Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Other than the risk factors listed below, there have been no material changes from the risk factors previously described under Part 1, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on April 15, 2025.
Risks Related to our Business and Industry
We depend on third-party manufacturers, including Samsung Foundry and Plexus, for producing our products, and in the event of a disruption in our supply chain, any efforts to develop alternative supply sources may not be successful or may take longer to take effect than anticipated.
As a fabless company, Blaize does not manufacture its own semiconductor or System-on-a-Chip (“SoC”) products and currently relies on third-party manufacturers, including Samsung Foundry and Plexus, to produce our products. Additionally, Blaize has a design, manufacturing and sales agreement with VeriSilicon, Inc. (“VeriSilicon”) that provides Blaize with design expertise, support and assistance, and certain deliverables, prototypes, products and services from VeriSilicon. Blaize cannot be sure that these manufacturers will remain in business, or that they will not be purchased by one of Blaize’s competitors or another company that is not interested in continuing to produce these products for Blaize’s intended purpose. Our reliance on these third-party manufacturers subjects us to a number of risks that include, among other things:
• the interruption of supply resulting from modifications to or discontinuation of a manufacturer’s operations;
• delays in product shipments resulting from uncorrected defects, reliability issues or a manufacturer’s variation in a component;
• a lack of long-term supply arrangements with our manufacturers;
• a delay in delivery due to its suppliers’ prioritizing other customer orders over Blaize’s;
• damage to our reputation caused by defective products produced by our suppliers;
• fluctuation in delivery by our suppliers due to changes in demand from our or their other customers;
• interruptions, shortages, delivery delays and potential discontinuation of supply as a result of reasons outside Blaize’s control;
• political, legal and economic changes, crises or instability and civil unrest in the jurisdictions where Blaize’s manufacturers’ plants are located, such as changes in China-Taiwan relations that may adversely affect Blaize’s manufacturers’ and suppliers’ operations;
• currency conversion risks and exchange rate fluctuations; and
• compliance requirements of U.S. customs and international trade regulations.
Although Blaize’s semiconductor or SoC products could be produced by other manufacturers, any attempt to transition our supply arrangement to one or more other manufacturers could entail significant coordination and expense and could lead to delays in production. If Blaize is unable to arrange for sufficient production capacity among our contract manufacturers or if our contract manufacturers encounter production, quality, financial, or other difficulties, Blaize may encounter difficulty in meeting customer demands as it seeks alternative sources of supply, or it may have to make financial accommodations to such contract manufacturers or otherwise take steps to mitigate supply disruption. Any alternative manufacturers may be unable or unwilling to meet Blaize’s and its customers’ specifications. Any disruption in supply from any supplier or manufacturing location could lead to supply delays or interruptions that could damage Blaize’s business or financial condition. If any of the risks discussed above materialize, costs could significantly increase, and Blaize’s ability to meet demand for its products could be impacted.
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We cannot predict what additional actions, if any, may be taken with respect to tariffs or trade relations between the United States and China, what products may be subject to such actions, or what actions may be taken by the China in retaliation. The adoption and expansion of trade restrictions, the occurrence of a trade war, or other governmental action related to tariffs, trade agreements or related policies have the potential to adversely impact our supply chain and access to equipment, our costs and our product margins. The additional tariffs imposed on components or equipment that we source from China will increase our costs and could have an adverse impact on our operating results and financial conditions in future periods. Blaize's supply chain and product assembly is global in nature. While most of the goods movement, including imports and exports, required to manufacture and test Blaize products are restricted to Asian countries, there are certain components that must enter or exit the US. Those components are at the highest risk of being affected by the aforementioned changes, and in turn disrupting the supply chain and Blaize's products pipeline.
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