The Company procures substantially all of its flash-based memory wafers from its business ventures with Kioxia Corporation (“Kioxia”), which consists of three separate legal entities: Flash Partners Ltd. (“Flash Partners”), Flash Alliance Ltd. (“Flash Alliance”), and Flash Forward Ltd. (“Flash Forward”), collectively referred to as “Flash Ventures”. The Company has a 49.9% ownership interest and Kioxia has a 50.1% ownership interest in each of these entities. Through Flash Ventures, the Company and Kioxia collaborate in the development and manufacture of flash-based memory wafers, which are manufactured by Kioxia at its wafer fabrication facilities located in Japan using semiconductor manufacturing equipment individually owned or leased by each Flash Ventures entity. Each Flash Ventures entity purchases wafers from Kioxia at cost and then resells those wafers to the Company and Kioxia at cost plus a markup.

New Y2. The Company has a facility agreement with Kioxia related to the construction and operation of Kioxia’s “New Y2” 300-millimeter wafer fabrication facility located in Yokkaichi, Japan. New Y2 primarily provided additional clean room space to convert a portion of 2-dimensional (“2D”) flash-based wafer production capacity to 3-dimensional (“3D”) flash-based wafer production capacity. Production of flash-based wafers in New Y2 started in 2016.

Y6. The Company also has a facility agreement with Kioxia related to the construction and operation of Kioxia’s “Y6” 300-millimeter wafer fabrication facility in Yokkaichi, Japan. Y6 is primarily intended to provide clean room space to continue the transition of existing 2D flash-based wafer capacity to 3D flash-based wafer production capacity. Production of flash-based wafers in Y6 started in 2018.

K1. The Company also has a facility agreement with Kioxia related to the construction and operation of Kioxia’s “K1” 300-milimeter wafer fabrication facility in Kitakami, Japan. The primary purpose of K1 is to provide clean room space to continue the transition of existing flash-based wafer capacity to newer technology nodes. K1 is now fully operational. In connection with the start-up of this facility, the Company agreed to prepay an aggregate of approximately $360 million over a 3-year period beginning in the first half of fiscal year 2020 toward K1 building depreciation, to be credited against future wafer charges. As of July 2, 2021, remaining committed prepayments totaled $77 million.

The Company accounts for its ownership position of each entity within Flash Ventures under the equity method of accounting. The financial and other support provided by the Company in all periods presented was either contractually required or the result of a joint decision to expand wafer capacity, transition to new technologies or refinance existing equipment lease commitments. Entities within Flash Ventures are VIEs. The Company evaluated whether it is the primary beneficiary of any of the entities within Flash Ventures for all periods presented and determined that it is not the primary beneficiary of any of the entities within Flash Ventures because it does not have a controlling financial interest in any of those entities. In determining whether the Company is the primary beneficiary, the Company analyzed the primary purpose and design of Flash Ventures, the activities that most significantly impact Flash Ventures’ economic performance, and whether the Company had the power to direct those activities. The Company concluded, based upon its 49.9% ownership, the voting structure and the manner in which the day-to-day operations are conducted for each entity within Flash Ventures, that the Company lacked the power to direct most of the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of each entity within Flash Ventures.

The following table presents the notes receivable from, and equity investments in, Flash Ventures as of July 2, 2021 and July 3, 2020:


	July 2, 2021		July 3, 2020
	(in millions)
Notes receivable, Flash Partners	$	191	$	273
Notes receivable, Flash Alliance	213		301
Notes receivable, Flash Forward	561		670
Investment in Flash Partners	199		203
Investment in Flash Alliance	293		300
Investment in Flash Forward	129		128
Total notes receivable and investments in Flash Ventures	$	1,586	$	1,875

The Company makes, or will make, loans to Flash Ventures to fund equipment investments for new process technologies and additional wafer capacity. The Company aggregates its Flash Ventures’ notes receivable into one class of financing receivables due to the similar ownership interest and common structure in each Flash Venture entity. For all reporting periods presented, no loans were past due and no loan impairments were recorded. The Company’s notes receivable from each Flash Ventures entity, denominated in Japanese yen, are secured by equipment owned by that Flash Ventures entity.

The Company’s maximum reasonably estimable loss exposure (excluding lost profits) as a result of its involvement with Flash Ventures, based upon the Japanese yen to U.S. dollar exchange rate at July 2, 2021, is presented below. Investments in Flash Ventures are denominated in Japanese yen, and the maximum estimable loss exposure excludes any cumulative translation adjustment due to revaluation from the Japanese yen to the U.S. dollar.


