10-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

x ANNUALREPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012

or

o TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                    to                     

Commission file number 0-19032

ATMEL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware  (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) 77-0051991  (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

1600 Technology Drive, San Jose, California 95110

(Address of principal executive offices)

(408) 441-0311

(Registrant’s telephone number)

Title of Each Class Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share Name of Exchange on Which Registered The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (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 of 1933.

Yes xNo o

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"). Yes oNo x

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act 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 xNo 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 (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes xNo 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. x

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 x	Accelerated filer o
Non-accelerated filer o (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)	Smaller reporting filer o

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes oNo x

As of June 29, 2012, the last business day of the Registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter, there were 419,481,576 shares of the Registrant's Common Stock outstanding, and the aggregate market value of such shares held by non-affiliates of the Registrant (based on the closing sale price of such shares on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on June 29, 2012) was approximately $2,814,721,375. Shares of Common Stock held by each officer and director have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

On January 31, 2013, the Registrant had 439,341,816 outstanding shares of Common Stock.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

          Portions of the Registrant's definitive proxy statement for the Registrant's 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the extent stated herein. The Proxy Statement will be filed within 120 days of the Registrant's fiscal year ended December 31, 2012.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

	Page
PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS	3
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS	11
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS	24
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES	51
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS	25
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES	26
PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES	26
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA	26
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS	28
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK	46
ITEM 8. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA	48
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE	95
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES	95
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION	95
PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS	96
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION	97
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS	97
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE	97
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES	97
PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES	97
SIGNATURES	98
EXHIBIT INDEX	99

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PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

You should read the following discussion in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” and “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward‑looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, particularly statements regarding our outlook for fiscal 2013 and beyond. Our statements regarding the following matters also fall within the meaning of “forward looking” statements and should be considered accordingly: the expansion of the market for microcontrollers, revenue for our maXTouch^® products, expectations for our new XSense^TM products, our gross margin expectations and trends, anticipated revenue by geographic area and the ongoing transition of our revenue base to Asia, expectations or trends involving our operating expenses, capital expenditures, cash flow and liquidity, our factory utilization rates, the effect and timing of new product introductions, our ability to access independent foundry capacity and the corresponding financial condition and operational performance of those foundry partners, the effects of our strategic transactions and restructuring efforts, the estimates we use in respect of the amount and/or timing for expensing unearned stock‑based compensation and similar estimates related to our performance‑based restricted stock units, our expectations regarding tax matters, the outcome of litigation (including intellectual property litigation in which we may be involved or in which our customers may be involved, especially in the mobile device sector) and the effects of exchange rates and our ongoing efforts to manage exposure to exchange rate fluctuation. Our actual results could differ materially from those projected in any forward‑looking statements as a result of a number of factors, risks and uncertainties, including the risk factors set forth in this discussion and in Item 1A — Risk Factors, and elsewhere in this Form 10-K. Generally, the words “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” “plan,” “view,” “continue,” the plural of such terms, the negatives of such terms, or other comparable terminology and similar expressions identify forward‑looking statements. The information included in this Form 10-K is provided as of the filing date with the Securities and Exchange Commission and future events or circumstances could differ significantly from the forward‑looking statements included herein. Accordingly, we caution readers not to place undue reliance on such statements. We undertake no obligation to update any forward‑looking statements in this Form 10-K.

BUSINESS

General

We are one of the world’s leading designers, developers and suppliers of microcontrollers, which are self-contained computers-on-a-chip. Microcontrollers are generally less expensive, consume less power and offer enhanced programming capabilities compared to traditional microprocessors. Our microcontrollers and related products are used in many of the world’s leading smartphones, ultrabooks, tablet devices, e-readers, wireless peripherals and other consumer and industrial electronics in which they provide core functionality for such things as touch sensing, sensor and lighting management, security and encryption features, wireless applications, industrial controls, building automation and battery management. We offer an extensive portfolio of capacitive touch products that integrate our microcontrollers with fundamental touch‑focused intellectual property ("IP") we have developed, and we continue to leverage our market and technology advantages to expand our product portfolio within the touch‑related eco-system. Toward that end, and as a natural extension of our touch controller business, we announced our XSense products, a new type of touch sensor based on proprietary metal mesh technologies, in 2012. We also design and sell products that are complementary to our microcontroller business, including nonvolatile memory, radio frequency and mixed‑signal components and application specific integrated circuits. With our broad product portfolio, our semiconductors also enable applications such as smart‑meters used for utility monitoring and billing, commercial, residential and architectural LED-based lighting systems, touch panels used on household and industrial appliances that integrate our “non-mechanical” buttons, sliders and wheels, various aerospace, industrial and military products and systems, and numerous electronic‑based automotive components like keyless ignition and access, engine control, and lighting and entertainment systems for standard and hybrid vehicles. We have continued to focus on the development of wireless products that allow devices to communicate and connect with each other, and have continued to integrate enhanced wireless capabilities into our product portfolio, including technologies, such as “Wi-Fi Direct;” that enable the so-called “Internet of Things,” where smart, connected devices and appliances seamlessly share data and information. We currently own and operate one wafer manufacturing facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, consistent with our strategic determination made several years ago to maintain lower fixed costs and capital investment requirements.

We intend to continue leveraging our IP portfolio of more than 1,600 U.S. and foreign patents, and our significant software expertise, to further enhance the breadth of applications and solutions we offer. Our patents, and patent applications, cover important and fundamental microcontroller, capacitive touch and other technologies that support our product strategy. We expect the market for microcontrollers to continue to expand over time as tactile, gesture and proximity‑based user interfaces become increasingly prevalent, as additional intelligence is built into an ever growing universe of everyday products, as our customers look to replace mechanical or passive controls in their products, and as power management and similar capabilities become increasingly critical to the continued development of consumer and industrial products.

We were originally incorporated in California in December 1984. In October 1999, we were reincorporated in Delaware. Our principal offices are located at 1600 Technology Drive, San Jose, California 95110, and our telephone number is (408) 441-0311.

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Our website is located at: www.atmel.com; however, the information in, or that can be accessed through our website is not part of this annual report. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to such reports are available, free of charge, through the “Investors” section of www.atmel.com and we make them available as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. The SEC also maintains a website located at www.sec.gov that contains our SEC filings.

Products

We currently organize our business into four reportable operating segments (see Note 14 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion). Each of those reportable operating segments offer products that compete in one or more of the end markets described below under the caption “Principal Markets and Customers.”

• Microcontrollers. This segment includes Atmel's capacitive touch products, including maXTouchand QTouch^®, AVR^® 8-bit and 32-bit products, ARM^® based products, Atmel's 8051 8-bit products, and designated commercial wireless products, including low power radio and SOC products that meet Zigbee and Wi-Fi specifications. Our new XSense^™ product is also included in this segment. The Microcontroller segment comprised 62% of our net revenue for both the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.

• Nonvolatile Memories. This segment includes serial interface electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (“SEEPROM”), electrically erasable programmable read-only ("EEPROM") and erasable programmable read-only memory (“EPROM”) devices. This segment also includes products with military and aerospace applications. In the third quarter of 2012, we sold our serial flash product line. The Nonvolatile Memories segment comprised 12% of our net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to 14% of our net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011.

• Radio Frequency (“RF”) and Automotive. This segment includes automotive electronics, wireless and wired devices for industrial, consumer and automotive applications and foundry services. The RF and Automotive segment comprised 12% of our net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to 11% of our net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011.

• Application Specific Integrated Circuits (“ASIC”). This segment includes custom application specific integrated circuits designed to meet specialized single‑customer requirements for their high performance devices, including products that provide hardware security for embedded digital systems, products with military and aerospace applications and application specific standard products for space applications, power management and secure cryptographic memory products. The ASIC segment comprised 14% of our net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to 13% of our net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Within each reportable operating segment, we offer our customers products and solutions with a range of speed, density, power usage, specialty packaging, security and other features.

Microcontrollers

Our Microcontroller segment offers customers a full range of products in the industrial, security, communications, computing and automotive markets for embedded controls. Our product portfolio consists of proprietary and non-proprietary solutions, with four major Flash‑based microcontroller architectures targeted at the high volume embedded control market:

• our proprietary Atmel AVR 8-bit and 32-bit microcontroller platforms;

• our Atmel QTouch and Atmel maXTouch products;

• our embedded 32-bit ARM ‑based product family; and

• our 8051 8-bit based industry standard microcontroller products

We have determined to include our XSense product in this segment because of its relationship to our capacitive touch product portfolio. We also include our Wi-Fi Direct solutions, which enable personal area networks and direct device-to-device communication and connectivity, within this segment.

Embedded control systems typically incorporate a microcontroller as the principal active component. A microcontroller is a self-contained computer-on-a-chip consisting of a central processing unit (“CPU”), nonvolatile program memory (Flash and EEPROM), random access memory (“RAM”) for data storage and various input/output peripheral capabilities. In addition to the microcontroller, a complete embedded control system incorporates application‑specific software and may include specialized

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peripheral device controllers and internal or external nonvolatile memory components, such as Flash and EEPROMs, to store additional program software and various analog and interface products.

These complex system-on-a-chip solutions are manufactured using our leading-edge process technologies, including complementary metal oxide semiconductor (“CMOS”), double‑diffused metal oxide semiconductor (“DMOS”), logic, CMOS logic, bipolar, bipolar CMOS (“BiCMOS”), silicon germanium (“SiGe”), SiGe BiCMOS, analog, bipolar double diffused CMOS and radiation tolerant process technologies. We develop these process technologies ourselves to ensure they provide the maximum possible performance.

We believe that microcontrollers will continue to replace mechanical and other passive controls in a wide range of applications, such as lighting, automobile control functions, home automation, wireless communications, and user interfaces in all products that typically require human interaction.

Atmel AVR 8-bit and 32-bit Microcontrollers

Atmel AVR, which is our proprietary technology, combines code-efficient architecture for “C” and assembly programming with the ability to tune system parameters throughout the product’s entire life cycle. Our AVR microcontrollers are designed to deliver enhanced computing performance at lower power consumption than any competitive products. We also offer a full suite of industry leading development tools and design support, enabling customers to easily and cost-effectively refine and improve their product offering. We have a significant development community that has evolved for our AVR products, with many developers actively collaborating through social networking sites dedicated to supporting our AVR microcontrollers. We also introduced Atmel Studio 6.0 in 2012, an online, integrated development platform for developing and debugging Atmel ARM Cortex^™-M and Atmel AVR microcontroller-based applications. We believe that our portfolio of AVR and ARM-based products gives us one of the broadest microcontroller portfolios in the market.

Atmel QTouch and Atmel maXTouch

Through our QTouch and maXTouch products, we are a leading supplier of capacitive sensing solutions for touchscreens and other touch controls.

Our maXTouch architecture combines touch sensing with sophisticated algorithms, enabling advanced capabilities on screen sizes ranging from mobile phones to tablet devices and larger screen ultrabooks. Our maXTouch products enable a device to track up to 16 fingers simultaneously. Its software allows a device to reject unintended touches resulting from gripping the screen or resting palms on the device. maXTouch detects the lightest touches at very high refresh rates and low latency, allowing for enhanced responsiveness for the end user.

Our QTouch and maXTouch devices are microcontroller‑based capacitive sensing integrated circuits (“ICs”) designed to detect touch with copper electrodes on a printed circuit board or Indium Tin Oxide electrodes on a clear touchscreen panel, respectively. QTouch is designed for discreet touch button, slider and wheel (“BSW”) applications. In addition, our QMatrix^TM technology allows for the support of a much larger number of sensors in a single chip. With the flexibility our microcontroller architecture offers, a user is able to integrate multiple features in a single device such as “proximity sensing” or gesture recognition for detecting a finger or hand at a distance and haptic effects for providing tactile feedback.

ARM-based Solutions

Our AT91SAM ARM-based products use industry‑standard 32-bit ARM7^TM, ARM9^TM and ARM Cortex architectures. Those products allow us to offer a range of products with and without embedded nonvolatile memories. The Atmel SAM3 Cortex M3-based, SAM4 Cortex M4-based and Atmel SAM7 ARM7TDMI^®‑based microcontrollers provide a migration path from 8/16-bit microcontroller technology for applications where more system performance and larger on-chip Flash memory is required. These products are optimized for low power consumption and reduced system cost and support our QTouch technology. Selected devices integrate cryptographic accelerators and protection against physical attacks, making them suitable, as an example, for financial transaction applications requiring the highest security levels.

Our SAM9 ARM926-based products are highly‑integrated, high-performance 32-bit embedded microprocessors, with complex analog and digital peripherals integrated on the same chip, offering high-speed connectivity, optimal data bandwidth, and rich interface support.

Our AT91SAM customers save significant development time with the worldwide support ecosystem of industry‑leading suppliers of development tools, operating systems including Linux and Android, protocol stacks and applications.

Atmel 8051

Our 8051 8-bit microcontroller product offering is based on the standard 8051 CPU and ranges from products containing 2 kilobytes (“Kbytes”) of embedded Flash memory to the largest products offering 128Kbytes of embedded Flash memory. Our

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8051 products address a significant portion of the 8-bit microcontroller market in which customers already have an installed software and application base that uses standard 8051 architecture.

XSense

Our XSense touch sensors provide a high-performance alternative to existing touch sensors, and are optimal for a wide range of touchscreen products, enabling thinner sensor stacks with superior performance and excellent optical clarity. XSense allows original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to develop larger, lighter, sleeker, curved and edgeless designs for smartphones, tablets, ultrabooks and other touch-enabled products.

Nonvolatile Memories

EEPROM

EEPROM products offer customers the flexibility and ability to alter single bytes of data. Our EEPROM products consist of two main families, Serial EEPROM and Parallel EEPROM.

Atmel Serial EEPROMs

Our Serial EEPROM products were developed to meet market demand for delivery of nonvolatile memory content through specialized, low pin-count interfaces and packages. The product portfolio includes densities ranging from 1K-bit to 1M-bit. We currently offer three complete families of Serial EEPROMs, supporting industry standard I²C (2-wire), Microwire^TM (3-wire), and serial peripheral interface (“SPI”) protocols. Our Serial EE products are primarily used to store personal preference data and configuration/setup data, in consumer, automotive, telecommunications, medical, industrial, and PC applications, such as WLAN adapters, LCD TVs, video game systems and GPS devices.

Atmel Parallel EEPROMs

We are a leading supplier of high performance, in-system programmable Parallel EEPROMs. We believe that our Parallel EEPROM products represent the industry’s most complete offering. We emphasize high reliability in the design of our Parallel EEPROMs, which is achieved through the incorporation of on-chip error detection and correction features. Parallel EEPROMs offer high endurance programmability and are highly flexible, offering faster data transfer rates and higher memory densities when compared to some serial interface architectures. These products are generally used to store frequently updated data in communications infrastructure equipment and avionics navigation systems.

Atmel EPROMs

The general one-time programmable (“OTP”) EPROM market is a niche segment within the nonvolatile memory market, as Serial Flash and similar technologies have become more prevalent. Our OTP EPROM products address the high-performance end of this market where demand and pricing is relatively stable. These products are generally used to store the operating code of embedded microcontroller or DSP-based systems that need a memory solution for direct code execution where the memory contents cannot be tampered with or altered by the user.

Radio Frequency (“RF”) and Automotive

Automotive RF

We are a leading supplier of automobile access solutions, which include complete keyless entry products for wireless passive entry/go systems, corresponding ICs for access control unit receivers and transceivers, and tire pressure monitoring systems for automobiles. Our innovative immobilizer ICs, which incorporate the widely accepted advanced encryption standard (“AES”), offer car theft protection.

High Voltage

High voltage ICs are manufactured utilizing mixed signal high voltage technology, providing analog‑bipolar, high voltage DMOS power and CMOS logic function on a single chip. Our high voltage ICs withstand and operate at high voltages and can be connected directly to the battery of a car, and focus on intelligent load drivers, local interconnect network in-vehicle networking (“LIN/IVN”) and battery management products for hybrid cars. The applications for the load drivers are primarily motor and actuator drivers and smart valve controls. Our new line of battery management ICs target Li-ion battery systems that are becoming the standard for full electric and hybrid cars. Our LIN/IVN in-vehicle networking products help car makers simplify the wire harness by using the LIN bus, which is rapidly gaining popularity. Many body electronic applications can be connected and controlled via the LIN network bus, including switches, actuators and sensors.

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RF Components

The RF product line includes low frequency RF identification tag ICs targeted toward the access control market and the livestock and pet tagging markets. These ICs are used with a reader IC to make contactless identification possible for a variety of applications. Our RF products also target the industrial, scientific, and medical (“ISM”) RF markets, including wireless remote control applications such as home alarm systems, garage door openers, remote controlled toys and wireless game consoles.

Mixed Signal

Our broadcast radio product line includes an industry-leading portfolio of highly-integrated antenna drivers, which enable small form factor car antennas. In addition, we also offer infrared receivers.

ASIC

Custom ASICs

We design, manufacture and market ASICs to meet customer requirements for high-performance logic devices in a variety of customer‑specific applications. Our design platform utilizes our extensive libraries of qualified analog and digital IP blocks. This approach integrates system functionality into a single chip based on our unique architecture platform combined with one of the richest libraries of qualified IP blocks in the industry. By combining a variety of logic functions on a single chip, costs are reduced, design risk is minimized, time-to-market is accelerated and performance can be optimized.

We design and manufacture ASICs in a range of products that includes standard digital and analog functions, as well as nonvolatile memory elements and large pre-designed macro functions all integrated on a single chip. We work closely with customers to develop and manufacture custom ASIC products so that we can provide them with IC solutions on a sole-source basis. Our ASIC products are targeted primarily at high-volume customers whose applications require high-speed, high-density or low and mixed‑voltage devices such as customers in the medical, consumer and security markets.

Secure Products

Our hardware authentication devices offer a highly secure, hardened solution for reliable authentication of legitimate OEM offerings, storage for confidential information and trusted identification across wired and wireless networks. We produce our CryptoMemory^®, CryptoRF^®, smart card reader chips and secure microcontrollers for point of sales terminals.

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (“FPGAs”)

Our foreign subsidiaries offer a family of radiation hardened FPGAs for space applications. Our family of reconfigurable FPGA Serial Configuration EEPROMs can replace one-time-programmable devices for FPGAs from other vendors. In addition we offer FPGA-to-gate array conversions for both military and commercial applications.

Technology

For more than 25 years, we have focused our efforts on developing advanced CMOS processes that can be used to manufacture reliable nonvolatile elements for memory and advanced logic integrated circuits. We believe that our experience in single and multiple‑layer metal CMOS processing gives us a competitive advantage in developing and delivering high-density, high-speed and low-power memory and logic products.

We meet customers’ demands for constantly increasing functionality on ever-smaller ICs by increasing the number of layers we use to build the circuits on a wafer and by reducing the size of the transistors and other components in the circuit. To accomplish this we develop and introduce new wafer processing techniques as necessary. Our current ICs incorporate effective feature sizes as small as 65 nanometers. We are developing processes that will support effective feature sizes smaller than 45 nanometers, which we expect to produce at outside wafer foundries in the future. In 2010, we completed our transition to a “fab-lite” manufacturing model and now own and operate one wafer fabrication facility located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Principal Markets and Customers

Arrow Electronics, Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. (Samsung) accounted for more than 10% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012. There were no customers that accounted for more than 10% of our revenue for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010. For further discussion see Note 14 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Industrial

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While the industrial electronics market has traditionally been considered a slow growth end-market compared to communications or computing sectors, the use of electronic content in industrial applications has begun to accelerate over the past several years. The demand for energy efficiency and productivity gains in electronic-enabled systems is driving the switch from mechanical to digital solutions for products such as temperature sensors, motor controls, factory lighting, smart energy meters, capacitive touch interface and commercial appliances. We provide microcontrollers, nonvolatile memory, high-voltage and mixed‑signal products that are designed to work effectively in harsh environments. Principal customers include General Electric, Honeywell, Ingenico, Itron, Samsung, Siemens and Textron.

Mobile Devices

Mobile devices, which use our capacitive touchscreen and sensor management technologies, are one of our largest end user markets. We offer solutions for screen sizes ranging from 3.5" to 17.3", thereby allowing us to address the smartphone, tablet, ultrabook and personal computer segments. Product life cycles in this segment tend to be significantly shorter than the life cycle for products in the industrial market, requiring more frequent product refreshes and ongoing reviews and enhancements of feature sets.

We also expect our XSense touch sensor product to enable our customers to enhance the touch experience on their mobile devices. Our XSense touch sensors use copper-based mesh technologies to provide a high-performance alternative to existing touch sensors manufactured using primarily indium tin oxide (ITO). We commenced commercial production of our XSense product in the first quarter of 2013. XSense enables thinner sensor stacks with electrical and power performance that is generally better than competing ITO technologies because of the lower resistance and enhanced conductivity that copper offers. We have also been successful in delivering optical quality and clarity that we believe is equivalent to alternative sensor solutions.

We believe that our capacitive touch solutions and XSense products, either alone or in combination with each other, offer a compelling suite of products for the mobile device industry. Principal customers in the mobile device market include Acer, Amazon, ASUS, Huawei, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Pantech, Samsung and ZTE.

Communications, Networking and Telecommunications Products

Communications includes technology for wireless and wireline telecommunications and data networking. For the wireless market, we also provide nonvolatile memory and baseband and RF ASICs that are used for GSM and code-division multiple access (“CDMA”) mobile phones and their base stations, as well as two-way pagers, mobile radios, and cordless phones and their base stations. We also have a range of products based on the IEEE 802.11 ("Wi-Fi") and 802.15.4 ("Zigbee") wireless protocols that enable instant connectivity between electronic devices. We also provide ASIC, nonvolatile memory and programmable logic products that are used in the switches, routers, cable modem termination systems and digital subscriber line (“DSL”) access multiplexers, which are used to build internet infrastructure. Principal customers in the communications market include Alcatel Lucent, Cisco, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Motorola, Nokia, Pantech, Philips, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sharp and Siemens.

Automotive

The automobile market continues to rely more extensively on electronics solutions. For automotive applications, we provide body electronics for passenger comfort and convenience, safety related subsystems such as air-bag drivers, anti-lock brake control and tire pressure monitors, keyless entry transmitters, capacitive touch interface and receivers and in-vehicle entertainment components. With our introduction of high-voltage and high-temperature capable ICs we are broadening our automotive reach to systems and controls in the engine compartment. Virtually all of these are application‑specific mixed signal ICs. Although the automotive industry underwent significant disruption from 2008 to 2011 as a result of the global economic recession and several natural disasters, we believe that this market offers longer-term growth opportunities that will be driven by the ongoing demand for sophisticated automotive electronic systems. Principal customers in these markets include Continental, Delphi, Hella, Magneti Marelli, Robert Bosch, TRW, VDO and Visteon.

Military and Aerospace

The military and aerospace industries require products that will operate under extreme conditions and are tested to higher standards than commercial products. Through foreign subsidiaries, we offer radiation‑hardened (“Rad-Hard”) products that meet the unique requirements of space and industrial applications. For these applications, our foreign subsidiaries provide Rad-Hard ASICs, FPGAs, nonvolatile memories and microcontrollers. We also offer devices designed for aviation and military applications. Principal customers in the military and aerospace markets include Astrium, BAE Systems, EADS, Honeywell, Litton, Lockheed‑Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Ruag and Thales.

Consumer Goods

Our products are used in many consumer electronics products. We provide microcontrollers for batteries and battery chargers that minimize power usage by being “turned on” only when necessary. Our microcontrollers are also offered for lighting

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controls and touchscreen user interface applications. In addition, we provide secure tamper resistant circuits for embedded personal computer security applications.

We also sell buttons, sliders and wheels ("BSW") that are used to provide tactile-based user interfaces for many consumer products. Our BSW technology can be found, for example, in many home appliances, such as washing machines, dryers and refrigerators. Principal consumer electronics customers include Acer, Dell, Harman Becker, Honeywell, Hosiden Corporation, Invensys, LG Electronics, Logitech, Matsushita, Philips, Samsung, Sanyo, Sony and Toshiba.

Manufacturing

Once we either produce or purchase fabricated wafers, we probe and test the individual circuits on them to identify those that do not function. After probe, we send all of our wafers to one of our independent assembly contractors where they are cut into individual chips and assembled into packages. Most of the finished products are given a final test by the assembly contractors although some are shipped to our test facilities in the United States and the Philippines, where we perform final electrical testing and visual inspection before delivery to customers.

The raw materials and equipment we use to produce our integrated circuits are available from several suppliers. We are not dependent upon any single source of supply. However, some materials have been in short supply in the past and lead times on occasion have lengthened, especially during semiconductor expansion cycles.

As of December 31, 2012, we owned and operated one wafer fabrication facility located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Environmental Compliance

We are subject to a variety of international, federal, state and local governmental regulations related to the discharge or disposal of toxic, volatile or otherwise hazardous chemicals used in our manufacturing processes.

Increasing public attention has been focused on the environmental impact of semiconductor operations. Although we have not experienced any material adverse effect on our operations from environmental regulations, any changes in such regulations or in their enforcement may impose the need for additional capital equipment or other requirements. If for any reason we fail to control the use of, or to restrict adequately the discharge of, hazardous substances under present or future regulations, we could be subject to substantial liability or our manufacturing operations could be suspended. See Item 1A — Risk Factors.

Marketing and Sales

We generate our revenue by selling our products directly to OEMs and indirectly to OEMs through our network of global distributors. We market our products worldwide to a diverse base of OEMs serving primarily commercial markets. We sell our products to large OEM accounts through our direct sales force, using manufacturers’ representatives or through national and regional distributors. Our agreements with our representatives and distributors are generally terminable by either party on short notice, subject to local laws. Direct sales to OEMs as a percentage of net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012 were 49%, while sales to distributors were 51% of net revenue.

Our sales outside the U.S. represented 87%, 86% and 84% of net revenue in 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. We expect that revenue from our international customers and sales to distributors will continue to represent a significant portion of our net revenue. International sales and sales to distributors are subject to a variety of risks, including those arising from currency fluctuations, tariffs, trade barriers, taxes, export license requirements, foreign government regulations, and risk of non-payment by distributors. See Item 1A — Risk Factors.

Research and Development

We believe significant investment in research and development is vital to our success, growth and profitability, and we will continue to devote substantial resources, including management time, to this activity. Our primary objectives are to increase performance of our existing products, develop new wafer processing and design technologies and draw upon these technologies, and our experience in embedded applications to create new products.

For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, we spent $251.5 million, $255.7 million and $237.8 million, respectively, on research and development. Research and development expenses are charged to operations as incurred. We expect these expenditures to continue to be significant in the future as we continue to invest in new products and new manufacturing process technology.

