AMKR 12.31.11 10K
Table of Contents

 
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-K
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2011
Commission File Number 000-29472
Amkor Technology, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
(State of incorporation)
 
23-1722724
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)
1900 South Price Road
Chandler, AZ 85286
(480) 821-5000
(Address of principal executive offices and zip 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 o     No þ
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 o     No þ
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 þ     No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes þ     No o
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.  þ
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer þ
Accelerated filer o
Non-accelerated filer o
Smaller reporting company o
 
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes o     No þ
The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2011, based upon the closing price of the common stock as reported by the NASDAQ Global Select Market on that date, was approximately $675.8 million.
The number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common equity, as of January 27, 2012, was as follows: 168,348,463 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:
Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement relating to its 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed subsequently, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Report where indicated.
 


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
 
Page
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.
 
Item 15.


All references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to “Amkor,” “we,” “us,” “our” or the “company” are to Amkor Technology, Inc. and its subsidiaries. We refer to the Republic of Korea, which is also commonly known as South Korea, as “Korea”. Amkor®, Amkor Technology®, ChipArray®, FlipStack®, FusionQuad®, MicroLeadFrame® and TMV® are registered trademarks of Amkor Technology, Inc. All other trademarks appearing herein are held by their respective owners. Subsequent use of the above registered trademarks in this report may occur without the respective superscript symbol (®) in order to facilitate the readability of the report and are not a waiver of any rights that may be associated with the relevant trademarks.


1

Table of Contents

PART I

Item 1.
Business

DISCLOSURE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This business section contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “intend” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Because such statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. In evaluating these statements, you should specifically consider various factors, including the risks outlined under “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement.

OVERVIEW

Amkor is one of the world’s leading providers of outsourced semiconductor packaging (sometimes referred to as assembly) and test services. Amkor pioneered the outsourcing of semiconductor packaging and test services through a predecessor corporation in 1968 and over the years we have built a leading position by:
Designing and developing new package and test technologies;
Offering a broad portfolio of packaging and test technologies and services;
Cultivating long-standing relationships with our customers, which include many of the world’s leading semiconductor companies, and collaborating with original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) and material suppliers;
Developing expertise in high-volume manufacturing processes and
Having a diversified operational scope with research and development, engineering and production capabilities at various facilities throughout China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan and the United States (“U.S.”).
Packaging and test are integral steps in the process of manufacturing semiconductor devices. The semiconductor manufacturing process begins with the fabrication of tiny transistor elements into complex patterns of electronic circuitry on silicon wafers, thereby creating large numbers of individual semiconductor devices or integrated circuits on each wafer (generally referred to as “chips” or “die”). Each device on the wafer is tested and the wafer is cut into pieces called chips. The chips are attached through wirebonding to a substrate or leadframe, or to a substrate in the case of flip chip interconnect and then encased in a protective material to create a package. For a wafer-level package, the electrical interconnections are created directly on the surface of the wafer without a substrate or leadframe. The packages are then tested using sophisticated equipment to ensure that each packaged chip meets its design and performance specifications.

Our packaging services are designed to meet application and chip specific requirements including the type of interconnect technology employed; size; thickness and electrical, mechanical and thermal performance. We are able to provide turnkey packaging and test solutions including semiconductor wafer bump, wafer probe, wafer backgrind, package design, packaging, test and drop shipment services.

Our customers include, among others: Altera Corporation; Analog Devices, Inc.; Broadcom Corporation; Infineon Technologies AG; International Business Machines Corporation (“IBM”); LSI Corporation; Qualcomm Incorporated; ST Microelectronics N.V.; Texas Instruments Incorporated and Toshiba Corporation. The outsourced semiconductor packaging and test market is very competitive. We also compete with the internal semiconductor packaging and test capabilities of many of our customers.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

Amkor files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). You may read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s Public Reference Room, 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for information on the Public Reference Room. The SEC maintains a web site that contains annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information that issuers (including Amkor) file electronically with the SEC. The SEC’s web site is http://www.sec.gov.



2

Table of Contents

Amkor’s web site is http://www.amkor.com. Amkor makes available free of charge through its web site, our annual reports on Form 10-K; quarterly reports on Form 10-Q; current reports on Form 8-K; Forms 3, 4 and 5 filed on behalf of directors and executive officers and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. We also make available, free of charge, through our web site, our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the charters of the Audit Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee and Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors, our Code of Business Conduct, our Code of Ethics for Directors and other information and materials. The information on Amkor’s web site is not incorporated by reference into this report.

INDUSTRY BACKGROUND

Semiconductor devices are the essential building blocks used in most electronic products. As electronic and semiconductor devices have evolved, several important trends have emerged that have fueled the growth of the overall semiconductor industry, as well as the market for outsourced semiconductor packaging and test services. These trends include:
An increasing demand for mobile and internet-connected devices, including world-wide adoption of mobile “smart” phones and tablets that can access the web and provide multimedia capabilities. The demand for digital video content has driven a range of higher performance internet connected home and mobile consumer electronics products including the rapidly growing smartphone and tablet categories.
Higher mobility, connectivity and digital content are driving demand for new broadband wired and wireless networking equipment.
The proliferation of semiconductor devices into well established end products such as automotive systems due to increased use of electronics for safety, navigation and entertainment systems.
An overall increase in the semiconductor content within electronic products in order to provide greater functionality and higher levels of performance.
Our business is impacted by market conditions in the semiconductor industry, which is cyclical by nature and impacted by broad economic factors, such as world-wide gross domestic product and consumer spending. Historical trends indicate there has been a strong correlation between world-wide gross domestic product levels, consumer spending and semiconductor industry cycles.

Semiconductor companies outsource their packaging and test needs to contract service providers such as Amkor for the following reasons:

Contract service providers have developed expertise in advanced packaging and test technologies.

Semiconductor packaging and test technologies continue to become more sophisticated, complex and customized due to increasing demands for miniaturization, greater functionality and improved thermal and electrical performance. This trend has led many semiconductor companies to view packaging and test as enabling technologies requiring sophisticated expertise and technological innovation. Many of these companies are also relying on contract service providers of packaging and test services as key sources for new package designs and advanced interconnect technologies, thereby enabling them to reduce their internal research and development costs.

Contract service providers offer a cost effective solution in a highly cyclical, capital intensive industry.

The semiconductor industry is cyclical by nature and impacted by broad economic factors, such as world-wide gross domestic product and consumer spending. Semiconductor packaging and test are complex processes requiring substantial investment in specialized equipment, factories and human resources. As a result of this cyclicality and the large investments required, manufacturing facilities must operate at a high level of utilization for an extended period of time to be cost effective. Shorter product life cycles, coupled with the need to update or replace packaging and test equipment to accommodate new package types, make it more difficult for semiconductor companies to maintain cost effective utilization of their packaging and test assets throughout semiconductor industry cycles. Contract service providers of packaging and test services, on the other hand, can typically use their assets to support a broad range of customers, potentially generating more efficient use of their production assets and a more cost effective solution.



3

Table of Contents

Contract service providers can facilitate a more efficient supply chain and help shorten time-to-market for new products.

We believe that semiconductor companies, together with their customers, are seeking to shorten the time-to-market for their new products, and that having an effective supply chain is a critical factor in facilitating timely and successful product introductions. Semiconductor companies frequently do not have sufficient time to develop their packaging and test capabilities or deploy the equipment and expertise to implement new packaging technology in volume. For this reason, semiconductor companies are leveraging the resources and capabilities of contract service providers of packaging and test services to deliver their new products to market more quickly.

The availability of high quality packaging and test services from contract service providers allows semiconductor manufacturers to focus their resources on semiconductor design and wafer fabrication.

As semiconductor process technology migrates to larger wafers and smaller feature sizes, the cost of building a state-of-the-art wafer fabrication factory has risen significantly and can now be several billions of dollars. The high cost of investing in next generation silicon technology and equipment is causing many semiconductor companies to adopt a “fabless” or “fab-lite” strategy in which they reduce or eliminate their investment in wafer fabrication and associated packaging and test assets, thus increasing their reliance on outsourced providers of semiconductor manufacturing services, including packaging and test. “Fabless” semiconductor companies do not have factories and focus exclusively on the semiconductor design process and outsource virtually every step of the manufacturing process.

COMPETITIVE STRENGTHS AND STRATEGY

We believe we are well-positioned in the outsourced packaging and test services market. To build upon our industry position and to remain one of the preferred providers of semiconductor packaging and test services, we are pursuing the following strategies:

Leading Technology Innovator

We are a leader in developing advanced semiconductor packaging and test solutions. We have designed and developed several state-of-the-art package formats and technologies including our Package-on-Package (“PoP”) platform with Through Mold Via (“TMV”) technology, FusionQuad, flip chip ball grid array, copper pillar bumping and fine pitch copper pillar flip chip packaging technologies. In addition, we believe that as semiconductor technology continues to achieve smaller device geometries with higher levels of speed and performance, packages will increasingly require flip chip and three dimensional or “3D” stacking interconnect solutions. We have been investing in our technology leadership in electroplated wafer bumping, wafer-level processing and 3D packaging technologies. We have also been a leader in developing environmentally friendly integrated circuit packaging, which involves the elimination of lead and certain other materials.

In the area of 3D packaging, we have been a market and technology leader in both stacked die, such as stacked chip scale packages and FlipStack, and stacked package technologies such as PoP and TMV. The semiconductor industry is now entering a new period of 3D packaging development where Through Silicon Via (“TSV”) interconnect technology will be used to create 3D integrated circuits. We continue to invest in developing the key processes and package assembly technologies required for our customers to deliver 3D chip solutions to market. We are a leader in wafer thinning, micro-bumping and TSV-based flip chip stacking technologies, and we are leveraging our technology development relationships with key customers in diverse applications to develop and deploy new 3D packaging technologies with high density TSV interconnections.

We provide a complete range of test engineering services from test program development to full product characterization for radio frequency mixed signal, logic and memory devices. We are a major provider of radio frequency test services and a leader in strip test, an innovative parallel test solution that offers customers lower cost, faster index time and improved yields.

We have approximately 400 employees engaged in research and development focusing on the design and development of new semiconductor packaging and test technologies.



4

Table of Contents

Long-Standing Relationships and Collaboration with Prominent Semiconductor Companies

Our customers include most of the world’s largest semiconductor companies and over the last four decades, we have developed long-standing relationships with many of these companies. We believe that our production excellence has been a key factor in our success in attracting and retaining customers. We work with our customers and our suppliers to develop proprietary process technologies to enhance our existing capabilities, reduce time-to-market, increase quality and lower our costs.

We believe that our focus on research and product development will enable us to enter new markets early, capture market share and promote the adoption of our new package designs as industry standards. We collaborate with customers and leading OEMs to develop comprehensive packaging solutions that make it easier for next-generation semiconductors to be designed into next-generation end products. By collaborating with leading semiconductor companies and OEM electronic companies, we gain access to technology roadmaps for next generation semiconductor designs and obtain the opportunity to develop new packages that satisfy their future requirements.

Broad Offering of Package Design, Packaging and Test Services

Creating successful interconnect solutions for advanced semiconductor devices often poses unique thermal, electrical and other design challenges, and we employ a large number of package design engineers to solve these challenges. We produce hundreds of package types which encompass more than 1,000 unique products, representing one of the broadest package offerings in the semiconductor industry. These packaging solutions are driven by the needs of our customers for more electrical connections, enhanced electrical or thermal performance, smaller package size and lower cost.

We also offer an extensive line of advanced probe and final test services for analog, digital, logic, mixed signal and radio frequency semiconductor devices. We believe that the breadth of our design, packaging and test services is important to customers seeking to limit the number of their suppliers.

Geographically Diversified Operational Base

We have a broad and geographically diversified operational footprint. Our operations comprise more than five million square feet of manufacturing space strategically located in five countries in many of the world’s important electronics manufacturing regions. We believe that our scale and scope allow us to provide cost effective solutions to our customers by:
Offering capacity to absorb large orders and accommodate quick turn-around times;
Obtaining favorable pricing on materials and equipment, where possible, by using our purchasing power and leading industry position;
Qualifying production of customer devices at multiple manufacturing sites to mitigate the risks of supply disruptions and
Providing capabilities and solutions for customer-specific requirements.
Competitive Cost Structure and Disciplined Capital Investment

We believe that a competitive cost structure and disciplined capital investment decisions are key factors for achieving profitability and generating free cash flow. There has been a continuous push throughout the entire semiconductor supply chain for lower cost solutions. Some of our cost control efforts have included: (1) increasing strip densities to drive higher throughput; (2) developing smaller gold wire diameter solutions; (3) migrating from gold wire to copper wire for certain wirebond packages and (4) increasing labor productivity.

We operate in a cyclical industry. During an industry downturn, similar to the downturn in late 2008 and 2009, we take actions to reduce our costs and drive greater factory and administrative efficiencies. Cost control efforts can include reducing labor costs by temporarily lowering compensation, reducing employee and contractor headcount, shortening work weeks and obtaining labor-related foreign government subsidies where available.



5

Table of Contents

PACKAGING AND TEST SERVICES

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the amount of packaging and test net sales and the percentage of such net sales:
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
(In millions, except percentage of net sales)
Packaging services
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chip scale package
$
965

 
34.8
%
 
$
954

 
32.5
%
 
$
695

 
31.9
%
Ball grid array
625

 
22.5
%
 
747

 
25.4
%
 
500

 
23.0
%
Leadframe
692

 
24.9
%
 
761

 
25.9
%
 
587

 
26.9
%
Other packaging
211

 
7.6
%
 
188

 
6.4
%
 
152

 
7.0
%
Total packaging services
2,493

 
89.8
%
 
2,650

 
90.2
%
 
1,934

 
88.8
%
Test services
283

 
10.2
%
 
289

 
9.8
%
 
245

 
11.2
%
Total net sales
$
2,776

 
100.0
%
 
$
2,939

 
100.0
%
 
$
2,179

 
100.0
%

Packaging Services

We offer a broad range of package formats and services to our customers. Our package services are divided into three families: chip scale package, ball grid array and leadframe. We also provide other packaging services, such as wafer bumping which supports our flip chip and wafer-level packages. The differentiating characteristics of package formats can include: (1) size, (2) number of electrical connections, (3) thermal and electrical characteristics, (4) number of chips incorporated, (5) types of interconnect technologies employed and (6) integration of active and passive components.

The following table sets forth the various combinations of interconnect technologies and package carriers, and some characteristics, for each package family.

 
 
 
Chip Scale Package
 
 
Ball Grid Array
 
 
Leadframe
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interconnect Technology
 
 
Wirebond
Flip Chip
 
 
Wirebond
Flip Chip
 
 
Wirebond
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Package Carrier
 
 
Substrate
Wafer Level
 
 
Substrate
 
 
Leadframe
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Characteristics
 
 
Small Form Factor
Low to High I/O Density
Low to Medium Power Consumption
2D and 3D Configurations
 
 
Large Form Factor
High I/O Density
Medium to High Power Consumption
 
 
Variety of Form Factors
Low to Medium I/O Density
Low Cost
Low to High Power
Consumption
2D and 3D Configurations

Interconnect Technologies

Wirebonding and flip chip are the two interconnect technologies used to connect the die to the package carrier.

Wirebond:  With wirebond packages, the die is mounted face up on the substrate or leadframe and very fine gold or copper wires are attached from the perimeter of the die to the substrate or leadframe. Wirebonding is generally considered to be the most cost-effective and flexible interconnect technology and is used to assemble the majority of semiconductor packages.

Flip Chip:  With flip chip packages, the interconnection between the die and substrate is made through a conductive “bump” that is placed directly on the die surface utilizing a process called wafer bumping. The bumped die is then “flipped over” and placed face down, with the bumps connecting directly to the substrate. Flip chip packages provide a higher density interconnection capability than wirebond packages as flip chip technology uses the entire surface area of the die, and sometimes the perimeter as well, instead of just the perimeter used by wirebond packages. Flip chip technology also provides enhanced thermal and electrical performance, and enables smaller die and thinner and smaller form factors (or physical package dimensions).


6

Table of Contents


Hybrid:  Certain 3D and system-in-package applications may contain both wirebond and flip chip die in a single package. These structures are commonly referred to as FlipStack and are supported in both chip scale and ball grid array package structures.