	July 2, 2021
	(in millions)
Notes receivable	$	965
Equity investments	621
Operating lease guarantees	1,973
Inventory and prepayments	712
Maximum estimable loss exposure	$	4,271

The Company is obligated to pay for variable costs incurred in producing its share of Flash Ventures’ flash-based memory wafer supply, based on its three-month forecast, which generally equals 50% of Flash Ventures’ output. In addition, the Company is obligated to pay for half of Flash Ventures’ fixed costs regardless of the output the Company chooses to purchase. The Company is not able to estimate its total wafer purchase commitment obligation beyond its rolling three-month purchase commitment because the price is determined by reference to the future cost of producing the semiconductor wafers. In addition, the Company is committed to fund 49.9% to 50.0% of each Flash Ventures entity’s capital investments to the extent that Flash Ventures entity’s operating cash flow is insufficient to fund these investments.

Flash Ventures has historically operated near 100% of its manufacturing capacity. During 2019, as a result of flash business conditions, the Company temporarily reduced its utilization of its share of Flash Ventures’ manufacturing capacity to an abnormally low level to more closely align the Company’s flash-based wafer supply with the projected demand. In 2019, the Company incurred costs of $264 million associated with the reduction in utilization, which was recorded as a charge to Cost of revenue.

In June 2019, an unexpected power outage incident occurred at the flash-based memory manufacturing facilities operated by Flash Ventures in Yokkaichi, Japan. The power outage incident impacted the facilities and process tools and resulted in the damage of flash wafers in production and a reduction in the Company’s flash wafer availability. As a result of this incident, the Company incurred charges of $68 million and $145 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively, which were recorded in Cost of revenue and primarily consisted of the write-off of damaged inventory and unabsorbed manufacturing overhead costs. In 2021, the Company recovered $75 million related to this incident from its insurance carriers, which was recorded in Cost of revenue.

Flash Ventures sells to and leases back from a consortium of financial institutions a portion of its tools and has entered into equipment lease agreements of which the Company guarantees half or all of the outstanding obligations under each lease agreement. The lease agreements are subject to customary covenants and cancellation events related to Flash Ventures and each of the guarantors. The occurrence of a cancellation event could result in an acceleration of Flash Ventures’ obligations and a call on the Company’s guarantees.

The following table presents the Company’s portion of the remaining guarantee obligations under the Flash Ventures’ lease facilities in both Japanese yen and U.S. dollar-equivalent, based upon the Japanese yen to U.S. dollar exchange rate as of July 2, 2021.


	Lease Amounts
	(Japanese yen, in billions)		(U.S. dollar, in millions)
Total guarantee obligations	¥	220	$	1,973

The following table details the breakdown of the Company’s remaining guarantee obligations between the principal amortization and the purchase option exercise price at the end of the term of the Flash Ventures lease agreements, in annual installments as of July 2, 2021 in U.S. dollars, based upon the Japanese yen to U.S. dollar exchange rate as of July 2, 2021:


Annual Installments	Payment of Principal Amortization		Purchase Option Exercise Price at Final Lease Terms		Guarantee Amount
	(in millions)
2022	$	560	$	48	$	608
2023	445		65		510
2024	290		117		407
2025	115		107		222
2026 and thereafter	64		162		226

Total guarantee obligations	$	1,474	$	499	$	1,973

The Company and Kioxia have agreed to mutually contribute to, and indemnify each other and Flash Ventures for, environmental remediation costs or liability resulting from Flash Ventures’ manufacturing operations in certain circumstances. The Company has not made any indemnification payments, nor recorded any indemnification receivables, under any such agreements. As of July 2, 2021, no amounts have been accrued in the Consolidated Financial Statements with respect to these indemnification agreements.

The Company has a joint venture with Unisplendour Corporation Limited and Unissoft (Wuxi) Group Co. Ltd. (“Unis”), referred to as the “Unis Venture”, to market and sell the Company’s products in China and to develop data storage systems for the Chinese market in the future. The Unis Venture is 49% owned by the Company and 51% owned by Unis. The Company accounts for its investment in the Unis Venture under the equity method of accounting. Revenue on products distributed by the Unis Venture is recognized upon sell through to third-party customers. For the years ended July 2, 2021, July 3, 2020 and June 28, 2019, the Company recognized approximately 3%, 1%, and 1% of its consolidated revenue on products distributed by the Unis Venture, respectively. The outstanding accounts receivable due from and investment in the Unis Venture were 5% and 4% of Accounts receivable, net as of both July 2, 2021 and July 3, 2020, respectively.