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Competition

We operate in markets that are intensely competitive and characterized by rapid technological change, product obsolescence and price decline. Throughout our product line, we compete with a number of large semiconductor manufacturers, such as Cypress, Freescale, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Infineon, Intel, Microchip, NXP Semiconductors, ON Semiconductor, Renesas, Samsung, Spansion, STMicroelectronics, Synaptics, and Texas Instruments. Some of these competitors have substantially greater financial, technical, marketing and management resources than we do. We also compete with emerging companies that are attempting to sell products in specialized markets that our products address. We compete principally on the basis of the technical innovation and performance of our products, including product speed, density, power usage, reliability and specialty packaging alternatives, as well as on price and product availability. During the last three years, we have experienced significant price competition in several business segments, especially in our Nonvolatile Memory segment for EPROM and Serial EEPROM, and in our Microcontroller segment for commodity microcontrollers. We expect continuing competitive pressures in our markets from existing competitors and new entrants, new technology and cyclical demand, which, among other factors, will likely result in continuing pressure to reduce future average selling prices for our products.

Patents and Licenses

Our success and future product revenue growth depend, in part, on our ability to protect our intellectual property. We rely primarily on patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, as well as nondisclosure agreements and other methods, to protect our proprietary technologies and processes. However, these may not provide meaningful or adequate protection for all of our IP.

As of December 31, 2012, we had 1,642 U.S. and foreign patents and 554 published patent applications. These patents and patent applications cover important and fundamental microcontroller, capacitive touch and other technologies that support our product strategy. We operate an internal program to identify patentable developments and we file patent applications wherever necessary to protect our proprietary technologies.

The semiconductor industry is characterized by vigorous protection and pursuit of IP rights or positions, which have on occasion resulted in significant and often protracted and expensive litigation. From time to time, we receive communications from third parties asserting patent or other IP rights covering our products or processes. In order to avoid the significant costs associated with our defense in litigation involving such claims, we may license the use of the technologies that are the subject of these claims from such companies and be required to make corresponding royalty payments, which may adversely affect our operating results.

We have several patent license agreements with other companies. In the future, it may be necessary or advantageous for us to obtain additional patent licenses from existing or other parties, but these license agreements may not be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all.

Employees

At December 31, 2012 we employed approximately 5,000 employees compared to approximately 5,200 employees at December 31, 2011. Our future success depends in large part on the continued service of our key technical and management personnel and on our ability to continue to attract and retain qualified employees, particularly highly skilled design, process and test engineers necessary for the manufacture of existing products and the research and development of new products and processes. The competition for such personnel is intense, and the loss of key employees could adversely affect our business.

Backlog

We accept purchase orders for deliveries covering periods from one day up to approximately one year from the date on which the order is placed. However, purchase orders can generally be revised or cancelled by the customer without penalty. In addition, significant portions of our sales are ordered with relatively short lead times, often referred to as “turns business.” Considering these industry practices and our experience, we do not believe the total of customer purchase orders outstanding (backlog) provides meaningful information that can be relied on to predict actual sales for future periods.

Geographic Areas

In 2012, 13% of our net revenue was derived from customers in the United States, 60% from customers in Asia, 25% from customers in Europe and 2% from the rest of the world. We determine the location of our customers based on the destination to which we ship our products for the benefit of those customers.

As of December 31, 2012, we owned tangible long lived assets in the United States with a net book value of $85.0 million, in France of $28.0 million, in Germany of $17.6 million, and in the Philippines of $61.6 million. See Note 14 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.

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Seasonality

The semiconductor industry is increasingly characterized by annual seasonality and wide fluctuations of supply and demand. A significant portion of our revenue comes from sales to customers supplying consumer markets, particularly the mobile device market, and from international customers. As a result, our business may be subject to seasonally lower revenue in particular quarters of our fiscal year, especially as many of our larger consumer-focused customers tend to have stronger sales later in the fiscal year as they prepare for the major holiday selling seasons.

The industry has also been affected by significant shifts in consumer demand due to economic downturns or other factors, which may result in volatility in order patterns and lead times, sudden shifts in product demand and periodic production over-capacity. We have, in the past, experienced substantial quarter-to-quarter fluctuations in revenue and operating results and expect, in the future, to continue to experience short term period-to-period fluctuations in operating results due to general industry or economic conditions.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

In addition to the other information contained in this Form 10-K, we have identified the following risks and uncertainties that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Investors should carefully consider the risks described below before making an investment decision. The trading price of our common stock could decline due to any of these risks, and investors may lose all or part of their investment. In addition, these risks and uncertainties may affect the “forward-looking” statements described elsewhere in this Form 10-K and in the documents incorporated herein by reference. They could also affect our actual results of operations, causing them to differ materially from those expressed in “forward-looking” statements.

OUR REVENUE AND OPERATING RESULTS MAY FLUCTUATE SIGNIFICANTLY DUE TO A VARIETY OF FACTORS.

Our future operating results will be subject to quarterly variations based upon a variety of factors, many of which are not within our control. As further discussed in this “Risk Factors” section, factors that could affect our operating results include:

• uncertain global macroeconomic conditions, especially in Europe and Asia, and fiscal and budget uncertainties in the United States;

• the success of our customers’ end products, our ability to introduce new products into the market and our ability to improve and implement new manufacturing technologies and reduce manufacturing costs;

• the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry;

• disruption to our business caused by our increased dependence on outside foundries, and the financial instability of those foundries in some cases;

• our dependence on selling through independent distributors and our ability to obtain accurate sell-through information from these distributors;

• the complexity of our revenue reporting and dependence on our management’s ability to make judgments and estimates regarding inventory write-downs, future claims for returns and other matters affecting our financial statements;

• our reliance on non-binding customer forecasts and the effect of customer changes to forecasts and actual demand;

• our dependence on international sales and operations and the complexity of international laws and regulations relating to those sales and operations;

• the effect of fluctuations in currency exchange rates;

• the capacity constraints of our independent assembly contractors;

• our ability to implement new manufacturing technologies and achieve acceptable manufacturing yields;

• business disruptions caused by the disposal of our manufacturing facilities or restructuring activities and the impact of our related take-or-pay supply agreements if wafer prices decrease over time;

• the effect of intellectual property and other litigation on us and our customers, and our ability to protect our intellectual property rights;

• the highly competitive nature of our markets and our ability to keep pace with technological change;

• our dependence on international sales and operations;

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• information technology system failures or network disruptions and disruptions caused by our system integration efforts;

• business interruptions, natural disasters, terrorist acts or similar unforeseen events or circumstances;

• our ability to maintain relationships with our key customers, the absence of long-term supply contracts with most of our customers, and product liability claims our customers may bring;

• unanticipated changes to environmental, health and safety regulations or related compliance issues;

• our dependence on certain key personnel;

• uneven expense recognition related to our issuance of performance-based restricted stock units;

• the anti-takeover effects in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws;

• the unfunded nature of our foreign pension plans;

• the effect of acquisitions we may undertake, including our ability to effectively integrate acquisitions into our operations;

• disruptions in the availability of raw materials;

• the complexity of our global legal entity structure, the effect of intercompany loans within this structure, and the occurrence and outcome of income tax audits for these entities; and

• our receipt of economic grants in various jurisdictions, which may require repayment if we are unable to comply with the terms of such grants.

Any unfavorable changes in any of these factors could harm our operating results and may result in volatility or a decline in our stock price.

UNCERTAIN GLOBAL MACRO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, ESPECIALLY IN EUROPE AND ASIA, AND FISCAL AND BUDGET UNCERTAINTIES IN THE UNITED STATES CONTINUE TO AFFECT OUR BUSINESS.

Slowing economic growth throughout the world, and continued uncertainty regarding macro-economic conditions in Europe and Asia, have adversely affected demand for our products. Continued adverse economic conditions, slow global growth, general uncertainty about the global economic recovery and ongoing fiscal and budgetary uncertainty in the United States may continue to adversely affect our business prospects.

WE DEPEND SUBSTANTIALLY ON THE SUCCESS OF OUR CUSTOMERS’ END PRODUCTS, OUR INTRODUCTION OF NEW PRODUCTS INTO THE MARKET, AND OUR ABILITY TO REDUCE MANUFACTURING COSTS OF OUR PRODUCTS OVER TIME.

We believe that our future sales will depend substantially on the success of our customers’ end products, our ability to introduce new products into the market, and our ability to reduce the manufacturing costs of our products over time. Our new products are generally incorporated into our customers’ products or systems at their design stage. However, design wins can precede volume sales by a year or more. In addition, we may not be successful in achieving design wins or design wins may not result in future revenue, which depend in large part on our customers’ ability to sell their end products or systems within their respective markets.

Rapid innovation within the semiconductor industry also continually increases pricing pressure, especially on products containing older technology. We experience continuous pricing pressure, just as many of our competitors do. Product life cycles in our industry are relatively short, and as a result, products tend to be replaced by more technologically advanced substitutes on a regular basis. In turn, demand for older technology falls, causing the price at which such products can be sold to drop, often quickly. As a result, the average selling price of each of our products usually declines as individual products mature and competitors enter the market. To offset average selling price decreases and to continue profitably supplying our products, we rely primarily on reducing costs to manufacture our products, improving our process technologies and production efficiency, increasing product sales to absorb fixed costs and introducing new, higher-priced products that incorporate advanced features or integrated technologies to address new or emerging markets. Our operating results could be harmed if such cost reductions, production improvements, increased product sales and new product introductions do not occur in a timely manner.

THE CYCLICAL NATURE OF THE SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY CREATES FLUCTUATIONS IN OUR OPERATING RESULTS AND MAY ALSO AFFECT JUDGMENTS, ESTIMATES AND ASSUMPTIONS WE APPLY IN PREPARING OUR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

The semiconductor industry has historically been cyclical, characterized by annual seasonality and wide fluctuations in product supply and demand. The semiconductor industry has also experienced significant downturns, often in connection with, or in anticipation of, maturing product cycles and declines in general economic conditions.

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Our operating results have been adversely affected in the past by industry-wide fluctuations in the demand for semiconductors, which resulted in under-utilization of our manufacturing capacity and declining gross margin. Our business may be harmed in the future by cyclical conditions in the semiconductor industry as a whole and by conditions within specific markets served by our products. These fluctuations in demand may also affect inventory write-downs we take or other items in our financial statements. Our inventories are stated at the lower of cost (on a first-in, first-out basis) or market. Determining market value for our inventories involves numerous judgments, estimates and assumptions, including assessing average selling prices and sales volumes for each of our products in future periods. The competitiveness of each product, market conditions and product lifecycles may change over time, resulting in a change in the judgments, estimates and assumptions we apply to establish inventory write-downs. The judgments, estimates and assumptions we apply in evaluating our inventory write-downs, including, for example, shortening or extending the anticipated life of our products, may have a material effect on our financial statements. If we overestimate demand, we may experience excess inventory levels. Inventory adjustments, based on the judgments, estimates and assumptions we make, may affect our results of operations, including our gross margin, in a positive or negative manner, depending on the nature of the adjustment.

A significant portion of our revenue comes from sales to customers supplying consumer markets and from international sales. As a result, our business may be subject to seasonally lower revenue in particular quarters of our fiscal year. The semiconductor industry has also been affected by significant shifts in consumer demand due to economic downturns or other factors, which can exacerbate the cyclicality within the industry and result in further diminished product demand and production over-capacity. We have, in the past, experienced substantial quarter-to-quarter fluctuations in revenue and operating results and expect in the future to continue to experience short term period-to-period fluctuations in operating results due to general industry and economic conditions.

WE COULD EXPERIENCE DISRUPTION OF OUR BUSINESS DUE TO INCREASED DEPENDENCE ON OUTSIDE FOUNDRIES.

After selling our European manufacturing facilities, we currently operate a single wafer fabrication facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As a result, we rely substantially on independent third party foundry manufacturing partners to manufacture products for us. As part of this fab-lite strategy, we have expanded and will continue to expand our foundry relationships by entering into new agreements with third party foundries. If we cannot obtain sufficient capacity commitments, if our foundry partners suffer financial instability affecting their ability to manufacture our products, or if our foundry partners experience production delays for other reasons, the supply of our products could be disrupted, which could harm our business. In addition, difficulties in production yields can often occur when transitioning manufacturing processes to a new third party foundry.  If our foundry partners fail to deliver quality products and components on a timely basis, our business could be harmed. For the year ended December 31, 2012, we manufactured approximately 56% of our products in our own wafer fabricationfacility compared to 50% for the year ended December 31, 2011.

We expect over time that an increasing portion of our wafer fabrication will be undertaken by third party foundries.

Our fab-lite strategy exposes us to the following risks:

• reduced control over delivery schedules and product costs;

• financial instability, or liquidity issues, affecting our foundry partners;

• higher than anticipated manufacturing costs;

• inability of our manufacturing subcontractors to develop manufacturing methods appropriate for our products and their unwillingness to devote adequate capacity to produce our products;

• possible abandonment of key fabrication processes by our foundry subcontractors for products that are strategically important to us;

• reduced control over or decline in product quality and reliability;

• inability to maintain continuing relationships with our foundries;

• restricted ability to meet customer demand when faced with product shortages or order increases; and

• increased opportunities for potential misappropriation of our intellectual property.

If any of the above risks occur, we could experience an interruption in our supply chain, an increase in costs or a reduction in our product quality and reliability, which could delay or decrease our revenue and adversely affect our business.

We attempt to mitigate these risks with a strategy of qualifying multiple foundry subcontractors. However, there can be no guarantee that this or any other strategy will eliminate or significantly reduce these risks. Additionally, since most independent foundries are located in foreign countries, we are subject to risks generally associated with contracting with foreign manufacturers,

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including currency exchange fluctuations, political and economic instability, trade restrictions, changes in tariff and freight rates and import and export regulations. Accordingly, we may experience problems maintaining expected timelines and the adequacy or quality of product deliveries, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We closely monitor the financial condition of our foundry partners, especially those in Europe with which we have take-or-pay contracts. We believe that we have adequate secondary sources for our products if those companies reduce or discontinue their business activities. Nonetheless, while we do not believe that any financial distress, or any other material adverse financial event affecting those foundries, would be likely to have a material adverse effect on our business, the financial instability of a foundry partner does require an investment of significant management time, may require additional changes in operational planning as conditions develop, and could have other unexpected effects on our business. In the year ended December 31, 2012, we took a charge related to a foundry arrangement of $10.6 million, for excess purchase commitments and an impairment of receivables from a foundry supplier of $6.5 million (See Note 17 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion).

The terms on which we will be able to obtain wafer production for our products, and the timing and volume of such production, will be substantially dependent on future agreements to be negotiated with independent foundries. We cannot be certain that the agreements we reach with such foundries will be on favorable terms. For example, any future agreements with independent foundries may be short-term in duration, may not be renewable, and may provide inadequate certainty regarding the future supply and pricing of wafers for our products.

If demand for our products increases significantly, we have no assurances that our third party foundries will be able to increase their manufacturing capacity to a level that meets our requirements, potentially preventing us from meeting our customer demand and harming our business and customer relationships. Also, even if our independent foundries are able to meet our increased demand, those foundries may decide to charge significantly higher wafer prices to us, which could reduce our gross margin or require us to offset the increased prices by increasing prices to our customers, either of which could harm our business and operating results.

OUR REVENUE IS DEPENDENT TO A LARGE EXTENT ON SELLING TO END CUSTOMERS THROUGH INDEPENDENT DISTRIBUTORS. THESE DISTRIBUTORS MAY HAVE LIMITED FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO CONDUCT THEIR BUSINESS OR TO REPRESENT OUR INTERESTS EFFECTIVELY AND THEY MAY TERMINATE OR MODIFY THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH US IN A MANNER THAT ADVERSELY AFFECTS OUR SALES.

Sales through distributors accounted for 51%, 57% and 57% of our net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. We are dependent on our distributors to supplement our direct marketing and sales efforts. Our agreements with independent distributors can generally be terminated for convenience by either party upon relatively short notice. Generally, these agreements are non-exclusive and also permit our distributors to offer and promote our competitors’ products.

If any significant distributor or a substantial number of our distributors terminated their relationship with us, decided to market our competitors’ products in preference to our products, were unable or not willing to sell our products or were unable to pay us for products sold for any reason, our ability to bring our products to market could be adversely affected, we could have difficulty in collecting outstanding receivable balances, or we could incur other loss of revenue, charges or other adjustments, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and operating results. In some cases, certain of our distributors in Asia may also have more limited financial resources and constrained balance sheets that distributors in other geographic areas. If these distributors are unable effectively to finance their operations, or to represent our interests effectively because of financial limitations, our business could also be adversely affected.

OUR REVENUE REPORTING IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON RECEIVING ACCURATE AND TIMELY SELL-THROUGH INFORMATION FROM OUR DISTRIBUTORS. IF WE RECEIVE INACCURATE OR LATE INFORMATION FROM OUR DISTRIBUTORS, OUR FINANCIAL REPORTING COULD BE MISSTATED.

Our revenue reporting is highly dependent on receiving pertinent, accurate and timely data from our distributors. As our distributors resell products, they provide us with periodic data regarding the products sold, including prices, quantities, end customers, and the amount of our products they still have in stock. Because the data set is large and complex and because there may be errors or delays in the reported data, we may use estimates and apply judgments to reconcile distributors’ reported inventories to their end customer sales transactions. Actual results could vary unfavorably from our estimates, which could affect our operating results and adversely affect our business.

OUR REVENUE REPORTING IS COMPLEX AND DEPENDENT, IN PART, ON OUR MANAGEMENT’S ABILITY TO MAKE JUDGMENTS AND ESTIMATES REGARDING FUTURE CLAIMS FOR RETURNS. IF OUR JUDGMENTS OR ESTIMATES ABOUT THESE MATTERS ARE INCORRECT OR INACCURATE, OUR REVENUE REPORTING COULD BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED.

Our revenue reporting is highly dependent on judgments and estimates that our management is required to make when preparing our financial statements. We currently recognize revenue for our distributors based in the United States and Europe in a different manner from the method we use for our distributors based in Asia (excluding Japan).

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For sales to certain distributors (primarily based in the U.S. and Europe) with agreements allowing for price protection and product returns, we have not historically had the ability to estimate future claims at the point of shipment, and given that price is not fixed or determinable at that time, revenue is not recognized until the distributor sells the product to its end customer.

For sales to independent distributors in Asia, excluding Japan, we invoice these distributors at full list price upon shipment and issue a rebate, or “credit,” once product has been sold to the end customer and the distributor has met certain reporting requirements. After reviewing the pricing, rebate and quotation-related terms, we concluded that we could reliably estimate future claims; therefore, we recognize revenue at the point of shipment for these Asian distributors, assuming all of the other revenue recognition criteria are met, utilizing amounts invoiced, less estimated future claims. As the percentage of our sales to Asia increases, a larger portion of our revenue reporting will be based on this methodology.

If, however, our judgments or estimates are incorrect or inaccurate regarding future claims, our revenue reporting could be adversely affected. In addition, the fact that we recognize revenue differently in the United States and Europe than in Asia (excluding Japan) makes the preparation of our financial statements more complicated, and, therefore, potentially more susceptible to inaccuracies over time.

WE BUILD SEMICONDUCTORS BASED, FOR THE MOST PART, ON NON-BINDING FORECASTS FROM OUR CUSTOMERS. AS A RESULT, CHANGES TO FORECASTS FROM ACTUAL DEMAND MAY RESULT IN EXCESS INVENTORY OR OUR INABILITY TO FILL CUSTOMER ORDERS ON A TIMELY BASIS, WHICH MAY HARM OUR BUSINESS.

We schedule production and build semiconductor devices based primarily on non-binding forecasts from customers and our own internal forecasts. Typically, customer orders, consistent with general industry practices, may be cancelled or rescheduled with short notice to us. In addition, our customers frequently place orders requesting product delivery in a much shorter period than our lead time to fully fabricate and test devices. Because the markets we serve are volatile and subject to rapid technological, price and end-user demand changes, our forecasts of unit quantities to build may be significantly incorrect. Changes to forecasted demand from actual demand may result in us producing unit quantities in excess of orders from customers, which could result in additional expense for the write-down of excess inventory and negatively affect our gross margin and results of operations.

Our forecasting risks may increase as a result of our fab-lite strategy because we will have less control over modifying production schedules to match changes in forecasted demand. If we commit to order foundry wafers and cannot cancel or reschedule our commitment without significant costs or cancellation penalties, we may be forced to purchase inventory in excess of demand, which could result in a write-down of inventories and negatively affect our gross margin and results of operations.

Conversely, failure to produce or obtain sufficient wafers for increased demand could cause us to miss revenue opportunities and could affect our customers’ ability to sell products, which could adversely affect our customer relationships and thereby materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

OUR INTERNATIONAL SALES AND OPERATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO COMPLEX LAWS RELATING TO TRADE, EXPORT CONTROLS, FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES AND ANTI-BRIBERY LAWS AMONG MANY OTHER SUBJECTS. A VIOLATION OF, OR CHANGE IN, THESE LAWS COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT OUR BUSINESS, FINANCIAL CONDITION OR RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

For hardware, software or technology exported from, or otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of, the United States, we are subject to U.S. laws and regulations governing international trade and exports, including, but not limited to, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”), the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) and trade sanctions against embargoed countries and destinations administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). Hardware, software and technology exported from, or otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of, other countries may also be subject to non-U.S. laws and regulations governing international trade and exports. Under these laws and regulations, we are responsible for obtaining all necessary licenses and approvals for exports of hardware, software and technology, as well as the provision of technical assistance. In many cases, a determination of the applicable export control laws and related licensing requirements depends on design intent, the source and origin of a specific technology, the nationalities and localities of participants involved in creating, marketing, selling or supporting that technology, the specific technical contributions made by individuals to that technology and other matters of an intensely factual nature. We are also required to obtain all necessary export licenses prior to transferring technical data or software to foreign persons. In addition, we are required to obtain necessary export licenses prior to the export or re-export of hardware, software and technology to any person identified on the U.S. Department of Commerce Denied Persons or Entity List, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals or Blocked Persons List, or the Department of State’s Debarred List. Products for use in space, satellite, military, nuclear, chemical/biological weapons, rocket systems or unmanned air vehicle applications may also require export licenses and involve many of the same complexities and risks of non-compliance in the U.S. and elsewhere.

We continually seek to enhance our export compliance program, including ongoing analysis of historical and current product shipments and technology transfers. We also work with, and assist, government officials, when requested, to ensure compliance with applicable export laws and regulations, and we continue to develop additional operational procedures to improve our compliance efforts. However, export laws and regulations are highly complex and vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction; a determination by U.S.

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or other governments that we have failed to comply with any export control laws or trade sanctions, including failure to properly restrict an export to the persons or countries set forth on government restricted party lists, could result in significant civil or criminal penalties, including the imposition of significant fines, denial of export privileges, loss of revenue from certain customers or damages claims from any customers adversely affected by such penalties, and exclusion from participation in U.S. government contracts. As we review or audit our import and export practices, from time to time, we may discover previously unknown errors in our compliance practices that require corrective actions; these actions could include voluntary disclosures of those matters to appropriate government agencies, discontinuance or suspension of product sales pending a resolution of any reviews, or other adverse interim or final actions. Further, a change in these laws and regulations could restrict our ability to export to previously permitted countries, customers, distributors, foundries or other third parties. For example, in the past, one of our distributors was added to the U.S. Department of Commerce Entity List, resulting in the termination of our relationship with that distributor. Any one or more of these compliance errors, sanctions or a change in law or regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are also subject to complex laws that seek to regulate the payment of bribes or other forms of compensation to foreign officials or persons affiliated with companies or organizations in which foreign governments may own an interest or exercise control. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in the United States requires United States companies to comply with an extensive legal framework to prevent bribery of foreign officials. The laws are complex and require that we closely monitor local practices of our overseas offices. The United States Department of Justice has recently heightened enforcement of these laws. In addition, other countries continue to implement similar laws that may have extra-territorial effect. The United Kingdom, for example, where we have operations, has enacted the U.K. Bribery Act, which could impose significant oversight obligations on us and could be applicable to our operations outside of the United Kingdom. The costs for complying with these and similar laws may be substantial and could reasonably be expected to require significant management time and focus. Any violation of these or similar laws, intentional or unintentional, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

WE ARE EXPOSED TO FLUCTUATIONS IN CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES THAT COULD NEGATIVELY AFFECT OUR FINANCIAL RESULTS AND CASH FLOWS, AND REVENUE AND COSTS DENOMINATED IN FOREIGN CURRENCIES COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT OUR OPERATING RESULTS AS A RESULT OF FOREIGN CURRENCY MOVES AGAINST THE DOLLAR. THE ELIMINATION OF THE EURO AS A COMMON CURRENCY OR THE WITHDRAWAL OF MEMBER STATES FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION COULD ALSO ADVERSELY AFFECT OUR BUSINESS AND INTRODUCE UNCERTAINTIES WITH RESPECT TO PAYMENT TERMS IN OUR CONTRACTS.

Because a significant portion of our business is conducted outside the United States, we face exposure to adverse movements in foreign currency exchange rates. These exposures may change over time as business practices evolve and could have a material adverse effect on our financial results and cash flows. Our primary exposure relates to revenue and operating expenses in Europe (denominated in Euros).

When we take an order denominated in a foreign currency, we will receive fewer dollars, and lower revenue, than we initially anticipated if that local currency weakens against the dollar before we ship our product. Conversely, revenue will be positively impacted if the local currency strengthens against the dollar before we ship our product. Costs may also be impacted by foreign currency fluctuation. For example, in Europe, where we have costs denominated in European currencies, costs will decrease if the local currency weakens against the dollar. Conversely, costs will increase if the local currency strengthens against the dollar. Our income from operations would have been approximately $7.7 million higher had the average exchange rate for the year ended December 31, 2012 remained the same as the average exchange rate for the year ended December 31, 2011. The effect is determined assuming that all foreign currency denominated transactions that occurred for the year ended December 31, 2012 were recorded using the average foreign currency exchange rates for the year ended December 31, 2011.

We also face the risk that our accounts receivable denominated in foreign currencies will be devalued if such foreign currencies weaken quickly and significantly against the dollar. Similarly, we face the risk that our accounts payable and debt obligations denominated in foreign currencies will increase if such foreign currencies strengthen quickly and significantly against the dollar. We have not historically utilized hedging instruments to offset our foreign currency exposure, although we may determine to do so in the future.

Because we conduct business in Europe, we may have additional exposure to currency fluctuations if the Euro is eliminated as a common currency within the Eurozone, or if individual countries determine to stop using that currency. In any of those events, we would have to address exchange rate and conversion issues affecting the Euros we then held and the payments that we expected to receive, or to make, in Euros. There is no certainty regarding the potential economic effect of these Euro currency risks, nor is there any certainty regarding the effect on payment terms included within outstanding sales contracts if the Euro were eliminated or not accepted in some countries as legal tender. Because of those uncertainties, we are not able to assess fully, as of the date of this Annual Report, the potential effect on our business or financial condition if the Eurozone were to disband, if a member state determined to substitute a new currency for the Euro within its borders, or if the Euro became generally less accepted as a global currency.