Package Carrier

Leadframe:  Leadframe packages utilize metal (typically copper) as the package carrier and typically place the electrical interconnect leads to the system board around the perimeter of the package. Leadframe packages are used in virtually every electronic device and remain the most practical and cost-effective solution for many low to medium pin count applications. Traditional leadframe packages are typically not cost or form factor effective for pin counts above 200. To address this limitation, Amkor developed FusionQuad, a proprietary leadframe package that integrates internal leads with perimeter leads to enable pin counts of up to 376.

Substrate:  Substrate packages utilize a laminate as the package carrier. Laminate substrates are composed of multiple layers of epoxy resin, woven glass fibers and metal conductors. These substrate packages have the electrical interconnects to the system board on the bottom of the package in the form of solder balls that are distributed across the bottom surface of the package (called a “ball grid array” format). The chip is attached to the substrate through either wirebond or flip chip technologies. Substrate packages were developed to facilitate the higher number of interconnections required by many advanced semiconductor devices.

Wafer-Level:  Wafer-level packages do not use a leadframe or substrate as the package carrier. The interconnect bumping process is carried out on the entire wafer at the chip level using proprietary process technologies. The bumped wafer is subsequently singulated into individual chips (“diced”) and the wafer-level package is subsequently attached directly to the system board.

Chip Scale Packages

Chip scale packages are substrate-based packages where the package size is not much larger than the chip itself, and which have very small form factors and fine ball pitches (or distance between balls). The size advantage provided by chip scale packaging technologies has made this the package of choice for a wide variety of applications that require very small form factors such as wireless handsets and mobile consumer electronic devices. For example, we have developed a fine pitch copper pillar flip chip packaging solution which creates interconnections at finer pad pitches using fine pitch copper pillar bumping and a newly developed packaging process to reduce the number of substrate layers and facilitate very thin packages.

Advances in packaging technology now allow the placement of two or more chips on top of each other within a single package. This concept, known as 3D packaging, permits a higher level of semiconductor density and greater functionality. Some of our 3D chip scale packages include:
Stacked chip scale packages that contain two or more chips placed on top of each other and are ideal for chipsets and memory applications and
PoP solutions using extremely thin chip scale packages that are stacked on top of each other, enabling the integration of logic and memory in a single footprint, as well as multiple memory applications.
Our chip scale package family also includes system-in-package modules which integrate two or more chips and passive device elements into a single package, thus enabling space and power efficiency, high performance and lower production costs.

Ball Grid Array Packages

Ball grid array packages are large form factor substrate-based packages which are used where processing power and speed are needed, and small form factors are not required. Ball grid array packages are used for networking, storage, gaming, computing and consumer applications.



7

Table of Contents

Examples of ball grid array packages include:
Flip chip ball grid array packages that incorporate a face down bumped die onto a substrate using a ball grid array format and are increasingly being used with advanced silicon nodes enabling our customers to implement more powerful new applications and smaller devices and
Plastic ball grid array packages that use wirebond technology in applications requiring higher pin count than chip scale or leadframe packages, but typically have lower interconnect density than flip chip.
Leadframe Packages

Leadframe packages place the electrical interconnects to the system board around the perimeter of the package. Wirebonding technology is used to interconnect the chip to the leadframe package carrier. Leadframe-based packages are the most widely used package family in the semiconductor industry.

Traditional leadframe-based packages support a wide variety of device types and applications. Two of our most popular traditional leadframe package types are small outline integrated circuit and quad flat package, commonly known as “dual” and “quad” products, respectively, based upon the number of sides from which the leads extend. The traditional leadframe package family has evolved from “through hole design,” where the leads are plugged into holes on the circuit board to “surface mount design,” where the leads are soldered to the surface of the circuit board. We offer a wide range of lead counts and body sizes to satisfy variations in the size of customers’ semiconductor devices.

Through a process of continuous engineering and customization, we have designed several advanced leadframe package types that are thinner and smaller than traditional leadframe packages, and which have the ability to accommodate more leads on the perimeter of the package. These advanced leadframe packages typically have superior thermal and electrical characteristics, which allow them to dissipate heat generated by high-powered semiconductor devices while providing enhanced electrical connectivity. We are developing increasingly smaller versions of these packages to keep pace with continually shrinking semiconductor device sizes and demand for miniaturization of portable electronic products. One of our more successful advanced leadframe package offerings is the MicroLeadFrame family of quad flat no lead packages.

Other Packaging Services

Other packaging services is primarily composed of wafer bumping services. Wafer bumping is a preliminary step in the manufacture of both flip chip and wafer-level packages. The wafer bumping process consists of preparing the wafer for bumping and forming or placing the bumps. Preparation may include cleaning, removing insulating oxides, and providing a pad metallurgy that will protect the interconnections while making good mechanical and electrical connection between the bump and the substrate.

Test Services

Amkor provides a complete range of semiconductor testing services including wafer testing or probe, various types of final testing, strip testing and complete end-of-line test services up to and including final shipping. We have testing operations in our facilities in China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan which enables fast feedback, streamlined logistics and shorter cycle times. We also offer many specialized logistical services including security certification and anti-counterfeit measures. Substantially all of our test business is derived from packages we assemble.

We test a variety of device types across all of our package families including radio frequency, analog and mixed signal, digital, power management, memory and various combinations such as application-specific integrated circuits, multi chip modules, system-in-package, and stacked chips. Testing solutions vary depending upon the complexity of the device. Specialized solutions are required for packages that also process non-electric stimuli, including sensors, accelerometers, gyrometers and various types of micro-electro-mechanical devices.

Test Development Services

We offer a full range of test software, hardware, integration and product engineering services, and we support a range of business models and test capabilities. Some customers develop their test solutions and provide them to us, while other customers need our engineering resources. We support a variety of co-development and collaboration models. Our test development centers located in China, Korea, the Philippines and the U.S. are in close proximity to many of our customers' design centers.



8

Table of Contents

Wafer Test Services

Wafer test, also referred to as wafer probe, is performed after wafer fabrication or wafer bumping to screen out defective devices prior to packaging. We offer a range of wafer test coverage that can be tailored based on the cost and complexity of the die, the package and the product. These services range from coarse level screening for major defects all the way up to probing at high digital speeds and can include full radio frequency transmit and receive and testing at multiple temperatures. Wafer testing can also involve a range of wafer mapping and inspection operations.

Final Test Services

After the packaging process, final test is performed to ensure that the packaged device meets the customer’s requirements. Final test spans a range of rigor and complexity depending on the device and end market application. More rigorous types of final test include testing multiple times under different electrical and temperature conditions and before and after device reliability stresses, such as burn-in. In addition to electrical testing, specialized solutions are required for packages that also process non-electric stimuli.

The electrical tests are a mix of functional, structural and system-level tests depending on the customer’s requirements and cost and reliability parameters. The electrical test equipment we use includes commercially available automated test equipment, customized and proprietary system level test equipment and innovative types of low cost test equipment developed by Amkor.



9

Table of Contents

Principal End Markets

The following table lists the major end markets that use our products. The table also lists some of our applications and our packages and test services used within these key end markets.

End Market
 
 
Applications
 
 
Amkor Packaging and
Test Services
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Communications
 
 
Handsets (Cell Phones, Feature Phones, Smart Phones)
Tablets
Wireless LAN
Handheld Devices
 
 
Flip Chip Chip Scale Package
Stacked Chip Scale Package
Flip Chip Stacked Chip Scale Package
Fine Pitch Copper Pillar Flip Chip Chip Scale Package
ChipArray Ball Grid Array
Test Services
MicroLeadFrame
Package-on-Package
Micro-electro-mechanical Systems
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consumer
 
 
Gaming
Television
Set Top Boxes
Portable Media
Digital Cameras
 
 
Flip Chip Ball Grid Array
Thin Quad Flat Pack
Plastic Ball Grid Array
Test Services
MicroLeadFrame
ChipArray Ball Grid Array

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Computing
 
 
Desk Top Computer
Laptop Computer
Notebook Computer
Netbook Computer
Hard Disc Drive
Computer Server
Displays
Printers
Other Peripherals

 
 
Thin Quad Flat Pack
Plastic Ball Grid Array
MicroLeadFrame
ChipArray Ball Grid Array
Test Services
Small Outline Integrated Circuit
Flip Chip Ball Grid Array
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Networking
 
 
Servers
Routers
Switches
 
 
Flip Chip Ball Grid Array
Plastic Ball Grid Array
ChipArray Ball Grid Array
Test Services

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other
 
 
Automotive
Industrial
 
 
Small Outline Integrated Circuit
Plastic Ball Grid Array
Thin Quad Flat Pack
MicroLeadFrame
Test Services
Micro-electro-mechanical Systems

For packaging and test segment information, see Note 18 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Our research efforts focus on developing new packaging solutions and test services, and improving the efficiency and capabilities of our existing production processes. We believe that technology development is one of the keys to success in the semiconductor packaging and test industry. By concentrating our research and development on our customers’ needs for innovative packages, increased performance and lower cost, we gain opportunities to enter markets early, capture market share and promote our new package offerings as industry standards. In addition, we leverage our research and development by licensing our leading edge technology, such as MicroLeadFrame, Fine Pitch Copper Pillar Flip Chip, TMV, Lead Free Bumping and FusionQuad.



10

Table of Contents

Our areas for research and development include:
3D packaging;
Advanced flip chip packaging;
Advanced micro-electromechanical system packaging and testing;
Copper Pillar bumping and packaging;
Copper wire interconnects;
Engineering and characterization tools;
Laminate and leadframe packaging;
Manufacturing cost reductions;
TMV technology;
TSV technology;
Wafer Level Fan Out technology and
Wafer level processing.
We have key development partners within our customer and supplier base. We work with our partners and allocate our resources to develop applications that have promising potential for a healthy return on investment.

As of December 31, 2011, we had approximately 400 employees engaged in research and development activities. In 2011, 2010 and 2009, we spent $50.4 million, $47.5 million and $44.5 million, respectively, on research and development.

MARKETING AND SALES

Our marketing and sales offices are located throughout Asia, Europe and North America. Our support personnel manage and promote our packaging and test services and provide key customer and technical support.

To provide comprehensive sales and customer service, we typically assign our customers a direct support team consisting of an account manager, technical program manager, test program manager and both field and factory customer support representatives. We also support our largest multinational customers from multiple office locations to ensure that we are aligned with their global operational and business requirements.

Our direct support teams are further supported by an extended staff of product, process, quality and reliability engineers, as well as marketing and advertising specialists, information systems technicians and factory personnel. Together, these direct and extended support teams deliver an array of services to our customers. These services include:
Managing and coordinating ongoing manufacturing activity;
Providing information and expert advice on our portfolio of packaging and test solutions and related trends;
Managing the start-up of specific packaging and test programs;
Working to improve our customers’ time-to-market;
Providing a continuous flow of information to our customers regarding products and programs in process;
Partnering with customers on design solutions;
Researching and assisting in the resolution of technical and logistical issues;
Aligning our technologies and research and development activities with the needs of our customers and OEMs;


11

Table of Contents

Providing guidance and solutions to customers in managing their supply chains;
Driving industry standards;
Providing design and simulation services to ensure package reliability and
Collaborating with our customers on continuous quality improvement initiatives.
Further, we implement direct electronic links with our customers to:
Achieve near real time and automated communications of order fulfillment information, such as inventory control, production schedules and engineering data, including production yields, device specifications and quality indices and
Connect our customers to our sales and marketing personnel world-wide and to our factories.
SEASONALITY

Our sales have generally been higher in the second half of the year than in the first half due to the effect of consumer buying patterns in the U.S., Europe and Asia. In addition, semiconductor companies generally reduce their production during the holidays at the end of December which results in a decrease in units for packaging and test services during the first quarter. Our business is tied to market conditions in the semiconductor industry which is highly cyclical. The semiconductor industry has experienced significant and sometimes prolonged cyclical downturns in the past. We cannot predict the timing, strength or duration of any economic slowdown or subsequent economic recovery.

CUSTOMERS

As of December 31, 2011, we had approximately 225 customers, including many of the largest semiconductor companies in the world. The table below lists our top 25 customers in 2011 based on net sales:

Altera Corporation
Micron Technology, Inc.
Analog Devices, Inc. 
Nordic Semiconductor ASA
Atmel Corporation
ON Semiconductor Corporation
Avago Technologies Limited
Panasonic Corporation
Broadcom Corporation
Qualcomm Incorporated
Cypress Semiconductor Corporation
Renesas Electronics Corporation
Entropic Communications, Inc. 
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
Sony Corporation
Global Unichip Corp.
ST Microelectronics N.V.
Infineon Technologies AG
Texas Instruments Incorporated
International Business Machines Corporation (“IBM”)
Toshiba Corporation
LSI Corporation
Xilinx, Inc.
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
 

Our top 25 customers accounted for 83.1% of our net sales in 2011, and our ten largest customers accounted for approximately 61.0%, 54.2% and 53.4% of our net sales for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Qualcomm Incorporated and Texas Instruments Incorporated each accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated net sales in 2011. No customer accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated net sales in 2010. Qualcomm Incorporated accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated net sales in 2009.

For segment information, see Note 18 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.



12

Table of Contents

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Materials

Our materials are used primarily for packaging activities. Our packaging operations depend upon obtaining adequate supplies of materials on a timely basis. The principal materials used in our packaging process are leadframes, laminate substrates, gold and copper wire, mold compound, epoxy, tubes and trays. The silicon wafer is generally consigned from the customer. We do not take ownership of the customer consigned wafer, and title and risk of loss remains with the customer for these materials. Test materials constitute a very small portion of our total test cost. We purchase materials based on customer forecasts, and our customers are generally responsible for any unused materials which we purchased based on such forecasts.

We obtain the materials required for packaging services from various suppliers. We source most of our materials, including critical materials such as leadframes, laminate substrates and gold wire, from a limited group of suppliers. We work closely with our primary material suppliers to ensure that materials are available and delivered on time and, we also negotiate world-wide pricing agreements with our major suppliers to take advantage of the scale of our operations.

Equipment

Our ability to meet the changing demand from our customers for manufacturing capacity depends upon obtaining packaging and test equipment in a timely manner. We work closely with our main equipment suppliers to coordinate the ordering and delivery of equipment to meet our expected capacity needs.

Packaging Equipment

The primary types of equipment used in providing our packaging services are wirebonders and die bonders. In addition, we maintain a variety of other packaging equipment, including mold, singulation, die attach, ball attach and wafer backgrind, along with numerous other types of manufacturing equipment. A substantial portion of our packaging equipment base can generally be used and adapted to support the manufacture of many of our packages through the use of relatively low cost tooling, although equipment used in advanced packaging can be more difficult to redeploy than equipment used in traditional wirebond packaging.

We also purchase wafer bumping equipment to facilitate our flip chip and wafer level packaging services. Wafer bump equipment includes sputter and spin coaters, electroplating equipment and reflow ovens. This equipment tends to have longer lead times for order and installation than other packaging equipment and is sold in relatively larger increments of capacity.

Test Equipment

The primary equipment used in the testing process includes testers, handlers and probers. Handlers are used to transfer individual or small groups of packaged integrated circuits to a tester. Test equipment is generally a more capital intensive portion of the process and tends to have longer delivery lead times than most types of packaging equipment. We focus our capital additions on standardized tester platforms in order to maximize test equipment utilization where possible.

ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS

The semiconductor packaging process uses chemicals, materials and gases and generates byproducts that are subject to extensive governmental regulations. For example, we produce liquid waste when semiconductor wafers are diced into chips with the aid of diamond saws, then cooled with running water. In addition, semiconductor packages have historically utilized metallic alloys containing lead (Pb) within the interconnect terminals typically referred to as leads, pins or balls. The usage of lead (Pb) has decreased over the past few years, as we have ramped volume production of alternative lead (Pb)-free processes. Federal, state and local regulations in the U.S., as well as environmental regulations internationally, impose various controls on the storage, handling, discharge and disposal of chemicals and materials used in our manufacturing processes and in the factories we occupy.

We are engaged in a continuing program to assure compliance with federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. We currently do not expect that capital expenditures or other costs attributable to compliance with environmental laws and regulations will have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.



