Cray Reports 2017 Full Year and Fourth Quarter Financial Results

February 15, 2018

SEATTLE, Feb. 15, 2018 — Global supercomputer leader Cray Inc. (Nasdaq:CRAY) today announced financial results for the year and fourth quarter ended December 31, 2017.

All figures in this release are based on U.S. GAAP unless otherwise noted.  A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures is included in the financial tables in this press release.

For 2017, Cray reported total revenue of $392.5 million, which compares with $629.8 million in 2016. Net loss for 2017 was $133.8 million, or $3.33 per diluted share, compared to net income of $10.6 million, or $0.26 per diluted share in 2016.  Non-GAAP net loss, which adjusts for selected unusual and non-cash items, was $40.5 million, or $1.01 per diluted share for 2017, compared to non-GAAP net income of $19.9 million, or $0.49 per diluted share in 2016.

Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $166.6 million, compared to $346.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2016.  Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $97.5 million, or $2.42 per diluted share, compared to net income of $51.8 million, or $1.27 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2016.  Non-GAAP net income was $9.2 million, or $0.22 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2017, compared to non-GAAP net income of $56.3 million, or $1.38 per diluted share for the same period in 2016.

The Company’s GAAP Net Loss for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2017 was significantly impacted by both the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and by its decision to record a valuation allowance against all of its U.S. deferred tax assets.  The combined GAAP impact totaled $103 million.  These items have been excluded for non-GAAP purposes.

For 2017, overall gross profit margin on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis was 33% and 34%, respectively, compared to 35% on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis for 2016.

Operating expenses for 2017 were $196.4 million, compared to $211.1 million in 2016.  Non-GAAP operating expenses for 2017 were $176.5 million, compared to $199.7 million in 2016.  GAAP operating expenses in 2017 included $8.6 million in restructuring charges associated with our recent workforce reduction.

As of December 31, 2017, cash, investments and restricted cash totaled $147 million.  Working capital at the end of the fourth quarter was $354 million, compared to $373 million at December 31, 2016.

“Despite difficult conditions in our core market we finished 2017 strong, highlighted by several large acceptances at multiple sites around the world, including completing the installation of what is now the largest supercomputing complex in India at the Ministry of Earth Sciences,” said Peter Ungaro, president and CEO of Cray.  “As we shift to 2018, we’re seeing signs of a rebound at the high-end of supercomputing as well as considerable growth opportunities in the coming years.  Supercomputing continues to expand in importance to both government and commercial customers, driving growth and competitiveness across many different disciplines and industries.  As the leader at the high-end of the market, we’re poised to play a key role in this growth and I’m excited about where we’re headed.”

Outlook
For 2018, while a wide range of results remains possible, Cray continues to expect revenue to grow in the range of 10-15% over 2017.  Revenue is expected to be about $50 million for the first quarter of 2018.  For 2018, GAAP and non-GAAP gross margins are expected to be in the low- to mid-30% range.  Non-GAAP operating expenses for 2018 are expected to be in the range of $190 million.  For 2018, non-GAAP adjustments are expected to total about $14 million, driven primarily by share-based compensation.  For the year, GAAP operating expenses are anticipated to be about $12 million higher than non-GAAP operating expenses, and GAAP gross profit is expected to be about $2 million lower than non-GAAP gross profit.

Based on this outlook, Cray’s effective GAAP and non-GAAP tax rates for 2018 are both expected to be in the low-single digit range, on a percentage basis.

Actual results for any future periods are subject to large fluctuations given the nature of Cray’s business.

Recent Highlights

  • In January, Cray announced it had deployed two Cray XC40 supercomputers and two Cray ClusterStor storage systems as part of a $67 million contract with the Ministry of Earth Sciences in India.  The combined systems are the largest supercomputing resource in India and were accepted in late 2017.
  • In December, Cray announced that it has joined the Big Data Center at the Department of Energy’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC). The collaboration is representative of Cray’s commitment to leverage its supercomputing expertise, technologies, and best practices to advance the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), deep learning, and data-intensive computing.
  • In November, Cray announced that Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has purchased a Cray CS-Storm accelerated cluster supercomputer. The Samsung Strategy & Innovation Center procured the system for use in its research into AI and deep learning workloads, including systems for connected cars and autonomous technologies.
  • In November, Cray announced new high performance computing storage solutions including Cray View for ClusterStor – providing customers with dramatically improved job productivity; Cray ClusterStor L300N – a flash-based acceleration solution; and Cray DataWarp for the Cray XC50 supercomputer – exponentially reducing data access time.
  • In November, Cray announced the Company is creating an Arm-based supercomputer with the addition of Cavium ThunderX2 processors to the Cray XC50 supercomputer. Cray customers will have a complete Arm-based supercomputer that features a full software environment, including the Cray Linux Environment, the Cray Programming Environment, and Arm-optimized compilers, libraries, and tools for running today’s supercomputing workloads.
  • In November, Cray announced a comprehensive set of AI products and programs that will empower customers to learn, start, and scale their deep learning initiatives.  These include the new Cray Accel AI lab, new Cray Accel AI offerings, a new Cray Urika-XC analytics software suite, and an AI collaboration agreement with Intel.
  • In December, Cray announced that Catriona Fallon was appointed to Cray’s board of directors.  Fallon is currently the Senior Vice President, Networks Segment at Itron Inc. and was Chief Financial Officer before Itron’s acquisition of Silver Springs Networks in January 2018.