WE DEPEND ON INDEPENDENT ASSEMBLY CONTRACTORS THAT MAY NOT HAVE ADEQUATE CAPACITY TO FULFILL OUR NEEDS OR TO MEET OUR QUALITY AND DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS.

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After wafer testing, we ship wafers to various independent assembly contractors, where the wafers are separated into die, packaged and, in some cases, further tested. Our reliance on independent contractors to assemble, package and test our products may expose us to significant risks, including the following:

• reduced control over quality and delivery schedules;

• the potential lack of adequate capacity;

• discontinuance or phase-out of our contractors’ assembly processes;

• inability of our contractors to develop and maintain assembly and test methods and equipment that are appropriate for our products;

• lack of long-term contracts and the potential inability to secure strategically important service contracts on favorable terms, if at all;

• increased opportunities for potential misappropriation of our intellectual property; and

• financial instability, or liquidity issues, affecting our subcontractors.

In addition, our independent contractors may not continue to assemble, package and test our products for a variety of reasons. Moreover, because most of our independent assembly contractors are located in foreign countries, we are subject to certain risks generally associated with contracting with foreign suppliers, including currency exchange fluctuations, political and economic instability, trade restrictions, including export controls, and changes in tariff and freight rates. Accordingly, we may experience problems with the time, adequacy or quality of product deliveries, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

WE MAY FACE BUSINESS DISRUPTION RISKS, AS WELL AS THE RISK OF SIGNIFICANT UNANTICIPATED COSTS, AS WE CONSIDER, OR AS A RESULT OF, CHANGES IN OUR BUSINESS AND ASSET PORTFOLIO.

We are continually reviewing potential changes in our business and asset portfolio throughout our worldwide operations in order to enhance our overall competitiveness and viability. Disposal and restructuring activities that we have undertaken, and may undertake in the future, can divert significant time and resources, involve substantial costs and lead to production and product development delays and may fail to enhance our overall competitiveness and viability as intended, any of which can negatively impact our business. Our disposal activities have in the past and may, in the future, trigger restructuring, impairment and other accounting charges and/or result in a loss on sale of assets. Any of these charges or losses could cause the price of our common stock to decline.

We have in the past and may, in the future, experience labor union or workers’ council objections, or labor unrest actions (including possible strikes), when we seek to reduce our manufacturing or operating facilities in Europe and other regions. Many of our operations are located in countries and regions that have extensive employment regulations that we must comply with in order to reduce our workforce, and we may incur significant costs to complete such exercises. Any of those events could have an adverse effect on our business and operating results.

We continue to evaluate existing restructuring accruals related to restructuring plans previously implemented. As a result, there may be additional restructuring charges or reversals or recoveries of previous charges. We may incur additional restructuring and asset impairment charges in connection with additional restructuring plans adopted in the future. Any such restructuring or asset impairment charges recorded in the future could significantly harm our business and operating results. During 2012, we implemented various cost reduction actions, and recorded restructuring charges of $23.5 million related to workforce reductions for the year ended December 31, 2012. We also recorded restructuring charges of $0.5 million related to lease terminations associated with those workforce reductions. As of December 31, 2012, we recorded $16.2 million in accrued restructuring charges, and we expect to make the cash severance payments in respect of those accruals within the next twelve months.

WE HAVE IN THE PAST ENTERED INTO “TAKE-OR-PAY” SUPPLY AGREEMENTS WITH BUYERS OF OUR WAFER MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS. IF THE CONTRACTUAL PRICING FOR THOSE WAFERS EXCEEDS THE PRICES WE COULD HAVE OTHERWISE OBTAINED IN THE OPEN MARKET, WE MAY INCUR A CHARGE TO OUR OPERATING RESULTS.

We entered into supply agreements with the acquirers of our European wafer manufacturing operations that committed us, or specified subsidiaries of ours, to purchase wafers from these acquirers on a “take-or-pay” basis for a number of years.  For example, in connection with the sale of our manufacturing operations in Rousset, France in June 2010, one of our subsidiaries entered into a manufacturing services agreement that, as amended, requires this subsidiary to purchase wafers from LFoundry Rousset SAS until June 2013 on a “take-or-pay” basis. Similarly, in connection with the sale of our manufacturing operations in Heilbronn, Germany, one of our subsidiaries entered into a wafer supply agreement that, as amended, required this subsidiary to purchase wafers from Telefunken Semiconductors GmbH & Co. KG (“TSG”) through August 2012 on a “take-or-pay” basis. In August 2012, one of our subsidiaries entered into a new wafer supply agreement that requires this subsidiary to purchase wafers from

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Telefunken Semiconductors International LLC, the parent of TSG, through May 2013 on a "take-or-pay" basis. In addition to the direct financial effects that these “take-or-pay” arrangements may have, they may also cause us, in some cases, to acquire excess inventory at times when not needed based on demand forecasts (See Note 17 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements).

IF WE ARE UNABLE TO IMPLEMENT NEW MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES OR FAIL TO ACHIEVE ACCEPTABLE MANUFACTURING YIELDS, OUR BUSINESS WOULD BE HARMED.

Whether demand for semiconductors is rising or falling, we are constantly required by competitive pressures in the industry to successfully implement new manufacturing technologies in order to reduce the geometries of our semiconductors and produce more integrated circuits per wafer. We are developing processes that support effective feature sizes as small as 45 nanometers.

Fabrication of our integrated circuits is a highly complex and precise process, requiring production in a tightly-controlled, clean environment. Minute impurities, difficulties in the fabrication process, defects in the masks used to print circuits on a wafer or other factors can cause a substantial percentage of wafers to be rejected or numerous die on each wafer to be nonfunctional. Whether through the use of our foundries or third party manufacturers, we may experience problems in achieving acceptable yields in the manufacture of wafers, particularly during a transition in the manufacturing process technology for our products or with respect to manufacturing of new products.

We have previously experienced production delays and yield difficulties in connection with earlier expansions of our wafer fabrication capacity or transitions in manufacturing process technology. Production delays or difficulties in achieving acceptable yields at our fabrication facility or at the fabrication facilities of our third party manufacturers could materially and adversely affect our operating results. We may not be able to obtain the additional cash from operations or external financing necessary to fund the implementation of new manufacturing technologies.

WE MAY, DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY, FACE THIRD PARTY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INFRINGEMENT CLAIMS THAT COULD BE COSTLY TO DEFEND, DISTRACT OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM AND EMPLOYEES, AND RESULT IN LOSS OF SIGNIFICANT RIGHTS.

The semiconductor industry is characterized by vigorous protection and pursuit of intellectual property rights or positions, which have on occasion resulted in significant and often protracted and expensive litigation. From time to time we receive communications from third parties asserting patent or other intellectual property rights covering our products or processes. In order to avoid the significant costs associated with our defense in litigation involving such claims, we may license the use of the technologies that are the subject of these claims from such companies and make regular corresponding royalty payments, which may harm our cash position and operating results.

We have in the past been involved in intellectual property infringement lawsuits, which adversely affected our operating results. In addition to patent infringement lawsuits in which we may be directly involved and named as a defendant, we also may assist our customers, in many cases at our own cost, in defending intellectual property lawsuits involving technologies that are combined with our technologies. See Part I, Item 3 of this Form 10-K. The cost of defending against intellectual property lawsuits, responding to subpoenas, preparing our employees to testify, or assisting our customers in defending against such lawsuits, in terms of management time and attention, legal fees and product delays, can be substantial. If such infringement lawsuits are successful, we may be prohibited from using the technologies at issue in the lawsuits, and if we are unable to obtain a license on acceptable terms, license a substitute technology or design new technology to avoid infringement, our business and operating results may be significantly harmed.

Many of our new and existing products and technologies are intended to address needs in specialized and emerging markets. Given the aggressive pursuit and defense of intellectual property rights that are typical in the semiconductor industry, we expect to see an increase in intellectual property litigation in many of the key markets that our products and technologies serve. An increase in infringement lawsuits within these markets generally, even if they do not involve us, may divert management’s attention and resources, which may seriously harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

As is customary in the semiconductor industry, our standard contracts provide remedies to our customers, such as defense, settlement, or payment of judgments for intellectual property claims related to the use of our products. From time to time, we will indemnify customers against combinations of loss, expense, or liability related to the sale and the use of our products and services. Even if claims or litigation against us are not valid or successfully asserted, defending these claims could result in significant costs and diversion of the attention of management and other key employees.

IF WE ARE UNABLE TO PROTECT OR ASSERT OUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS, OUR BUSINESS AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS MAY BE HARMED.

Our future success will depend, in part, upon our ability to protect and assert our intellectual property rights. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as nondisclosure agreements and other methods, to protect our proprietary technologies. We also enter into confidentiality or license agreements with our employees, consultants and business partners, and control access to and distribution of our documentation and other proprietary information. It is possible that

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competitors or other unauthorized third parties may obtain, copy, use or disclose our proprietary technologies and processes, despite our efforts to protect them.

We hold numerous U.S. and foreign patents. We can provide no assurance, however, that these, or any of our future patents, will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented in ways that detract from their value. Changes in laws may also result in us having less intellectual property protection than we may have experienced historically.

If our patents do not adequately protect our technology, competitors may be able to offer products similar to our products more easily. Our competitors may also be able to design around our patents, which would harm our business, financial position and results of operations.

SIGNIFICANT PATENT LITIGATION IN THE MOBILE DEVICE SECTOR MAY ADVERSELY AFFECT SOME OF OUR CUSTOMERS. UNFAVORABLE OUTCOMES IN SUCH PATENT LITIGATION COULD AFFECT OUR CUSTOMERS’ ABILITY TO SELL THEIR PRODUCTS AND, AS A RESULT, COULD ULTIMATELY AFFECT THEIR ABILITY TO PURCHASE OUR PRODUCTS IF THEIR MOBILE DEVICE BUSINESS DECLINES.

There is significant ongoing patent litigation throughout the world involving many of our customers, especially in the mobile device sector. The outcome of these disputes is uncertain. While we may not have a direct involvement in these matters, an adverse outcome that affects the ability of our customers to ship or sell their products could ultimately have an adverse effect on our business. That could happen if these customers reduce their business exposure in the mobile device sector, are prevented from selling their products in certain markets, seek to reduce their cost structures to help fund the payment of unanticipated licensing fees, or are required to take other actions that slow or hinder their market penetration.

OUR MARKETS ARE HIGHLY COMPETITIVE, AND IF WE DO NOT COMPETE EFFECTIVELY, WE MAY SUFFER PRICE REDUCTIONS, REDUCED REVENUE, REDUCED GROSS MARGIN AND LOSS OF MARKET SHARE.

We operate in markets that are intensely competitive and characterized by rapid technological change, product obsolescence and price decline. Throughout our product line, we compete with a number of large semiconductor manufacturers, such as Cypress, Freescale, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Infineon, Intel, Microchip, NXP Semiconductors, ON Semiconductor, Renesas, Samsung, Spansion, STMicroelectronics, Synaptics, and Texas Instruments. Some of these competitors have substantially greater financial, technical, marketing and management resources than we do. As we introduce new products, we are increasingly competing directly with these companies, and we may not be able to compete effectively. We also compete with emerging companies that are attempting to sell products in specialized markets that our products address. We compete principally on the basis of the technical innovation and performance of our products, including their speed, density, power usage, reliability and specialty packaging alternatives, as well as on price and product availability. During the last several years, we have experienced significant price competition in several business segments, especially in our nonvolatile memory segment for EPROM and Serial EEPROM products, as well as in our commodity microcontrollers. Competitive pressures in the semiconductor market from existing competitors, new entrants, new technology and cyclical demand, among other factors, can result in declining average selling prices for our products.  To the extent that such price declines affect our products, our revenue and gross margin could decline.

In addition to the factors described above, our ability to compete successfully depends on a number of factors, including the following:

• our success in designing and manufacturing new products that implement new technologies and processes;

• our ability to offer integrated solutions using our advanced nonvolatile memory process with other technologies;

• the rate at which customers incorporate our products into their systems;

• product introductions by our competitors;

• the number and nature of our competitors in a given market;

• our ability to minimize production costs by outsourcing our manufacturing, assembly and testing functions;

• our ability to improve our process technologies and production efficiency; and

• general market and economic conditions.

Many of these factors are outside of our control, and may cause us to be unable to compete successfully in the future, which would materially harm our business.

WE MUST KEEP PACE WITH TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE.

Our future success substantially depends on our ability to develop and introduce new products that compete effectively on the basis of price and performance and that address customer requirements. We are continually designing and commercializing

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new and improved products to maintain our competitive position. These new products typically are more technologically complex than their predecessors and have increased risk of deployment delays and quality and yield issues, among other risks.

The success of new product introductions is dependent upon several factors, including timely completion and introduction of new product designs, achievement of acceptable fabrication yields and market acceptance. Our development of new products and our customers’ decisions to design them into their systems can take as long as three years, depending upon the complexity of the device and the application. Accordingly, new product development requires a long-term forecast of market trends and customer needs, and the successful introduction of our products may be adversely affected by competing products or other technologies serving the markets addressed by our products. Our qualification process involves multiple cycles of testing and improving a product’s functionality to ensure that our products operate in accordance with design specifications. If we experience delays in the introduction of new products, our future operating results could be adversely affected.

In addition, new product introductions frequently depend on our development and implementation of new process technologies, and our future growth will depend in part upon the successful development and market acceptance of these process technologies. Our integrated solution products require more technically sophisticated sales and marketing personnel to market these products successfully to customers. We are developing new products with smaller feature sizes and increased functionality, the fabrication of which will be substantially more complex than fabrication of our current products. If we are unable to design, develop, manufacture, market and sell new products successfully, our operating results will be harmed. Our new product development, process development or marketing and sales efforts may not be successful, our new products may not achieve market acceptance, and price expectations for our new products may not be achieved, any of which could significantly harm our business.

OUR OPERATING RESULTS ARE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON OUR INTERNATIONAL SALES AND OPERATIONS, WHICH EXPOSES US TO VARIOUS RISKS.

Net revenue outside the United States accounted for 87%, 86% and 84% of our net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. We expect that revenue derived from international sales will continue to represent a significant portion of net revenue. International sales and operations are subject to a variety of risks, including:

• greater difficulty in protecting intellectual property;

• reduced flexibility and increased cost of effecting staffing adjustments;

• foreign labor conditions and practices;

• adverse changes in tax laws;

• credit and collectibility risks on our trade receivables with customers in certain jurisdictions;

• longer collection cycles;

• legal and regulatory requirements, including antitrust laws, import and export regulations, trade barriers, tariffs and tax laws, and environmental and privacy regulations and changes to those laws and regulations;

• negative effects from fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;

• international trade regulations, including duties and tariffs;

• cash repatriation restrictions;

• impact of natural disasters on local infrastructures, including those of our distributors and end-customers; and

• general economic and political conditions in these foreign markets.

Some of our distributors, independent foundries, independent assembly, packaging and test contractors and other business partners also have international operations and are subject to the risks described above. Even if we are able to manage the risks of international operations successfully, our business may be adversely affected if our distributors, independent foundries and contractors, and other business partners are not able to manage these risks successfully.

WE MAY BE SUBJECT TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM FAILURES OR NETWORK DISRUPTIONS THAT COULD DAMAGE OUR REPUTATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION.

We rely on our information technology infrastructure and certain critical information systems for the effective operation of our business. These information systems are subject to damage or interruption from a number of potential sources, including natural disasters, accidents, power disruptions, telecommunications failures, acts of terrorism or war, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins, cyber attacks, sabotage, vandalism, or similar events or disruptions. Our security measures or those of our third party service providers may not detect or prevent such security breaches. Any such compromise of our information security could result in the unauthorized publication of our confidential business or proprietary information, result in the unauthorized release of customer

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or employee data, result in a violation of privacy or other laws, expose us to a risk of litigation or damage our reputation. In addition, our inability to use or access these information systems at critical points in time could unfavorably impact the timely and efficient operation of our business, which could negatively affect our operating results.

OUR OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL RESULTS COULD BE HARMED BY BUSINESS INTERRUPTIONS, NATURAL DISASTERS, TERRORIST ACTS OR OTHER EVENTS BEYOND OUR CONTROL.

Our operations are vulnerable to interruption by fire, earthquake, volcanoes, power loss, public health issues, geopolitical uncertainties, telecommunications failures and other events beyond our control. Our headquarters, some of our manufacturing facilities, the manufacturing facilities of third-party foundries and some of our major suppliers’ and customers’ facilities are located near major earthquake faults and in potential terrorist target areas. We do not have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan.

In the event of a major earthquake, other natural or manmade disaster or terrorist act, we could experience loss of life of our employees, destruction of facilities or other business interruptions. The operations of our suppliers could also be affected by natural disasters and other disruptions, which could cause shortages and price increases in various essential materials. We use third party freight firms for nearly all our shipments from vendors and our manufacturing facilities and for shipments to customers of our final product. We maintain property and business interruption insurance, but there is no guarantee that such insurance will be available or adequate to protect against all costs associated with such disasters and disruptions.

In recent years, based on insurance market conditions, we have relied to a greater degree on self-insurance. If a major earthquake, other disaster, or a terrorist act affects us and insurance coverage is unavailable for any reason, we may need to spend significant amounts to repair or replace our facilities and equipment, we may suffer a temporary halt in our ability to manufacture and transport products, and we could suffer damages that could materially adversely harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

WE MAY EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITH KEY CUSTOMERS THAT COULD HARM OUR BUSINESS.

Our ability to maintain close, satisfactory relationships with large customers is important to our business. A reduction, delay, or cancellation of orders from our large customers would harm our business. Similarly, the loss of one or more of our key customers, reduced orders by any of our key customers, or significant variations in the timing of orders, could adversely affect our business and results of operations. Our business is organized into four operating segments (see Note 14 of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion). The principal customers in each of our markets are described in Item 1 “Business — Principal Markets and Customers” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

WE ARE NOT PROTECTED BY LONG-TERM SUPPLY CONTRACTS WITH OUR CUSTOMERS.

We do not typically enter into long-term supply contracts with our customers, and we cannot be certain as to future order levels from our customers. When we do enter into a long-term contract, the contract is generally terminable at the convenience of the customer. In the event of an early termination by one of our major customers, it is unlikely that we will be able to rapidly replace that revenue source, which would harm our financial results.

WE ARE SUBJECT TO ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS, WHICH COULD IMPOSE UNANTICIPATED REQUIREMENTS ON OUR BUSINESS IN THE FUTURE. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH CURRENT OR FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS MAY SUBJECT US TO LIABILITY OR SUSPENSION OF OUR MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS.

We are subject to a variety of environmental laws and regulations in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate governing, among other things, air emissions, wastewater discharges, the use, handling and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, soil and groundwater contamination, and employee health and safety. We could incur significant costs as a result of any failure by us to comply with, or any liability we may incur under, environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations, including the limitation or suspension of production, monetary fines or civil or criminal sanctions, clean-up costs or other future liabilities in excess of our reserves. We are also subject to laws and regulations governing the recycling of our products, the materials that may be included in our products, and our obligation to dispose of our products at the end of their useful lives. For example, the European Directive 2002/95/EC on restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS Directive) bans the placing on the European Union market of new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than specified levels of lead and other hazardous compounds. As more countries enact requirements like the RoHS Directive, and as exemptions are phased out, we could incur substantial additional costs to convert the remainder of our portfolio to comply with such requirements, conduct required research and development, alter manufacturing processes, or adjust supply chain management. Such changes could also result in significant inventory obsolescence. In addition, compliance with environmental, health and safety requirements could restrict our ability to expand our facilities or require us to acquire costly pollution control equipment, incur other significant expenses or modify our manufacturing processes. We also are subject to cleanup obligations at properties that we currently own or at facilities that we may have owned in the past or at which we conducted operations. In the event of the discovery of new or previously unknown contamination, additional requirements with respect to existing contamination, or the imposition of other cleanup obligations at these or other sites for which we are responsible, we may be required to take remedial or other measures that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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THE LOSS OF ANY KEY PERSONNEL ON WHOM WE DEPEND MAY SERIOUSLY HARM OUR BUSINESS.

Our future success depends in large part on the continued service of our key technical and management personnel and on our ability to continue to attract and retain qualified employees, particularly those highly skilled design, process and test engineers involved in the manufacture of existing products and in the development of new products and processes. The competition for such personnel is intense, and the loss of key employees could harm our business.

ACCOUNTING FOR OUR PERFORMANCE-BASED RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS IS SUBJECT TO JUDGMENT AND MAY LEAD TO UNPREDICTABLE EXPENSE RECOGNITION. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN UNDER WHICH THOSE RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS WERE ISSUED MAY ALSO AFFECT THE DEDUCTIBILITY OF SOME COMPENSATION PAID TO OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS.

We have issued, and may in the future continue to issue, performance-based restricted stock units to eligible employees, entitling those employees to receive restricted stock if they, and we, meet designated performance criteria established by our compensation committee. For example, in May 2011, we adopted the 2011 Long-Term Performance-Based Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”), which provides for the grant of restricted stock units to eligible employees, subject to the satisfaction of specified performance metrics. The performance periods for the 2011 Plan run from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2013. We recorded total stock-based compensation expense related to performance-based restricted stock units of $12.7 million and $7.5 million under the 2011 Plan for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

We recognize the stock-based compensation expense for performance-based restricted stock units when we believe it is probable that we will achieve the specified performance criteria. If achieved, the awards vests. If the performance goals are not met, no compensation expense is recognized and any previously recognized compensation expense is reversed. The fair value of each award is recognized over the service period and is reduced for estimated forfeitures. We are required to reassess the probability of vesting at each reporting date, and any change in our forecasts may result in an increase or decrease to the expense recognized. As a result, the expense recognition for performance based restricted stock units could change over time, requiring adjustments to the financial statements to reflect changes in our judgment regarding the probability of achieving the performance goals.  The implementation of our 2011 Plan may also affect our ability to receive federal income tax deductions for compensation in excess of $1 million paid, during any fiscal year, to our named executive officers. To the extent that aspects of a performance-based compensation plan such as ours are adjusted in the discretion of a compensation committee, the exercise of that discretion, notwithstanding that it is expressly permitted by the terms of a plan, may result in plan compensation awarded to named executive officers not being deductible.  Our compensation committee has retained the discretion to implement our 2011 Plan, notwithstanding any potential loss of deductibility, in the manner that it believes most effectively achieves the objectives of our compensation philosophies.

SYSTEM INTEGRATION DISRUPTIONS COULD HARM OUR BUSINESS.

We periodically make enhancements to our integrated financial and supply chain management systems. The enhancement process is complex, time-consuming and expensive. Operational disruptions during the course of such processes or delays in the implementation of such enhancements could impact our operations. Our ability to forecast sales demand, ship products, manage our product inventory and record and report financial and management information on a timely and accurate basis could be impaired while we are making these enhancements.

PROVISIONS IN OUR RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION AND BYLAWS MAY HAVE ANTI-TAKEOVER EFFECTS.

Certain provisions of our Restated Certificate of Incorporation, our Bylaws and Delaware law could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders. Our board of directors has the authority to issue up to five million shares of preferred stock and to determine the price, voting rights, preferences and privileges, and restrictions of those shares without the approval of our stockholders. The rights of the holders of common stock will be subject to, and may be harmed by, the rights of the holders of any shares of preferred stock that may be issued in the future. The issuance of preferred stock may delay, defer or prevent a change in control, by making it more difficult for a third party to acquire a majority of our stock. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have a dilutive effect on our stockholders. We have no present plans to issue shares of preferred stock.

OUR FOREIGN PENSION PLANS ARE UNFUNDED, AND ANY REQUIREMENT TO FUND THESE PLANS IN THE FUTURE COULD NEGATIVELY AFFECT OUR CASH POSITION AND OPERATING CAPITAL.

We sponsor defined benefit pension plans that cover substantially all of our French and German employees. Plan benefits are managed in accordance with local statutory requirements. Benefits are based on years of service and employee compensation levels. The projected benefit obligation totaled $40.6 million at December 31, 2012 and $29.8 million at December 31, 2011. The plans are unfunded, in compliance with local statutory regulations, and we have no immediate intention of funding these plans. Benefits are paid when amounts become due, commencing when participants retire. We expect to pay approximately $0.5 million

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in 2013 for benefits earned. Should legislative regulations require complete or partial funding of these plans in the future, it could negatively affect our cash position and operating capital.

FUTURE ACQUISITIONS MAY RESULT IN UNANTICIPATED ACCOUNTING CHARGES OR MAY OTHERWISE ADVERSELY AFFECT OUR RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND RESULT IN DIFFICULTIES IN INTEGRATING THE OPERATIONS, PERSONNEL, TECHNOLOGIES, PRODUCTS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS OF ACQUIRED COMPANIES OR BUSINESSES, OR BE DILUTIVE TO EXISTING STOCKHOLDERS.

A key element of our business strategy includes expansion through the acquisition of businesses, assets, products or technologies that allow us to complement our existing product offerings, expand our market coverage, increase our skilled engineering workforce or enhance our technological capabilities. We continually evaluate and explore strategic opportunities as they arise, including business combination transactions, strategic partnerships, and the purchase or sale of assets, including tangible and intangible assets such as intellectual property.

Acquisitions may require significant capital infusions, typically entail many risks and could result in difficulties in assimilating and integrating the operations, personnel, technologies, products and information systems of acquired companies or businesses. We have in the past experienced and may in the future experience delays in the timing and successful integration of an acquired company’s technologies, products and product development plans as a result of unanticipated costs and expenditures, changing relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners, difficulties ramping up volume production, or contractual, intellectual property or employment issues. In addition, key personnel of an acquired company may decide not to stay with us post-acquisition. The acquisition of another company or its products and technologies may also require us to enter into a geographic or business market in which we have little or no prior experience. These challenges could disrupt our ongoing business, distract our management and employees, harm our reputation and increase our expenses. These challenges are magnified as the size of the acquisition increases. Furthermore, these challenges would be even greater if we acquired a business or entered into a business combination transaction with a company that was larger and more difficult to integrate than the companies we have historically acquired.

Acquisitions may require large one-time charges and can result in increased debt or contingent liabilities, adverse tax consequences, additional stock-based compensation expense and the recording and later amortization of amounts related to certain purchased intangible assets, any of which items could negatively impact our results of operations. In addition, we may record goodwill in connection with an acquisition and incur goodwill impairment charges in the future. Any of these charges could cause the price of our common stock to decline.

Acquisitions or asset purchases made entirely or partially for cash may reduce our cash reserves. We may seek to obtain additional cash to fund an acquisition by selling equity or debt securities. Any issuance of equity or convertible debt securities may be dilutive to our existing stockholders.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to consummate any pending or future acquisitions or that we will realize any anticipated benefits or synergies from any of our historic or future acquisitions. We may not be able to find suitable acquisition opportunities that are available at attractive valuations, if at all. Even if we do find suitable acquisition opportunities, we may not be able to consummate the acquisitions on commercially acceptable terms, and any decline in the price of our common stock may make it significantly more difficult and expensive to initiate or consummate additional acquisitions.