13

Table of Contents

COMPETITION

The subcontracted semiconductor packaging and test market is very competitive. We face substantial competition from established packaging and test service providers primarily located in Asia, including companies with significant manufacturing capacity, financial resources, research and development operations, marketing and other capabilities. These companies include:
Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc.,
Siliconware Precision Industries Co., Ltd. and
STATS ChipPAC Ltd.
Such companies also have developed relationships with most of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, including current or potential customers of Amkor. We also compete with the internal semiconductor packaging and test capabilities of many of our customers. Our integrated device manufacturer customers continually evaluate the attractiveness of outsourced services against their own in-house packaging and test services and at times may decide to shift some or all of their outsourced packaging and test services to internally sourced capacity. In the future we may also compete with companies (including semiconductor foundries) that may enter the market or offer new or emerging technologies that compete with our packaging and test services. In addition, we compete with companies that offer only test services and not packaging.

The principal elements of competition in the semiconductor packaging and test services market include:
technical competence;
quality;
price;
breadth of packaging and test services offered, including turnkey services;
new package and test design, technology innovation and implementation;
cycle times;
customer service and
available capacity and ability to invest in capacity, geographic location and scale of manufacturing.
We believe that we generally compete favorably with respect to each of these elements.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

We maintain an active program to protect and derive value from our investment in technology and the associated intellectual property rights. Intellectual property rights that apply to our various products and services include patents, copyrights, trade secrets and trademarks. We have filed and obtained a number of patents in the U.S. and abroad and their durations vary depending on the jurisdiction in which each patent is filed. Although our patents are an important element of our intellectual property strategy as a whole, we are not materially dependent on any one patent or any one technology. We expect to continue to file patent applications when appropriate to protect our proprietary technologies, but we cannot assure you that we will receive patents from pending or future applications. In addition, any patents we obtain may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented and may not provide meaningful protection or other commercial advantage to us.

We also protect certain details about our processes, products and strategies as trade secrets by maintaining the confidentiality of the information we believe provides us with a competitive advantage. We have ongoing programs designed to maintain the confidentiality of such information. Further, to distinguish our products from our competitors’ products, we have obtained certain trademarks and service marks. We have promoted and will continue to promote our particular brands through advertising and other marketing techniques.



14

Table of Contents

EMPLOYEES

As of December 31, 2011, we had approximately 18,300 full-time employees. Of the total employee population, approximately 13,400 were engaged in manufacturing services, 2,900 were engaged in manufacturing support, 400 were engaged in research and development, 200 were engaged in marketing and sales and 1,400 were engaged in administration, business management and finance. We believe that our relations with our employees are good, and we have never experienced a work stoppage in any of our factories. Our employees in France, the Philippines, Taiwan and the U.S. are not represented by any union. Certain employees at our factories in China, Japan and Korea are members of a union and we operate subject to collective bargaining agreements that we have entered into with the unions in Japan and Korea.

Item 1A.
Risk Factors

The factors discussed below are cautionary statements that identify important factors and risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements contained in this report. For more information regarding the forward-looking statements contained in this report, see the introductory paragraph to Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information included in this report, in considering our business and prospects. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing Amkor. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us may also impair our business operations. The occurrence of any of the following risks could affect our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

Dependence on the Highly Cyclical Semiconductor and Electronic Products Industries — We Operate in Volatile Industries and Industry Downturns and Declines in Global Economic and Financial Conditions Could Harm Our Performance.

Our business is impacted by market conditions in the semiconductor industry, which is cyclical by nature and impacted by broad economic factors, such as world-wide gross domestic product and consumer spending. The semiconductor industry has experienced significant and sometimes prolonged downturns in the past. For example, the recent financial crisis and global recession resulted in a downturn in the semiconductor industry that adversely affected our business and results of operations in late 2008 and in 2009. Although the world economy recovered somewhat in 2010, economic growth slowed in 2011 in the U.S. and internationally. In view of this slow growth and the recent economic uncertainty in Europe, consumer demand in the U.S. and globally may be adversely impacted which may harm the semiconductor industry and our business.

Since our business is, and will continue to be, dependent on the requirements of semiconductor companies for subcontracted packaging and test services, any downturn in the semiconductor industry or any other industry that uses a significant number of semiconductor devices, such as consumer electronic products, telecommunication devices or computing devices, could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results. It is difficult to predict the timing, strength or duration of any economic slowdown or subsequent economic recovery, which, in turn, makes it more challenging for us to forecast our operating results, make business decisions and identify risks that may affect our business, sources and uses of cash, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if industry conditions deteriorate, we could suffer significant losses, as we have in the past, which could materially impact our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Fluctuations in Operating Results and Cash Flows — Our Operating Results and Cash Flows Have Varied and May Vary Significantly as a Result of Factors That We Cannot Control.

Many factors, including the impact of adverse economic conditions, could have a material adverse effect on our net sales, gross profit, operating results and cash flows, or lead to significant variability of quarterly or annual operating results. Our profitability and ability to generate cash from operations is principally dependent upon demand for semiconductors, the utilization of our capacity, semiconductor package mix, the average selling price of our services, our ability to manage our capital expenditures in response to market conditions and our ability to control our costs including labor, material, overhead and financing costs. The downturn in demand for semiconductors in late 2008 and in 2009 resulted in significant declines in our operating results and cash flows as capacity utilization declined. Although the world economy recovered somewhat in 2010, the slow rate of economic growth in 2011 and the recent economic uncertainty in Europe could adversely affect consumer demand in the U.S. and globally, which may negatively impact our operating results.



15

Table of Contents

Our net sales, gross profit, operating income and cash flows have historically fluctuated significantly from quarter to quarter as a result of many of the following factors, over which we have little or no control and which we expect to continue to impact our business:
fluctuation in demand for semiconductors and conditions in the semiconductor industry;
changes in our capacity utilization rates;
changes in average selling prices;
changes in the mix of semiconductor packages;
evolving package and test technology;
absence of backlog and the short-term nature of our customers’ commitments and the impact of these factors on the timing and volume of orders relative to our production capacity;
changes in costs, availability and delivery times of raw materials and components;
changes in labor costs to perform our services;
wage and commodity price inflation, including precious metals;
the timing of expenditures in anticipation of future orders;
changes in effective tax rates;
the availability and cost of financing;
intellectual property transactions and disputes;
high leverage and restrictive covenants;
warranty and product liability claims and the impact of quality excursions and customer disputes and returns;
costs associated with litigation judgments, indemnification claims and settlements;
international events, political instability, civil disturbances or environmental or natural events, such as earthquakes, that impact our operations;
pandemic illnesses that may impact our labor force and our ability to travel;
difficulties integrating acquisitions and the failure of our joint ventures to operate in accordance with business plans;
our ability to attract and retain qualified employees to support our global operations;
loss of key personnel or the shortage of available skilled workers;
fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and the cost of materials used in our packaging services such as gold and copper;
delay, rescheduling and cancellation of large orders and
fluctuations in our manufacturing yields.
It is often difficult to predict the impact of these factors upon our results for a particular period. The downturn in the global economy and the semiconductor industry increased the risks associated with the foregoing factors as customer forecasts became more volatile, and there was less visibility regarding future demand and significantly increased uncertainty regarding the economy, credit markets and consumer demand. Although the world economy recovered somewhat in 2010, the slow rate of economic growth in 2011 and the recent economic uncertainty in Europe could continue to cause volatility in customer forecasts and reduce our visibility regarding future demand in the semiconductor industry. These factors may have a material and adverse effect on our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows or lead to significant variability of quarterly or annual operating results. In addition, these factors may adversely affect our credit ratings which could make it more difficult and expensive for us to raise capital and could adversely affect the price of our securities.


16

Table of Contents


High Fixed Costs — Due to Our High Percentage of Fixed Costs, We Will Be Unable to Maintain Our Gross Margin at Past Levels if We Are Unable to Achieve Relatively High Capacity Utilization Rates.

Our operations are characterized by relatively high fixed costs. Our profitability depends in part not only on pricing levels for our packaging and test services, but also on the utilization of our human resources and packaging and test equipment. In particular, increases or decreases in our capacity utilization can significantly affect gross margins since the unit cost of packaging and test services generally decreases as fixed costs are allocated over a larger number of units. In periods of low demand, we experience relatively low capacity utilization in our operations, which leads to reduced margins during that period. For example, we experienced lower than optimum utilization in late 2008 and in 2009 due to a decline in world-wide demand for our packaging and test services which impacted our gross margin. Transitions between different packaging technologies, such as the transition from gold wirebond to flip chip and copper wirebond packages, can also impact our capacity utilization if we do not efficiently redeploy our equipment assets. For example, in 2011 the migration of some customer demand from wirebond to flip chip packages resulted in under-utilized wirebond assets which negatively impacted our capacity utilization and gross margin. Although our capacity utilization at times has been strong, we cannot assure you that we will be able to achieve consistently high capacity utilization, and if we fail to do so, our gross margins may decrease. If our gross margins decrease, our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

In addition, our fixed operating costs have increased in recent years in part as a result of our efforts to expand our capacity through significant capital additions. Forecasted customer demand for which we have made capital investments may not materialize, especially if industry conditions deteriorate. As a result, our sales may not adequately cover our substantial fixed costs resulting in reduced profit levels or causing significant losses, both of which may adversely impact our liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Guidance — Our Failure to Meet Our Guidance or Analyst Projections Could Adversely Impact the Trading Prices of Our Securities.

We periodically provide guidance to investors with respect to certain financial information for future periods. Securities analysts also periodically publish their own projections with respect to our future operating results. As discussed above under “Fluctuations in Operating Results and Cash Flows — Our Operating Results and Cash Flows Have Varied and May Vary Significantly as a Result of Factors That We Cannot Control,” our operating results and cash flows vary significantly and are difficult to accurately predict. Volatility in customer forecasts and reduced visibility caused by economic uncertainty and fluctuations in global consumer demand make it particularly difficult to predict future results. To the extent we fail to meet or exceed our own guidance or the analyst projections for any reason, the trading prices of our securities may be adversely impacted. Moreover, even if we do meet or exceed that guidance or those projections, if analysts and investors do not react favorably, or if analysts were to discontinue providing coverage of our company, the trading prices of our securities may be adversely impacted.

Declining Average Selling Prices — The Semiconductor Industry Places Downward Pressure on the Prices of Our Packaging and Test Services.

Prices for packaging and test services have generally declined over time. Historically, we have been able to partially offset the effect of price declines by successfully developing and marketing new packages with higher margins, such as advanced leadframe and laminate packages, by negotiating lower prices with our material vendors, recovering material cost increases from our customers and by driving engineering and technological changes in our packaging and test processes, which resulted in reduced manufacturing costs. We expect downward pressure on average selling prices for our packaging and test services to continue in the future. If we are unable to offset a decline in average selling prices, by developing and marketing new packages with higher prices, reducing our purchasing costs, recovering more of our material cost increases from our customers and reducing our manufacturing costs, our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

Decisions by Our Integrated Device Manufacturer Customers to Curtail Outsourcing May Adversely Affect Our Business.

Historically, we have been dependent on the trend in outsourcing of packaging and test services by integrated device manufacturers, or IDMs. Our IDM customers continually evaluate the need for outsourced services against their own in-house packaging and test services. As a result, at any time and for a variety of reasons, IDMs may decide to shift some or all of their outsourced packaging and test services to internally sourced capacity.



17

Table of Contents

The reasons IDMs may shift their internal capacity include:
their desire to realize higher utilization of their existing packaging and test capacity, especially during downturns in the semiconductor industry;
their unwillingness to disclose proprietary technology;
their possession of more advanced packaging and test technologies and
the guaranteed availability of their own packaging and test capacity.
In addition, to the extent we limit capacity commitments for certain customers, these customers may increase their level of in-house packaging and test capabilities, which could make it more difficult for us to regain their business when we have available capacity.

In a downturn in the semiconductor industry, IDMs could respond by shifting some outsourced packaging and test services to internally serviced capacity on a short term basis. Also, the IDMs could curtail or reverse the trend of outsourcing packaging and test services. If we experience a significant loss of IDM business, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows especially during a prolonged industry downturn.

Our Substantial Indebtedness Could Adversely Affect Our Financial Condition and Prevent Us from Fulfilling Our Obligations.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness. As of December 31, 2011, our total debt balance was $1,346.7 million, of which $59.4 million was classified as a current liability. In addition, despite current debt levels, the terms of the indentures governing our indebtedness allow us and our subsidiaries to incur more debt, subject to certain limitations. If new debt is added to our consolidated debt level, the related risks that we now face could intensify.

Our substantial indebtedness could:
make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our indebtedness, including our obligations under our indentures to purchase notes tendered as a result of a change in control of Amkor;
increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;
limit our ability to fund future working capital, capital expenditures, research and development and other business opportunities;
require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to service payments on our debt;
increase the volatility of the price of our common stock;
limit our flexibility to react to changes in our business and the industry in which we operate;
place us at a competitive disadvantage to any of our competitors that have less debt and
limit, along with the financial and other restrictive covenants in our indebtedness, among other things, our ability to borrow additional funds.
We May Have Difficulty Funding Liquidity Needs.

We operate in a capital intensive industry. Servicing our current and future customers requires that we incur significant operating expenses and continue to make significant capital expenditures, which are generally made in advance of the related revenues and without any firm customer commitments. During 2011, we had capital additions of $453.0 million and in 2012, we currently expect to make capital additions of approximately $300 million for projects already planned for 2012. The actual amount of our 2012 capital additions may vary materially and will depend on several factors including, among others, whether, when and to what extent any capital projects not yet planned, including those currently under senior-level review and any others, are approved, commenced and completed in 2012, the performance of our business, economic and market conditions, the cash needs and investment opportunities for the business, the need for additional capacity and facilities to service customer demand and the availability of cash flow from operations or financing.


18

Table of Contents


In addition, we have a significant level of debt, with $1,346.7 million outstanding at December 31, 2011, $59.4 million of which is current. The terms of such debt require significant scheduled principal payments in the coming years, including $59.4 million due in 2012, $138.9 million due in 2013, $378.4 million due in 2014, $24.0 million due in 2015, $1.0 million due in 2016 and $745.0 million due thereafter. The interest payments required on our debt are also substantial. For example, in 2011, we paid $81.3 million of interest. The sources funding our operations, including making capital expenditures and servicing principal and interest obligations with respect to our debt, are cash flows from our operations, current cash and cash equivalents, borrowings under available debt facilities, or proceeds from any additional debt or equity financing. As of December 31, 2011, we had cash and cash equivalents of $434.6 million and availability of $99.7 million under our $100.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility which matures in April 2015.

We assess our liquidity based on our current expectations regarding sales, operating expenses, capital spending and debt service requirements. Based on this assessment, we believe that our cash flows from operating activities together with existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our working capital, capital expenditure and debt service requirements for at least the next twelve months. Thereafter, our liquidity will continue to be affected by, among other things, the performance of our business, our capital expenditure levels and our ability to repay debt out of our operating cash flows or refinance the debt with the proceeds of debt or equity offerings at or prior to maturity. Moreover, the health of the worldwide banking system and financial markets affects the liquidity in the global economic environment. Volatility in fixed income, credit and equity markets could make it difficult for us to maintain our existing credit facilities or refinance our debt. If our performance or access to the capital markets differs materially from our expectations, our liquidity may be adversely impacted.

In addition, if we fail to generate the necessary net income or operating cash flows to meet the funding needs of our business beyond the next twelve months due to a variety of factors, including the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and the other factors discussed in this “Risk Factors” section, our liquidity would be adversely affected.

Our Ability To Draw On Our Current Loan Facilities May Be Adversely Affected by Conditions in the U.S. and International Capital Markets.

If financial institutions that have extended credit commitments to us are adversely affected by the conditions of the U.S. and international capital and credit markets, they may be unable to fund borrowings under their credit commitments to us. For example, we currently have a $100.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility with three banks in the U.S. If any of these banks are adversely affected by capital and credit market conditions and are unable to make loans to us when requested, there could be a corresponding adverse impact on our financial condition and our ability to borrow additional funds, if needed, for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, research and development and other corporate purposes.

Restrictive Covenants in the Indentures and Agreements Governing Our Current and Future Indebtedness Could Restrict Our Operating Flexibility.

