard disk drives. Our embedded flash products are used in mobile phones, tablets, computing platforms,
imaging devices, and many other products. Our removable cards are used in a wide range of consumer
electronics devices such as mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, gaming devices and personal
computers, or PCs.
Most of our products are made by combining NAND flash memory with a controller and firmware.
We purchase substantially all of our NAND flash supply through our venture relationships with Toshiba
Corporation, or Toshiba, which produce and provide us with leading-edge, high-quality NAND wafers.
From time-to-time, we also purchase flash memory from other NAND flash manufacturers. We use
controllers which we have designed in-house as well as controllers purchased from third-parties. Our
controllers that are designed in-house are manufactured at third-party foundries. The vast majority of our
products use firmware that is developed in-house.
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Annual Report