We are required under U.S. GAAP to test goodwill for possible impairment on an annual basis and at any other time that circumstances arise indicating the carrying value of our goodwill may not be recoverable. At December 31, 2012, we had $104.4 million of goodwill. We completed our annual test of goodwill impairment in the fourth quarter of 2012 and concluded that we did not have any impairment at that time. However, if we continue to see deterioration in the global economy and the current market conditions in the semiconductor industry worsen, the carrying amount of our goodwill may no longer be recoverable, and we may be required to record a material impairment charge, which would have a negative impact on our results of operations.

DISRUPTIONS TO THE AVAILABILITY OF RAW MATERIALS CAN AFFECT OUR ABILITY TO SUPPLY PRODUCTS TO OUR CUSTOMERS, WHICH COULD SERIOUSLY HARM OUR BUSINESS.

The manufacture of semiconductor devices requires specialized raw materials, primarily certain types of silicon wafers. We generally utilize more than one source to acquire these wafers, but there are only a limited number of qualified suppliers capable of producing these wafers in the market. In addition, the raw materials, which include specialized chemicals and gases, and the equipment necessary for our business, could become more difficult to obtain as worldwide use of semiconductors in product applications increases. We have experienced supply shortages and price increases from time to time in the past, and on occasion our suppliers have told us they need more time than expected to fill our orders. Any significant interruption of the supply of raw materials or increase in cost of raw materials could harm our business.

WE COULD FACE PRODUCT LIABILITY CLAIMS THAT RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT COSTS AND DAMAGE TO OUR REPUTATION WITH CUSTOMERS, WHICH WOULD NEGATIVELY AFFECT OUR OPERATING RESULTS.

All of our products are sold with a limited warranty. However, we could incur costs not covered by our warranties, including additional labor costs, costs for replacing defective parts, reimbursement to customers for damages incurred in correcting their

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defective products, costs for product recalls or other damages. These costs could be disproportionately higher than the revenue and profits we receive from the sales of our products.

Our products have previously experienced, and may in the future experience, manufacturing defects, software or firmware bugs, or other similar quality problems. If any of our products contain defects or bugs, or have reliability, quality or compatibility problems, our reputation may be damaged and customers may be reluctant to buy our products, which could materially and adversely affect our ability to retain existing customers and attract new customers. In addition, any defects, bugs or other quality problems could interrupt or delay sales or shipment of our products to our customers.

We have implemented significant quality control measures to mitigate these risks; however, it is possible that products shipped to our customers will contain defects, bugs or other quality problems. Such problems may divert our technical and other resources from other development efforts. If any of these problems are not found until after we have commenced commercial production of a new product, we may be required to incur significant additional costs or delay shipments, which would negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

THE OUTCOME OF CURRENTLY ONGOING AND FUTURE AUDITS OF OUR INCOME TAX RETURNS, BOTH IN THE U.S. AND IN FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS, COULD HAVE AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON OUR NET INCOME AND FINANCIAL CONDITION.

We are subject to continued examination of our income tax returns by the Internal Revenue Service and other foreign and domestic tax authorities. We regularly assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes. While we believe that the resolution of these audits will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, the outcome is subject to significant uncertainties. If we are unable to obtain agreements with the tax authority on the various proposed adjustments, there could be an adverse material impact on our results of operations, cash flows and financial position.

OUR LEGAL ENTITY ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE IS COMPLEX, WHICH COULD RESULT IN UNFAVORABLE TAX OR OTHER CONSEQUENCES, WHICH COULD HAVE AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON OUR NET INCOME AND FINANCIAL CONDITION.

We currently operate legal entities in countries where we conduct manufacturing, design, and sales operations around the world. In some countries, we maintain multiple entities for tax or other purposes. Changes in tax laws, regulations, and related interpretations in the countries in which we operate may adversely affect our results of operations.

We have many entities globally and unsettled intercompany balances between some of these entities that could result, if changes in law, regulations or related interpretations occur, in adverse tax or other consequences affecting our capital structure, intercompany interest rates and legal structure.

FROM TIME TO TIME WE RECEIVE GRANTS FROM GOVERNMENTS, AGENCIES AND RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS. IF WE ARE UNABLE TO COMPLY WITH THE TERMS OF THOSE GRANTS, WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RECEIVE OR RECOGNIZE GRANT BENEFITS OR WE MAY BE REQUIRED TO REPAY GRANT BENEFITS PREVIOUSLY PAID TO US AND RECOGNIZE RELATED CHARGES, WHICH WOULD ADVERSELY AFFECT OUR OPERATING RESULTS AND FINANCIAL POSITION.

From time to time, we receive economic incentive grants and allowances from European governments, agencies and research organizations targeted at increasing employment at specific locations. The subsidy grant agreements typically contain economic incentive, headcount, capital and research and development expenditure and other covenants that must be met to receive and retain grant benefits and these programs can be subjected to periodic review by the relevant governments. Noncompliance with the conditions of the grants could result in the forfeiture of all or a portion of any future amounts to be received, as well as the repayment of all or a portion of amounts received to date.

CURRENT AND FUTURE LITIGATION AGAINST US COULD BE COSTLY AND TIME CONSUMING TO DEFEND.

We are subject to legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. See Part I, Item 3 of this Form 10-K.  Litigation may result in substantial costs and may divert management’s attention and resources, which may seriously harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

At December 31, 2012, we owned the following facilities:

24

Number of Buildings		Location		Total Square Feet		Use
6	Colorado Springs, Colorado		603,000		Wafer fabrication, research and development, marketing, product design, final product testing.
4	Heilbronn, Germany		778,000		Research and development, marketing and product design. Primarily leased to other semiconductor companies.
2	Calamba City, Philippines		338,000		Probe operations and final product testing.
5	Rousset, France		815,000		Research and development, marketing and product design. Primarily leased to other semiconductor companies.

We sold our former corporate headquarters located in San Jose, California, and adjacent land parcels, in August 2011. We entered into a long-term lease for our new corporate headquarters in San Jose, California in August 2011.

In addition to the facilities we own, we lease numerous research and development facilities and sales offices in North America, Europe and Asia. We believe that existing facilities are adequate for our current requirements.

We do not identify facilities or other assets by operating segment. Each facility serves or supports multiple products and our product mix changes frequently.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We are party to various legal proceedings. Our management currently believes that the ultimate outcome of these proceedings, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and statement of cash flows. If an unfavorable ruling were to occur in any of the legal proceedings described in Note 11 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, there exists the possibility of a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. For more information regarding certain of these proceedings, see Note 11 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, which is incorporated by reference into this Item. We have accrued for losses related to litigation described in Note 11 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements that we consider probable and for which the loss can be reasonably estimated. In the event that a loss cannot be reasonably estimated, we have not accrued for such losses. As we continue to monitor these matters or other matters that were not deemed material as of December 31, 2012, our determination could change, however, and we may decide, at some future date, to establish an appropriate reserve. With respect to each of the matters described in Note 11 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, except where noted otherwise, management has determined a potential loss is not probable at this time and, accordingly, no amount has been accrued at December 31, 2012. Our management makes a determination as to when a potential loss is reasonably possible based on relevant accounting literature and then includes appropriate disclosure of the contingency. Except as otherwise noted in Note 11 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, our management does not believe that the amount of loss or a range of possible losses is reasonably estimable.

Infineon Litigation.  On April 11, 2011, Infineon Technologies A.G. and Infineon Technologies North America Corporation (collectively, “Infineon”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit against us in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. The complaint alleged that we are infringing 11 Infineon patents and sought a declaration that three of our patents are either invalid or not infringed. On July 5, 2011, we answered Infineon’s complaint, and filed counterclaims seeking a declaration that each of the 11 asserted Infineon patents is invalid and not infringed. We also counterclaimed for infringement of six of our patents and breach of contract related to Infineon’s breach of a confidentiality agreement. On July 29, 2011, Infineon answered these counterclaims and sought a declaration that our patents are either invalid or not infringed. On March 13, 2012, we filed amended counterclaims that alleged Infineon’s infringement of four additional Atmel patents. On March 31, 2012, Infineon answered these counterclaims and sought a declaration that our newly-asserted patents are either invalid or not infringed. On December 4, 2012, the Court issued its Markman ruling, in which it interpreted as a matter of law certain disputed terms in the asserted patent claims. On December 28, 2012, the Court granted Atmel and Infineon's joint request to dismiss, without prejudice, four patents per side.  The trial of these claims currently is scheduled to commence in early 2014, and we intend to prosecute our claims and defend vigorously against Infineon's claims.

From time to time, we are notified of claims that our products may infringe patents, or other intellectual property, issued to other parties. We periodically receive demands for indemnification from our customers with respect to intellectual property matters. We also periodically receive claims relating to the quality of our products, including claims for additional labor costs, costs for replacing defective parts, reimbursement to customers for damages incurred in correcting defective products, costs for product recalls or other damages. Receipt of these claims and requests occurs in the ordinary course of our business, and we respond based on the specific circumstances of each event. We undertake an accrual for losses relating to those types of claims when we consider those losses “probable” and when a reasonable estimate of loss can be determined. 

25

ITEM 4.MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

None.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Our common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Stock Market's Global Select Market under the symbol "ATML." The last reported price for our stock on January 31, 2013 was $6.70 per share. The following table presents the high and low sales prices per share for our common stock as quoted on The NASDAQ Global Select Market for the periods indicated.

	High		Low
Year ended December 31, 2011:
First Quarter	$	16.31	$	11.30
Second Quarter	$	15.30	$	12.44
Third Quarter	$	14.62	$	8.07
Fourth Quarter	$	11.29	$	7.45
Year ended December 31, 2012:
First Quarter	$	10.73	$	8.52
Second Quarter	$	9.72	$	6.21
Third Quarter	$	6.77	$	5.26
Fourth Quarter	$	6.55	$	4.44

As of January 31, 2013, there were approximately 1,424 stockholders of record of our common stock. As many of our shares of common stock are held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of stockholders, we are unable to estimate the total number of stockholders represented by these record holders.

We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock, and we currently have no plans to pay cash dividends in the future.

There were no sales of unregistered securities in fiscal 2012.

The following table provides information about the repurchase of our common stock during the three months ended December 31, 2012, pursuant to our Stock Repurchase Program.

Period	Total Number of Shares Purchased	Average Price Paid per Share ($) (1)		Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs (2)	Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs (3)
October 1 - October 31	—	—		—	$	143,396,174
November 1 - November 30	2,421,634	$	4.66	2,421,634	$	132,114,003
December 1 - December 31	900,000	$	5.43	900,000	$	127,224,933

 _________________________________________

(1)Represents the average price paid per share ($) exclusive of commissions.

(2)Represents shares purchased in open-market transactions under the stock repurchase plan approved by the Board of Directors.

(3)These amounts correspond to a plan announced in August 2010 whereby the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $200 million of our common stock. In May 2011, Atmel’s Board of Directors authorized an additional $300 million to our existing repurchase program.  In April 2012, Atmel’s Board of Directors authorized an additional $200 million to our existing repurchase program.  The repurchase program does not have an expiration date. Shares repurchased under the program have been and will in the future be retired. Amounts remaining to be purchased are exclusive of commissions. 

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The following tables include selected summary financial data for each of our last five years. This data is not necessarily indicative of results of future operations and should be read in conjunction with Item 8 — Financial Statements and Supplementary Data and Item 7 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The consolidated statement of operations data for 2012, 2011, and 2010 are derived from our audited financial statements that are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The balance sheet data for fiscal year 2010 and all data for fiscal years 2009 and 2008 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements that are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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	Years Ended December 31,
	2012		2011		2010		2009			2008
	(in thousands, except per share data)
Net revenue		$1,432,110		$1,803,053		$1,644,060		$1,217,345			$1,566,763
Income (loss) from operations before income taxes(1)(3)(4)		$42,238		$381,190	$	116,352	$	(136,039	)	$	(20,243	)
Net income (loss)		$30,445		$314,990	$	423,075	$	(109,498	)	$	(27,209	)
Basic net income (loss) per share:
Net income (loss)		$0.07		$0.69	$	0.92	$	(0.24	)	$	(0.06	)
Weighted‑average shares used in basic net income (loss) per share calculations	433,017		455,629		458,482		451,755			446,504
Diluted net income (loss) per share:
Net income (loss)		$0.07		$0.68	$	0.90	$	(0.24	)	$	(0.06	)
Weighted‑average shares used in diluted net income (loss) per share calculations	437,582		462,673		469,580		451,755			446,504

	As of December 31,
	2012		2011		2010		2009		2008
	(in thousands)
Cash and cash equivalents	$	293,370		$329,431		$501,455		$437,509		$408,926
Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments	296,057		332,510		521,029		476,140		440,633
Fixed assets, net(2)	221,044		257,070		260,124		203,219		383,107
Total assets	1,433,533		1,526,598		1,650,042		1,392,842		1,530,654
Long-term debt and capital leases less current portion	5,602		4,599		3,976		9,464		13,909
Stockholders’ equity	996,638		1,082,444		1,053,056		764,407		802,084

(1) We recorded a loss related to a foundry arrangement of $10.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2012, an impairment of receivables from a foundry supplier of $6.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 (See Note 17 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion), asset impairment charges of $11.9 million, $79.8 million and $8.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, and restructuring charges of $24.0 million, $20.1 million, $5.3 million, $6.7 million and $71.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, related primarily to employee termination costs, facility closure costs, sales of businesses and other operations, and the related realignment of our businesses in response to those changes. We recorded a credit from reserved grant income of $10.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2012, and recorded a gain on sale of assets of $35.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 related to the sale of our former corporate headquarters located in San Jose, California and a gain on sale of assets of $0.2 million and $32.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively, related to the sale of our Heilbronn, Germany and North Tyneside, United Kingdom facilities. We recorded a loss on sale of assets of $99.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 related to the sale of our manufacturing operations in Rousset, France and the sale of our Secure Microcontroller Solutions business. We recorded an income tax benefit related to release of valuation allowances of $116.7 million related to certain deferred tax assets, and recorded an additional benefit to income tax expense of approximately $151.2 million related to the release of previously accrued penalties and interest on the income tax exposures and a refund from the carryback of tax attributes for the year ended December 31, 2010.

(2) Fixed assets, net was reduced as of December 31, 2009, compared to December 31, 2008, as a result of the asset impairment charges discussed in (1) above. Additionally, we reclassified $83.2 million in fixed assets to assets held for sale as of December 31, 2009 relating to our fabrication facilities in Rousset, France.

(3) We recorded pre-tax, stock‑based compensation expense of $72.4 million, $68.1 million, $60.5 million, $30.1 million and $29.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, excluding acquisition‑related stock compensation expenses.

(4) We recorded $7.4 million, $5.4 million, $1.6 million, $16.3 million and $23.6 million in acquisition‑related charges for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” and “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward‑looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, particularly statements regarding our outlook for fiscal 2013 and beyond. Our statements regarding the following matters also fall within the meaning of “forward looking” statements and should be considered accordingly: the expansion of the market for microcontrollers, revenue for our maXTouch products, expectations for our new XSense products, our gross margin expectations and trends, anticipated revenue by geographic area and the ongoing transition of our revenue base to Asia, expectations or trends involving our operating expenses, capital expenditures, cash flow and liquidity, our factory utilization rates, the effect and timing of new product introductions, our ability to access independent foundry capacity and the corresponding financial condition and operational performance of those foundry partners, the effects of our strategic transactions and restructuring efforts, the estimates we use in respect of the amount and/or timing for expensing unearned stock‑based compensation and similar estimates related to our performance‑based restricted stock units, our expectations regarding tax matters, the outcome of litigation (including intellectual property litigation in which we may be involved or in which our customers may be involved, especially in the mobile device sector) and the effects of exchange rates and our ongoing efforts to manage exposure to exchange rate fluctuation. Our actual results could differ materially from those projected in any forward‑looking statements as a result of a number of factors, risks and uncertainties, including the risk factors set forth in this discussion and in Item 1A — Risk Factors, and elsewhere in this Form 10-K. Generally, the words “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” “plan,” “view,” “continue,” the plural of such terms, the negatives of such terms, or other comparable terminology and similar expressions identify forward‑looking statements. The information included in this Form 10-K is provided as of the filing date with the Securities and Exchange Commission and future events or circumstances could differ significantly from the forward‑looking statements included herein. Accordingly, we caution readers not to place undue reliance on such statements. We undertake no obligation to update any forward‑looking statements in this Form 10-K.

OVERVIEW

     We are one of the world’s leading designers, developers and suppliers of microcontrollers, which are self-contained computers-on-a-chip. Microcontrollers are generally less expensive, consume less power and offer enhanced programming capabilities compared to traditional microprocessors. Our microcontrollers and related products are used in many of the world’s leading smartphones, ultrabooks, tablet devices, e-readers, wireless peripherals and other consumer and industrial electronics in which they provide core functionality for such things as touch sensing, sensor and lighting management, security and encryption features, wireless applications, industrial controls, building automation and battery management. We offer an extensive portfolio of capacitive touch products that integrate our microcontrollers with fundamental touch‑focused intellectual property ("IP") we have developed, and we continue to leverage our market and technology advantages to expand our product portfolio within the touch‑related eco-system. Toward that end, and as a natural extension of our touch controller business, we announced our XSense products, a new type of touch sensor based on proprietary metal mesh technologies, in 2012. We also design and sell products that are complementary to our microcontroller business, including nonvolatile memory, radio frequency and mixed‑signal components and application specific integrated circuits. With our broad product portfolio, our semiconductors also enable applications such as smart‑meters used for utility monitoring and billing, commercial, residential and architectural LED-based lighting systems, touch panels used on household and industrial appliances that integrate our “non-mechanical” buttons, sliders and wheels, various aerospace, industrial and military products and systems, and numerous electronic‑based automotive components like keyless ignition and access, engine control, and lighting and entertainment systems for standard and hybrid vehicles. We have continued to focus on the development of wireless products that allow devices to communicate and connect with each other, and have continued to integrate enhanced wireless capabilities into our product portfolio, including technologies such as “Wi-Fi Direct;” that enable the so-called “Internet of Things,” where smart, connected devices and appliances seamlessly share data and information. We currently own and operate one wafer manufacturing facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, consistent with our strategic determination made several years ago to maintain lower fixed costs and capital investment requirements.

Net revenue was lower in the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2011, as we were adversely affected by a slowdown in the global economy and excess inventories held by our distributors, particularly in Asia. Lower sales resulted in lower utilization rates for our Colorado Springs wafer facility, which increased our wafer costs and, as a consequence, adversely affected our gross margin. In response to lower sales, we implemented cost reduction programs throughout our operations in the second half of 2012, including labor cost reduction programs. We expect to continue to monitor our cost structure to ensure that it is properly aligned with global economic conditions.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, we repurchased 22.7 million shares of our common stock in the open market and subsequently retired those shares under our existing stock repurchase program. As of December 31, 2012, $127.2 million remained available for repurchasing common stock under this program.

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012						December 31, 2011						December 31, 2010
	(in thousands, except percentage of net revenue)
Net revenue	$	1,432,110		100.0	%		$	1,803,053		100.0	%		$	1,644,060	100.0	%
Gross profit	601,319			42.0	%	820,163	908,233			50.4	%	894,820	728,184		44.3	%
Research and development	251,519			17.6	%		255,653			14.2	%		237,812		14.5	%
Selling, general and administrative	275,257			19.2	%		280,410			15.6	%		264,296		16.1	%
Acquisition-related charges	7,388			0.5	%		5,408			0.3	%		1,600		0.1	%
Restructuring charges	23,986			1.7	%		20,064			1.1	%		5,253		0.3	%
Impairment of receivables due from foundry supplier	6,495			0.5	%		—			—	%		—		—	%
Asset impairment charges	—			—	%		—			—	%		11,922		0.7	%
Credit from reserved grant income	(10,689		)	(0.7	)%		—			—	%		—		—	%
(Gain) loss on sale of assets	—			—	%		(35,310		)	(2.0	)%		99,767		6.1	%
Income from operations	$	47,363		3.3	%		$	382,008		21.2	%		$	107,534	6.5	%

Net Revenue

Our net revenue totaled $1.4 billion for the year ended December 31, 2012, a decrease of 21%, or $370.9 million, from $1.8 billion in net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011. Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012 was lower than 2011 primarily as a result of lower sales throughout our distribution channel, particularly in Asia. We also continued to see softer global demand in mobile devices and industrial markets, as the economic slowdown affected our customers and their purchasing requirements.

Net revenue denominated in Euros was 19%, 21% and 22% of total net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Average exchange rates utilized to translate foreign currency revenue and expenses in Euros were approximately 1.29, 1.39 and 1.36 Euros to the dollar for the years ended December 31, 20122011 and 2010, respectively. Our net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012 would have been approximately $23.1 million higher had the average exchange rate in the current year remained the same as the average exchange rate in effect for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Net Revenue — By Operating Segment

Our net revenue by operating segment is summarized as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		Change			% Change
	(in thousands, except for percentages)
Microcontroller	$	892,839	$	1,113,579	$	(220,740	)	(20	)%
Nonvolatile Memory	170,736		255,683		(84,947		)	(33	)%
RF and Automotive	174,237		202,013		(27,776		)	(14	)%
ASIC	194,298		231,778		(37,480		)	(16	)%
Total net revenue	$	1,432,110	$	1,803,053	$	(370,943	)	(21	)%

29

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010		Change			% Change
	(in thousands, except for percentages)
Microcontroller	$	1,113,579	$	892,301	$	221,278		25	%
Nonvolatile Memory	255,683		277,179		(21,496		)	(8	)%
RF and Automotive	202,013		188,090		13,923			7	%
ASIC	231,778		286,490		(54,712		)	(19	)%
Total net revenue	$	1,803,053	$	1,644,060	$	158,993		10	%

Microcontroller

Microcontroller segment net revenue decreased 20% to $892.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 from $1.1 billion for the year ended December 31, 2011. Revenue decreased primarily due to weaker demand in industrial and consumer markets, with ARM and maXTouch products most affected. Microcontroller net revenue represented 62%, 62% and 54% of total net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Inventory held by distributors of our microcontroller products decreased significantly as of December 31, 2012 as compared to December 31, 2011.

Microcontroller segment net revenue increased 25% to $1.1 billion for the year ended December 31, 2011 from $892.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. Revenue increased primarily due to increased sales of our 32-bit microcontrollers and maXTouch microcontrollers.

Nonvolatile Memory

Nonvolatile Memory segment net revenue decreased 33% to $170.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 from $255.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. The decline in our memory business resulted primarily from reduced market demand, a weaker pricing environment and the end of life for several flash products, including Serial EE and Serial Flash products, which saw revenue decrease by 22% and 51% for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. On September 28, 2012 we sold our serial flash product line and discontinued the products included in that line. Revenue for our serial flash product lines was $39.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to $80.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Nonvolatile Memory segment net revenue decreased 8% to $255.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 from $277.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. The decline in our memory business was primarily the result of slowing market demand and a weaker overall pricing environment. Serial EE products and BIOS Flash products decreased 16% and 56%, respectively, from 2010 levels, as a result of lower shipments during 2011.

RF and Automotive

RF and Automotive segment net revenue decreased 14% to $174.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 from $202.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. This decrease was primarily related to continued decline in demand for our non-core radio frequency products within this segment, related generally to adverse macro-economic conditions and seasonality effects within the automotive sector, partially offset by an increase of 3% in net revenue from sales of our high voltage products, which are used primarily in automotive applications.

RF and Automotive segment net revenue increased 7% to $202.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 from $188.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. This increase was primarily related to improved demand in automotive markets during 2011. Our identification and high voltage products increased 41% and 20%, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2011 over the prior year, driven by higher shipments for vehicle networking products (LIN/IVN applications). In addition, revenue increased 11% for foundry products sourced from our Colorado Springs fabrication facility for the year ended December 31, 2011.

ASIC

ASIC segment net revenue decreased 16% to $194.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 from $231.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. Our military and aerospace business revenue, which represent approximately 28% of overall ASIC revenue, decreased approximately 36% during the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to the year ended December 31, 2011, primarily from reduced market demand.

ASIC segment net revenue decreased 19% to $231.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 from $286.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. The decrease in revenue for the ASIC segment primarily reflects $79.2 million of revenue through the first nine months of 2010 related to our former Secure Microcontroller Solutions business. ASIC segment net revenue was also unfavorably affected by limited production capacity, resulting from wafer allocation to our microcontroller customers. Our military and aerospace business revenue, which represent approximately 37% of overall ASIC revenue, increased approximately 51% during 2011 compared to 2010 as a result of increased test capacity and fulfillment of past due backlog.

30

Net Revenue by Geographic Area

Our net revenue by geographic area for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, is summarized in the table below. Revenue is attributed to regions based on the location to which we ship. See Note 14 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		Change			% Change
	(in thousands, except for percentages)
Asia	$	862,901	$	1,062,584	$	(199,683	)	(19	)%
Europe	353,377		462,566		(109,189		)	(24	)%
United States	189,699		249,887		(60,188		)	(24	)%
Other*	26,133		28,016		(1,883		)	(7	)%
Total net revenue	$	1,432,110	$	1,803,053	$	(370,943	)	(21	)%

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010		Change			% Change
	(in thousands, except for percentages)
Asia	$	1,062,584	$	908,700	$	153,884		17	%
Europe	462,566		439,686		22,880			5	%
United States	249,887		260,091		(10,204		)	(4	)%
Other*	28,016		35,583		(7,567		)	(21	)%
Total net revenue	$	1,803,053	$	1,644,060	$	158,993		10	%

_________________________________________

*  Primarily includes South Africa, and Central and South America

Net revenue outside the United States accounted for 87%, 86% and 84% of our net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Our net revenue in Asia decreased $199.7 million, or 19%, for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to the year ended December 31, 2011. The decrease in Asia for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to the year ended December 31, 2011 was primarily due to lower shipments of our microcontroller products as a result of weaker demand in industrial and consumer markets, with ARM and maXTouch products principally affected. In the year ended December 31, 2012 our Asian distributors significantly reduced their inventory of our products as compared to the year ended December 31, 2011. Our net revenue in Asia increased $153.9 million, or 17%, for the year ended December 31, 2011, compared to the year ended December 31, 2010. The increase in this region for 2011 compared to 2010 was primarily due to higher shipments of our microcontroller products as a result of improved demand in customer end markets for smartphone and other consumer-based products. Net revenue for the Asia region was 60%, 59% and 55% of total net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Our net revenue in Europe decreased $109.2 million, or 24%, for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to the year ended December 31, 2011. The decrease in this region for year ended December 31, 2012, compared to the year ended December 31, 2011 was primarily a result of the continued decline in industrial markets. Our net revenue in Europe increased $22.9 million, or 5%, for the year ended December 31, 2011, compared to the year ended December 31, 2010. The increase in this region for 2011 compared to 2010 was primarily a result of the improved automotive and industrial markets, partially offset by the decrease in smart card products included within the SMS business we sold in 2010. Net revenue for the Europe region was 25%. 26% and 27% of total net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.    