The indentures and agreements governing our existing debt, and debt we may incur in the future, contain, or may contain, affirmative and negative covenants that materially limit our ability to take certain actions, including our ability to incur debt, pay dividends and repurchase stock, make certain investments and other payments, enter into certain mergers and consolidations, engage in sale leaseback transactions and encumber and dispose of assets. In addition, our future debt agreements may contain financial covenants and ratios.

The breach of any of these covenants by us or the failure by us to meet any of the financial ratios or conditions could result in a default under any or all of such indebtedness. If a default occurs under any such indebtedness, all of the outstanding obligations thereunder could become immediately due and payable, which could result in a default under our other outstanding debt and could lead to an acceleration of obligations related to other outstanding debt. The existence of such a default or event of default could also preclude us from borrowing funds under our revolving credit facilities. Our ability to comply with the provisions of the indentures, credit facilities and other agreements governing our outstanding debt and indebtedness we may incur in the future can be affected by events beyond our control and a default under any debt instrument, if not cured or waived, could have a material adverse effect on us.



19

Table of Contents

We Have Significant Severance Plan Obligations Associated With Our Manufacturing Operations in Korea Which Could Reduce Our Cash Flow and Negatively Impact Our Financial Condition.

We sponsor an accrued severance plan for our Korean subsidiary, under which we have an accrued liability of $106.5 million as of December 31, 2011. Existing tax laws in Korea limit our ability to currently deduct severance expenses associated with the current plan. These limitations are designed to encourage companies to migrate to a defined contribution or defined benefit plan. If we adopt a new plan, we would be required to fund a significant portion of the existing liability, which could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition and cash flows. If we do not adopt a new plan, our ability to currently deduct accrued severance will continue to be limited, and as a result we will have to pay higher taxes, which could adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition and cash flows.

Under the existing Korean plan, to the extent eligible employees are terminated, our Korean subsidiary would be required to make lump sum severance payments on behalf of these eligible employees based on their length of service, seniority and rate of pay at the time of termination. Since our severance plan obligation is significant, in the event of a significant layoff or other reduction in our labor force in Korea, payments under the plan could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition and cash flows. See Note 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

If We Fail to Maintain an Effective System of Internal Controls, We May Not be Able to Accurately Report Financial Results or Prevent Fraud.

Effective internal controls are necessary to provide reliable financial reports and to assist in the effective prevention of fraud. Any inability to provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud could harm our business. We must annually evaluate our internal procedures to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which requires management and our independent registered public accounting firm to assess the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting.

As previously reported, we are implementing a new enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system in a multi-year program on a world-wide basis. We have recently implemented several significant ERP modules and expect to implement additional ERP modules in the future. The implementation of the ERP system represents a change in our internal control over financial reporting. Although we continue to monitor and assess our internal controls in the new ERP system environment as changes are made and new modules are implemented, and have taken additional steps to modify and enhance the design and effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, there is a risk that deficiencies may occur that could constitute significant deficiencies or in the aggregate a material weakness.

If we fail to remedy any deficiencies or maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, civil or criminal penalties or shareholder litigation. In addition, failure to maintain adequate internal controls could result in financial statements that do not accurately reflect our operating results or financial condition.

We Face Warranty Claims, Product Return and Liability Risks, the Risk of Economic Damage Claims and the Risk of Negative Publicity if Our Packages Fail.

Our packages are incorporated into a number of end products, and our business is exposed to warranty claims, product return and liability risks, the risk of economic damage claims and the risk of negative publicity if our packages fail.

We receive warranty claims from our customers which occur from time to time in the ordinary course of our business. If we were to experience an unusually high incidence of warranty claims, we could incur significant costs and our business could be adversely affected. In addition, we are exposed to the product and economic liability risks and the risk of negative publicity affecting our customers. Our sales may decline if any of our customers are sued on a product liability claim. We also may suffer a decline in sales from the negative publicity associated with such a lawsuit or with adverse public perceptions in general regarding our customers’ products. Further, if our packages are delivered with impurities or defects, we could incur additional development, repair or replacement costs, or suffer other economic losses and our credibility and the market’s acceptance of our packages could be harmed.

Absence of Backlog — The Lack of Contractually Committed Customer Demand May Adversely Affect Our Sales.

Our packaging and test business does not typically operate with any material backlog. Our quarterly net sales from packaging and test services are substantially dependent upon our customers’ demand in that quarter. None of our customers have committed


20

Table of Contents

to purchase any significant amount of packaging or test services or to provide us with binding forecasts of demand for packaging and test services for any future period, in any material amount. In addition, our customers often reduce, cancel or delay their purchases of packaging and test services for a variety of reasons including industry-wide, customer-specific and Amkor-specific reasons. Since a large portion of our costs is fixed and our expense levels are based in part on our expectations of future revenues, we may not be able to adjust costs in a timely manner to compensate for any sales shortfall. If we are unable to adjust costs in a timely manner, our margins, operating results, financial condition and cash flows would be adversely affected.

Risks Associated With International Operations — We Depend on Our Factories and Operations in China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan. Many of Our Customers’ and Vendors’ Operations Are Also Located Outside of the U.S.

We provide packaging and test services through our factories and other operations located in China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan. Substantially all of our property, plant and equipment is located outside of the United States. Moreover, many of our customers’ and vendors’ operations are located outside the U.S.  The following are some of the risks we face in doing business internationally:
changes in consumer demand resulting from deteriorating conditions in local economies;
regulations imposed by foreign governments, including limitations or taxes imposed on the payment of dividends and other payments by non-U.S. subsidiaries;
fluctuations in currency exchange rates;
political, military, civil unrest and terrorist risks, particularly an increase in tensions between North Korea and South Korea;
disruptions or delays in shipments caused by customs brokers or government agencies;
changes in regulatory requirements, tariffs, customs, duties and other restrictive trade barriers or policies;
difficulties in staffing, retention and employee turnover and managing foreign operations, including foreign labor disruptions; 
difficulty in enforcing contractual rights and protecting our intellectual property rights and
potentially adverse tax consequences resulting from changes in tax laws in the foreign jurisdictions in which we operate.
Changes in the U.S. Tax Law Regarding Earnings Of Our Subsidiaries Located Outside the U.S. Could Materially Affect Our Future Results.

There have been proposals to change U.S. tax laws that would significantly impact how U.S. corporations are taxed on foreign earnings. We earn a substantial portion of our income in foreign countries. Although we cannot predict whether or in what form any of these proposals might be enacted into law, if adopted they could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We Face Risks in Connection with the Continuing Development and Implementation of Changes to Our Management Information Systems

We depend on our management information systems for many aspects of our business. Some of our key software has been developed by our own programmers, and this software may not be easily integrated with other software and systems. Our systems may be susceptible to damage, disruptions or shutdowns due to failures during the process of upgrading, replacing or maintaining software, databases or components thereof, power outages, hardware failures, computer viruses, attacks by computer hackers, telecommunication failures, user errors or catastrophic events. In addition, security breaches could result in unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. We have made and continue to make significant investments to implement and evolve our management information systems. In addition, we are implementing a new shop floor system in certain of our factories. We face risks in connection with current and future projects to install new management information systems or upgrade our existing systems. These risks include:
we may face delays in the design and implementation of the system;
the cost of the system may exceed our plans and expectations and


21

Table of Contents

disruptions resulting from the implementation of the system may impact our ability to process transactions and delay shipments to customers, impact our results of operations or financial condition or harm our control environment.
Our business could be materially and adversely affected if our management information systems are disrupted or if we are unable to successfully install new systems or improve, upgrade, integrate or expand upon our existing systems.

We Face Risks Trying to Attract and Retain Qualified Employees to Support Our Operations.

Our success depends to a significant extent upon the continued service of our key senior management and technical personnel, any of whom may be difficult to replace. Competition for qualified employees is intense, and our business could be adversely affected by the loss of the services of any of our existing key personnel, including senior management, as a result of competition or for any other reason. We evaluate our management team and engage in long-term succession planning in order to ensure orderly replacement of key personnel. We do not have employment agreements with our key employees, including senior management or other contracts that would prevent our key employees from working for our competitors in the event they cease working for us. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in our efforts to retain key employees or in hiring and properly training sufficient numbers of qualified personnel and in effectively managing our growth. Our inability to attract, retain, motivate and train qualified new personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Difficulties Consolidating and Integrating Our Operations — We Face Challenges as We Integrate Diverse Operations.

We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, change in the scope and complexity of our operations resulting primarily from existing and future facility consolidations, strategic acquisitions, joint ventures and other partnering arrangements. For example, the businesses we have acquired had, at the time of acquisition, multiple systems for managing their own production, sales, inventory and other operations. Migrating these businesses to our systems typically is a slow, expensive process requiring us to divert significant resources from other parts of our operations. These changes can strain our managerial, financial, operational and other resources. We may continue to face these challenges in the future. For example, we currently have a 30% investment in J-Devices, with options to acquire additional equity interests up to 80%. If we were to acquire these interests, we would need to integrate the J-Devices operation with our existing systems. The J-Devices integration or other future acquisitions, consolidations and partnering arrangements could result in operating inefficiencies, increased costs and a burden on our resources as we integrate operations.

Dependence on Materials and Equipment Suppliers — Our Business May Suffer If the Cost, Quality or Supply of Materials or Equipment Changes Adversely.

We obtain from various vendors the materials and equipment required for the packaging and test services performed by our factories. We source most of our materials, including critical materials such as leadframes, laminate substrates and gold wire, from a limited group of suppliers. A disruption to the operations of one or more of our suppliers could have a negative impact on our business. For example, the severe earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011 had a significant adverse effect on the electronic industry supply chain impacting the supply of specialty chemicals, substrates, silicon wafers, equipment and other supplies to the electronics industry. In addition, we purchase the majority of our materials on a purchase order basis. Our business may be harmed if we cannot obtain materials and other supplies from our vendors in a timely manner, in sufficient quantities, in acceptable quality or at competitive prices.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act imposes new requirements regarding the supply of minerals originating from the conflict zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries. Industry associations and some of our customers are also implementing initiatives to improve transparency and accountability concerning the supply of these materials and, in some cases, requiring us to certify that the covered materials we use in our packaging do not come from the conflict areas. We may incur additional costs associated with complying with the new requirements and customer initiatives. These new requirements and customer initiatives could affect the sourcing and availability of metals used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain conflict-free materials in sufficient quantities and at competitive prices or that we will be able to verify the origin of all of the metals we use in our manufacturing process. If we are unable to certify that the metals we use in our packages are conflict-free, it could adversely affect our business as some customers may move their business to other suppliers. Our reputation could also be adversely affected.

We purchase new packaging and test equipment to maintain and expand our operations. From time to time, increased demand for new equipment may cause lead times to extend beyond those normally required by equipment vendors. For example, in the past, increased demand for equipment caused some equipment suppliers to only partially satisfy our equipment orders in the


22

Table of Contents

normal time frame or to increase prices during market upturns for the semiconductor industry. The unavailability of equipment or failures to deliver equipment on a timely basis could delay or impair our ability to meet customer orders. If we are unable to meet customer orders, we could lose potential and existing customers. Generally, we acquire our equipment on a purchase order basis and do not enter into long-term equipment agreements. As a result, we could experience adverse changes in pricing, currency risk and potential shortages in equipment in a strong market, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We are a large buyer of gold and other commodity materials including substrates and copper. The prices of gold and other commodities used in our business fluctuate. Historically, we have been able to partially offset the effect of commodity price increases through price adjustments to some customers and changes in our product designs that reduce the material content and cost, such as the use of shorter, thinner, gold wire and migration to copper wire. However, we typically do not have long-term contracts that permit us to impose price adjustments, and market conditions may limit our ability to do so. Significant price increases may adversely impact our gross margin in future periods to the extent we are unable to pass along past or future commodity price increases to our customers.

Loss of Customers — The Loss of Certain Customers or Reduced Orders from Existing Customers May Have a Significant Adverse Effect on Our Operations and Financial Results.

The loss of a significant customer, a reduction in orders from a significant customer or disruption in any of our significant strategic partnerships or other commercial arrangements may result in a decline in our sales and profitability. Although we have approximately 225 customers, we have derived and expect to continue to derive a large portion of our revenues from a small group of customers during any particular period due in part to the concentration of market share in the semiconductor industry. Our ten largest customers together accounted for approximately 61.0%, 54.2% and 53.4% of our net sales in the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Two customers each accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated net sales in 2011, no customer exceeded 10% of consolidated net sales in 2010 and one customer exceeded 10% of our consolidated net sales in 2009.

The demand for our services from each customer is directly dependent upon that customer’s level of business activity, the quality and price of our services, our cycle time and delivery performance, the customer's qualification of additional competitors on products we currently package or test and a number of other factors. Each of these factors could vary significantly from year to year resulting in the loss or reduction of customer orders. Our business is likely to remain subject to this variability in order levels, and we cannot assure you that our key customers or any other customers will continue to place orders with us in the future at the same levels as in past periods.

The loss of one or more of our significant customers, or reduced orders by any one of them and our inability to replace these customers or make up for such orders could reduce our sales and profitability. For example, our facility in Iwate, Japan is primarily dedicated to a single customer, Toshiba Corporation. We have also invested in an unconsolidated affiliate, J-Devices Corporation, for which Toshiba is the primary customer. If we were to lose Toshiba as a customer or if it were to materially reduce its business with us, it could be difficult for us to find one or more new customers to utilize the capacity, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial results. In 2011, one customer accounted for 17% of our consolidated net sales, representing approximately 15% of our packaging net sales and 30% of our test net sales. In 2011, another customer accounted for 11% of our consolidated net sales, substantially all of which were packaging net sales. If we were to lose either or both of our two largest customers, or if they significantly reduced their level of business with us, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Capital Additions — We Make Substantial Capital Additions To Support the Demand Of Our Customers, Which May Adversely Affect Our Business If the Demand Of Our Customers Does Not Develop As We Expect or Is Adversely Affected.

We make significant capital additions in order to service the demand of our customers. The amount of capital additions depends on several factors, including the performance of our business, our assessment of future industry and customer demand, our capacity utilization levels and availability, our liquidity position and the availability of financing. Our ongoing capital addition requirements may strain our cash and short-term asset balances, and, in periods when we are expanding our capital base, we expect that depreciation expense and factory operating expenses associated with our capital additions to increase production capacity will put downward pressure on our gross margin, at least over the near term.



23

Table of Contents

Furthermore, if we cannot generate or raise additional funds to pay for capital additions, particularly in some of the advanced packaging and bumping areas, as well as research and development activities, our growth and future profitability may be adversely affected. Our ability to obtain external financing in the future is subject to a variety of uncertainties, including:
our future financial condition, results of operations and cash flows;
general market conditions for financing;
volatility in fixed income, credit and equity markets and
economic, political and other global conditions.
The lead time needed to order, install and put into service various capital additions is often significant, and, as a result, we often need to commit to capital additions in advance of our receipt of firm orders or advance deposits based on our view of anticipated future demand with only very limited visibility. Although we seek to limit our exposure in this regard, in the past we have from time to time expended significant capital for additions for which the anticipated demand did not materialize for a variety of reasons, many of which were outside of our control. To the extent this occurs in the future, our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

In addition, during periods where customer demand exceeds our capacity, customers may transfer some or all of their business to other suppliers who are able to support their needs. To the extent this occurs, our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

Impairment Charges — Any Impairment Charges Required Under U.S. GAAP May Have a Material Adverse Effect on Our Net Income.

Under U.S. GAAP, we review our long-lived assets including property, plant and equipment, intellectual property and other intangibles for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. Factors we consider include significant under-performance relative to expected historical or projected future operating results, significant negative industry or economic trends and our market capitalization relative to net book value. We may be required in the future to record a significant charge to earnings in our financial statements during the period in which any impairment of our long-lived assets is determined. Such charges have had and could have a significant adverse impact on our results of operations and our operating flexibility under our debt covenants.

Litigation Incident to Our Business Could Adversely Affect Us.

We have been a party to various legal proceedings, including those described in Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and may be a party to litigation in the future. If an unfavorable ruling or outcome were to occur in these legal proceedings or future litigation, there could be a material adverse impact on our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and the trading price of our securities.

We Could Suffer Adverse Tax and Other Financial Consequences if Taxing Authorities Do Not Agree with Our Interpretation of Applicable Tax Laws.