Conference Call Information
Cray will host a conference call today, Thursday, February 15, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. PT (4:30 p.m. ET) to discuss its year and fourth quarter ended December 31, 2017 financial results.  To access the call, please dial into the conference at least 10 minutes prior to the beginning of the call at (855) 894-4205. International callers should dial (765) 889-6838 and use the conference ID #56308204.  To listen to the audio webcast, go to the Investors section of the Cray website at www.cray.com/company/investors.

If you are unable to attend the live conference call, an audio webcast replay will be available in the Investors section of the Cray website for 180 days.  A telephonic replay of the call will also be available by dialing (855) 859-2056, international callers dial (404) 537-3406, and entering the conference ID #56308204.  The conference call replay will be available for 72 hours, beginning at 4:45 p.m. PT on Thursday, February 15, 2018.

About Cray Inc.
Global supercomputing leader Cray Inc. (Nasdaq:CRAY) provides innovative systems and solutions enabling scientists and engineers in industry, academia and government to meet existing and future simulation and analytics challenges.  Leveraging more than 40 years of experience in developing and servicing the world’s most advanced supercomputers, Cray offers a comprehensive portfolio of supercomputers and big data storage and analytics solutions delivering unrivaled performance, efficiency and scalability.  Cray’s Adaptive Supercomputing vision is focused on delivering innovative next-generation products that integrate diverse processing technologies into a unified architecture, allowing customers to meet the market’s continued demand for realized performance. Go to www.cray.com for more information.


Source: Cray Inc.

Subscribe to HPCwire's Weekly Update!

Be the most informed person in the room! Stay ahead of the tech trends with industry updates delivered to you every week!

Nvidia’s New Blackwell GPU Can Train AI Models with Trillions of Parameters

March 18, 2024

Nvidia's latest and fastest GPU, code-named Blackwell, is here and will underpin the company's AI plans this year. The chip offers performance improvements from its predecessors, including the red-hot H100 and A100 GPUs. Read more…

Nvidia Showcases Quantum Cloud, Expanding Quantum Portfolio at GTC24

March 18, 2024

Nvidia’s barrage of quantum news at GTC24 this week includes new products, signature collaborations, and a new Nvidia Quantum Cloud for quantum developers. While Nvidia may not spring to mind when thinking of the quant Read more…

2024 Winter Classic: Meet the HPE Mentors

March 18, 2024

The latest installment of the 2024 Winter Classic Studio Update Show features our interview with the HPE mentor team who introduced our student teams to the joys (and potential sorrows) of the HPL (LINPACK) and accompany Read more…

Houston We Have a Solution: Addressing the HPC and Tech Talent Gap

March 15, 2024

Generations of Houstonian teachers, counselors, and parents have either worked in the aerospace industry or know people who do - the prospect of entering the field was normalized for boys in 1969 when the Apollo 11 missi Read more…

Apple Buys DarwinAI Deepening its AI Push According to Report

March 14, 2024

Apple has purchased Canadian AI startup DarwinAI according to a Bloomberg report today. Apparently the deal was done early this year but still hasn’t been publicly announced according to the report. Apple is preparing Read more…

Survey of Rapid Training Methods for Neural Networks

March 14, 2024

Artificial neural networks are computing systems with interconnected layers that process and learn from data. During training, neural networks utilize optimization algorithms to iteratively refine their parameters until Read more…

Nvidia’s New Blackwell GPU Can Train AI Models with Trillions of Parameters

March 18, 2024

Nvidia's latest and fastest GPU, code-named Blackwell, is here and will underpin the company's AI plans this year. The chip offers performance improvements from Read more…

Nvidia Showcases Quantum Cloud, Expanding Quantum Portfolio at GTC24

March 18, 2024

Nvidia’s barrage of quantum news at GTC24 this week includes new products, signature collaborations, and a new Nvidia Quantum Cloud for quantum developers. Wh Read more…

Houston We Have a Solution: Addressing the HPC and Tech Talent Gap

March 15, 2024

Generations of Houstonian teachers, counselors, and parents have either worked in the aerospace industry or know people who do - the prospect of entering the fi Read more…

Survey of Rapid Training Methods for Neural Networks

March 14, 2024

Artificial neural networks are computing systems with interconnected layers that process and learn from data. During training, neural networks utilize optimizat Read more…