Our net revenue in the United States decreased by $60.2 million, or 24%, for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to the year ended December 31, 2011. This decrease resulted from a continued decline in industrial markets, primarily in the markets for energy-related products. Our net revenue in the United States decreased by $10.2 million, or 4%, for the year ended December 31, 2011, compared to the year ended December 31, 2010. The decrease in this region for 2011 compared to 2010 resulted primarily from lower demand for smart metering and consumer-based products. Net revenue for the U.S. region was 13%, 14% and 16% of total net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

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Revenue and Costs — Impact from Changes to Foreign Exchange Rates

Changes in foreign exchange rates have historically had an effect on our net revenue and operating costs. Net revenue denominated in foreign currencies was 19%, 21% and 22% of our total net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Costs denominated in foreign currencies were 19%, 19% and 33% of our total costs for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Average exchange rates utilized to translate foreign currency revenue and expenses denominated in Euros were approximately 1.29, 1.39 and 1.36 Euros to the dollar for the years ended December 31, 20122011 and 2010, respectively.

For the year ended December 31, 2012, changes in foreign exchange rates had an unfavorable overall effect on our operating results. Our net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012 would have been approximately $23.1 million higher had the average exchange rate in the current year remained the same as the average rate in effect for the year ended December 31, 2011. Our income from operations would have been approximately $7.7 million higher had the average exchange rate in the year ended December 31, 2012 remained the same as the average exchange rate in the year ended December 31, 2011.

For the year ended December 31, 2011, changes in foreign exchange rates had a favorable overall effect on our operating results. Our net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011 would have been approximately $14.6 million lower had the average exchange rate in the current year remained the same as the average rate in effect for the year ended December 31, 2010. Our income from operations would have been approximately $4.2 million lower had the average exchange rate in the year ended December 31, 2011 remained the same as the average exchange rate in the ended December 31, 2010.

We continue to monitor the economic situation in Europe, which remains uncertain. The elimination of the Euro as a common currency, the withdrawal of member states from the Eurozone or other events affecting the liquidity, volatility or use of the Euro could have a significant effect on our revenue and operations if any of those events were to occur.

Gross Margin

Gross margin declined to 42.0% for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to 50.4% for the year ended December 31, 2011. Gross margin in 2012 was negatively affected by lower sales, which resulted in lower utilization rates at our Colorado Springs wafer facility, and a weaker pricing environment. Our gross margin for 2012 was also negatively affected by a $10.6 million charge related to loss from a foundry arrangement (See Note 17 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion). Over the past several years, we transitioned our business to a "fab-lite" manufacturing model, lowering our fixed costs and capital investment requirements by selling manufacturing operations and transitioning to foundry partners. We currently own and operate one wafer fabrication facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Gross margin rose to 50.4% for the year ended December 31, 2011, compared to 44.3% for the year ended December 31, 2010. Gross margin in 2011 was positively affected by higher shipment levels, a more favorable mix of higher margin microcontroller products and continued cost reduction activities.

Inventory decreased to $348.3 million at December 31, 2012 from $377.4 million at December 31, 2011 primarily related to the sale of our serial flash product line. Inventory write-downs, if undertaken, may affect our results of operations, including gross margin, depending on the nature of those adjustments. If the demand for certain semiconductor products declines or does not materialize as we expect, we could be required to record additional write-downs, which would adversely affect our gross margin.

For the year ended December 31, 2012, we manufactured approximately 56% of our products in our own wafer fabricationfacility compared to 50% for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Our cost of revenue includes the costs of wafer fabrication, assembly and test operations, inventory write-downs, royalty expense, freight costs and stock compensation expense. Our gross margin as a percentage of net revenue fluctuates depending on product mix, manufacturing yields, utilization of manufacturing capacity, reserves for excess and obsoleteinventory, and average selling prices, among other factors.

Research and Development

Research and development ("R&D") expenses decreased 2%, or $4.1 million, to $251.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 from $255.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. R&D expenses for the year ended December 31, 2012, were favorably affected by approximately $9.6 million of foreign exchange rate fluctuations, compared to rates in effect for the year ended December 31, 2011. As a percentage of net revenue, R&D expenses totaled 18% for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to 14% for the year ended December 31, 2011.

R&D expenses increased 8%, or $17.8 million, to $255.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 from $237.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. R&D expenses increased for the year ended December 31, 2011, primarily due to increased

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employee related expenses of $13.2 million resulting from increases in product development staffing, increased stock-based compensation expense of $3.6 million and decreased grant income of $3.3 million, offset by decreased mask costs and spending on product development of $5.1 million. R&D expenses, including the items described above, for the year ended December 31, 2011, were favorably affected by approximately $6.3 million of foreign exchange rate fluctuations, compared to rates in effect for the year ended December 31, 2010. As a percentage of net revenue, R&D expenses totaled 14% for each of the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010.

We receive R&D grants from various European research organizations, the benefit of which is recognized as an offset to related research and development costs. We recognized benefits of $4.2 million, $3.2 million and $7.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Our internally developed process technologies are an important part of new product development. We continue to invest in developing process technologies emphasizing wireless, high voltage, analog, digital, and embedded memory manufacturing processes. Our technology development groups, in partnership with certain external foundries, are developing new and enhanced fabrication processes, including architectures utilizing advanced processes at the 65 nanometer line width node. We believe this investment allows us to bring new products to market faster, add innovative features and achieve performance improvements. We believe that continued strategic investments in process technology and product development are essential for us to remain competitive in the markets we serve.

Selling, General and Administrative

Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses decreased 2%, or $5.2 million, to $275.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 from $280.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. SG&A expenses were favorably affected by approximately $4.5 million of foreign exchange rate fluctuations, compared to rates in effect for the year ended December 31, 2011. As a percentage of net revenue, SG&A expenses totaled 19% of net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to 16% for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses increased 6%, or $16.1 million, to $280.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 from $264.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. SG&A expenses increased in 2011, primarily due to increased employee-related costs of $19.6 million resulting from increased employee benefits and increased stock-based compensation expense of $4.3 million, offset by a decrease in outside services of $4.8 million and reduced tax and audit fees of $1.3 million. SG&A expenses, including the items described above, were favorably affected by approximately $3.1 million of foreign exchange rate fluctuations, compared to rates in effect for the year ended December 31, 2010. As a percentage of net revenue, SG&A expenses totaled 16% of net revenue for each of the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010.

Stock-Based Compensation

We primarily issue restricted stock units to our employees as equity compensation. Employees may also participate in an Employee Stock Purchase Program that offers the ability to purchase stock through payroll withholdings at a discount to market price.

Stock-based compensation cost for stock options is based on the fair value of the award at the measurement date (grant date). The compensation amount for those options is calculated using a Black-Scholes option valuation model. For restricted stock unit awards, the compensation amount is determined based upon the market price of our common stock on the grant date. Stock-based compensation for restricted stock units, other than performance-based units described below, is recognized as an expense over the applicable vesting term for each employee receiving restricted stock units.

The recognition as expense of the fair value of performance-related stock-based awards is determined based upon management’s estimate of the probability and timing for achieving the associated performance criteria, utilizing the fair value of the common stock on the grant date. Stock-based compensation for performance-related awards is recognized over the estimated performance period, which may vary from period to period based upon management’s estimates of achievement and the timing to achieve the related performance goals. These awards vest once the performance criteria are met.

The following table summarizes stock-based compensation included in operating results for the year ended December 31, 2012 and 2011:

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	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Cost of revenue	$	8,052		$	7,840		$	8,159
Research and development	22,825			22,916			19,324
Selling, general and administrative	41,565			37,369			33,027
Total stock-based compensation expense, before income taxes	72,442			68,125			60,510
Tax benefit	(12,060		)	(10,453		)	(7,548		)
Total stock-based compensation expense, net of income taxes	$	60,382		$	57,672		$	52,962

The table above excludes stock-based compensation credit of $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 for former Quantum executives related to our acquisition of Quantum, which are classified within acquisition-related charges in our consolidated statements of operations.

In May 2011, we adopted the 2011 Long-Term Performance Based Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”), which provides for the grant of restricted stock units to eligible employees. Vesting of restricted stock units granted under the 2011 Plan is subject to the satisfaction of performance metrics tied to revenue growth and operating margin over the designated performance periods, and no shares under the 2011 Plan vest, except under limited circumstances that include, for example, a participant's death, until sometime after the end of the final performance period which concludes on December 31, 2013. The performance periods for the 2011 Plan run from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2013 and consist of threeone-year performance periods (calendar years 2011, 2012 and 2013) and a three year cumulative performance period. We issued 0.3 million and 3.5 million performance-based restricted stock units in the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. We recorded total stock-based compensation expense related to performance-based restricted stock units of $12.7 million and $7.5 million under the 2011 Plan in the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

In the quarter ended June 30, 2011, 8.5 million performance based restricted stock units issued under our 2008 Incentive Plan (the "2008 Plan") vested upon board of director approval on May 23, 2011 as a result of us achieving all of the performance criteria as of March 31, 2011. A total of 5.1 million shares were issued to participants, net of withholding taxes of 3.3 million shares, which represented all remaining shares available under the 2008 Plan. These vested performance based restricted stock units had a weighted average grant date fair value of $4.22 per share on the vesting date. We recorded total stock based compensation expense related to performance based restricted stock units of $6.5 million and $24.8 million under the 2008 Plan in the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

The 2011 Plan performance metrics include revenue growth rankings for us relative to a semiconductor peer group or a microcontroller peer group, as determined by the Compensation Committee. In addition, in order for a participant to receive credit for a performance period, we must achieve a minimum operating margin during such performance period, measured on a pro forma basis as defined in the 2011 Plan, subject to adjustment by the Compensation Committee. We evaluate, on a quarterly basis, the likelihood of meeting our performance metrics in determining stock-based compensation expense for performance share plans.To the extent that aspects of a performance-based compensation plan such as ours are adjusted in the discretion of a compensation committee, the exercise of that discretion, notwithstanding that it is expressly permitted by the terms of a plan, may result in plan compensation awarded to named executive officers not being deductible. Our Compensation Committee has retained the discretion to implement our 2011 Plan, notwithstanding any potential loss of deductibility, in the manner that it believes most effectively achieves the objectives of our compensation philosophies.

Until restricted stock units are vested, they do not have the voting rights of common stock and the shares underlying the awards are not considered issued and outstanding.

Acquisition-Related Charges

We recorded total acquisition-related charges of $7.4 million, $5.4 million and $1.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, related to amortization of our acquisitions of Ozmo, Inc. ("Ozmo") in December 2012, Advanced Digital Design ("ADD") in 2011 and Quantum Research Group Ltd. ("QRG") in 2008.

Included in those acquisition-related charges is amortization of $5.6 million, $4.6 million and $4.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, associated with customer relationships, developed technology, trade name, non-compete agreements and backlog. We estimate that charges related to amortization of intangible assets will be approximately $5.2 million for 2013.

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We also recorded other compensation related charges (credit) for these acquisitions of $1.8 million, $0.8 million and $(2.9) million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, related to our acquisitions noted above. In the quarter ended March 31, 2010, we recorded a credit of $4.5 million related to the reversal of the expenses previously recorded for shares that were expected to be issued in March 2011 to a former executive of Quantum, contingent on continuous employment with us. We recorded the credit after these shares were forfeited as a result of a change in employment status.

(Gain) Loss on Sale of Assets

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
San Jose Corporate Headquarters	$	(33,428	)	$	—
Secure Microcontroller Solutions	—			5,715
Rousset, France	—			94,052
DREAM, France	(1,882		)	—
Total (gain) loss on sale of assets	(35,310		)	99,767

Serial Flash Product Line

On September 28, 2012, we sold our serial flash product line. Under the terms of the sale agreement, we transferred certain assets to the buyer, who assumed liabilities. As part of the sale transaction, we also granted the buyer an exclusive option to purchase our remaining $7.0 million of serial flash inventory. As of December 31, 2012 the buyer had purchased $1.9 million of that remaining inventory. We have, therefore, classified the remaining $5.1 million of serial flash inventory as assets held-for-sale, which are presented as part of other current assets on our consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2012. We have recorded a deferred gain of $4.4 million, which is presented as part of accrued liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2012.

Sale of Former San Jose Corporate Headquarters

In 2011, we completed the sale of our former San Jose corporate headquarters and adjacent parcels of land to Ellis Partners LLC for an aggregate purchase price of $48.5 million. A gain of $33.4 million was recorded in the year ended December 31, 2011, which is summarized below:

	(in thousands)
Sales price	$	(48,500	)
Net book value of assets transferred	12,262
Transaction related costs	2,810
Gain on sale of assets	$	(33,428	)

DREAM

In 2011, we sold our DREAM business, including our French subsidiary, Digital Research in Electronics, Acoustics and Music SAS (DREAM), which sold custom designed ASIC chips for karaoke and other entertainment machines, for $2.3 million. We recorded a gain of $1.9 million, which is reflected in gain on sale of assets in the consolidated statements of operations.

Secure Microcontroller Solutions

On September 30, 2010, we completed the sale of our SMS business to INSIDE Secure ("INSIDE"). Under the terms of the sale agreement, we received cash consideration of $37.0 million, subject to a working capital adjustment. Cash proceeds of $5.0 million were deposited in escrow by INSIDE to secure the payment of potential post-sale losses and was subsequently released to us during the first half of 2012.We also entered into other ancillary agreements as part of the sale. We recorded a loss on sale of $5.7 million, which is summarized in the following table:

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	(in thousands)
Sales consideration	$	(37,000	)
Net assets transferred, including working capital	32,420
Release of currency translation adjustment	2,412
Selling costs	3,882
Other related costs	4,001
Loss on sale of assets	$	5,715

In connection with the sale, we transferred net assets totaling $32.4 million to INSIDE.

Our East Kilbride, UK facility was included in the assets transferred to INSIDE, resulting in the complete liquidation of our investment in this foreign entity. As a result, we recorded a charge of $2.4 million as a component of the loss on sale related to the currency translation adjustment balance ("CTA balance") that was previously recorded within stockholders' equity.

As part of the SMS sale, we incurred direct and incremental selling costs of $3.9 million, which represented broker commissions and legal fees. We also incurred a transfer fee of $1.3 million related to transferring a royalty agreement to INSIDE. These costs provided no benefit to us, and would not have been incurred if we were not selling the SMS business unit. Therefore, the direct and incremental costs associated with these services were recorded as part of the loss on sale. We also incurred other costs related to the sale of $2.7 million, which included performance-based bonuses of $0.5 million for certain employees (no executive officers were included), related to the completion of the sale.

INSIDE entered into a three year supply agreement to purchase wafers from the manufacturing operations in Rousset, France that we sold to LFoundry in the second quarter of 2010. Wafers that INSIDE purchases from LFoundry's affiliate, LFoundry Rousset, will reduce future commitments under our MSA with LFoundry Rousset.

We also agreed to provide INSIDE a royalty-based, non-exclusive license to certain SMS business-related intellectual property that we retained in order to support the current SMS business and future product development.

In connection with the SMS sale, we participated in INSIDE's preferred stock offering and invested $3.9 million in INSIDE. This represented an approximate 3% ownership interest in INSIDE at the time of the investment. This equity investment does not provide us with any decision making rights that are significant to the economic performance of INSIDE and we are shielded from economic losses and do not participate fully in INSIDE's residual economics. Subsequently, INSIDE went public in the first half of 2012 and we have classified this equity investment as short term on the balance sheet as of December 31, 2012. See Note 4 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Rousset, France

On June 23, 2010, we closed the sale of our manufacturing operations in Rousset, France to LFoundry. Under the terms of the agreement, we transferred manufacturing assets and related liabilities valued at $61.6 million to LFoundry. In connection with the sale, our subsidiaries entered into ancillary agreements, including a Manufacturing Service Agreement ("MSA") under which a subsidiary agreed to purchase wafers from LFoundry's subsidiary, LFoundry Rousset, for four years following the closing on a "take-or-pay" basis. Upon closing of this transaction, we recorded a loss on sale of $94.1 million in 2010, which is summarized in the following table:

	(in thousands)
Net assets transferred	$	61,646
Fair value of Manufacturing Services Agreement	92,417
Currency translation adjustment	(97,367		)
Severance cost liability	27,840
Transition services	4,746
Selling costs	3,173
Other related costs	1,597
Loss on sale of assets	$	94,052

"Take-or-pay" obligations under the MSA are limited to specified monthly periods based on rolling forecasts . We purchased all required wafers in each of 2012, 2011 and 2010.

As future wafer purchases under the MSA were negotiated at pricing above their fair value, we recorded a liability in conjunction with the sale, representing the present value of the unfavorable purchase commitment. To determine the liability, current

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market prices for wafers from unaffiliated, well-known third party foundries were obtained, taking into consideration minimum volume requirements as specified in the contract, process technology, industry pricing trends and other factors. The difference between the contract prices and market prices over the term of the agreement totaled $103.7 million. The present value of this liability totaled $92.4 million (using a discount rate of 7%) and is included in the loss on sale of assets in the consolidated statement of operations. The present value of the liability is reduced over the term of the MSA as the wafers are purchased and the present value discount of $11.2 million is being recognized as interest expense over the same term. The MSA liability was reduced by $34.5 million, $31.9 million and $14.9 million for wafers purchased in the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.  The amount for the year ended December 31, 2012 included $3.3 million related to the impact of modification of the agreement in the second quarter 2012. We recorded $2.3 million, $4.5 million and $2.9 million in interest expense relating to the MSA in the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

The sale of our Rousset manufacturing operations resulted in the substantial liquidation of our investment in our European manufacturing facilities, and accordingly, we recorded a gain of $97.4 million related to the foreign currency translation adjustment balance that was previously recorded within stockholders' equity, as we concluded, based on the relevant accounting guidance, that we should similarly release all remaining related currency translation adjustments.

As part of the sale, we agreed to reimburse LFoundry for specified severance costs expected to be incurred subsequent to the sale. We entered into an escrow agreement in which we agreed to remit funds to LFoundry for the required benefits and payments to those employees who are determined to be part of an approved departure plan. We recorded a liability of $27.8 million as a component of the loss on sale. This amount was paid to the escrow account in the first quarter of 2011.

As part of the sale of the manufacturing operations, we incurred $4.7 million in software/hardware and consulting costs to set up a separate, independent IT infrastructure for LFoundry. These costs were incurred based on negotiation with LFoundry, provided no benefit to us, and would not have been incurred if we were not selling the manufacturing operations. Therefore, the direct and incremental costs associated with these services were recorded as part of the loss on sale. We also incurred other costs related to the sale of $1.6 million, which included performance-based bonuses of $0.5 million for certain employees (no executive officers were included), related to the completion of the sale of the Rousset manufacturing operations to LFoundry.

We also incurred direct and incremental selling costs of $3.2 million, which represented broker commissions and legal fees associated with the sale of our Rousset manufacturing operations to LFoundry.

Asset Impairment Charges

We assess the recoverability of long-lived assets with finite useful lives whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that we may not be able to recover the asset's carrying amount. We measure the amount of impairment of such long-lived assets by the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds the fair market value of the asset, which is generally determined based on projected discounted future cash flows or appraised values. We classify long-lived assets to be disposed of other than by sale as held and used until they are disposed, including assets not available for immediate sale in their present condition. We report assets and liabilities to be disposed of by sale as held for sale and recognize those assets and liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets at the lower of carrying amount or fair value, less cost to sell. Assets classified as held for sale are not depreciated.

For the year ended December 31, 2010 we determined that certain assets should instead remain with us. As a result, we reclassified property and equipment to held and used in the quarter ended June 30, 2010. In connection with this reclassification, we assessed the fair value of these assets to be retained and concluded that the fair value of the assets was lower than their carrying value less depreciation expense that would have been recognized had the assets been continuously classified as held and used. As a result, we recorded additional asset impairment charges of $11.9 million in the second quarter of 2010 (see Note 15 for further discussion).

Restructuring Charges

The following table summarizes the activity related to the accrual for restructuring charges detailed by event for the year ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010:

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December 31, 2012

	Q3'08			Q2'10			Q2'12			Q4'12			Total 2012 activity
	(in thousands)
January 1, 2012	$	301		$	1,846		$	—		$	—		$	2,147
Charges - Employee termination costs, net of change in estimate	—			924			11,724			10,843			23,491
Charges - Other	—			—			—			495			495
Payments - Employee termination costs	(301		)	(1,902		)	(4,486		)	(2,973		)	(9,662		)
Foreign exchange (gain) loss	—			(429		)	180			—			(249		)
December 31, 2012	$	—		$	439		$	7,418		$	8,365		$	16,222

December 31, 2011

	Q3'02			Q2'08			Q3'08			Q1'09			Q2'10			Total 2011 activity
	(in thousands)
January 1, 2011	$	1,592		$	3		$	460		$	136		$	1,286		$	3,477
Charges (credits) - Employee termination costs, net of change in estimate	—			(3		)	—			—			21,659			21,656
Credit - Other	(1,592		)	—			—			—			—			(1,592		)
Payments - Employee termination costs	—			—			—			—			(21,461		)	(21,461		)
Payments - Other	—			—			—			(136		)	—			(136		)
Currency Translation Adjustment	—			—			15			—			1,165			1,180
Foreign exchange gain	—			—			(174		)	—			(803		)	(977		)
December 31, 2011	$	—		$	—		$	301		$	—		$	1,846		$	2,147

December 31, 2010

	Q3'02		Q2'08			Q3'08			Q1'09			Q2'10			Total 2010 activity
	(In thousands)
January 1, 2010	$	1,592	$	4		$	557		$	318		$	—		$	2,471
Charges - Employee termination costs, net of change in estimate	—		—			—			986			4,267			5,253
Payments - Employee termination costs	—		—			(44		)	(954		)	(2,965		)	(3,963		)
Payments - Other	—		—			—			(182		)	—			(182		)
Currency Translation Adjustment	—		(1		)	(53		)	(32		)	(16		)	(102		)
December 31, 2010	$	1,592	$	3		$	460		$	136		$	1,286		$	3,477

2012 Restructuring Charges

During the year ended December 31, 2012, we recorded restructuring charges of $23.5 million related to workforce reductions. We also recorded restructuring charges of $0.5 million for leases that were no longer required after we reduced our workforce. Employee severance costs were recorded in accordance with the accounting standard related to costs associated with exit or disposal activities. We paid $9.7 million related to employee termination costs for the year ended December 31, 2012. We expect to pay the remaining amount accrued over the course of the next twelve months.

2011 Restructuring Charges

For the year ended December 31, 2011, we implemented cost reduction actions, primarily targeting a reduction of labor costs. We incurred restructuring charges of $21.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 related to severance costs resulting from involuntary termination of employees. Employee severance costs were recorded in accordance with the accounting standard related to costs associated with exit or disposal activities. We also recorded a restructuring credit of $1.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 related to resolution of a litigation matter. We paid $21.5 million related to employee termination costs for the year ended December 31, 2011.

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2010 Restructuring Charges

For the year ended December 31, 2010, we incurred restructuring charges of $5.3 million related to severance costs resulting from involuntary termination of employees. Employee severance costs were recorded in accordance with the accounting standard related to costs associated with exit or disposal activities. We paid $4.0 million related to employee termination costs for the year ended December 31, 2010. We expect to pay the remaining amount accrued over the course of the next twelve months.

Loss From European Foundry Arrangements

In December 2009, a subsidiary entered into a take-or-pay agreement to purchase wafers from a European foundry that had acquired one of our former European manufacturing operations.In connection with the anticipated expiration of this agreement, we notified customers, in the fourth quarter of 2012, of our end-of-life process and requested that customers provide to us last-time-buy orders. To the extent that we believe we have excess wafers that remain after satisfying anticipated customer demand, we estimated a probable loss for those excess wafers, which was approximately $10.6 million. We, therefore, recorded a charge in that amount to our cost of sales in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2012.

In June 2010, in connection with the sale of one of our former European manufacturing operations, one of our subsidiaries leased facilities to the acquirer of those operations and have charged that acquirer for rent and other occupancy costs.In the fourth quarter of 2012, we recorded a loss of $6.5 million on receivables from that tenant based on financial and other circumstances affecting the collectibility of those receivables, which is reflected under the caption “impairment of receivables from foundry supplier” in our consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2012.

Credit from Reserved Grant Income

In March 2012, the Greek government executed a ministerial decision related to an outstanding state grant previously made to a Greek subsidiary. Consequently, we recognized a benefit of $10.7 million in our results for the three months ended March 31, 2012 resulting from the reversal of a reserve previously established for that grant.

Interest and Other (Expense) Income, Net

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Interest and other (expense) income	$	(1,358	)	$	177		$	3,154
Interest expense	(4,130		)	(7,028		)	(7,535		)
Foreign exchange transaction gains	363			6,033			13,199
Total	$	(5,125	)	$	(818	)	$	8,818

Interest and other expense, net, for the year ended December 31, 2012 resulted in an expense of $5.1 million when compared to the same period in 2011, primarily related to a write off from a private company investment of $1.2 million and an other than temporary impairment charge of $1.2 million related to an equity investments. The decrease in foreign exchange transaction gains for the year ended December 31, 2011 was primarily due to changes to our foreign exchange exposures from intercompany balances between our subsidiaries compared to the year ended December 31, 2010. We continue to have balance sheet exposures in foreign currencies subject to exchange rate fluctuations and may incur further gains or losses in the future as a result of such foreign exchange exposures.

Provision for Income Taxes

We recorded a provision for (benefit from) income taxes of $11.8 million, $66.2 million and $(306.7) million in the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, the significant components of the tax provision were from operations in jurisdictions with operating profits. Our effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 was lower than the statutory federal income tax rate of 35%, primarily due to income recognized in lower tax rate jurisdictions and the recognition of foreign R&D credits.

For the year ended December 31, 2010, the significant components of the tax benefit were the favorable settlement of the IRS tax audit, the release of valuation allowances attributable to deferred tax assets, and the recognition of certain U.S. foreign tax credits and foreign R&D credits.

Similar to our position during the fourth quarter of 2011, we concluded that it was more likely than not that we would be able to realize the benefit of a significant portion of our deferred tax assets in the future, except certain assets related to state net operating losses and state tax credits, including R&D credit carry forwards. As a result, we continue to provide a full valuation allowance on the deferred tax assets relating to those items for year ended December 31, 2012.

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The tax attribute carryforwards as of December 31, 2012 consist of the following:

Tax Attribute	December 31, 2012	Nature of Expiration
	(In thousands)
Foreign net operating loss carry forwards	164,491	beginning of 2013
State net operating loss carry forwards	502,349	2013-2032
Federal R&D credits, net of those related to stock option deductions	5,126	beginning of 2020
Federal R&D credits related to stock option deductions	29,314	beginning of 2020
State R&D credits	14,817	indefinite
Foreign tax credits	43,973	beginning of 2020
State investment tax credits	8,255	beginning of 2013
Foreign R&D credits	32,203	refundable

We believe we may not be able to utilize portions of net operating loss carry forwards in non-U.S. jurisdictions before they expire, starting in 2013.