Our corporate structure and operations are based, in part, on interpretations of various tax laws, including withholding tax, compliance with tax holiday requirements, application of changes in tax law to our operations and other relevant laws of applicable taxing jurisdictions. From time to time, the taxing authorities of the relevant jurisdictions may conduct examinations of our income tax returns and other regulatory filings. We cannot assure you that the taxing authorities will agree with our interpretations. To the extent they do not agree, we may seek to enter into settlements with the taxing authorities which require significant payments or otherwise adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition. We may also appeal the taxing authorities’ determinations to the appropriate governmental authorities, but we cannot be sure we will prevail. If we do not prevail, we may have to make significant payments or otherwise record charges (or reduce tax assets) that adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.



24

Table of Contents

Intellectual Property — Our Business Will Suffer if We Are Not Able to Develop New Proprietary Technology, Protect Our Proprietary Technology and Operate Without Infringing the Proprietary Rights of Others.

The complexity and breadth of semiconductor packaging and test services are rapidly increasing. As a result, we expect that we will need to develop, acquire and implement new manufacturing processes and package design technologies and tools in order to respond to competitive industry conditions and customer requirements. Technological advances also typically lead to rapid and significant price erosion and may make our existing packages less competitive or our existing inventories obsolete. If we cannot achieve advances in package design or obtain access to advanced package designs developed by others, our business could suffer.

The need to develop and maintain advanced packaging capabilities and equipment could require significant research and development, capital expenditures and acquisitions in future years. In addition, converting to new package designs or process methodologies could result in delays in producing new package types, which could adversely affect our ability to meet customer orders and adversely impact our business.

We maintain an active program to protect and derive value from our investment in technology and the associated intellectual property rights. Intellectual property rights that apply to our various packages and services include patents, copyrights, trade secrets and trademarks. We have filed for and have obtained a number of patents in the U.S. and abroad, the duration of which varies depending on the jurisdiction in which the patent was filed. While our patents are an important element of our intellectual property strategy, as a whole, we are not materially dependent on any one patent or any one technology. The process of seeking patent protection takes a long time and is expensive. There can be no assurance that patents will issue from pending or future applications or that, if patents are issued, the rights granted under the patents will provide us with meaningful protection or any commercial advantage. Any patents we do obtain may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented and may not provide meaningful protection or other commercial advantage to us.

Some of our technologies are not covered by any patent or patent application. The confidentiality agreements on which we rely to protect these technologies may be breached and may not be adequate to protect our proprietary technologies. There can be no assurance that other countries in which we market our services will protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the U.S.

Our competitors may develop, patent or gain access to know-how and technology similar to our own. In addition, many of our patents are subject to cross licenses, several of which are with our competitors. The semiconductor industry is characterized by frequent claims regarding the infringement of patent and other intellectual property rights. If any third party makes an enforceable infringement claim against us or our customers, we could be required to:
discontinue the use of certain processes;
cease to provide the services at issue;
pay substantial damages;
develop non-infringing technologies or
acquire licenses to such technology.
We may need to enforce our patents or other intellectual property rights, including our rights under patent and intellectual property licenses with third parties, or defend ourselves against claimed infringement of the rights of others through litigation, which could result in substantial cost and diversion of our resources. Furthermore, if we fail to obtain necessary licenses, our business could suffer. We have been involved in legal proceedings involving the acquisition and license of intellectual property rights, the enforcement of our existing intellectual property rights or the enforcement of the intellectual property rights of others, including the arbitration proceeding filed against Tessera, Inc. and the complaint filed and ongoing proceeding against Carsem (M) Sdn Bhd, Carsem Semiconductor Sdn Bhd, and Carsem Inc., or collectively “Carsem”, both of which are described in more detail in Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Unfavorable outcomes in any litigation matters involving intellectual property could result in significant liabilities and could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. The potential impact from the legal proceedings referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could change in the future.



25

Table of Contents

Packaging and Test — Packaging and Test Processes Are Complex and Our Production Yields and Customer Relationships May Suffer from Defects in the Services We Provide.

Semiconductor packaging and test services are complex processes that require significant technological and process expertise. Defective packages primarily result from:
contaminants in the manufacturing environment;
human error;
equipment malfunction;
changing processes to address environmental requirements;
defective raw materials or
defective plating services.
Testing is also complex and involves sophisticated equipment and software. Similar to many software programs, these software programs are complex and may contain programming errors or “bugs.” The testing equipment is also subject to malfunction. In addition, the testing process is subject to operator error.

These and other factors have, from time to time, contributed to lower production yields. They may also do so in the future, particularly as we adjust our capacity or change our processing steps. In addition, we must continue to expand our offering of packages to be competitive. Our production yields on new packages typically are significantly lower than our production yields on our more established packages.

Our failure to maintain high standards or acceptable production yields, if significant and prolonged, could result in loss of customers, increased costs of production, delays, substantial amounts of returned goods and claims by customers relating thereto. Any of these problems could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

In addition, in line with industry practice, new customers usually require us to pass a lengthy and rigorous qualification process that may take several months. If we fail to qualify packages with potential customers or existing customers, such failure could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Competition — We Compete Against Established Competitors in the Packaging and Test Business as Well as Internal Customer Capabilities.

The subcontracted semiconductor packaging and test market is very competitive. We face substantial competition from established packaging and test service providers primarily located in Asia, including companies with significant processing capacity, financial resources, research and development operations, marketing and other capabilities. These companies also have established relationships with many large semiconductor companies that are our current or potential customers. If one or more of these competitors were to significantly exceed our expenditures on capacity expansion, our market share and business could be negatively impacted. We also face competition from the internal capabilities and capacity of many of our current and potential IDM customers. In addition, in the future we may compete with companies (including semiconductor foundries) that may enter the market or offer new or emerging technologies that compete with our packages and services. For example, one of the major semiconductor foundries, which is substantially larger and has greater financial resources than we do, has indicated that it is considering an expansion of its operations to include packaging and test services.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to compete successfully in the future against our existing or potential competitors or that our customers will not rely on internal sources for packaging and test services, or that our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows will not be adversely affected by such increased competition.

Environmental Regulations — Future Environmental Regulations Could Place Additional Burdens on Our Manufacturing Operations.

The semiconductor packaging process uses liquid chemicals, gases and materials. These processes generate by-products that are subject to extensive governmental regulations. For example, at our foreign facilities we produce liquid waste when


26

Table of Contents

semiconductor wafers are diced into chips with the aid of diamond saws, then cooled with running water. In addition, semiconductor packages have historically utilized metallic alloys containing lead (Pb) within the interconnect terminals typically referred to as leads, pins or balls. Federal, state and local laws and regulations in the U.S., as well as environmental laws and regulations in foreign jurisdictions, impose various controls on the storage, handling, discharge and disposal of chemicals used in our production processes and on the factories we occupy and are increasingly imposing restrictions on the materials contained in semiconductor products. We may become liable under environmental laws for the cost of cleanup of any disposal or release of hazardous materials arising out of our former or current operations, or otherwise as a result of the existence of hazardous materials on our properties. In such an event, we could be held liable for damages, including fines, penalties and the cost of investigations and remedial actions, and could also be subject to revocation of permits negatively affecting our operations.

Public attention has focused on the environmental impact of semiconductor operations and the risk to neighbors of chemical releases from such operations and to the materials contained in semiconductor products. For example, the European Union’s Restriction of Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive imposes strict restrictions on the use of lead and other hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. In response to this directive, and similar laws and developing legislation in countries like China, Japan and Korea, we have implemented changes in a number of our manufacturing processes in an effort to achieve compliance across all of our package types. Complying with existing and possible future environmental laws and regulations, including laws and regulations relating to climate change, may impose upon us the need for additional capital equipment or other process requirements, restrict our ability to expand our operations, disrupt our operations, increase costs, subject us to liability or cause us to curtail our operations.

Our Business and Financial Condition Could be Adversely Affected by Natural Disasters, Including the Recent Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan.

We have significant packaging and test and other operations in locations which are subject to natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, floods and other severe weather and geological events that could disrupt our operations. In addition, our suppliers and customers also have significant operations in such locations. A natural disaster that results in a prolonged disruption to our operations, or the operations of our customers or suppliers, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. For example, Japan experienced a severe earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that resulted in significant disruption in the electronics industry supply chain and adversely affected Japan's economy and consumer spending. In addition, in October 2011, Thailand experienced substantial flooding which has affected the facilities and operations of customers and suppliers in our industry. As a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected by the events in Japan, Thailand or future natural disasters of a similar nature.

Fire, Flood or Other Calamity — With Our Operations Conducted in a Limited Number of Facilities, a Fire, Flood or Other Calamity at one of Our Facilities Could Adversely Affect Us.

We conduct our packaging and test operations at a limited number of facilities. Significant damage or other impediments to any of these facilities, whether as a result of fire, flood, weather, the outbreak of infectious diseases (such as SARs or flu), civil strife, industrial strikes, breakdowns of equipment, difficulties or delays in obtaining materials and equipment, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, industrial accidents or other causes could temporarily disrupt or even shut down our operations, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In the event of such a disruption or shutdown, we may be unable to reallocate production to other facilities in a timely or cost-effective manner (if at all) and we may not have sufficient capacity to service customer demands in our other facilities. For example, our operations in Asia are vulnerable to regional typhoons that can bring with them destructive winds and torrential rains, which could in turn cause plant closures and transportation interruptions. In addition, some of the processes that we utilize in our operations place us at risk of fire and other damage. For example, highly flammable gases are used in the preparation of wafers holding semiconductor devices for flip chip packaging. While we maintain insurance policies for various types of property, casualty and other risks, we do not carry insurance for all the above referred risks and with regard to the insurance we do maintain, we cannot assure you that it would be sufficient to cover all of our potential losses.

Continued Control By Existing Stockholders — Mr. James J. Kim and Members of His Family Can
Substantially Control The Outcome of All Matters Requiring Stockholder Approval.

As of January 27, 2012, Mr. James J. Kim, our Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, members of Mr. Kim’s immediate family and affiliates owned approximately 87,899,000 shares, or approximately 52%, of our outstanding common stock. Approximately 13,351,000 of these shares (the “2013 Convert Shares”) were acquired upon the conversion in January 2011 of all $100.0 million of our 6.25% Convertible Subordinated Notes due 2013. The Kim family also has options to acquire


27

Table of Contents

approximately 985,000 shares and owns $150.0 million of our 6.0% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014 (the “2014 Notes”) that are convertible into approximately 49,595,000 shares of common stock (the “2014 Convert Shares”) at a conversion price of approximately $3.02 per share. If the options are exercised and the 2014 Notes are converted, the Kim family would own an aggregate of approximately 138,479,000 shares, or approximately 63%, of our outstanding common stock.

The 2013 Convert Shares and the 2014 Convert Shares are each subject to separate voting agreements. The agreements require the Kim family to vote these respective shares in a “neutral manner” on all matters submitted to our stockholders for a vote, so that such 2013 Convert Shares and 2014 Convert Shares are voted in the same proportion as all of the other outstanding securities (excluding the other shares owned by the Kim family) that are actually voted on a proposal submitted to Amkor’s stockholders for approval. The Kim family is not required to vote in a “neutral manner” any 2013 Convert Shares or 2014 Convert Shares that, when aggregated with all other voting shares held by the Kim family, represent 41.6% or less of the total then-outstanding voting shares of our common stock. The voting agreement for the 2013 Convert Shares terminates upon the earliest of (i) December 1, 2013, (ii) at such time as no principal amount of the 2013 Notes or any 2013 Convert Shares remain outstanding, (iii) a change of control transaction (as defined in the voting agreement) or (iv) the mutual agreement of the Kim family and Amkor. The voting agreement for the 2014 Convert Shares terminates upon the earliest of (i) such time as no principal amount of the 2014 Notes remains outstanding and the Kim family no longer beneficially own any of the 2014 Convert Shares, (ii) consummation of a change of control (as defined in the voting agreement) or (iii) the mutual agreement of the Kim family and Amkor.

Mr. James J. Kim and his family and affiliates, acting together, have the ability to effectively determine matters (other than interested party transactions) submitted for approval by our stockholders by voting their shares, including the election of our Board of Directors. There is also the potential, through the election of members of our Board of Directors, that the Kim family could substantially influence matters decided upon by our Board of Directors. This concentration of ownership may also have the effect of impeding a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business consolidation involving us, or discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer for our shares, and could also negatively affect our stock’s market price or decrease any premium over market price that an acquirer might otherwise pay.

Item 1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments

None.



28

Table of Contents

Item 2.
Properties

We provide packaging, test and development services at various facilities throughout China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan and the U.S. The size, location and manufacturing services provided by each of our factories are set forth in the table below.
Location
 
Approximate
Factory Size
(Square Feet)
 
Services
Korea
 
 
 
 
Gwangju, Korea (1)
 
1,218,000

 
Packaging and test services; wafer bump services
Seoul, Korea (1)
 
698,000

 
Packaging services; package and process development
Pupyong, Korea (1)
 
404,000

 
Packaging and test services
Philippines
 
 
 
 
Muntinlupa, Philippines (2)
 
749,000

 
Packaging and test services; package and process development
Province of Laguna, Philippines (2)
 
625,000

 
Packaging and test services
China
 
 
 
 
Shanghai, China (3)
 
993,000

 
Packaging and test services; wafer bump services
Taiwan
 
 
 
 
Hsinchu, Taiwan (1)
 
496,000

 
Packaging and test services; wafer bump services
Lung Tan, Taiwan (1)
 
353,000

 
Packaging and test services; wafer bump services
Japan
 
 
 
 
Kitakami, Japan (4)
 
211,000

 
Packaging and test services
United States
 
 
 
 
Chandler, AZ (5)
 
5,000

 
Test process development; package and process development
(1)
Owned facility and land.
(2)
As a result of foreign ownership restrictions in the Philippines, the land associated with our Philippine factories is leased from realty companies in which we own a 40% interest. We own buildings comprising 1,223,000 square feet and lease the remaining 151,000 square feet from one of the aforementioned realty companies.
(3)
We own buildings comprising 993,000 square feet, of which approximately 738,000 square feet were facilitized as of December 31, 2011. All land is leased.
(4)
Leased facility.
(5)
Of the 5,000 square feet in the U.S., 2,000 square feet is owned facility and land and 3,000 square feet is leased.
We previously owned a 165,000 square foot facility in Singapore (the land was leased) that was sold in June 2011. See Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We believe that our existing properties are in good condition and suitable for the conduct of our business and that the productive capacity of such properties is substantially being utilized or we have plans to utilize it.

Our principal executive office and operational headquarters is located in Chandler, Arizona. In addition to executive staff, the Chandler, Arizona campus houses sales and customer service for the southwest region, product management, finance, information systems, planning and marketing. Our marketing and sales office locations include sites in the U.S. (Chandler, Arizona; Irvine, San Diego and Santa Clara, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Greensboro, North Carolina and Dallas, Texas), China, France, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan.



29

Table of Contents

Item 3.
Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we are involved in various disputes and litigation matters that arise in the ordinary course of our business. These include disputes and lawsuits related to intellectual property, acquisitions, licensing, contracts, tax, regulatory, employee relations and other matters. For a discussion of “Legal Proceedings,” see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 4.
Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

None.

PART II

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

LISTING ON THE NASDAQ GLOBAL SELECT MARKET

Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “AMKR.” The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low sale prices per share of our common stock as quoted on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.
 
 
High
 
 
 
Low
 
2011
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
First Quarter
 
$
8.49

 
 
 
$
6.30

 
Second Quarter
 
7.00

 
 
 
5.64

 
Third Quarter
 
6.59

 
 
 
3.81

 
Fourth Quarter
 
5.17

 
 
 
4.06

 
2010
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
First Quarter
 
$
7.55

 
 
 
$
5.47

 
Second Quarter
 
8.81

 
 
 
5.45

 
Third Quarter
 
6.80

 
 
 
5.05

 
Fourth Quarter
 
7.78

 
 
 
6.06

 

There were approximately 165 holders of record of our common stock as of January 27, 2012.

DIVIDEND POLICY

Since our public offering in 1998, we have never paid a dividend to our stockholders and we do not have any present plans for doing so. In addition, our secured bank debt agreements and the indentures governing our senior and senior subordinated notes limit our ability to pay dividends. Refer to the Liquidity and Capital Resources Section in Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES

None.

