Business Description

​ Overview ​ We are a leading innovator in advanced memory and storage solutions. With a rich portfolio of patented technologies, our inventions are foundational to the advancement of artificial intelligence (“AI”) computing. ​ Our Industry ​ The global high-performance memory market is driven by increasing demand from data center and enterprise storage applications for improved input/output performance, lower latency, and increased redundant persistent data storage capacities. The proliferation of mobile devices, social media platforms, cognitive/AI systems and cloud-based software applications has resulted in the accelerating creation and transmission of data. To manage and analyze this data, we believe new memory and storage technologies need to be developed and implemented to satisfy the needs in the industry. ​ Technical challenges arising from the production of volatile dynamic random-access memory (“DRAM”) is limiting its long-term viability as the high-speed memory of choice in demanding computing environments. Conversely, nonvolatile memory like NAND flash (“NAND flash”), while characterized by lower access speeds, is scaling down in cost and scaling up in density at a significantly better rate than DRAM. This has led the industry to explore alternative computer architectures and new memory materials capable of bridging the superior access speed of volatile memory with nonvolatile memory’s lower cost and higher densities. We expect memory subsystems relying on on-device intelligent controller technology to leverage the advantages of volatile and nonvolatile memory will most effectively address the industry's growing need for high-speed data management and analytics. ​ Further, other volatile memory solutions are being developed to accommodate the industry’s increasing need for bandwidth, such as the development of technologies pioneered by Netlist, like DDR5 Dual Inline Memory Module (“DIMM”) intelligent on-module power management, and high-capacity High Bandwidth Memory (“HBM”). We expect continued industry focus on moving logic and management functionality away from host systems and onto – or into – memory itself. ​ Product Technologies ​ Our portfolio of proprietary technologies and design techniques includes: ​ Distributed Buffer Architecture ​ We invented the distributed buffer architecture that enables the buffering of data signals using multiple data buffer devices distributed between a memory module’s edge connector and its installed DRAM. The result was shorter data paths, improved signal integrity, and reduced latency compared to the industry-standard design for DDR3 load-reduced dual in-line memory module ("LRDIMM"). The memory industry has widely adopted our distributed architecture for DDR4 LRDIMM. Our HyperCloud product was our first LRDIMM product built on this innovative and proprietary distributed buffer architecture. ​ Localized Module-Based Power Management Architecture ​ Early in our company’s history of research and development efforts, we developed innovative solutions for improving memory performance by increasing the precision of voltage regulation. We rethought the way power management is handled for each memory module within a system, by moving power management capabilities away from the host system and onto the modules themselves. The result was improved 4 Table of Contents granularity of system power loading, which could translate to improved efficiency and higher data transfer speed. Relocating power management functionality onto modules allows multiple distinct devices on a single module to receive power and operate harmoniously. While many in the memory industry have now adopted our approach for their DDR5-based DIMMs, our NVvault products have incorporated localized power management for many years. ​ Design Expertise ​ We have designed special algorithms that can be implemented in stand-alone integrated circuits or integrated into other functional blocks in application-specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”). We utilized these algorithms in our HybriDIMM product to incorporate load reduction functionality. We also incorporated these algorithms in our NVvault product line, which is known in the industry as NVDIMM-N. ​ Proprietary PCB Designs ​ We utilize advanced techniques to optimize electronic signal strength and integrity within a printed circuit board (“PCB”).…