Included in the unrealized tax benefits ("UTBs") at December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, are $27.2 million, $25.2 million and $24.7 million, respectively, of tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate. Also included in the balance of unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, are $45.5 million, $42.8 million and $38.9 million, respectively, of tax benefits that, if recognized, would result in adjustments to other tax accounts, primarily deferred tax assets.

Currently, we have tax audits in progress in various other foreign jurisdictions. To the extent the final tax liabilities are different from the amounts originally accrued, the increases or decreases are recorded as income tax expense or benefit in the consolidated statements of operations. We believe that before December 31, 2013, it is reasonably possible that either certain audits will conclude or the statutes of limitations relating to certain income tax examination periods will expire, or both.  As such, after we reach settlement with the tax authorities, we expect to record a corresponding adjustment to our unrecognized tax benefits.  Given the uncertainty as to settlement terms, the timing of payments and the impact of such settlements on other uncertain tax positions, the range of estimated potential decreases in underlying uncertain tax positions is between $0 and $10.0 million in the next 12 months.  The calculation of unrecognized tax benefits involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex global tax regulations. We regularly assess our tax positions in light of legislative, bilateral tax treaty, regulatory and judicial developments in the countries in which we do business.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

At December 31, 2012, we had $296.1 million of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, compared to $332.5 million at December 31, 2011. Our current asset to liability ratio, calculated as total current assets divided by total current liabilities, was 2.84 at December 31, 2012 compared to 3.14 at December 31, 2011. Working capital, calculated as total current assets less total current liabilities, decreased to $621.1 million at December 31, 2012, compared to $708.6 million at December 31, 2011. Cash provided by operating activities was $200.7 million and $221.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, and capital expenditures totaled $38.3 million and $84.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, with the decrease resulting primarily from a reduction in the purchase of testing equipment in 2012.

As of December 31, 2012, of the $296.1 million aggregate cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments held by us, the amount of cash and cash equivalents held by our foreign subsidiaries was $219.3 million. If the funds held by our foreign subsidiaries were needed for our operations in the United States, the repatriation of some of these funds to the United States could require payment of additional U.S. taxes.

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities was $200.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to $221.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2012 was determined primarily by adjusting net income of $30.4 million for certain non-cash charges for depreciation and amortization of $76.9 million and stock-based compensation charges of $72.4 million.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $221.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2011, compared to $299.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2011 was determined primarily by adjusting net income of $315.0 million for certain non-cash charges for depreciation and amortization of $77.0 million, stock-based compensation charges of $68.1 million, and $36.3 million related to the non-cash portion of the gain on sale related to the sale of our former corporate headquarters. In addition, operating cash flows were reduced by inventory build during the year of $100.7 million as a result of higher build rates to support increased revenue, due to our transition to foundry suppliers with minimum delivery requirements and a decline in shipments in the second half of 2011.

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Accounts receivable decreased by 11% or $24.4 million to $188.5 million at December 31, 2012, from $212.9 million at December 31, 2011. The average number of days of accounts receivable outstanding decreased to 50 days for year ended December 31, 2012 from 51 days for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Inventories decreased to $348.3 million at December 31, 2012 from $377.4 million at December 31, 2011. Inventories consist of raw wafers, purchased foundry wafers, work-in-process and finished units. Our number of days of inventory decreased to 148 days for the three months ended December 31, 2012 from 173 days for the three months ended December 31, 2011. As a result of the sale of our serial flash product lines in September 2012, inventories were reduced by $25.6 million, of which $18.6 million was transferred to the buyer at the time of sale. We also granted the buyer an exclusive option to purchase our remaining $7.0 million of serial flash inventory. As of December 31, 2012, $5.1 million of that inventory had not yet been purchased. We expect the remaining $5.1 million to be purchased in 2013.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities was $51.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to net cash used in investing activities of $43.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. For the year ended December 31, 2012, we paid $38.3 million for acquisitions of fixed assets as compared to $84.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2011 resulting principally from reduced purchases of testing equipment. For the year ended December 31, 2012, we paid $43.5 million for acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired, as compared to $20.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. We also received $26.9 million in cash from the sale of our serial flash product lines during the year ended December 31, 2012.

Net cash used in investing activities was $43.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2011, compared to $75.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. For the year ended December 31, 2011, we paid $84.6 million for acquisitions of fixed assets, $4.0 million for intangible assets and $19.4 million, net of cash acquired, for an acquisition we completed, offset in part by net proceeds of $47.3 million from the sale of our former corporate headquarters.

We anticipate expenditures for capital purchases in 2013 to be relatively consistent with 2012, and to be used principally to maintain existing manufacturing operations and to expand manufacturing capacity for our XSense product.

Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities was $182.6 million and $346.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The cash used was primarily related to stock repurchases of $179.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to stock repurchases of $304.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2011 and tax payments related to shares withheld for vested restricted stock units of $19.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2012, compared to $73.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. During the year ended December 31, 2012, we repurchased 22.7 million shares of our common stock in the open market and subsequently retired those shares under our existing stock repurchase program. As of December 31, 2012, $127.2 million remained available for repurchases under this program. Proceeds from the issuance of common stock related to exercises of stock options and our employee stock purchase plan totaled $15.5 million and $28.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

Net cash used in financing activities was $346.2 million and $158.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The cash used was primarily related to stock repurchases of $304.2 million in the year ended December 2011, compared to stock repurchases of $89.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2010 and tax payments related to shares withheld for vested restricted stock units of $73.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2011, compared to $11.1 million in 2010. Proceeds from the issuance of common stock in respect of stock options and our employee stock purchase plan totaled $28.7 million and $29.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

We believe our existing balances of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, together with anticipated cash flow from operations, available equipment lease financing, and other short-term and medium-term bank borrowings that we believe would be available to us, will be sufficient to meet our liquidity and capital requirements over the next twelve months.

Since a substantial portion of our operations are conducted through our foreign subsidiaries, our cash flow, ability to service debt, and payments to vendors are partially dependent upon the liquidity and earnings of our subsidiaries as well as the distribution of those earnings, or repayment of loans or other payments of funds by those subsidiaries, to us. Our foreign subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities and may be subject to local legal or tax requirements, or other restrictions that may limit their ability to transfer funds to other group entities including the U.S. parent entity, whether by dividends, distributions, loans or other payments.

During the next twelve months, we expect our operations to continue to generate positive cash flow. However, a portion of cash balances may be used to make capital expenditures, repurchase common stock, or make acquisitions. During 2013 and in future years, our ability to make necessary capital investments or strategic acquisitions will depend on our ability to continue to generate sufficient cash flow from operations and to obtain adequate financing if necessary. We believe we have sufficient working capital to fund our future operations with $296.1 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as of December 31, 2012 together with expected future cash flows from operations.

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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements (Including Guarantees)

See the paragraph under the heading “Guarantees” in Note 11 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of off-balance sheet arrangements.

Contractual Obligations

The following table describes our commitments to settle contractual obligations in cash as of December 31, 2012. See Note 11 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.

	Payments Due by Period
Contractual Obligations:	Less than 1 Year		1-3 Years		3-5 Years		More than 5 Years		Total
	(In thousands)
Long-term debt	$	—	$	9,195	$	—	$	—	$	9,195
Capital purchase commitments	13,759		—		—		—		13,759
Long-term supply agreement obligation(a)	70,971		—		—		—		70,971
Estimated pension plan benefit payments (b)	544		1,131		2,146		9,465		13,286
Grants to be repaid	5,054		—		—		—		5,054
Operating leases(c)	8,992		16,600		14,135		28,770		68,497
Other long-term obligations(d)	18,726		7,826		1,789		6,584		34,925
Total other commitments	118,046		34,752		18,070		44,819		215,687
Add: interest	169		—		—		—		169
Total	$	118,215	$	34,752	$	18,070	$	44,819	$	215,856

(a) Long-term supply agreement obligation of $71.0 million is comprised of $43.9 million related to a manufacturing services agreement entered into with LFoundry Rousset, the buyer of our manufacturing operations in Rousset, France in June 2010 (the original commitment upon closing was $448 million). The remaining balance of $27.1 million relates to a supply agreement entered into with Telefunken Semiconductors International LLC (the original commitment upon closing in 2008 was 82 million Euros).

(b) The "More than 5 years" amount represents the estimated payments to be made in years 5 through 10. Estimated payments beyond 10 years are not practical to estimate. See Note 13 to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.

(c) Operating leases include the San Jose headquarters of $51.5 million and other worldwide operating leases of $17.0 million.

(d) Other long-term obligations consist of advances from customers of $14.7 million, of which $10.0 million is paid out annually, until paid in full (see Note 2 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion). The remaining balance of $20.2 million relates to $9.8 million of obligations relating to software rights, $3.8 million of technology license payments and $6.6 million of various other long-term obligations.

The contractual obligation table above excludes certain estimated tax liabilities of $29.0 million as of December 31, 2012 because we cannot make a reliable estimate of the timing of tax audits, related outcomes and related future tax payments. However, these estimated tax liabilities for uncertain tax positions are included in our consolidated balance sheet. See Notes 2 and 12 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU No. 2011-05,Comprehensive Income (ASC Topic 220) — Presentation of Comprehensive Income.The amendments from this update will result in more converged guidance on how comprehensive income is presented under U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). With this update to ASC 220, an entity has the option to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. In both choices, an entity is required to present each component of net income along with total net income, each component of other comprehensive income along with a total for other comprehensive income, and a total amount for comprehensive income. The amendments in this update do not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income or when an item of other comprehensive income must be reclassified to net income, nor does it affect how earnings per share is calculated or presented. Previously, U.S. GAAP allows reporting entities three alternatives for presenting other comprehensive income and its components in financial statements. One of those presentation options was to present the components

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of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders' equity. This update eliminated that option. The amended guidance also requires presentation of adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income in the statement where the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income are presented. The amendments in this ASU should be applied retrospectively. For public entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011. On October 21, 2011 the FASB decided to propose a deferral of the requirement to present reclassifications of other comprehensive income on the face of the income statement and on February 5, 2013, the FASB finalized this requirement for public entities beginning after December 15, 2012. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-04,Fair Value Measurement (ASC Topic 820) — Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs. The amendments in this ASU result in common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements under U.S. GAAP and IFRS. Consequently, the amendments describe many of the requirements in U.S. GAAP for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements as well as improving consistency in application across jurisdictions to ensure that U.S. GAAP and IFRS fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are described in the same way. The ASU also provides for certain changes in current GAAP disclosure requirements, for example with respect to the measurement of Level 3 assets and for measuring the fair value of an instrument classified in a reporting entity's shareholders' equity. The amendments in this ASU are to be applied prospectively. For public entities, the amendments are effective during interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires us to make judgments, assumptions, and estimates that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. Note 1 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements describes the significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements. We consider the accounting policies described below to be our critical accounting policies. These critical accounting policies are impacted significantly by judgments, assumptions, and estimates used in the preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements and actual results could differ materially from the amounts reported based on these policies.

Revenue Recognition

We sell our products to original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs") and distributors and recognize revenue when the rights and risks of ownership have passed to the customer, when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the product has been delivered, the price is fixed or determinable, and collection is reasonably assured. Allowances for sales returns and other credits are recorded at the time of sale.

Contracts and customer purchase orders are used to determine the existence of an arrangement. Shipping documents are used to verify delivery. We assess whether the price is fixed or determinable based on the payment terms associated with the transaction and whether the sales price is subject to refund or adjustment. We assess collectibility based primarily on the creditworthiness of the customer as determined by credit checks and analysis, as well as the customer's payment history. Sales terms do not include post-shipment obligations except for product warranty, as described in Note 1 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

For sales to certain distributors (primarily based in the U.S. and Europe) with agreements allowing for price protection and product returns, historically we have not had the ability to estimate future claims at the point of shipment, and given that price is not fixed or determinable at that time, revenue is not recognized until the distributor sells the product to its end customer.

For sales to independent distributors in Asia, excluding Japan, we invoice these distributors at full list price upon shipment and issue a rebate, or "credit," once product has been sold to the end customer and the distributor has met certain reporting requirements. After reviewing the more limited pricing, rebate and quotation-related terms, we concluded that we could reliably estimate future credits or rebates, therefore, we recognize revenue at the point of shipment for our Asian distributors, assuming all of the other revenue recognition criteria are met, utilizing amounts invoiced, less estimated future credits or rebates.

Our revenue reporting is highly dependent on receiving accurate and timely data from our distributors. Distributors provide us periodic data regarding the product, price, quantity, and end customer when products are resold as well as the quantities of our products they still have in stock. Because the data set is large and complex and because there may be errors in the reported data, we must use estimates and apply judgments to reconcile distributors' reported inventories to their activities. Actual results could vary from those estimates.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and Sales Returns

We must make estimates of potential future product returns and revenue adjustments related to current period product revenue. Management analyzes historical returns, current economic trends in the semiconductor industry, changes in customer demand and acceptance of our products when evaluating the adequacy of our allowance for sales returns. If management made

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different judgments or utilized different estimates, material differences in the amount of our reported revenue may result. We provide for sales returns based on our customer experience and our expectations for revenue adjustments based on economic conditions within the semiconductor industry.

We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for losses that we estimate will arise from our customers' inability to make required payments. We make our estimate of the uncollectibility of our accounts receivable by analyzing specific customer creditworthiness, historical bad debts and current economic trends. At December 31, 2012 and 2011, the allowance for doubtful accounts was approximately $11.0 million and $11.8 million, respectively.

Income Taxes

In calculating our income tax expense, it is necessary to make certain estimates and judgments for financial statement purposes that affect the recognition of tax assets and liabilities.

We record a valuation allowance to reduce our deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. While we consider future taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible tax planning strategies in assessing the need for the valuation allowance, in the event that we determine that we would be able to realize deferred tax assets in the future in excess of the net recorded amount, an adjustment to the net deferred tax asset would decrease income tax expense in the period such determination is made. Likewise, should we determine that we would not be able to realize all or part of the net deferred tax asset in the future, an adjustment to the net deferred tax asset would increase income tax expense in the period such determination is made.

In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, we evaluate both positive and negative evidence that may exist and consider whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible.

Any adjustment to the net deferred tax asset valuation allowance would be recorded in the consolidated statement of operations for the period that the adjustment is determined to be required.

Our income tax calculations are based on application of the respective U.S. federal, state or foreign tax law. Our tax filings, however, are subject to audit by the respective tax authorities. Accordingly, we recognize tax liabilities based upon our estimate of whether, and the extent to which, additional taxes will be due when such estimates are more-likely-than-not to be sustained. An uncertain income tax position will not be recognized if it has less than a 50% likelihood of being sustained. To the extent the final tax liabilities are different from the amounts originally accrued, the increases or decreases are recorded as income tax expense or benefit in the consolidated statements of operations.

Valuation of Inventory

Our inventories are stated at the lower of cost (on a first-in, first-out basis) or market. Cost includes labor, including stock-based compensation costs, materials, depreciation and other overhead costs, as well as factors for estimated production yields and scrap. Determining market value of inventories involves numerous judgments, including average selling prices and sales volumes for future periods. We primarily utilize selling prices in our period ending backlog for measuring any potential declines in market value below cost. Any adjustment for market value provision is charged to cost of revenue at the point of market value decline.

We evaluate our ending inventories for excess quantities and obsolescence on a quarterly basis. This evaluation includes analysis of historical and forecasted sales levels by product and other factors, including, but not limited to, competitiveness of product offerings, market conditions and product lifecycles. Actual demand may be lower, or market conditions less favorable, than those projected by us. This difference could have a material adverse effect on our gross margin should inventory write-downs beyond those initially recorded become necessary. Alternatively, should actual demand and market conditions be more favorable than those estimated by us, gross margin could be favorably impacted.

We adjust the cost basis for inventories on hand in excess of forecasted demand. In addition, we write off inventories that are considered obsolete. Obsolescence is determined based on several factors, including competitiveness of product offerings, market conditions and product life cycles. Increases to the provision for excess and obsolete inventory are charged to cost of revenue. At the point of the loss recognition, a new, lower-cost basis for that inventory is established, and subsequent changes in facts and circumstances do not result in the restoration or increase in that newly established cost basis. If this lower-cost inventory is subsequently sold, it will result in lower costs and higher gross margin for those products.

Fixed Assets

We review the carrying value of fixed assets for impairment when events and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset or group of assets may not be recoverable from the estimated future cash flows expected to result from its use and/or disposition. Factors which could trigger an impairment review include the following: (i) significant negative industry or

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economic trends, (ii) exiting an activity in conjunction with a restructuring of operations, (iii) current, historical or projected losses that demonstrated continuing losses associated with an asset, (iv) significant decline in our market capitalization for an extended period of time relative to net book value, (v) recent changes in our manufacturing model, and (vi) management's assessment of future manufacturing capacity requirements. In cases where undiscounted expected future cash flows are less than the carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized equal to the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value of the assets. The estimation of future cash flows involves numerous assumptions, which require our judgment, including, but not limited to, future use of the assets for our operations versus sale or disposal of the assets, future-selling prices for our products and future production and sales volumes. In addition, we must use our judgment in determining the groups of assets for which impairment tests are separately performed.

Our business requires investment in manufacturing facilities that are technologically advanced but can quickly become significantly underutilized or rendered obsolete by rapid changes in demand for semiconductors produced in those facilities.

We estimate the useful life of our manufacturing equipment, which is the largest component of our fixed assets, to be five years. We base our estimate on our experience with acquiring, using and disposing of equipment over time. Depreciation expense is a major element of our manufacturing cost structure. We begin depreciation on new equipment when it is ready for its intended use. The aggregate amount of fixed assets under construction for which depreciation was not being recorded was approximately $2.7 million and $0.6 million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

Valuation of Goodwill and Intangible Assets

We review goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives for impairment annually during the fourth quarter of each year and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable. In 2011, we early adopted ASU 2011-08 "Intangibles-Goodwill and Other" and performed an assessment of qualitative factors to determine whether it was more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting units is less that their carrying value. Based on the carrying amount of our reporting units and our assessment of certain qualitative factors including current macroeconomic, industry and market conditions, we concluded that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting units is less than their carrying amount. Purchased intangible assets with finite useful lives are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives and are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that we may not be able to recover the asset's carrying amount. Determining the fair value of a reporting unit is subjective in nature and involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions. We determine the fair value of our reporting unit based on an income approach, whereby we calculate the fair value of the reporting unit based on the present value of estimated future cash flows, which are formed by evaluating operating plans. Estimates of the future cash flows associated with the businesses are critical to these assessments. The assumptions used in the fair value calculation change from year to year and include revenue growth rates, operating margins, risk adjusted discount rates and future economic and market conditions. Changes in these estimates based on changed economic conditions or business strategies could result in material impairment charges in future periods. We base our fair value estimates on assumptions we believe to be reasonable. Actual future results may differ from those estimates.

Stock-Based Compensation

We determine the fair value of options on the measurement date utilizing an option-pricing model, which is affected by our common stock price as well as a change in assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited to: expected common stock price volatility over the term of the option awards, as well as the projected employee option exercise behaviors during the expected period between the stock option vesting date and the stock option exercise date. For performance-based restricted stock units, we are required to assess the probability of achieving certain financial objectives at the end of each reporting period. Based on the assessment of this probability, which requires subjective judgment, we record stock-based compensation expense before the performance criteria are actually fully achieved, which may then be reversed in future periods if we determine that it is no longer probable that the objectives will be achieved. The expected cost of each award is reflected over the performance period and is reduced for estimated forfeitures. The fair value of a restricted stock unit is equivalent to the market price of our common stock on the measurement date.

Restructuring Charges

Our restructuring accruals include primarily payments to employees for severance, termination fees associated with leases, other contracts and other costs related to the closure of facilities. Accruals are recorded when management has approved a plan to restructure operations and a liability has been incurred. The restructuring accruals are based upon management estimates at the time they are recorded. These estimates can change depending upon changes in facts and circumstances subsequent to the date the original liability was recorded.

Litigation

We accrue for losses related to litigation, including intellectual property, commercial and other litigation, if a loss is probable and the loss can be reasonably estimated. We regularly evaluate current information available to determine whether accruals for litigation should be made. If we were to determine that such a liability was probable and could be reasonably estimated, the adjustment would be charged to income in the period such determination was made.

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ITEM 7A.  QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Interest Rate Risk

We maintain investment portfolio holdings of various issuers, types and maturities whose values are dependent upon short-term interest rates. We generally classify these securities as available-for-sale, and consequently record them on the consolidated balance sheets at fair value with unrealized gains and losses being recorded as a separate part of stockholders’ equity. We do not currently hedge these interest rate exposures. Given our current profile of interest rate exposures and the maturities of our investment holdings, we believe that an unfavorable change in interest rates would not have a significant negative impact on our investment portfolio or statements of operations through December 31, 2012.

Foreign Currency Risk

When we take an order denominated in a foreign currency we will receive fewer dollars, and lower revenue, than we initially anticipated if that local currency weakens against the dollar before we ship our product. Conversely, revenue will be positively impacted if the local currency strengthens against the dollar before we ship our product. Costs may also be affected by foreign currency fluctuation. For example, in Europe, where we have costs denominated in European currencies, costs will decrease if the local currency weakens. Conversely, all costs will increase if the local currency strengthens against the dollar. This impact is determined assuming that all foreign currency denominated transactions that occurred for the year ended December 31, 2012 were recorded using the average foreign currency exchange rates in the year ended December 31, 2011. We do not use derivative instruments to hedge our foreign currency risk.

Changes in foreign exchange rates have historically had an effect on our net revenue and operating costs. Net revenue denominated in foreign currencies was 19%, 21% and 22% of our total net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Costs denominated in foreign currencies were 19%, 19% and 33% of our total costs for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Average exchange rates utilized to translate foreign currency revenue and expenses in Euros were approximately 1.29, 1.39 and 1.36 Euros to the dollar for the years ended December 31, 20122011 and 2010, respectively.

For the year ended December 31, 2012, changes in foreign exchange rates had an unfavorable overall effect on our operating results. Our net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2012 would have been approximately $23.1 million higher had the average exchange rate in the current year remained the same as the average rate in effect for the year ended December 31, 2011. Our income from operations would have been approximately $7.7 million higher had the average exchange rate in the year ended December 31, 2012 remained the same as the average exchange rate in the ended December 31, 2011.

For the year ended December 31, 2011, changes in foreign exchange rates had a favorable overall effect on our operating results. Our net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011 would have been approximately $14.6 million lower had the average exchange rate in the current year remained the same as the average rate in effect for the year ended December 31, 2010. Our income from operations would have been approximately $4.2 million lower had the average exchange rate in the year ended December 31, 2011 remained the same as the average exchange rate in the ended December 31, 2010.

We also face the risk that our accounts receivable denominated in foreign currencies will be devalued if such foreign currencies weaken quickly and significantly against the dollar. Approximately 18% and 23% of our accounts receivable were denominated in foreign currency as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

Similarly, we face the risk that our accounts payable and debt obligations denominated in foreign currencies will increase if such foreign currencies strengthen quickly and significantly against the dollar. Approximately 8% and 10% of our accounts payable were denominated in foreign currencies at both December 31, 2012 and 2011. All of our debt obligations were denominated in foreign currencies at both December 31, 2012 and 2011. We have not historically sought to hedge our foreign currency exposure, although we may determine to do so in the future.

There remains ongoing uncertainty regarding the future of the Euro as a common currency and the Eurozone. While we continue to monitor the situation, the elimination of the Euro as a common currency, the withdrawal of member states from the Eurozone or other events affecting the liquidity, volatility or use of the Euro could have a significant effect on our revenue and operations.

Liquidity and Valuation Risk

        Approximately $1.1 million and $2.3 million of our investment portfolio is invested in auction-rate securities at December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively.

46

47

ITEM 8. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

	Page
Consolidated Financial Statements of Atmel Corporation
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010	49
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010	50
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2012 and 2011	51
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010	52
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity and Comprehensive Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2012 2011 and 2010	53
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements	54
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm - KPMG LLP	91
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm - PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP	92
Financial Statement Schedules
The following Financial Statement Schedules for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011, and 2010 should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements, and related notes thereto:
Schedule II Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	93
Schedules not listed above have been omitted because they are not applicable or are not required or the information required to be set forth therein is included in the Consolidated Financial Statements or notes thereto
Supplementary Financial Data
Unaudited Selected Quarterly Financial Data for the Years Ended December 31, 2012 and 2011	94

48

Atmel Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Operations

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands, except per share data)
Net revenue	1,432,110			1,803,053			1,644,060
Operating expenses
Cost of revenue	830,791			894,820			915,876
Research and development	251,519			255,653			237,812
Selling, general and administrative	275,257			280,410			264,296
Acquisition-related charges	7,388			5,408			1,600
Restructuring charges	23,986			20,064			5,253
Impairment of receivables from foundry supplier	6,495			—			—
Asset impairment charges	—			—			11,922
Credit from reserved grant income	(10,689		)	—			—
(Gain) loss on sale of assets	—			(35,310		)	99,767
Total operating expenses	1,384,747			1,421,045			1,536,526
Income from operations	47,363			382,008			107,534
Interest and other (expense) income, net	(5,125		)	(818		)	8,818
Income before income taxes	42,238			381,190			116,352
(Provision for) benefit from income taxes	(11,793		)	(66,200		)	306,723
Net income	30,445			314,990			423,075
Basic net income per share:
Net income per share	$	0.07		$	0.69		$	0.92
Weighted-average shares used in basic net income per share calculations	433,017			455,629			458,482
Diluted net income per share:
Net income per share	$	0.07		$	0.68		$	0.90
Weighted-average shares used in diluted net income per share calculations	437,582			462,673			469,580

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.

49

Atmel Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Net income	$	30,445		$	314,990		$	423,075
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
Foreign currency translation adjustments ("CTA")	3,902			(6,863		)	(21,472		)
Inclusion of foreign CTA adjustments in net income	—			—			(99,779		)
Actuarial losses related to defined benefit pension plans	(6,778		)	(197		)	(788		)
Unrealized (losses) gains on investments	(160		)	179			(2,102		)
Other comprehensive loss	(3,036		)	(6,881		)	(124,141		)
Total comprehensive income	$	27,409		$	308,109		$	298,934

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.