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS

The information required by this item regarding equity compensation plans is set forth in Part III, Item 12 “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.



30

Table of Contents

PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS

The following table provides information regarding repurchases of our common stock during the three months ended December 31, 2011. See Note 14 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion.
Period
Total Number of Shares Purchased (a)
Average Price Paid Per Share ($)
Total Number of Shares Purchased as part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs (b)
Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs ($) (b)
 
 
 
 
 
October 1-October 31
6,950,956

$4.64
6,947,031

$69,038,913
November 1-November 30
5,105,323

4.52

5,087,981

46,039,163

December 1-December 31
5,638,233

4.43

5,636,175
21,070,958

Total
17,694,512

$4.54
17,671,187

 

(a)
Includes 23,325 shares of common stock surrendered to us to satisfy tax withholding obligations associated with the vesting of restricted shares issued to employees.

(b)
In August 2011, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $150.0 million of our common stock, exclusive of any fees, commissions or other expenses. During 2011, we purchased 28.6 million shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $128.9 million, net of $0.6 million of commissions, for an average price of $4.51. At December 31, 2011, approximately $21.1 million was available to repurchase common stock pursuant to the stock repurchase program. In February 2012, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $150.0 million of our common stock.



31

Table of Contents

PERFORMANCE GRAPH(1)




(1)
The preceding Stock Performance Graph is not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and shall not be incorporated by reference in any of our filings under the Securities Act of 1933 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.

Item 6.
Selected Consolidated Financial Data

The following selected consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2011 and 2010 and for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 have been derived from our audited Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following selected consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007 and for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, have been derived from audited financial statements not included herein and, where applicable, such data was recast for the retrospective application of accounting guidance for noncontrolling interests in a consolidated subsidiary, which we became subject to beginning January 1, 2009. You should read the selected consolidated financial data in conjunction with Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our Consolidated Financial Statements, both of which are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.



32

Table of Contents

SELECTED HISTORICAL CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
 
For the Year Ended December 31,
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2008
 
2007
 
(In thousands, except per share data)
Statement of Operations Data:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net sales
$
2,776,359

 
$
2,939,483

 
$
2,179,109

 
$
2,658,602

 
$
2,739,445

Cost of sales(a)
2,285,790

 
2,275,727

 
1,698,713

 
2,096,864

 
2,057,572

Gross profit
490,569

 
663,756

 
480,396

 
561,738

 
681,873

Operating expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Selling, general and administrative
246,555

 
242,424

 
210,907

 
251,756

 
254,365

Research and development
50,386

 
47,534

 
44,453

 
56,227

 
41,650

Goodwill impairment(b)

 

 

 
671,117

 

Gain on sale of real estate and specialty test operations(c)
(42
)
 

 
(281
)
 
(9,856
)
 
(4,833
)
Total operating expenses
296,899

 
289,958

 
255,079

 
969,244

 
291,182

Operating income (loss)
193,670

 
373,798

 
225,317

 
(407,506
)
 
390,691

Other expense (income):
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest expense
74,212

 
85,595

 
102,396

 
118,729

 
133,896

Interest expense, related party
12,394

 
15,250

 
13,000

 
6,250

 
6,250

Interest income
(2,749
)
 
(2,950
)
 
(2,367
)
 
(8,749
)
 
(9,797
)
Foreign currency loss (gain)(d)
2,178

 
13,756

 
3,339

 
(61,057
)
 
8,961

Loss (gain) on debt retirement, net(e)
15,531

 
18,042

 
(15,088
)
 
(35,987
)
 
15,876

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates(f)
(7,085
)
 
(6,435
)
 
(2,373
)
 

 

Other (income) expense, net
(1,030
)
 
(619
)
 
(113
)
 
(1,004
)
 
668

Total other expense, net
93,451

 
122,639

 
98,794

 
18,182

 
155,854

Income (loss) before income taxes
100,219

 
251,159

 
126,523

 
(425,688
)
 
234,837

Income tax expense (benefit)(g)
7,124

 
19,012

 
(29,760
)
 
31,788

 
12,597

Net income (loss)
93,095

 
232,147

 
156,283

 
(457,476
)
 
222,240

Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
(1,287
)
 
(176
)
 
(303
)
 
781

 
(2,376
)
Net income (loss) attributable to Amkor
$
91,808

 
$
231,971

 
$
155,980

 
$
(456,695
)
 
$
219,864

Net income (loss) attributable to Amkor per common share:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
$
0.48

 
1.26

 
0.85

 
(2.50
)
 
1.22

Diluted
$
0.39

 
0.91

 
0.67

 
(2.50
)
 
1.11

Shares used in computing per common share amounts:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic(h)
190,829

 
183,312

 
183,067

 
182,734

 
180,597

Diluted
273,686

 
282,602

 
263,379

 
182,734

 
208,767

Other Financial Data:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Depreciation and amortization
$
335,644

 
$
323,608

 
$
305,510

 
$
309,920

 
$
283,267

Purchases of property, plant and equipment
466,694

 
445,669

 
173,496

 
386,239

 
236,240




33

Table of Contents

 
Year Ended December 31,
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2008
 
2007
 
(In thousands)
Balance Sheet Data:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents
$
434,631

 
$
404,998

 
$
395,406

 
$
424,316

 
$
410,070

Working capital
354,644

 
289,859

 
327,088

 
306,174

 
310,341

Total assets
2,773,047

 
2,736,822

 
2,432,909

 
2,383,993

 
3,192,606

Total long-term debt
1,287,256

 
1,214,219

 
1,345,241

 
1,438,751

 
1,611,570

Total debt, including short-term borrowings and current portion of long-term debt
1,346,651

 
1,364,300

 
1,434,185

 
1,493,360

 
1,764,059

Additional paid-in capital
1,611,242

 
1,504,927

 
1,500,246

 
1,496,976

 
1,482,186

Accumulated deficit
(798,462
)
 
(890,270
)
 
(1,122,241
)
 
(1,278,221
)
 
(821,526
)
Total Amkor stockholders’ equity
693,266

 
630,013

 
383,209

 
237,139

 
654,619

_______________________________________
(a)
During 2008, we recorded a charge of $61.4 million for unpaid royalties relating to the resolution of a patent license dispute, of which $49.0 million related to royalties for periods prior to 2008.
(b)
At December 31, 2008, we recorded a non-cash charge of $671.1 million to write off our remaining goodwill.
(c)
During 2011, we sold real property in Singapore used for operations that were exited as of December 31, 2010. The gain on the sale of the real property was not significant. During 2009, we sold land and dormitory buildings in Korea and recorded a gain of $0.3 million. During 2008, we sold land and a warehouse in Korea and recorded a gain of $9.9 million. During 2007, we recorded a gain of $3.1 million in connection with the sale of real property in Korea used for administrative purposes and a gain of $1.7 million related to an earn-out provision on the sale of our Wichita, Kansas specialty test operation.
(d)
We recognize foreign currency losses (gains) due to the remeasurement of certain of our foreign currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities. During 2008, the net foreign currency gain of $61.1 million is primarily attributable to the significant depreciation of the Korean won and the impact on the remeasurement of our Korean severance obligation.
(e)
During 2011, we recorded a net loss of $15.5 million related to the tender and call of our 9.25% Senior Notes due 2016 and the write-off of the associated unamortized deferred debt issuance costs. During 2010, we recorded a net loss of $18.0 million related to several debt transactions. These transactions included recording a net loss of $17.7 million related to the tender offer to purchase $125.7 million principal amount of our 9.25% Senior Notes due 2016 and the repurchase of an aggregate $411.8 million principal amount of our 7.125% Senior Notes due in 2011 and our 7.75% Senior Notes due in 2013. During 2009, we recorded a net gain of $15.1 million related to the repurchase of an aggregate $289.3 million principal amount of our 7.125% Senior Notes and 2.5% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due in 2011 and our 7.75% Senior Notes due in 2013. During 2008, we recorded a gain of $36.0 million related to the repurchase of an aggregate $118.3 million principal amount of our 7.125% senior notes and 2.5% convertible senior subordinated notes due 2011. In 2007, we recorded a loss of $15.9 million related to the refinancing of a second lien term loan.
(f)
During 2009, we made a 30% equity investment in J-Devices Corporation, which was accounted for using the equity method. We recognized equity in earnings of $7.1 million, $6.4 million and $2.4 million during 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
(g)
Generally, our effective tax rate is substantially below the U.S. federal tax rate of 35% because we have experienced taxable losses in the U.S. and our income is taxed in foreign jurisdictions where we benefit from tax holidays or tax rates lower than the U.S. statutory rate. In 2009, a $25.6 million benefit for the release of a valuation allowance in Korea is included in the income tax benefit. In 2008, the $671.1 million goodwill impairment charge did not have a significant income tax benefit. Also, the 2008 income tax provision included a charge of $8.3 million for the establishment of a valuation allowance in Japan.
(h)
In January 2011, the entire $100.0 million aggregate principal amount of the December 2013 Notes was converted into 13.4 million shares of common stock. Also during 2011 we repurchased 28.6 million shares under the Stock Repurchase Program authorized by our Board of Directors in August 2011.



34

Table of Contents

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

This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including but not limited to statements regarding: (1) the amount, timing and focus of our expected capital investments, (2) our ability to fund our operating activities for the next twelve months, (3) the effect of capacity utilization rates on our gross margin, (4) the expiration of tax holidays in jurisdictions in which we operate and expectations regarding our effective tax rate, (5) the release of valuation allowances related to taxes in the future, (6) the expected use of future cash flows, if any, for the expansion of our business, capital expenditures, the repayment of debt and the repurchase of common stock, (7) our repurchase or repayment of outstanding debt or the conversion of debt in the future, (8) payment of dividends, (9) compliance with our covenants, (10) expected contributions to foreign pension plans, (11) liability for unrecognized tax benefits, (12) the effect of foreign currency exchange rate exposure on our financial results, (13) the volatility of the trading price of our common stock, (14) changes to our internal controls related to implementation of a new enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system and (15) other statements that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “intend” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Because such statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those set forth in the following discussion as well as in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion provides information and analysis of our results of operations for the three years ended December 31, 2011 and our liquidity and capital resources. You should read the following discussion in conjunction with Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K as well as other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

Overview

Amkor is one of the world’s leading providers of outsourced semiconductor packaging and test services. Packaging and test are integral steps in the process of manufacturing semiconductor devices. The semiconductor manufacturing process begins with the fabrication of tiny transistor elements into complex patterns of electronic circuitry on silicon wafers, thereby creating large numbers of individual semiconductor devices or integrated circuits on each wafer (generally referred to as “chips” or “die”). Each device on the wafer is tested and the wafer is cut into pieces called chips. The chips are attached through wirebonding to a substrate or leadframe, or to a substrate in the case of flip chip interconnect, and then encased in a protective material to create a package. For a wafer-level package, the electrical interconnections are created directly on the surface of the wafer without a substrate or leadframe. The packages are then tested using sophisticated equipment to ensure that each packaged chip meets its design and performance specifications.

Our packages are designed based on application and chip specific requirements including the type of interconnect technology employed; size; thickness and electrical, mechanical and thermal performance. We are able to provide turnkey packaging and test solutions including semiconductor wafer bump, wafer probe, wafer backgrind, package design, packaging, test and drop shipment services.

Our customers include, among others: Altera Corporation; Analog Devices, Inc.; Broadcom Corporation; Infineon Technologies AG; International Business Machines Corporation; LSI Corporation; Qualcomm Incorporated; ST Microelectronics N.V.; Texas Instruments Incorporated and Toshiba Corporation. The outsourced semiconductor packaging and test market is very competitive. We also compete with the internal semiconductor packaging and test capabilities of many of our customers.

Our net sales decreased $163.1 million or 5.5% to $2,776.4 million in 2011 from $2,939.5 million in 2010. The decrease was driven by a decline of $157.0 million or 5.9% in packaging net sales as a result of weakness in the consumer, networking and computing end markets, partially offset by strength in the communications end market for smartphones and tablets. As the price of gold has continued to rise over the last few years, there has been a migration from gold wirebond to flip chip and copper wirebond packaging. The corresponding increase in flip chip demand was a driver of our net sales in 2011 while our net sales of copper wirebond packaging services during the year were not significant. Test net sales also decreased by $5.9 million or 2.1% due to weakness in the computing and consumer end markets, partially offset by strength in the communications end market.



35

Table of Contents

Gross margin for 2011 decreased to 17.7% from 22.6% in 2010. The decrease in gross margin was primarily due to weakness in demand for our wirebond packaging solutions and the corresponding lower level of utilization of our wirebond manufacturing assets. Gross margin was also negatively impacted by the appreciation of certain Asian based currencies against the U.S. dollar, the increased cost of gold that is used in most of our wirebond packages and charges recognized in connection with workforce reduction programs at our Philippine manufacturing operations.

In 2011, our capital additions totaled $453.0 million or 16.3% of net sales compared to $504.5 million or 17.2% of net sales in 2010. In 2011, 61% of our capital additions were made in packaging, 23% for test and 16% for research and development and infrastructure projects.

As part of our continued focus on generating cash flow and driving greater factory and administrative efficiencies, we reduced employee and contractor headcount at our manufacturing operations in the Philippines in 2011. For the year ended December 31, 2011, these reductions resulted in charges for one-time termination benefits of $8.3 million including $1.6 million of related pension plan curtailment and settlement charges.

We generated $50.1 million of free cash flow in the year ended December 31, 2011, a decrease of $46.8 million from the prior year. Cash provided by operating activities was $516.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2011, compared with $542.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower net sales and gross profit in 2011, which was partially offset by increased collections on accounts receivable. We define free cash flow as net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property, plant and equipment. Free cash flow is not defined by U.S generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) and a reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by operating activities is set forth under the caption “Cash Flows” below.

We believe our financial position and liquidity are sufficient to fund our operating activities for at least the next twelve months. At December 31, 2011, our cash and cash equivalents totaled approximately $434.6 million, with an aggregate of $59.4 million of debt maturities due through the end of 2012. In May 2011, we issued $400.0 million of our 6.625% Senior Notes due 2021. We used the proceeds of that note issuance to refinance the $42.6 million principal balance outstanding of our 2.5% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due May 2011, redeem in full the $264.3 million outstanding principal amount of our 9.25% Senior Notes due 2016 and for general corporate purposes. In January 2011, the entire $100.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 6.25% Convertible Subordinated Notes due December 2013 was converted into an aggregate of 13,351,131 shares of our common stock.

In August 2011, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $150.0 million of our common stock, exclusive of any fees, commissions or other expenses. Through December 31, 2011, we had repurchased 28.6 million shares for $128.9 million under this program. Additionally, in February 2012, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $150.0 million of our common stock, exclusive of any fees, commissions or other expenses. Our stock repurchase program has been and is expected to be funded with available cash and may be suspended or discontinued at any time.



36

Table of Contents

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth certain operating data as a percentage of net sales for the periods indicated:
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
Net sales
100.0
%
 
100.0
%
 
100.0
%
Gross margin
17.7
%
 
22.6
%
 
22.0
%
Depreciation and amortization
12.1
%
 
11.0
%
 
14.0
%
Operating income
7.0
%
 
12.7
%
 
10.3
%
Income before income taxes
3.6
%
 
8.5
%
 
5.8
%
Net income attributable to Amkor
3.3
%
 
7.9
%
 
7.2
%

Net Sales
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Change
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2011 over 2010
 
2010 over 2009
 
(In thousands, except percentages)
Net sales
$
2,776,359

 
$
2,939,483

 
$
2,179,109

 
$
(163,124
)
 
(5.5
)%
 
$
760,374

 
34.9
%
Packaging net sales
2,493,283

 
2,650,257

 
1,933,600

 
(156,974
)
 
(5.9
)%
 
716,657

 
37.1
%
Test net sales
282,942

 
288,871

 
245,237

 
(5,929
)
 
(2.1
)%
 
43,634

 
17.8
%

Net Sales.  Net sales in 2011 decreased compared to 2010 primarily as a result of lower net sales of our packaging solutions. The decrease in packaging net sales was driven by weakness in the consumer, networking and computing end markets. These decreases were partially offset by strength in the communications end market for smartphones and tablets along with other advanced packaging solutions. Test net sales also decreased slightly due to weakness in the computing and consumer end markets partially offset by strength in the communications end market. Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2011, were also negatively impacted by the supply chain disruptions in Japan caused by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Net sales in 2010 increased compared to 2009 primarily driven by the recovery of the semiconductor industry and improved consumer spending across all of our end markets, resulting in an increase in demand for substantially all product lines in our packaging and test services. Chip scale packaging solutions increased due to demand for flip chip and 3-D stacking technologies for use in wireless data applications and smartphones. Ball grid array packaging solutions increased as demand for gaming, HDTVs, other consumer electronics and networking applications increased.