PASQAL Issues Roadmap to 10,000 Qubits in 2026 and Fault Tolerance in 2028

March 13, 2024

Paris-based PASQAL, a developer of neutral atom-based quantum computers, yesterday issued a roadmap for delivering systems with 10,000 physical qubits in 2026 a Read more…

India Is an AI Powerhouse Waiting to Happen, but Challenges Await

March 12, 2024

The Indian government is pushing full speed ahead to make the country an attractive technology base, especially in the hot fields of AI and semiconductors, but Read more…

Charles Tahan Exits National Quantum Coordination Office

March 12, 2024

(March 1, 2024) My first official day at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) was June 15, 2020, during the depths of the COVID-19 loc Read more…

AI Bias In the Spotlight On International Women’s Day

March 11, 2024

What impact does AI bias have on women and girls? What can people do to increase female participation in the AI field? These are some of the questions the tech Read more…

Alibaba Shuts Down its Quantum Computing Effort

November 30, 2023

In case you missed it, China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba has shut down its quantum computing research effort. It’s not entirely clear what drove the change. Read more…

Nvidia H100: Are 550,000 GPUs Enough for This Year?

August 17, 2023

The GPU Squeeze continues to place a premium on Nvidia H100 GPUs. In a recent Financial Times article, Nvidia reports that it expects to ship 550,000 of its lat Read more…

Analyst Panel Says Take the Quantum Computing Plunge Now…

November 27, 2023

Should you start exploring quantum computing? Yes, said a panel of analysts convened at Tabor Communications HPC and AI on Wall Street conference earlier this y Read more…

Shutterstock 1285747942

AMD’s Horsepower-packed MI300X GPU Beats Nvidia’s Upcoming H200

December 7, 2023

AMD and Nvidia are locked in an AI performance battle – much like the gaming GPU performance clash the companies have waged for decades. AMD has claimed it Read more…

DoD Takes a Long View of Quantum Computing

December 19, 2023

Given the large sums tied to expensive weapon systems – think $100-million-plus per F-35 fighter – it’s easy to forget the U.S. Department of Defense is a Read more…

Synopsys Eats Ansys: Does HPC Get Indigestion?

February 8, 2024

Recently, it was announced that Synopsys is buying HPC tool developer Ansys. Started in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1970 as Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. (SASI) by John Swanson (and eventually renamed), Ansys serves the CAE (Computer Aided Engineering)/multiphysics engineering simulation market. Read more…

Intel’s Server and PC Chip Development Will Blur After 2025

January 15, 2024

Intel's dealing with much more than chip rivals breathing down its neck; it is simultaneously integrating a bevy of new technologies such as chiplets, artificia Read more…

Baidu Exits Quantum, Closely Following Alibaba’s Earlier Move

January 5, 2024

Reuters reported this week that Baidu, China’s giant e-commerce and services provider, is exiting the quantum computing development arena. Reuters reported � Read more…

Leading Solution Providers

Contributors

Choosing the Right GPU for LLM Inference and Training

December 11, 2023

Accelerating the training and inference processes of deep learning models is crucial for unleashing their true potential and NVIDIA GPUs have emerged as a game- Read more…

Training of 1-Trillion Parameter Scientific AI Begins

November 13, 2023

A US national lab has started training a massive AI brain that could ultimately become the must-have computing resource for scientific researchers. Argonne N Read more…

Shutterstock 1179408610

Google Addresses the Mysteries of Its Hypercomputer 

December 28, 2023

When Google launched its Hypercomputer earlier this month (December 2023), the first reaction was, "Say what?" It turns out that the Hypercomputer is Google's t Read more…

Comparing NVIDIA A100 and NVIDIA L40S: Which GPU is Ideal for AI and Graphics-Intensive Workloads?

October 30, 2023

With long lead times for the NVIDIA H100 and A100 GPUs, many organizations are looking at the new NVIDIA L40S GPU, which it’s a new GPU optimized for AI and g Read more…

AMD MI3000A

How AMD May Get Across the CUDA Moat

October 5, 2023

When discussing GenAI, the term "GPU" almost always enters the conversation and the topic often moves toward performance and access. Interestingly, the word "GPU" is assumed to mean "Nvidia" products. (As an aside, the popular Nvidia hardware used in GenAI are not technically... Read more…

Shutterstock 1606064203

Meta’s Zuckerberg Puts Its AI Future in the Hands of 600,000 GPUs

January 25, 2024

In under two minutes, Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, laid out the company's AI plans, which included a plan to build an artificial intelligence system with the eq Read more…

Google Introduces ‘Hypercomputer’ to Its AI Infrastructure

December 11, 2023

Google ran out of monikers to describe its new AI system released on December 7. Supercomputer perhaps wasn't an apt description, so it settled on Hypercomputer Read more…

China Is All In on a RISC-V Future

January 8, 2024

The state of RISC-V in China was discussed in a recent report released by the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The report, entitled "E Read more…

  • arrow
  • Click Here for More Headlines
  • arrow
HPCwire