50

Atmel Corporation

Consolidated Balance Sheets

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(in thousands, except par value)
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$	293,370	$	329,431
Short-term investments	2,687		3,079
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $11,005 and $11,833, respectively	188,488		212,929
Inventories	348,273		377,433
Prepaids and other current assets	125,019		116,929
Total current assets	957,837		1,039,801
Fixed assets, net	221,044		257,070
Goodwill	104,430		67,662
Intangible assets, net	27,257		20,594
Other assets	122,965		141,471
Total assets	$	1,433,533	$	1,526,598
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities
Trade accounts payable	$	103,980	$	76,445
Accrued and other liabilities	203,510		207,118
Deferred income on shipments to distributors	29,226		47,620
Total current liabilities	336,716		331,183
Other long-term liabilities	100,179		112,971
Total liabilities	436,895		444,154
Commitments and contingencies (Note 11)
Stockholders’ equity
Preferred stock; par value $0.001; Authorized: 5,000 shares; no shares issued and outstanding	—		—
Common stock; par value $0.001; Authorized: 1,600,000 shares; Shares issued and outstanding: 428,593 at December 31, 2012 and 442,389 at December 31, 2011	429		442
Additional paid-in capital	881,945		995,147
Accumulated other comprehensive income	6,412		9,448
Retained earnings	107,852		77,407
Total stockholders’ equity	996,638		1,082,444
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	1,433,533	$	1,526,598

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.

51

Atmel Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income	$	30,445		$	314,990		$	423,075
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities
Depreciation and amortization	76,933			76,986			66,495
Non-cash losses (gains) on sale of fixed assets, net	264			(36,333		)	(31,137		)
Asset impairment charges	—			—			11,922
Deferred taxes	(23,459		)	44,233			(164,590		)
Loss from foundry arrangement	10,628			—			—
Impairment of receivable from foundry supplier	6,495			—			—
Other non-cash losses (gains), net	1,037			(6,240		)	(13,225		)
Recovery of doubtful accounts receivable	(18		)	(14		)	(76		)
Accretion of interest on long-term debt	1,017			784			650
Stock-based compensation expense	72,442			68,125			57,445
Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation	(1,264		)	(2,650		)	(3,088		)
Non-cash acquisition-related and other charges	2,934			—			—
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions
Accounts receivable	24,362			19,787			(37,510		)
Inventories	10,250			(100,695		)	(60,132		)
Current and other assets	32,406			(15,932		)	(31,423		)
Trade accounts payable	38,644			(60,113		)	16,031
Accrued and other liabilities	(66,255		)	(47,055		)	111,112
Income taxes payable	2,251			(15,639		)	(68,112		)
Deferred income on shipments to distributors	(18,394		)	(19,088		)	22,017
Net cash provided by operating activities	200,718			221,146			299,454
Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisitions of fixed assets	(38,289		)	(84,564		)	(99,808		)
Proceeds from the sale of business	26,908			1,597			19,023
Proceeds from the sale of fixed assets	—			47,250			652
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired	(43,499		)	(20,256		)	—
Acquisitions of intangible assets	(4,000		)	(4,000		)	(5,458		)
Purchases of marketable securities	—			—			(20,567		)
Sales or maturities of marketable securities	4,450			16,739			39,388
Investment in private companies	(2,500		)	—			(3,936		)
Decrease (increase) in long-term restricted cash	5,000			—			(5,000		)
Net cash used in investing activities	(51,930		)	(43,234		)	(75,706		)
Cash flows from financing activities
Principal payments on debt and capital leases	—			(85		)	(11,106		)
Repayment of bank lines of credit	—			—			(80,000		)
Repurchases of common stock	(179,579		)	(304,236		)	(89,216		)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	15,537			28,746			29,911
Tax payments related to shares withheld for vested restricted stock units	(19,830		)	(73,286		)	(11,139		)
Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation	1,264			2,650			3,088
Net cash used in financing activities	(182,608		)	(346,211		)	(158,462		)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(2,241		)	(3,725		)	(1,340		)
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	(36,061		)	(172,024		)	63,946
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period	329,431			501,455			437,509
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period	$	293,370		$	329,431		$	501,455
Supplemental cash flow disclosures:
Interest paid	242			1,857			2,864
Income taxes paid	16,064			31,986			14,993
Supplemental non-cash investing and financing activities disclosures
Decreases in accounts payable related to fixed assets purchases	(803		)	(21,000		)	(841		)
Decreases in liabilities related to intangible assets purchases	(4,000		)	(4,000		)	(4,000		)
Additional consideration payable related to acquisition	18,225			—			—

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.

52

Atmel Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity and Comprehensive Income

	Common Stock
	Shares		Par Value			Additional Paid-In Capital			Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income			Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit)			Total
	(in thousands)
Balances, December 31, 2009	454,586		$	455		$	1,284,140		$	140,470		$	(660,658	)	$	764,407
Comprehensive loss:
Net income	—		—			—			—			423,075			423,075
Actuarial loss related to defined benefit pension plans	—		—			—			(788		)	—			(788		)
Unrealized losses on investments, net of tax	—		—			—			(2,102		)	—			(2,102		)
Inclusion of foreign CTA adjustments in net income	—								(99,779		)				(99,779		)
Foreign currency translation adjustments	—		—			—			(21,472		)	—			(21,472		)
Total comprehensive income															298,934
Stock-based compensation expense	—		—			58,487			—			—			58,487
Tax benefit on stock-based compensation expense	—		—			1,664			—			—			1,664
Exercise of stock options	5,344		5			22,493			—			—			22,498
Issuance of commons stock under employee stock purchase plan	2,028		2			7,411			—			—			7,413
Vested restricted stock units	4,816		5			—			—			—			5
Shares withheld for employee taxes related to vested restricted stock units	(1,418	)	(1		)	(11,138		)	—			—			(11,139		)
Common stock issued to former employees of Quantum	3,152		3			—			—			—			3
Repurchase of common stock	(11,720	)	(12		)	(89,204		)	—						(89,216		)
Balances, December 31, 2010	456,788		$	457		$	1,273,853		$	16,329		$	(237,583	)	$	1,053,056
Comprehensive loss:
Net income	—		—			—			—			314,990			314,990
Actuarial loss related to defined benefit pension plans	—		—			—			(197		)	—			(197		)
Unrealized gains on investments, net of tax	—		—			—			179			—			179
Foreign currency translation adjustments	—		—			—			(6,863		)	—			(6,863		)
Total comprehensive income															308,109
Stock-based compensation expense	—		—			69,102			—			—			69,102
Tax benefit on stock-based compensation expense	—		—			939			—			—			939
Exercise of stock options	4,285		4			19,336			—						19,340
Issuance of commons stock under employee stock purchase plan	1,514		2			9,404			—			—			9,406
Vested restricted stock units	6,345		6			—						—			6
Vested performance restricted stock units	8,485		8			—			—			—			8
Shares withheld for employee taxes related to vested restricted stock units	(6,252	)	(6		)	(73,280		)	—			—			(73,286		)
Repurchase of common stock	(28,776	)	(29		)	(304,207		)	—			—			(304,236		)
Balances, December 31, 2011	442,389		$	442		$	995,147		$	9,448		$	77,407		$	1,082,444
Comprehensive loss:
Net income	—		—			—			—			30,445			30,445
Actuarial loss related to defined benefit pension plans	—		—			—			(6,778		)	—			(6,778		)
Unrealized losses on investments, net of tax	—		—			—			(160		)	—			(160		)
Foreign currency translation adjustments	—		—			—			3,902			—			3,902
Total comprehensive income															27,409
Stock-based compensation expense	—		—			71,974			—			—			71,974
Equity related restructuring charges	—		—			413			—			—			413
Tax benefit on stock-based compensation expense	—		—			(1,738		)	—			—			(1,738		)
Exercise of stock options	1,239		2			4,578			—			—			4,580
Issuance of commons stock under employee stock purchase plan	1,770		2			10,955			—			—			10,957
Vested restricted stock units	7,975		8			—			—			—			8
Shares withheld for employee taxes related to vested restricted stock units	(2,100	)	(2		)	(19,828		)	—			—			(19,830		)
Repurchase of common stock	(22,680	)	(23		)	(179,556		)	—			—			(179,579		)
Balances, December 31, 2012	428,593		$	429		$	881,945		$	6,412		$	107,852		$	996,638

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.

53

Atmel Corporation

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1 SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Nature of Operations

Atmel is one of the world’s leading designers, developers and suppliers of microcontrollers, which are self-contained computers-on-a-chip. Microcontrollers are generally less expensive, consume less power and offer enhanced programming capabilities compared to traditional microprocessors. Atmel's microcontrollers and related products are used in many of the world’s leading smartphones, ultrabooks, tablet devices, e-readers, wireless peripherals and other consumer and industrial electronics in which they provide core functionality for such things as touch sensing, sensor and lighting management, security,and encryption features, wireless applications, industrial controls, building automation and battery management. Atmel offers an extensive portfolio of capacitive touch products that integrate its microcontrollers with fundamental touch‑focused intellectual property ("IP") we have developed, and Atmel continues to leverage its market and technology advantages to expand its product portfolio within the touch‑related eco-system. Toward that end, and as a natural extension of Atmel's touch controller business, Atmel announced its XSense products, a new type of touch sensor based on proprietary metal mesh technologies, in 2012. Atmel also designs and sells products that are complementary to its microcontroller business, including nonvolatile memory, radio frequency and mixed‑signal components and application specific integrated circuits. With Atmel's broad product portfolio, its semiconductors also enable applications, such as smart‑metering for utility monitoring and billing, residential and architectural LED-based lighting systems, touch panels used on household and industrial appliances that integrate Atmel's “non-mechanical” buttons, sliders and wheels, various aerospace, industrial and military products and systems, and electronic‑based automotive components, like keyless ignition and access, engine control, and lighting and entertainment systems for standard and hybrid vehicles. Over the past several years, Atmel transitioned its business to a “fab-lite” manufacturing model, lowering its fixed costs and capital investment requirements, and Atmel currently own and operate one remaining wafer fabrication facility. Atmel has continued to focus on the development of wireless products that allow devices to communicate and connect with each other, and has continued to integrate enhanced wireless capabilities into its product portfolio, including technologies such as “Wi-Fi Direct;” that enable the so-called “Internet of Things,” where smart, connected devices and appliances seamlessly share data and information. Atmel currently owns and operates one wafer manufacturing facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, consistent with Atmel's strategic determination made several years ago to maintain lower fixed costs and capital investment requirements.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Atmel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

2011 Out-of-Period Adjustments

The Company recorded an out-of-period adjustment to reverse test and assembly subcontractor accruals for $6.9 million, related to cost of revenues for the year ended December 31, 2011. In addition, the Company corrected excess depreciation for certain fixed assets for $1.7 million, related to research and development for the year ended December 31, 2011. The correction of these errors resulted in an increase to the Company's net income of $8.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. Management assessed the impact of these errors and concluded that the amounts were not material, either individually or in the aggregate, to any prior periods' annual or interim financial statements, nor was the impact of the errors material to the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011. On that basis, the Company recorded these corrections, in the aggregate, in the year ended December 31, 2011.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates in these financial statements include provision for excess and obsolete inventory, sales return reserves, stock-based compensation expense, allowances for doubtful accounts receivable, warranty accruals, estimates for useful lives associated with long-lived assets, asset impairment charges, recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets, restructuring charges, fair value of net assets held for sale, liabilities for uncertain tax positions, and deferred tax asset valuation allowances. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

For certain of Atmel's financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other current assets and current liabilities, the carrying amounts approximate their fair value due to the relatively short maturity of these items. Investments in debt securities are carried at fair value based on quoted market prices. The estimated fair value has been determined by the Company using available market information. However, considerable judgment is required in interpreting market data to develop the estimates of fair value. Accordingly, the estimates presented are not necessarily

54

indicative of the amounts that Atmel could realize in a current market exchange. The use of different market assumptions and/or estimation methodologies could have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Investments with an original or remaining maturity of 90 days or less, as of the date of purchase, are considered cash equivalents, and consist of highly liquid money market instruments.

Atmel maintains its cash balances at a variety of financial institutions and has not experienced any material losses relating to such instruments. Atmel invests its excess cash in accordance with its investment policy that has been reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors.

Investments

All of the Company's investments in debt and equity securities in publicly-traded companies are classified as available-for-sale. Available-for-sale securities with an original or remaining maturity of greater than 90 days, as of the date of purchase, are classified as short-term when they represent investments of cash that are intended for use in current operations. Investments in available-for-sale securities are reported at fair value with unrealized (losses) gains, net of related tax, included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income.

The Company's marketable securities include corporate equity securities, U.S. and foreign corporate debt securities, guaranteed variable annuities and auction-rate securities. The Company monitors its investments for impairment periodically and recognizes an impairment charge when the decline in the fair value of these investments is judged to be other-than temporary. Significant judgment is used to identify events or circumstances that would likely have a significant adverse effect on the future use of the investment. The Company considers various factors in determining whether impairment is other-than-temporary, including the length of time and extent to which fair value has been below cost basis, the financial condition of the issuer and the Company's ability and intent to hold the investment for a period of time which may be sufficient for anticipated recovery of market value. The Company's investments include certain highly-rated auction rate securities, totaling $1.1 million and $2.3 million at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, which are structured with short-term interest rate reset dates of either 7 days or 28 days, and contractual maturities that can be in excess of 10 years. The Company evaluates its portfolio by continuing to monitor the credit rating and interest yields of these auction-rate securities and status of reset at each auction date.

Accounts Receivable

An allowance for doubtful accounts is calculated based on the aging of Atmel's accounts receivable, historical experience, and management judgment. Atmel writes off accounts receivable against the allowance when Atmel determines a balance is uncollectible and no longer intends to actively pursue collection of the receivable. The Company's bad debt expenses (recoveries) were not material for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (on a first-in, first-out basis) or market. Market is based on estimated net realizable value. Determining market value of inventories involves numerous judgments, including estimating average selling prices and sales volumes for future periods. The Company establishes provisions for lower of cost or market and excess and obsolescence write-downs, which are charged to cost of revenue. The Company makes a determination regarding excess and obsolete inventory on a quarterly basis. This determination requires an estimation of the future demand for the Company’s products and involves an analysis of historical and forecasted sales levels by product, competitiveness of product offerings, market conditions, product lifecycles, as well as other factors. Excess and obsolete inventory write-downs are recorded when the inventory on hand exceeds management’s estimate of future demand for each product and are charged to cost of revenue.

The Company’s inventories include parts that have a potential for rapid technological obsolescence and are sold in a highly competitive industry. The Company writes down inventory that is considered excess or obsolete. When the Company recognizes a loss on such inventory, it establishes a new, lower-cost basis for that inventory, and subsequent changes in facts and circumstances will not result in the restoration or increase in that newly established cost basis. If inventory with a lower-cost basis is subsequently sold, it will result in higher gross margin for the products making up that inventory.

Fixed Assets

Fixed assets are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:

55

Building and improvements	10	to	20 years
Machinery, equipment and software	2	to	5 years
Furniture and fixtures			5 years

Maintenance, repairs and minor upgrades are expensed as incurred.

Investments in Privately-Held Companies

Periodically, the Company makes minority investments in certain privately-held companies to further its strategic objectives. Investments in privately-held companies are accounted for at historical cost or, if Atmel has significant influence over the investee, using the equity method of accounting. Atmel's proportionate share of income or losses from investments accounted for under the equity method, and any gain or loss on disposal, are recorded in interest and other (expenses) income, net. Investments in privately- held companies are included in other assets on the Company's consolidated balance sheets.

For investments in privately-held companies, the Company monitors for impairment annually, or when indicators arise, and reduces their carrying values to fair value when the declines are determined to be other-than-temporary.

Revenue Recognition

The Company sells its products to OEMs and distributors and recognizes revenue when the rights and risks of ownership have passed to the customer, when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the product has been delivered, the price is fixed or determinable, and collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured. Allowances for sales returns and other credits are recorded at the time of sale.

Contracts and customer purchase orders are used to determine the existence of an arrangement. Shipping documents are used to verify delivery. The Company assesses whether the price is fixed or determinable based on the payment terms associated with the transaction and whether the sales price is subject to refund or adjustment. The Company assesses collectibility based primarily on the creditworthiness of the customer as determined by credit checks and analysis, as well as the customer's payment history. Sales terms do not include post-shipment obligations except for product warranty.

For sales to certain distributors (primarily based in the U.S. and Europe) with agreements allowing for price protection and product returns, the Company historically has not had the ability to estimate future claims at the point of shipment, and given that price is not fixed or determinable at that time, revenue is not recognized until the distributor sells the product to its end customer. At the time of shipment to these distributors, the Company records a trade receivable for the selling price as there is a legally enforceable right to payment, relieves inventory for the carrying value of goods shipped since legal title has passed to the distributor, and records the gross margin in deferred income on shipments to distributors on the consolidated balance sheets.

For sales to independent distributors in Asia, excluding Japan, the Company invoices these distributors at full list price upon shipment and issues a rebate, or "credit," once product has been sold to the end customer and the distributor has met certain reporting requirements. After reviewing the more limited pricing, rebate and quotation-related terms, the Company concluded that it could reliably estimate future claims therefore, the Company recognize revenue at the point of shipment for its Asian distributors, assuming all of the other revenue recognition criteria are met, utilizing amounts invoiced, less estimated future claims.

Grant Recognition

Subsidy grants from government organizations are amortized as a reduction of expenses over the period the related obligations are fulfilled. Recognition of future subsidy benefits will depend on the Company's achievement of certain technical milestones, capital investment spending goals, employment goals and other requirements. The Company recognized the following amount of subsidy grant benefits as a reduction of either cost of revenue or research and development expenses, depending on the nature of the grant:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Cost of revenue	$	—	$	6	$	18
Research and development expenses	4,202		3,167		7,866
Total	$	4,202	$	3,173	$	7,884

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From time to time, the Company receives economic incentive grants and allowances from European governments, agencies and research organizations targeted at preserving employment at specific locations. The subsidy grant agreements typically contain economic incentive, headcount, capital and research and development expenditures and other conditions that must be met to receive and retain grant benefits. Noncompliance with the conditions of the grants could result in the forfeiture of all or a portion of any future amounts to be received, as well as the repayment of all or a portion of amounts previously received. In addition, the Company may need to record charges to reverse grant benefits recorded in prior periods as a result of changes to its plans for headcount, project spending, or capital investment at any of these specific locations. If the Company is unable to comply with any of the conditions in the grant agreements, the Company may face adverse actions from the government agencies providing the grants. If the Company were required to repay grant benefits, its results of operations and financial position could be materially adversely affected by the amount of such repayments.

In March 2012, the Greek government executed a ministerial decision related to an outstanding state grant previously made to a Greek subsidiary of the Company. Based on the execution of the ministerial decision and the subsequent publication of that decision by the Greek government, the Company determined that its Greek subsidiary would not be required to repay the full amount of that grant. As a result, the Company recognized a benefit of $10.7 million in its results for the year ended December 31, 2012 resulting from the reversal of a reserve previously established for that grant.

As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the total liability for grant benefits subject to repayment was $5.1 million and $14.9 million, respectively, and is included in accrued and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

Advertising Costs

Atmel expenses all advertising costs as incurred. Advertising costs were not significant for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Foreign Currency Translation

Certain of Atmel's major international subsidiaries use their local currencies as their respective functional currencies. Financial statements of these foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars at current rates, except that revenue, costs and expenses are translated at average current rates during each reporting period. The effect of translating the accounts of these foreign subsidiaries into U.S. dollars has been included in the consolidated statements of stockholders' equity and comprehensive (loss) income as a foreign currency translation adjustment. Gains and losses from remeasurement of assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the respective functional currencies are included in the consolidated statements of operations. Gains (losses) due to foreign currency remeasurement included in interest and other (expense) income, net for the year ended December 31, 2012 were not significant. Gains due to foreign currency remeasurement included in interest and other (expense) income, net for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 were $6.0 million and $13.2 million, respectively.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company determines the fair value of options on the measurement date utilizing an option-pricing model, which is affected by its common stock price, as well as changes in assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited to: expected common stock price volatility over the term of the option awards, as well as the projected employee option exercise behaviors during the expected period between the stock option grant date and stock option exercise date. For performance-based restricted stock units, the Company is required to assess the probability of achieving certain financial objectives at the end of each reporting period. Based on the assessment of this probability, which requires subjective judgment, the Company records stock-based compensation expense before the performance criteria are actually fully achieved, which may then be reversed in future periods if the Company determines that it is no longer probable that the objectives will be achieved. The expected cost of each award is reflected over the performance period and is reduced for estimated forfeitures. The fair value of a restricted stock unit is equivalent to the market price of the Company's common stock on the measurement date.

Valuation of Goodwill and Intangible Assets

The Company reviews goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives for impairment annually during the fourth quarter of each year and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable. In 2011, the Company adopted ASU 2011-08 "Intangibles-Goodwill and Other" and in both 2011 and 2012 performed a Step 0, or qualitative assessment of its goodwill balance, which required management to make certain judgments and estimates. Based on the Company's assessment of its carrying amount of reporting units compared to its fair value of reporting units as of the assessment date and due to current economic factors, the Company did not proceed to Step 1. Purchased intangible assets with finite useful lives are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives and are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the Company may not be able to recover the asset's carrying amount. Determining the fair value of a reporting unit is subjective in nature and involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions. The Company determines the fair value of its reporting unit based on an income approach, whereby it calculates the fair value of the reporting unit based on the present value of estimated future cash flows, which are formed by evaluating operating plans. Estimates of the future cash flows associated with the businesses are critical to these assessments. The assumptions used in the fair value calculation change from year to year and include revenue growth rates, operating margins, risk adjusted discount rates and future economic

57

and market conditions. If the total future cash flows are less than the carrying amount of the assets, the Company recognizes an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets. Changes in these estimates based on changed economic conditions or business strategies could result in material impairment charges in future periods. The Company bases its fair value estimates on assumptions it believes to be reasonable. Actual future results may differ from those estimates. No impairment charges relating to goodwill and intangible assets were recorded for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Certain Risks and Concentrations

Atmel sells its products primarily to OEMs and distributors in North America, Europe and Asia, generally without requiring any collateral. Atmel performs ongoing credit evaluations and seeks to maintain adequate allowances for potential credit losses. Two distributors accounted for 14% and 12% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2012 and one customer accounted for 10% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2012. Two distributors accounted for 15% and 14% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2011. Two customers accounted for more than 10% of net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2012 (see Note 14 for further discussion). No single customer accounted for more than 10% of net revenue in any of the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010.

The semiconductor industry is characterized by rapid technological change, competitive pricing pressures and cyclical market patterns. The Company's financial results are affected by a wide variety of factors, including general economic conditions worldwide, economic conditions specific to the semiconductor industry, the timely introduction of new products and implementation of new manufacturing process technologies and the ability to safeguard patents and intellectual property in a rapidly evolving market. In addition, the semiconductor industry has historically been cyclical and subject to significant economic downturns at various times. As a result, Atmel may experience significant period-to-period fluctuations in future operating results due to the factors mentioned above or other factors. Atmel believes that its existing cash, cash equivalents and investments together with cash flow from operations, equipment lease financing and other short term borrowing, will be sufficient to support its liquidity and capital investment activities for the next twelve months.

Additionally, the Company relies on a limited number of contract manufacturers to provide assembly services for its products. The inability of a contract manufacturer or supplier to fulfill supply requirements of the Company could materially affect future operating results.

Income Taxes

The Company's (provision for) benefit from income tax comprises its current tax liability and change in deferred tax assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected tax consequences of temporary differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements using enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the difference is expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are provided to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount that in management's judgment is more likely than not to be recoverable against future taxable income. No U.S. taxes are provided on earnings of non U.S. subsidiaries; to the extent such earnings are deemed to be permanently reinvested.

The Company's income tax calculations are based on application of the respective U.S. federal, state or foreign tax law. The Company's tax filings, however, are subject to audit by the relevant tax authorities. Accordingly, the Company recognizes tax liabilities based upon its estimate of whether, and the extent to which, additional taxes will be due when such estimates are more-likely-than-not to be sustained. An uncertain income tax position will not be recognized if it has less than a 50% likelihood of being sustained. To the extent the final tax liabilities are different than the amounts originally accrued, the increases or decreases are recorded as income tax expense or benefit in the consolidated statements of operations.

In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, the Company evaluates both positive and negative evidence that may exist and considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible.

Any adjustment to the net deferred tax asset valuation allowance would be recorded in the consolidated statement of operations for the period that the adjustment is determined to be required.

Long-Lived Assets

Atmel periodically evaluates the recoverability of its long-lived assets. Factors which could trigger an impairment review include the following: (i) significant negative industry or economic trends; (ii) exiting an activity in conjunction with a restructuring of operations; (iii) current, historical or projected losses that demonstrate a likelihood of continuing losses associated with an asset; (iv) significant decline in the Company's market capitalization for an extended period of time relative to net book value; (v) material changes in the Company's manufacturing model; and (vi) management's assessment of future manufacturing capacity requirements. When the Company determines that there is an indicator that the carrying value of long-lived assets may not be recoverable, the assessment of possible impairment is based on the Company's ability to recover the carrying value of the asset from the expected future undiscounted pre-tax cash flows of the related operations. These estimates include assumptions about future conditions

58

such as future revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, and the fair values of certain assets based on appraisals and industry trends. If these cash flows are less than the carrying value of such assets, an impairment loss is recognized for the difference between estimated fair value and carrying value. The measurement of impairment requires management to estimate future cash flows and the fair value of long-lived assets. The evaluation is performed at the lowest levels for which there are identifiable, independent cash flows.

Costs that the Company incurs to acquire completed product and process technology are capitalized and amortized on a straight-line basis over two to five years. Capitalized product and process technology costs are amortized over the shorter of the estimated useful life of the technology or the term of the technology agreement.

Net Income Per Share

Basic net income per share is computed by using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income per share is computed giving effect to all dilutive potential common shares that were outstanding during the period. Dilutive potential common shares consist of incremental common shares issuable upon exercise of stock options, upon vesting of restricted stock units, contingently issuable shares for all periods and assumed issuance of shares under the Company's employee stock purchase plan. No dilutive potential common shares are included in the computation of any diluted per share amount when a loss from continuing operations is reported by the Company.