Packaging Net Sales. Packaging net sales in 2011 decreased compared to 2010. The decrease in packaging net sales was primarily driven by weakness in sales of our ball grid array and leadframe packaging solutions partially offset by strong sales of our chip scale packaging solutions supporting wireless communications products. Packaging unit volume decreased 1.7 billion units in 2011 to 8.1 billion units, compared to 9.8 billion units in 2010, primarily attributable to decreased demand for our leadframe packaging solutions.

Packaging net sales in 2010 increased compared to 2009. Packaging unit volume increased 2.1 billion units in 2010 to 9.8 billion units, compared to 7.7 billion units in 2009, primarily attributable to increased demand for our leadframe and chip scale packaging services. The increase in demand was due to the recovery of the semiconductor industry and improved consumer spending following the global economic downturn in 2009. Growth in ball grid array and chip scale packaging solutions with higher average sales prices per unit also contributed to the overall growth in net sales from 2009.

Test Net Sales.  Test net sales in 2011 decreased compared to 2010 primarily as a result of decreased demand from the computing and consumer end markets partially offset by increased test services for wireless communications products. Test net sales in 2010 increased compared to 2009 as overall demand continued to increase due to the recovery of the semiconductor industry and improved consumer spending following the global economic downturn in 2009.



37

Table of Contents

Cost of Sales
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Change
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2011 over 2010
 
2010 over 2009
 
(In thousands, except percentages)
Cost of sales
$
2,285,790

 
$
2,275,727

 
$
1,698,713

 
$
10,063

 
0.4
%
 
$
577,014

 
34.0
%

Our cost of sales consists principally of materials, labor, depreciation and manufacturing overhead. Since a substantial portion of the costs at our factories is fixed, relatively modest increases or decreases in capacity utilization rates can have a significant effect on our gross margin.

Material costs as a percentage of net sales increased to 44.1% in 2011 from 42.6% in 2010 primarily due to the increased cost of gold that is used in most of our wirebond packaging solutions. Material costs in absolute dollars decreased in 2011 as a result of the decline in net sales. Material costs as a percentage of net sales increased to 42.6% in 2010 from 39.7% in 2009 primarily due to a higher mix of ball grid array packages with higher material content as a percentage of net sales and the increased cost of gold that is used in most of our wirebond packages.

As a percentage of net sales, labor costs increased to 14.6% in 2011 from 12.7% in 2010. The increase in labor costs as a percentage of net sales was primarily the result of lower levels of utilization driven by decreased customer demand and the corresponding decrease in net sales. As substantially all of our manufacturing workforce is paid in Asian currencies, labor costs were also negatively impacted by the appreciation of certain Asian based currencies against the U.S. dollar in 2011 compared to 2010. In addition, labor wage rates increased in 2011 and the year also includes a $7.7 million charge for workforce reduction programs at our Philippine manufacturing operations compared to a $3.7 million workforce reduction charge in 2010.

As a percentage of net sales, labor costs decreased to 12.7% in 2010 from 13.5% in 2009. The decrease in labor costs as a percentage of net sales was due primarily to higher levels of utilization and efficiencies driven by increased customer demand and the corresponding increase in net sales. Labor costs increased in 2010 partially due to an increase in our global labor headcount to approximately 19,900 employees at December 31, 2010 compared to 18,200 employees at December 31, 2009, the restoration in 2010 of the compensation cost reductions from 2009 and the expiration of other temporary cost reduction initiatives, such as foreign subsidy programs, which were available and utilized in 2009. As substantially all of our manufacturing workforce is paid in Asian currencies, labor costs were also negatively impacted by the appreciation of certain Asian based currencies against the U.S. dollar in 2010 compared to 2009. Labor costs in 2010 included a charge of $3.7 million related to workforce reduction programs associated with the wind-down and exit of manufacturing operations in Singapore and special termination benefits related to a voluntary early retirement program in Korea compared to a $10.1 million charge in 2009 for workforce reduction programs.

Other manufacturing costs as a percentage of net sales increased to 23.6% in 2011 from 22.1% in 2010. Other manufacturing costs increased as a percentage of net sales primarily as a result of lower levels of utilization driven by decreased customer demand and the corresponding decrease in net sales. The increase in other manufacturing costs in absolute dollars was primarily attributable to the appreciation of certain Asian based currencies against the U.S. dollar and increased depreciation from our continued investments in property, plant and equipment. These costs were partially offset by overhead cost savings from the closure of our Singapore manufacturing operations.

As a percentage of net sales, other manufacturing costs decreased to 22.1% in 2010 from 24.7% in 2009 due to higher levels of utilization and efficiencies driven by increased customer demand and the corresponding increase in net sales. The increase in other manufacturing costs in absolute dollars was primarily attributable to higher levels of production in our factories, resulting in increased costs for repairs and maintenance, supplies, facilities, and utilities, and to increased depreciation as a result of the higher level of capital spending during 2010. The increase was partially offset by a decrease in charges related to the wind-down and exit of manufacturing operations in Singapore from $6.8 million in 2009 to $0.3 million in 2010, as well as a decrease in asset impairment charges from $6.0 million in 2009 to $1.4 million in 2010.



38

Table of Contents

Gross Profit
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Change
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2011 over 2010
 
2010 over 2009
 
(In thousands, except percentages)
Gross profit
$
490,569

 
$
663,756

 
$
480,396

 
$
(173,187
)
 
$
183,360

Gross margin
17.7
%
 
22.6
%
 
22.0
%
 
(4.9
)%
 
0.6
%

Gross profit and gross margin in 2011 decreased compared to 2010. The decrease was primarily due to weakness in demand for some of our packaging solutions and the corresponding lower level of utilization of our manufacturing assets. The market migration from wirebond to flip chip products has created underutilized wirebond capacity faster than we have been able to redeploy these assets, which has been one of the primary contributors to our 2011 decrease in utilization. Gross margin was also negatively impacted by the appreciation of certain Asian based currencies against the U.S. dollar, the increased cost of gold that is used in most of our wirebond packages, increased depreciation expense as a result of our continued investment in property, plant and equipment and charges for workforce reduction programs at our Philippine manufacturing operations.

Gross profit and gross margin in 2010 increased compared to 2009. The increase was primarily due to higher levels of utilization and efficiencies driven by increased customer demand for all of our packaging and test services and the corresponding increase in net sales. Several factors partially offset the increase from customer demand. Our material costs were impacted by a higher mix of ball grid array packaging services with higher material content and the increased cost of gold that is used in most of our wirebond packages. We experienced increased labor costs to meet our customer demands, including additional headcount and restoration of compensation costs and other temporary cost reduction initiatives implemented in 2009. Other manufacturing costs increased in support of higher customer demand, including increased depreciation expense resulting from increased investment and capital spending activities. In addition, gross profit and gross margin were negatively impacted by foreign currency exchange rate movements in 2010.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Change
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2011 over 2010
 
2010 over 2009
 
(In thousands, except percentages)
Packaging gross profit
$
425,878

 
$
584,190

 
$
429,295

 
$
(158,312
)
 
$
154,895

Packaging gross margin
17.1
%
 
22.0
%
 
22.2
%
 
(4.9
)%
 
(0.2
)%

Packaging Gross Profit.  Gross profit and gross margin for packaging sales in 2011 decreased compared to 2010. The decrease in gross profit and gross margin was attributable to weakness in demand for some of our packaging solutions and the corresponding lower level of utilization of our manufacturing assets. The market migration of wirebond to flip chip products has created underutilized wirebond capacity faster than we have been able to redeploy these assets, which has been one of the primary contributors to our 2011 decrease in utilization. Gross margin was also negatively impacted by the appreciation of certain Asian based currencies against the U.S. dollar, the increased cost of gold that is used in most of our wirebond packages, increased depreciation expense as a result of our continued investment in property, plant and equipment and charges for workforce reduction programs at our Philippine manufacturing operations.

Gross profit for packaging in 2010 increased compared to 2009. Gross margin for packaging in 2010 remained consistent with 2009. The increase in gross profit was primarily attributable to increased customer demand resulting from the recovery of the semiconductor industry.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Change
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2011 over 2010
 
2010 over 2009
 
(In thousands, except percentages)
Test gross profit
$
65,719

 
$
79,621

 
$
57,652

 
$
(13,902
)
 
$
21,969

Test gross margin
23.2
%
 
27.6
%
 
23.5
%
 
(4.4
)%
 
4.1
%

Test Gross Profit.  Gross profit and gross margin for test sales in 2011 decreased compared to 2010. The decrease in gross profit and gross margin was primarily driven by lower utilization of our test assets as well as higher labor costs and increased depreciation expense as a result of our continued investment in property, plant and equipment. Gross profit and gross margin for test sales


39

Table of Contents

in 2010 increased compared to 2009. The increase is attributable to increased customer demand and higher utilization of our test assets. Costs of sales for test are primarily fixed, with low material requirements. As utilization rates increase, we benefit from a higher degree of operating leverage.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Change
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2011 over 2010
 
2010 over 2009
 
(In thousands, except percentages)
Selling, general and administrative
$
246,513

 
$
242,424

 
$
210,626

 
$
4,089

 
1.7
%
 
$
31,798

 
15.1
%

Selling, general and administrative expenses in 2011 increased compared to 2010. The increase was mainly attributable to increased professional fees and, to a lesser extent, higher employee compensation and benefits primarily due to merit increases and share-based compensation. These increases were offset by lower contracted services in 2011 for the continued implementation of our global enterprise resource planning information system. Selling, general and administrative expenses in 2010 increased compared to 2009. The increase was primarily driven by the reinstatement of employee compensation and benefit costs that had been reduced in 2009 as part of our cost reduction initiatives during the global economic downturn, as well as an increase in depreciation expense associated with the implementation of our global enterprise resource planning information system.

Research and Development
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Change
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2011 over 2010
 
2010 over 2009
 
(In thousands, except percentages)
Research and development
$
50,386

 
$
47,534

 
$
44,453

 
$
2,852

 
6.0
%
 
$
3,081

 
6.9
%

Research and development activities are focused on developing new package interconnect solutions and test services and improving the efficiency and capabilities of our existing production processes. Areas of focus include 3D packaging, including silicon interposers and Through Silicon Via technologies, fine pitch copper pillar packaging and wafer level processing.

Research and development expenses in 2011 increased compared to 2010. The increase in research and development expenses was primarily attributable to increased employee salary expenses. As a percentage of net sales, research and development expenses increased to 1.8% in 2011 compared to 1.6% in 2010 due to lower net sales and the increased research and development expenses. Research and development expenses in 2010 increased compared to 2009. As a percentage of net sales, research and development expenses decreased to 1.6% in 2010 compared to 2.0% in 2009 primarily due to higher net sales partially offset by increased activity and reinstatement of employee compensation and benefit costs. During 2009, we also recorded an impairment charge of $2.6 million related to certain research and development equipment, which did not recur in 2010.

Other Expense, Net
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Change
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2011 over 2010
 
2010 over 2009
 
(In thousands, except percentages)
Interest expense, net
$
83,857

 
$
97,895

 
$
113,029

 
$
(14,038
)
 
(14.3
)%
 
$
(15,134
)
 
(13.4
)%
Foreign currency loss
2,178

 
13,756

 
3,339

 
(11,578
)
 
(84.2
)%
 
10,417

 
312.0
 %
Loss (gain) on debt retirement, net
15,531

 
18,042

 
(15,088
)
 
(2,511
)
 
(13.9
)%
 
33,130

 
219.6
 %
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliate
(7,085
)
 
(6,435
)
 
(2,373
)
 
(650
)
 
10.1
 %
 
(4,062
)
 
171.2
 %
Other income, net
(1,030
)
 
(619
)
 
(113
)
 
(411
)
 
66.4
 %
 
(506
)
 
447.8
 %
Total other expense, net
$
93,451

 
$
122,639

 
$
98,794

 
$
(29,188
)
 
(23.8
)%
 
$
23,845

 
24.1
 %

Other expense, net in 2011 decreased compared to 2010. The decrease was driven by lower net interest expense, foreign currency losses and losses on debt retirement. The reduction in net interest expense of $14.0 million was primarily due to debt refinanced


40

Table of Contents

at lower interest rates and the conversion of our 6.25% Convertible Notes due 2013 into common stock. During 2011, we recorded a $2.2 million foreign currency loss from the remeasurement of certain subsidiaries' balance sheet items compared to a $13.8 million foreign currency loss in 2010. In 2011, we recorded $15.5 million of debt retirement costs related to the refinancing of the $42.6 million principal balance outstanding of our 2.5% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due May 2011 and the redemption in full of the $264.3 million outstanding principal amount of our 9.25% Senior Notes due 2016. In 2010, we recorded $18.0 million of debt retirement costs as a result of the redemption of the 7.125% Senior Notes due 2011 and the 7.75% Senior Notes due 2013.

Other expense, net in 2010 increased compared to 2009. This increase was driven by an increase in debt retirement costs. During 2010, we recorded $18.0 million of debt retirement costs related to the debt transactions described above. During 2009, we recorded a net gain of $15.1 million related to the repurchase of an aggregate $289.3 million principal amount of our 7.125% Senior Notes due 2011, our 2.5% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011 and our 7.75% Senior Notes due in 2013. Also during 2010, we recorded a $13.8 million foreign currency loss from the remeasurement of certain subsidiaries’ balance sheet items compared to a $3.3 million foreign currency loss in 2009. Partially offsetting the increase is a reduction in net interest expense of $15.1 million during 2010 compared with the prior year resulting from various financing activities. In addition, during 2010 we recorded $6.4 million in earnings from an unconsolidated affiliate, J-Devices Corporation, compared to $2.4 million during 2009. Our investment in the unconsolidated affiliate was made in October 2009.

Income Tax Expense (Benefit)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Change
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2011 over 2010
 
2010 over 2009
 
(In thousands, except percentages)
Income tax expense (benefit)
$
7,124

 
$
19,012

 
$
(29,760
)
 
$
(11,888
)
 
(62.5
)%
 
$
48,772

 
163.9
%

Generally, our effective tax rate is substantially below the U.S. federal tax rate of 35% because we have experienced tax losses in the U.S. and our income is taxed in foreign jurisdictions where we benefit from tax holidays or tax rates lower than the U.S. statutory rate. Income tax expense in 2011 is attributable to tax incurred on profits earned in certain of our taxable foreign jurisdictions, foreign withholding taxes and minimum taxes partially offset by an income tax benefit related to changes in estimates of our uncertain tax positions and the income tax benefit of expenses expected to be deductible for tax purposes in future years at increased tax rates as our tax holidays expire. Income tax expense in 2010 is attributable to profits in certain of our taxable foreign jurisdictions, $5.4 million of net additions to estimates of our uncertain tax positions, foreign withholding taxes and minimum taxes partially offset by a $3.0 million income tax benefit from the release of a valuation allowance related to certain deferred tax assets in Taiwan. The income tax benefit for 2009 included a $25.6 million income tax benefit for the release of a valuation allowance on the net deferred tax assets of our Korean subsidiary, $9.4 million of income tax credits, and an income tax benefit of $3.0 million related to changes in estimates of our uncertain tax positions. These benefits were partially offset by $6.2 million of income tax expense attributable to income taxes in certain profitable foreign jurisdictions, foreign withholding taxes and minimum taxes.

During 2011, our subsidiaries in China, Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan operated under tax holidays which will expire in whole or in part at various dates through 2017. We expect our effective tax rate to increase as the tax holidays expire and income earned in these jurisdictions is subject to higher statutory income tax rates. See Note 4 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a further discussion of income tax holidays.

At December 31, 2011, we had U.S. net operating loss carryforwards totaling $396.9 million which expire at various times through 2031. Additionally, at December 31, 2011, we had $44.1 million of non-U.S. net operating loss carryforwards, the vast majority of which will expire at various times through 2020. We maintain a valuation allowance on all of our U.S. net deferred tax assets, including our net operating loss carryforwards, and on deferred tax assets in certain foreign jurisdictions. We will release such valuation allowances as the related tax benefits are realized on our tax returns or when sufficient net positive evidence exists to conclude that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be realized.



41

Table of Contents

Quarterly Results

The following table sets forth our unaudited consolidated financial data for the last eight quarters ended December 31, 2011. Our results of operations have varied and may continue to vary from quarter to quarter and are not necessarily indicative of the results of any future period.

We believe that we have included all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of our selected quarterly data. You should read our selected quarterly data in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes, included in Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our net sales, gross profit and operating income are generally lower in the first quarter of the year as compared to the fourth quarter of the preceding year primarily due to the effect of consumer buying patterns in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Semiconductor companies generally reduce their production during the holidays at the end of December which results in a reduction in demand for packaging and test services during the first two weeks of January.

The calculation of basic and diluted per share amounts for each quarter is based on the weighted average shares outstanding for that period; consequently, the sum of the quarters may not necessarily be equal to the full year basic and diluted net income per share.
 
For the Quarter Ended
 
Dec. 31,
2011
 
Sept. 30,
2011
 
June 30,
2011
 
Mar. 31,
2011
 
Dec. 31,
2010
 
Sept. 30,
2010
 
June 30,
2010
 
Mar. 31,
2010
 
 
 
 
 
(In thousands, except per share data)
 
 
 
 
Net sales
$
683,769

 
$
740,007

 
$
687,633

 
$
664,950

 
$
750,609

 
$
793,971

 
$
749,165

 
$
645,738

Cost of sales
571,942

 
617,768

 
557,816

 
538,264

 
591,266

 
605,713

 
569,966

 
508,782

Gross profit
111,827

 
122,239

 
129,817

 
126,686

 
159,343

 
188,258

 
179,199

 
136,956

Operating expenses:
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Selling, general and administrative
55,660

 
65,011

 
61,284

 
64,558

 
62,037

 
57,735

 
66,356

 
56,296

Research and development
12,465

 
13,233

 
12,559

 
12,129

 
11,097

 
12,669

 
12,095

 
11,673

Total operating expenses
68,125

 
78,244

 
73,843

 
76,687

 
73,134

 
70,404

 
78,451

 
67,969

Operating income
43,702

 
43,995

 
55,974

 
49,999

 
86,209

 
117,854

 
100,748

 
68,987

Other expense, net
20,492

 
14,173

 
37,935

 
20,851

 
25,390

 
29,163

 
43,005

 
25,081

Income before income taxes
23,210

 
29,822

 
18,039

 
29,148

 
60,819

 
88,691

 
57,743

 
43,906

Income tax (benefit) expense
(2,351
)
 
2,499

 
3,594

 
3,382

 
10,058

 
10,321

 
(1,200
)
 
(167
)
Net income
25,561

 
27,323

 
14,445

 
25,766

 
50,761

 
78,370

 
58,943

 
44,073

Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
(711
)
 
44

 
43

 
(663
)
 
(157
)
 
(350
)
 
107

 
224

Net income attributable to Amkor
$
24,850

 
$
27,367

 
$
14,488

 
$
25,103

 
$
50,604

 
$
78,020

 
$
59,050

 
$
44,297

Net income attributable to Amkor per common share:
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Basic
$
0.14

 
$
0.14

 
$
0.07

 
$
0.13

 
$
0.28

 
$
0.42

 
$
0.32

 
$
0.24

Diluted
0.11

 
0.11

 
0.07

 
0.10

 
0.20

 
0.30

 
0.23

 
0.18


Liquidity and Capital Resources

We assess our liquidity based on our current expectations regarding sales, operating expenses, capital spending and debt service requirements. Based on this assessment, we believe that our cash flow from operating activities, together with existing cash and cash equivalents and availability under our revolving credit facility, will be sufficient to fund our working capital, capital expenditure and debt service requirements for at least the next twelve months. Thereafter, our liquidity will continue to be affected by, among other things, volatility in the global economy and credit markets, the performance of our business, our capital expenditure levels and our ability to either repay debt out of operating cash flow or refinance at or prior to maturity with the proceeds of debt or equity offerings. There can be no assurance that we will generate the necessary net income or operating cash flows to meet the funding needs of our business beyond the next twelve months due to a variety of factors, including the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and other factors discussed in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our primary source of cash and the source of funds for our operations are cash flows from our operations, current cash and cash equivalents, borrowings under available debt facilities, or proceeds from any additional debt or equity financings. As of December 31, 2011, we had cash and cash equivalents of $434.6 million and availability of $99.7 million under our $100.0


42

Table of Contents

million first lien senior secured revolving credit facility. Cash provided by operating activities was $516.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to $542.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. We expect cash flows to be used in the operation and expansion of our business, making capital expenditures, paying principal and interest on our debt, the repurchase of common stock and for other corporate purposes.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness. Total debt at December 31, 2011 was $1,346.7 million. Our indebtedness requires us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to pay our debt and interest. We refer you to “Contractual Obligations” below for a summary of principal and interest payments.

We operate in a capital intensive industry. Servicing our current and future customers requires that we incur significant operating expenses and make significant capital expenditures, which are generally made in advance of the related revenues and without any firm customer commitments.

During 2009, Amkor and Toshiba Corporation (“Toshiba”) invested in Nakaya Microdevices Corporation (“NMD”) and formed a joint venture to provide semiconductor packaging and test services in Japan. As a result of the transaction, NMD is now owned 60% by the former shareholders of NMD, 30.0% by Amkor and 10% by Toshiba and has changed its name to J-Devices. Our investment includes our 30.0% equity interest and options to acquire additional equity interests. The options are exercisable at our discretion and permit us to increase our percentage ownership of J-Devices up to 60% in 2012, 66% in 2014 and 80% in 2015. In 2014 and beyond, Toshiba has the option, at its discretion, to sell the shares it owns to us if we have exercised any of our options. After we own 80% or more shares, the former shareholders of NMD have a put option which allows them to sell their shares to us. The exercise price for all options is payable in cash and is to be determined using a formula based primarily upon the financial position of J-Devices at the time of exercise.

We sponsor an accrued severance plan for our Korean subsidiary which, under existing tax laws in Korea, limits our ability to currently deduct related severance expenses accrued under that plan. The purpose of these limitations is to encourage companies to migrate to a defined contribution or defined benefit plan. If we retain our existing severance plan, the deduction for severance expenses will be primarily limited to severance payments made to retired employees, which results in a larger current income tax liability in Korea. If we decide to adopt a new plan, we would be required to fund a significant portion of the existing liability, which would provide a current tax deduction upon funding. Our Korean severance liability was $106.5 million as of December 31, 2011.

Included in our cash balance as of December 31, 2011, is $244.3 million held offshore by our foreign subsidiaries. If we were to distribute this offshore cash to the U.S. as repatriated earnings of our foreign subsidiaries, we would incur up to $17.3 million of foreign withholding taxes; however, we would not incur a significant amount of U.S. federal income taxes, due to the availability of tax loss carryovers and foreign tax credits.

In August 2011, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $150.0 million of our common stock, exclusive of any fees, commissions or other expenses. Through December 31, 2011, we had repurchased 28.6 million shares for $128.9 million, net of $0.6 million of commissions, leaving a balance of $21.1 million available at December 31, 2011 for stock repurchase under this program. In February 2012, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $150.0 million of our common stock, exclusive of any fees, commissions or other expenses. The purchase of stock may be made in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions. The timing, manner, price and amount of any repurchases will be determined by us at our discretion and will depend upon a variety of factors including economic and market conditions, the cash needs and investment opportunities for the business, price, applicable legal requirements and other factors. Our stock repurchase program has been and is expected to be funded with available cash and may be suspended or discontinued at any time.

Debt Instruments and Related Covenants

In order to reduce leverage and future cash interest payments, we may from time to time repurchase or call our outstanding notes for cash or exchange shares of our common stock for our outstanding notes. Any such transaction may be made in the open market, through privately negotiated transactions or pursuant to the terms of the indentures or otherwise, and these transactions are subject to the terms of our indentures and other debt agreements, market conditions, and other factors.

In January 2011, all $100.0 million of our 6.25% Convertible Notes due 2013 were converted by the holders into an aggregate of 13,351,131 shares of our common stock.



43

Table of Contents

In March 2011, we amended the principal repayment schedule of our term loan in Taiwan. As a result, principal payments of NT$150.0 million (approximately $4.7 million at inception) semiannually will begin in April 2012, and the remaining NT$600.0 million (approximately $18.9 million at inception) will be due upon maturity. In January 2012, the outstanding principal was converted from Taiwan dollars to U.S. dollars (approximately $50.0 million) to mitigate our foreign currency exposure.

In May 2011, we issued $400.0 million of 6.625% Senior Notes due 2021. We used the net proceeds from the notes to fund the tender offer and call for redemption of the entire $264.3 million aggregate principal amount of our outstanding 9.25% Senior Notes due 2016, to refinance our 2.50% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011, to pay related fees, expenses and accrued interest and for general corporate purposes.

In June 2011, Amkor Technology Korea, Inc., a Korean subsidiary (“ATK”) entered into a ₩50.0 billion (approximately $46 million at inception) revolving credit facility with a Korean bank with a term of 12 months. There is no outstanding balance under this revolving credit facility as of December 31, 2011.

In July 2011, ATK entered into a $50.0 million three-year secured term loan facility with a Korean bank. As of December 31, 2011, we had fully drawn on the loan. The proceeds from the term loan funded capital expenditures.

In September 2011, ATK entered into a $50.0 million four and a half-year secured term loan facility with a Korean bank due in March 2016. As of December 31, 2011, we have drawn $12.5 million, with the remainder available to be drawn throughout the four and a half-year term. The proceeds from the term loan will be used to fund capital expenditures.

In November 2011, ATK amended the term loan due 2014 to defer until maturity the four quarterly payments for 2012 totaling $42.9 million. All other terms and conditions remain the same.

Certain debt agreements have restrictions on dividend payments and the repurchase of stock and subordinated securities, including our convertible notes. These restrictions are determined by calculations based upon cumulative net income. We have never paid a dividend to our stockholders and we do not have any present plans for doing so. Amkor Technology, Inc. also guarantees certain debt of our subsidiaries.

We were in compliance with all debt covenants at December 31, 2011 and expect to remain in compliance with these covenants for at least the next twelve months. Additional information about our debt is available in Note 12 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Capital Additions

In 2011, our capital additions totaled $453.0 million or approximately 16.3% of net sales. Of this total, approximately 61% of our capital additions were made in packaging, 23% for test, and 16% for research and development and infrastructure projects. Our spending was focused primarily on new capacity for flip chip packaging and test services in support of the communications end market. We currently expect that our 2012 capital additions will be approximately $300 million for projects already planned for 2012. The actual amount of our 2012 capital additions may vary materially and will depend on several factors including, among others, whether, when and to what extent any capital projects not yet planned, including those currently under senior-level review and any others, are approved, commenced and completed in 2012, the performance of our business, economic and market conditions, the cash needs and investment opportunities for the business, the need for additional capacity and facilities to service customer demand and the availability of cash flow from operations or financing.

The following table reconciles our activity related to property, plant and equipment purchases as presented on the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows to property, plant and equipment additions as reflected in the Consolidated Balance Sheets:
 
For the Year Ended December 31,
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
(In thousands)
Property, plant and equipment additions
$
452,989

 
$
504,463

 
$
197,742

Net change in related accounts payable and deposits
13,705

 
(58,794
)
 
(24,246
)
Purchases of property, plant and equipment
$
466,694

 
$
445,669

 
$
173,496




44

Table of Contents

Cash Flows

Cash provided by operating activities was $516.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to $542.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. Free cash flow (which we define as net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property, plant and equipment) decreased by $46.8 million to $50.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to $96.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. Our free cash flow for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 was predominantly used to reduce debt and repurchase common stock. Free cash flow is not a U.S. GAAP measure. See below for a further discussion of free cash flow and a reconciliation to U.S. GAAP.

Net cash provided by (used in) operating, investing and financing activities for each of the three years ended December 31, 2011 was as follows:
 
For the Year Ended December 31,
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
(In thousands)
Operating activities
$
516,832

 
$
542,595

 
$
261,725

Investing activities
(430,534
)
 
(444,921
)
 
(240,878
)
Financing activities
(58,877
)
 
(89,857
)
 
(49,651
)

Operating activities:  Our cash flow from operating activities in 2011 decreased by $25.8 million compared to 2010. Operating income for the year ended December 31, 2011 adjusted for depreciation and amortization, other operating activities and non-cash items decreased $178.4 million from 2010, largely as a result of decreased gross profit. Interest expense, net, for the year ended December 31, 2011 decreased by $14.0 million as compared with the year ended December 31, 2010 as a result of reduced debt levels in 2011 and debt refinanced with lower interest rate instruments. Operating cash flows in 2011 and 2010 were reduced by $5.0 million and $7.5 million, respectively for fees in connection with debt repurchases.

Changes in assets and liabilities increased operating cash flows during 2011 by $76.4 million principally due to a decrease in accounts receivable reflecting improved collections of receivables. During 2010, changes in assets and liabilities reduced operating cash flows by $35.2 million, principally due to an increase in accounts receivable, inventories, accounts payable and accrued expenses resulting from an increase in customer demand and overall business activity.

Investing activities:  Our cash flows used in investing activities in 2011 decreased by $14.4 million. This decrease was primarily due to a $21.0 million increase in purchases of property, plant and equipment from $445.7 million in 2010 to $466.7 million in 2011. This increase was partially offset by proceeds of $13.3 million, net of goods and services tax, from the sale of our Singapore facility in 2011.

Financing activities:  Our net cash used in financing activities in 2011 decreased by$31.0 million from 2010. Cash used in financing activities during 2011 consisted principally of $392.2 million of repayments, made up of $264.3 million of principal, and $7.8 million in tender premiums, on the 9.25% Senior Notes due 2016, $42.6 million for our 2.50% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due May 2011, $62.9 million of our Korean term loans and $14.6 million of other foreign amortizing debt. We incurred $5.9 million in debt issuance costs in 2011 associated with the issuance of our 6.625% Senior Notes due in 2021. Cash provided by financing activities during 2011 included the issuance of $400.0 million of our 2021 Notes and proceeds of $62.5 million in Korean term loans. Additionally, we used cash to repurchase $128.4 million of common stock under our stock repurchase program.

Cash used in financing activities during 2010 consisted principally of the repurchase of an aggregate $537.5 million principal amount of our senior notes and $99.9 million in repayments of our Korean term loans. Financing cash flows in 2010 also included $6.7 million of debt retirement costs for transactions classified as financing activities. We also incurred $7.5 million in debt issuance costs in 2010, primarily associated with the issuance of our 7.375% Senior Notes due 2018. Cash provided by financing activities during 2010 included the issuance of $345.0 million of our 7.375% Senior Notes due 2018 and proceeds from a $180.0 million Korean term loan and a Taiwanese term loan of approximately $47.0 million.



45

Table of Contents

We provide the following supplemental data to assist our investors and analysts in understanding our liquidity and capital resources. Free cash flow represents net cash provided by operating activities less investing activities related to the acquisition of property, plant and equipment. Free cash flow is not defined by U.S. GAAP, and our definition of free cash flow may not be comparable to similar companies and should not be considered a substitute for cash flow measures in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We believe free cash flow provides our investors and analysts useful information to analyze our liquidity and capital resources.
 
For the Year Ended December 31,
 
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
(In thousands)
Net cash provided by operating activities
$
516,832

 
$
542,595

 
$
261,725

Less purchases of property, plant and equipment
466,694

 
445,669

 
173,496

Free cash flow
$
50,138

 
$
96,926

 
$
88,229


Contractual Obligations

The following table summarizes our contractual obligations at December 31, 2011, and the effect such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flow in future periods.
 
 
 
Payments Due for Year Ending December 31,
 
Total
 
2012
 
2013
 
2014
 
2015
 
2016
 
Thereafter
 
(In thousands)
Total debt
$
1,346,651

 
$
59,395

 
$
138,885

 
$
378,356

 
$
23,972