Research and Development

Cost incurred in the research and development of Atmel's products is expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses were $251.5 million, $255.7 million and $237.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05,Comprehensive Income (ASC Topic 220) — Presentation of Comprehensive Income. The amendments from this update will result in more converged guidance on how comprehensive income is presented under U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). With this update to ASC 220, an entity has the option to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. In both choices, an entity is required to present each component of net income along with total net income, each component of other comprehensive income along with a total for other comprehensive income, and a total amount for comprehensive income. The amendments in this update do not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income or when an item of other comprehensive income must be reclassified to net income, nor does it affect how earnings per share is calculated or presented. Current U.S. GAAP allows reporting entities three alternatives for presenting other comprehensive income and its components in financial statements. One of those presentation options is to present the components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders' equity. This update eliminates that option. The amended guidance also requires presentation of adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income in the statement where the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income are presented. The amendments in this ASU should be applied retrospectively. For public entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011. On October 21, 2011 the FASB decided to propose a deferral of the requirement to present reclassifications of other comprehensive income on the face of the income statement and on February 5, 2013, the FASB finalized this requirement for public entities beginning after December 15, 2012. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-04,Fair Value Measurement (ASC Topic 820) — Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRS. The amendments in this ASU result in common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements under U.S. GAAP and IFRS. Consequently, the amendments describe many of the requirements in U.S. GAAP for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements as well as improving consistency in application across jurisdictions to ensure that U.S. GAAP and IFRS fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are described in the same way. The ASU also provides for certain changes in current GAAP disclosure requirements, for example with respect to the measurement of Level 3 assets and for measuring the fair value of an instrument classified in a reporting entity's shareholders' equity. The amendments in this ASU are to be applied prospectively. For public entities, the amendments are effective during interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Note 2 BALANCE SHEET DETAILS

Inventories are comprised of the following:

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	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(in thousands)
Raw materials and purchased parts	$	19,963	$	23,415
Work-in-progress	231,614		251,933
Finished goods	96,696		102,085
	$	348,273	$	377,433

Prepaids and other current assets consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Deferred income tax assets	$	53,105	$	10,239
Prepaid income taxes	13,113		16,441
Value‑added tax receivable	7,144		24,971
Income tax receivable	6,346		17,000
Other	45,311		48,278
	$	125,019	$	116,929

Other assets consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Deferred income tax assets, net of current portion	$	102,315	$	121,417
Investments in privately-held companies	8,493		12,208
Auction-rate securities	1,066		2,251
Other	11,091		5,595
	$	122,965	$	141,471

Accrued and other liabilities consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Accrued salaries and benefits and other employee related	$	54,993	$	63,360
Advance payments from customer	10,000		10,000
Income taxes payable	7,863		5,734
Deferred income tax liability, current portion	304		—
Grants to be repaid	5,054		14,931
Warranty accruals and accrued returns	10,411		13,855
Royalties and licenses	4,295		5,045
Accrued restructuring	16,222		2,147
Current portion of market price adjustment to supply agreement (See Note 15)	20,953		31,934
Other	73,415		60,112
	$	203,510	$	207,118

Other long-term liabilities consist of the following:

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	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Advance payments from customer	$	4,668	$	14,668
Income taxes payable	26,744		26,622
Accrued pension liability	40,087		29,268
Long-term technology license payable	—		3,831
Deferred income tax liability, non-current portion	58		57
Long-term portion of market price adjustment to supply agreement (See Note 15)	—		21,188
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations, less current portion	5,602		4,612
Other	23,020		12,725
	$	100,179	$	112,971

Advance payments from customer relate to an agreement that the Company entered into with a specific customer in the year 2000. The agreement calls for the Company to supply either a minimum quantity of the Company's products or make minimum repayments. The minimum payment required to be made annually is the greatest of 15% of the value of product shipped to the customer or $10.0 million, until such time that the advances have been fully repaid. The Company repaid $10.0 million in each of the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 under this agreement. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had remaining $14.7 million in customer advances received, of which $10.0 million is recorded in accrued and other liabilities and $4.7 million in other long-term liabilities.

Also included in other long-term liabilities is a note payable from an entity in which the Company has an equity investment to further its strategic objectives. The total outstanding amount due was $7.5 million, of which $6.6 million is included in other long-term liabilities, and $0.9 million is included in accounts payable at December 31, 2012 and $7.4 million, of which $6.6 million is included in other long-term liabilities, and $0.8 million is included in accounts payable at December 31, 2011. In addition, the Company paid $6.6 million, $3.7 million and $5.0 million to this company for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, relating to a cost sharing arrangement for facility services at its Heilbronn, Germany facility.

Included in current liabilities is a liability related to a manufacturing services agreement entered into with LFoundry Rousset SAS (“LFoundry Rousset”). In connection with the sale of the Company’s Rousset manufacturing operations to LFoundry GmbH (“LFoundry GmbH”), a subsidiary of the Company entered into certain other ancillary agreements, including a manufacturing services agreement (“MSA”) in which a subsidiary agreed to purchase wafers following the closing on a “take-or-pay” basis. See Note 15 for further discussion.

Note 3 BUSINESS COMBINATIONS

Ozmo, Inc.

On December 20, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of Ozmo, Inc ("Ozmo"), which is included in the Microcontrollers segment, a leading provider in ultra-low power Wi-Fi Direct solutions. The Company acquired all the outstanding shares of Ozmo in an all cash transaction, including assumed liabilities, of $64.4 million.

A total of $7.7 million of the purchase consideration was distributed into an escrow account to meet any indemnification claims. The escrow account is legally owned by the shareholder rights representative. As the Company does not have legal title of the account, no asset and corresponding liability will be recorded relating to the amounts held in escrow.

Further, the employees are eligible for an aggregate potential earnout in 2013 and 2014 of up to $22.0 million, contingent on Ozmo achieving certain revenue targets in 2013 and 2014 and on continuing employment. The Company has recorded a liability of $1.9 million representing the fair value of the earnout.

The total purchase price of the acquisition was as follows:

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	December 20, 2012
	(in thousands)
Cash in exchange for shareholders' equity interest	$	58,165
Unvested shares in Ozmo	237
Transaction expenses incurred by Ozmo	1,816
Long-term debt paid on behalf of Ozmo	1,415
Fair value of contingent consideration (earnout provision)	1,927
Liabilities assumed	861
Total purchase price	$	64,421

The purchase price was allocated as follows as of the closing date of the acquisition:

	December 20, 2012
	(In thousands)
Total purchase price	$	64,421
Less:
Net tangible assets acquired	(2,805		)
Intangible assets acquired:
Customer relationships	(2,650		)
Developed technologies	(12,020		)
Tradename	(60		)
Non-compete agreements	(660		)
Backlog	(60		)
Total intangible assets	(15,450		)
Goodwill	$	46,166

The Company recorded $46.2 million in goodwill, including workforce, in connection with the acquisition, which was assigned to the Company’s microcontroller segment. The goodwill balance of $46.2 million above was reduced by $11.2 million related to net deferred tax assets created as a result of the net operating losses generated by Ozmo in previous periods. Such goodwill is not expected to be deductible for tax purposes. Goodwill is not subject to amortization but will be tested annually for impairment or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable in accordance with the relevant standards.

The intangible assets for the Ozmo acquisition were measured at fair value using the income approach. The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2012, which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Lives
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	2,650	$	(26	)	$	2,624			3 years
Developed technologies	12,020		(61		)	11,959		4	to	6 years
Tradename	60		(1		)	59				3 years
Non-compete agreements	660		(10		)	650				2 years
Backlog	60		(1		)	59				1 year
	$	15,450	$	(99	)	$	15,351

Developed technology represents a combination of processes, patents assets and trade secrets developed through years of experience in design and development of the products. Customer relationships represent future projected net revenue that will be derived from sales of current and future versions of existing products that will be sold to existing customers. Tradename represents

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the Ozmo brand that the Company may continue to use to market the current Ozmo products. Non-compete agreement represents the fair value to the Company from agreements with certain former Ozmo executives to refrain from competition for a number of years. Backlog represents committed orders from customers as of the closing date of the acquisition.

The Company recorded amortization of intangible assets of $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2012, associated with customer relationships, developed technologies, tradename, non-compete agreements and backlog.

Advanced Digital Design

On October 6, 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of Advanced Digital Design S.A (“ADD”), a Spanish company that develops power line communication solutions. The Company acquired all the outstanding shares of ADD in an all cash transaction of $19.9 million and assumed $4.9 million in net tangible liabilities.

In addition to the total purchase price paid, $4.5 million was placed in an escrow account, relating to deferred consideration for key employees. A portion of this amount will be released on the 18 months anniversary of the closing date and the remainder will be released on the 36 month anniversary of the closing date, and each release is contingent on the continuing employment of the key employees. This amount will be amortized over the service periods, resulting in expense classified within acquisition‑related charges in the consolidated statements of operations.

The purchase price was allocated as follows as of the closing date of the acquisition:

	October 6, 2011
	(In thousands)
Cash paid for acquisition	$	19,915
Less:
Net tangible liabilities assumed	4,879
Intangible assets acquired:
Customer relationships	(6,580		)
Developed technologies	(3,330		)
Tradename	(150		)
Non-compete agreements	(720		)
Backlog	(290		)
Total intangible assets	(11,070		)
Goodwill	$	13,724

The Company recorded $13.7 million in goodwill, including workforce, in connection with the acquisition, which was assigned to the Company’s microcontroller segment. Goodwill is not subject to amortization but will be tested annually for impairment or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable in accordance with the relevant standards.

The intangible assets for the ADD acquisition were measured at fair value using the income approach. The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2012, which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Lives
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	6,580	$	(548	)	$	6,032	15 years
Developed technology	3,330		(595		)	2,735		7 years
Tradename	150		(63		)	87		3 years
Non-compete agreement	720		(300		)	420		3 years
Backlog	290		(290		)	—		1 year
	$	11,070	$	(1,796	)	$	9,274

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The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2011 which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Lives
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	6,580	$	(110	)	$	6,470	15 years
Developed technology	3,330		(119		)	3,211		7 years
Tradename	150		(13		)	137		3 years
Non-compete agreement	720		(60		)	660		3 years
Backlog	290		(73		)	217		1 year
	$	11,070	$	(375	)	$	10,695

Developed technology represents a combination of processes, patents assets and trade secrets developed through years of experience in design and development of the products. Customer relationships represent future projected net revenue that will be derived from sales of current and future versions of existing products that will be sold to existing customers. Tradename represents the ADD brand that the Company may continue to use to market the current ADD products. Non-compete agreement represents the fair value to the Company from agreements with certain former ADD executives to refrain from competition for a number of years. Backlog represents committed orders from customers as of the closing date of the acquisition.

The Company recorded the following acquisition‑related charges in the consolidated statements of operations in the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 related to the ADD acquisition:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Amortization of intangible assets	$	1,421	$	375
Compensation‑related expense — cash	1,793		944
	$	3,214	$	1,319

The Company recorded amortization of intangible assets of $1.4 million and $0.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, associated with customer relationships, developed technologies, tradename, non-compete agreements and backlog. The Company also recorded amortization of certain key employee consideration of $1.8 million and $0.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, related to $4.5 million of deferred compensation discussed above. In 2011, the Company accelerated $0.4 million million of the key employee consideration as a result of the termination of an employee.

The Company incurred $0.7 million of transaction costs as of December 31, 2011, which are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statement of operations.

Quantum Research Group Ltd.

On March 6, 2008, the Company completed its acquisition of all the outstanding equity of Quantum Research Group Ltd. (now known as Atmel Technologies Ireland Limited) (“Quantum”), a supplier of capacitive sensing IP solutions. Quantum is a wholly‑owned subsidiary of Atmel.

Goodwill was $54.8 million and $54.3 million at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, relating to the Quantum acquisition. The goodwill amount is not subject to amortization and is included within the Company’s microcontroller segment. It is tested for impairment annually in the fourth quarter and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable. Based on its 2012 impairment assessment, the Company concluded that the fair value of the reporting unit containing the goodwill balance substantially exceeded its carrying value; therefore, there was no impairment of the goodwill balance. The change in goodwill balance arises from foreign currency translation.

The Company has estimated the fair value of the Quantum‑related other intangible assets using the income approach and these identifiable intangible assets are subject to amortization. The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2012 which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

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	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Life
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	15,427	$	(14,912	)	$	515	5 years
Developed technology	4,948		(4,783		)	165		5 years
Tradename	849		(849		)	—		3 years
Non-compete agreement	806		(806		)	—		5 years
	$	22,030	$	(21,350	)	$	680

The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2011 which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Life
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	15,427	$	(11,827	)	$	3,600	5 years
Developed technology	4,948		(3,793		)	1,155		5 years
Tradename	849		(849		)	—		3 years
Non-compete agreement	806		(806		)	—		5 years
	$	22,030	$	(17,275	)	$	4,755

Customer relationships represent future projected net revenue that will be derived from sales of current and future versions of existing products that will be sold to existing customers. Developed technology represents a combination of processes, patents and trade secrets developed through years of experience in design and development of the products. Trade name represents the Quantum brand which the Company does not intend to use in future capacitive sensing products. Non-compete agreement represents the fair value to the Company from agreements with certain former Quantum executives to refrain from competition for a number of years. Backlog represents committed orders from customers as of the closing date of the acquisition.

The Company recorded the following acquisition‑related charges in the consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 related to the Quantum acquisition:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Amortization of intangible assets	$	4,075	$	4,192		$	4,466
Compensation‑related expense — cash	—		—			199
Compensation‑related credit — stock	—		(103		)	(3,065		)
	$	4,075	$	4,089		$	1,600

The Company recorded amortization of intangible assets of $4.1 million, $4.2 million and $4.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, associated with customer relationships, developed technology, trade name, non-compete agreements and backlog.

The Company also agreed to compensate former key executives of Quantum, contingent upon continuing employment determined at various dates over a three year period. The Company agreed to pay up to $15.1 million in cash and issue 5.3 million shares of the Company’s common stock valued at $17.3 million, based on the Company’s closing stock price on March 4, 2008. These amounts were accrued over the employment period on a graded vested basis.

In March 2010, 3.2 million shares of the Company’s common stock were issued to a former executive of Quantum in connection with this arrangement. The remaining 2.2 million shares were forfeited in March 2010 due to a change in employment status. As a result, the Company recorded a credit of $4.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 for the reversal of the expenses previously recorded due to the graded vesting recognition methodology. The Company made cash payments of $3.8 million to the former Quantum employees for the year ended December 31, 2010. No further payments are expected to be made.

The acquisitions referred to in this Note 3 were not material to the Company at the time of acquisition. As a result, pro forma profit and loss statements for the acquired businesses are not presented.

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Note 4 INVESTMENTS

Investments at December 31, 2012 and 2011 primarily include corporate equity securities, U.S. and foreign corporate debt securities and auction-rate securities.

All marketable securities are deemed by management to be available-for-sale and are reported at fair value, with the exception of certain auction-rate securities as described below. Net unrealized gains and losses that are deemed to be temporary are reported within stockholders’ equity on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income. Unrealized losses that are deemed to be other-than-temporary are recorded in the consolidated statement of operations in the period such determination is made. Gross realized gains or losses are recorded based on the specific identification method. For the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company's gross realized gains were not significant and the Company had a $1.2 million loss related to an "other-than-temporary impairment" in connection with an equity investment. For the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company's gross realized gains and losses on short-term investments were not significant. The Company’s investments are further detailed in the table below:

	December 31, 2012				December 31, 2011
	Adjusted Cost		Fair Value		Adjusted Cost			Fair Value
	(in thousands)
Corporate equity securities	$	2,687	$	2,687	$	—		$	—
Auction-rate securities	983		1,066		2,220			2,251
Corporate debt securities and other obligations	—		—		3,099			3,079
	$	3,670	$	3,753	$	5,319		$	5,330
Unrealized gains	83				31
Unrealized losses	—				(20		)
Net unrealized gains	83				11
Fair value	$	3,753			$	5,330
Amount included in short-term investments			$	2,687				$	3,079
Amount included in other assets			1,066					2,251
			$	3,753				$	5,330

In September 2010, in connection with the sale of the Company’s smart card business in France to INSIDE Secure (“INSIDE”), the Company received an equity interest in INSIDE, which was privately-held at the time of the investment.  In February 2012, INSIDE successfully completed an initial public offering on the NYSE Euronext stock exchange in Paris.  As a result of that public offering, the Company reclassified its investment in INSIDE to short-term investments from other assets and accounted for this investment as available for sale. In the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $1.2 million on its investment in INSIDE, which it believes to be other-than-temporary.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company redeemed a portion of its auction-rate securities in the open market, resulting in an insignificant gain. The Company concluded that its remaining $1.0 million (adjusted cost) of auction-rate securities are unlikely to be liquidated within the next twelve months and classified these securities as long-term investments, which are included in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets.

Contractual maturities (at adjusted cost) of available-for-sale debt securities as of December 31, 2012, were as follows:

	(in thousands)
Due within one year	$	—
Due in 1-5 years	—
Due in 5-10 years	—
Due after 10 years	983
Total	$	983

Atmel has classified all investments with original maturity dates of 90 days or more as short-term as it has the ability and intent to liquidate them within the year, with the exception of the Company’s remaining auction-rate securities, which have been classified as long-term investments and included in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets.

Note 5 FAIR VALUE OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

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Fair value is defined as “the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (exit price)”. The accounting standard establishes a consistent framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosure requirements regarding fair value measurements. This accounting standard, among other things, requires the Company to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.

The table below presents the balances of investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2012:

	December 31, 2012
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
	(in thousands)
Assets
Cash
Money market funds	$	1,036	$	1,036	$	—	$	—
Short-term investments
Corporate equity securities	2,687		2,687		—		—
Other assets
Auction-rate securities	1,066		—		—		1,066
Investment funds - Deferred compensation plan assets
Institutional money market funds	597		597		—		—
Fixed income	902		902		—		—
Marketable equity securities	3,479		3,479		—		—
Total institutional funds - Deferred compensation plan	4,978		4,978		—		—
Total other assets	6,044		4,978		—		1,066
Total	$	9,767	$	8,701	$	—	$	1,066

The table below presents the balances of investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2011:

	December 31, 2011
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
	(in thousands)
Assets
Cash
Money market funds	$	18,164	$	18,164	$	—	$	—
Short-term investments
Corporate debt securities	3,079		—		3,079		—
Other assets
Auction-rate securities	2,251		—		—		2,251
Investment funds - Deferred compensation plan assets
Institutional money market funds	549		549		—		—
Fixed income	1,613		1,613		—		—
Marketable equity securities	2,737		2,737		—		—
Total institutional funds - Deferred compensation plan	4,899		4,899		—		—
Total other Assets	7,150		4,899		—		2,251
Total	$	28,393	$	23,063	$	3,079	$	2,251

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The Company’s investments, with the exception of auction-rate securities, are classified within Level 1 or Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy because they are valued using quoted market prices, broker or dealer quotations, or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency. The types of instruments valued based on quoted market prices in active markets include most U.S. government and agency securities and money market securities. Such instruments are generally classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. The types of instruments valued based on other observable inputs include corporate debt securities and other obligations. Such instruments are generally classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Auction-rate securities are classified within Level 3 because significant assumptions for such securities are not observable in the market. The total amount of assets measured using Level 3 valuation methodologies represented less than 1% of the Company's total assets as of December 31, 2012. The Company redeemed one auction rate security in the open market at book value of $1.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2012.

There were no changes in Level 3 assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011. There were no transfers between Level 1 and 2 hierarchies for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.  

Note 6 FIXED ASSETS

Fixed assets consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(in thousands)
Land	$	14,489		$	14,970
Buildings and improvements	510,468			533,205
Machinery and equipment	966,756			965,451
Furniture and fixtures	21,636			17,906
Construction-in-progress	2,743			620
	$	1,516,092		$	1,532,152
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(1,295,048		)	(1,275,082		)
	$	221,044		$	257,070

On August 30, 2011, the Company completed the sale of its former San Jose corporate headquarters and adjacent parcels of land. See Notes 11 and 15 for further discussion.

Depreciation expense on fixed assets for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 was $67.6 million, $68.9 million and $56.8 million, respectively. Fixed assets acquired under capital leases were not material at December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

The Company assesses the recoverability of long-lived assets with finite useful lives annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the Company may not be able to recover the asset’s carrying amount. The Company measures the amount of impairment of such long-lived assets by the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds the fair market value of the asset, which is generally determined based on projected discounted future cash flows or appraised values. For the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company recorded impairment charges of $11.9 million related to the sale of its Rousset, France manufacturing operation (see Note 15 for further discussion).

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Note 7 INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

Intangible assets, net, consist of technology licenses and acquisition‑related intangible assets as follows:

	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(in thousands)
Core/licensed technology	$	18,123		$	17,564
Accumulated amortization	(16,171		)	(12,420		)
Total technology licenses	1,952			5,144
Acquisition‑related intangible assets	48,550			33,100
Accumulated amortization	(23,245		)	(17,650		)
Total acquisition‑related intangible assets	25,305			15,450
Total intangible assets, net	$	27,257		$	20,594

Amortization expense for technology licenses totaled $3.7 million, $3.5 million and $5.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Amortization expense for acquisition‑related intangible assets totaled $5.6 million, $4.6 million and $4.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

The following table presents the estimated future amortization of the technology licenses and acquisition‑related intangible assets:

Years Ending December 31:	Technology Licenses		Acquisition‑Related Intangible Assets		Total
	(in thousands)
2013	$	1,283	$	5,222	$	6,505
2014	427		4,402		4,829
2015	242		3,838		4,080
2016	—		2,957		2,957
2017	—		2,831		2,831
Thereafter	—		6,055		6,055
Total future amortization	$	1,952	$	25,305	$	27,257

Note 8 BORROWING ARRANGEMENTS

Information with respect to the Company’s debt and capital lease obligations as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 is shown in the following table:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(in thousands)
Long-term debt	$	5,602	$	4,612
Less: current portion of long-term debt	—		—
Long-term debt due after one year	$	5,602	$	4,612

Long‑term debt obligations of $5.6 million relates to an amount previously advanced from a foreign government which is repayable in 2015. The balance is increased on a monthly basis as a result of interest accretion. The repayment amount is expected to be approximately $9.2 million in 2015.

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Note 9 STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Stock-Based Compensation

The components of the Company's stock-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 are summarized below:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Employee stock options	$	3,470	$	5,685		$	9,230
Employee stock purchase plan	3,107		2,511			1,844
Restricted stock units	65,397		60,906			50,478
Net amounts released from (capitalized in) inventory	468		(977		)	(1,042		)
	$	72,442	$	68,125		$	60,510

The table above excludes stock-based compensation credit of $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2010, for former Quantum executives related to the Quantum acquisition in 2008, which is classified within acquisition-related charges in the consolidated statements of operations.

The accounting standard on stock-based compensation requires the gross benefits of tax deductions in excess of recognized compensation cost to be reported as a financing cash flow, rather than as an operating cash flow. The future realizability of tax benefits related to stock compensation is dependent upon the timing of employee exercises and future taxable income, among other factors. The Company reported gross excess tax benefits of $1.3 million, $2.7 million and $3.1 million in the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

There was no significant non-employee stock-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

The following table summarizes stock-based compensation, net of amount capitalized in (released from) inventory, included in operating results for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Cost of revenue	$	8,052		$	7,840		$	8,159
Research and development	22,825			22,916			19,324
Selling, general and administrative	41,565			37,369			33,027
Total stock-based compensation expense, before income taxes	72,442			68,125			60,510
Tax benefit	(12,060		)	(10,453		)	(7,548		)
Total stock-based compensation expense, net of income taxes	$	60,382		$	57,672		$	52,962

Stock Options, Restricted Stock Units and Employee Stock Purchase Plan

In May 2005, Atmel’s stockholders initially approved Atmel’s 2005 Stock Plan (as amended, the “2005 Stock Plan”). As of December 31, 2012, 133.0 million shares were authorized for issuance under the 2005 Stock Plan. Under the 2005 Stock Plan, Atmel may issue common stock directly, grant options to purchase common stock or grant restricted stock units payable in common stock to employees, consultants and directors of Atmel. Options, which generally vest over four years, are granted at fair market value on the date of the grant and generally expire ten years from that date.

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Activity under Atmel’s 2005 Stock Plan is set forth below: 

			Outstanding Options			Weighted-
					Exercise	Average
	Available for Grant		Number of Options		Price per Share	Exercise Price per Share
	(in thousands, except per share data)
Balances, December 31, 2009	28,478		18,828		$1.68-$24.44	$	4.38
Restricted stock units issued	(11,701	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units issued	(9,127	)	—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	(472	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units issued	(368	)	—		—	—
Restricted stock units cancelled	2,151		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units cancelled	1,678		—		—	—
Options granted	(315	)	315		$4.77-$10.01	5.39
Options cancelled/expired/forfeited	1,139		(1,139	)	$2.11-$24.44	5.79
Options exercised	—		(5,344	)	$1.68-$10.82	4.21
Balances, December 31, 2010	11,463		12,660		$1.68-$14.94	$	4.35
Additional shares authorized	19,000		—		—	—
Restricted stock units issued	(6,343	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units issued	(4,017	)	—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	(3,474	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units issued	(2,124	)	—		—	—
Restricted stock units cancelled	1,025		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units cancelled	793		—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	25		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	17		—		—	—
Options cancelled/expired/forfeited	158		(158	)	$2.11-$14.94	5.01
Options exercised	—		(4,285	)	$1.80-$13.77	4.51
Balances, December 31, 2011	16,523		8,217		$1.68-$10.01	$	4.26
Restricted stock units issued	(8,507	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units issued	(5,189	)	—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	(338	)	—		—	—
Adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units issued	(206	)	—		—	—
Restricted stock units cancelled	1,783		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units cancelled	1,248		—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	330		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	201		—		—	—
Options cancelled/expired/forfeited	303		(303	)	$2.11-$8.83	4.05
Options exercised	—		(1,239	)	$1.68-$8.89	3.76
Balances, December 31, 2012	6,148		6,675		$1.68-$10.01	$	4.33

In connection with the Company's acquisition of Ozmo, we assumed Ozmo's equity incentive plan. Excluded from the table above are 0.4 million shares assumed as part of the acquisition of Ozmo. This amount is comprised of 0.3 million restricted stock units, with a weighted average grant date fair value of $6.17 and 0.1 million options, with a weighted average grant date fair value of $0.81. These stock options and restricted stock units remain governed by the terms and conditions of the Ozmo plan. No additional equity is expected to be granted under the Ozmo plan.

Restricted stock units are granted from the pool of options available for grant. As the result of an amendment and restatement of the 2005 Stock Plan in May 2011, every share underlying restricted stock, restricted stock units (including performance based restricted stock units), or stock purchase rights issued on or after May 18, 2011 (the date on which the amendment and restatement

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became effective) is counted against the numerical limit for options available for grant as 1.61 shares in the table above, as reflected in the line items for "Plan adjustments", except that restricted stock units (including performance based restricted stock units), and stock purchase rights issued prior to May 18, 2011, continue to be governed by an earlier amendment to the 2005 Stock Plan that provided for a numerical limit of 1.78 shares. If shares issued pursuant to any restricted stock, restricted stock unit, and stock purchase right agreements granted on or after May 18, 2011 are cancelled, forfeited or repurchased by the Company or would otherwise return to the 2005 Stock Plan, 1.61 times the number of those shares will return to the 2005 Stock Plan and will again become available for issuance. The Company issued 14.8 million shares of restricted stock units from May 18, 2011 to December 31, 2012 (net of cancellations) resulting in a reduction, based on a 1.61 to 1.0 ratio, of 23.7 million shares available for grant under the 2005 Stock Plan from May 18, 2011 to December 31, 2012. As of December 31, 2012, there were 6.1 million shares available for issuance under the 2005 Stock Plan, or 3.8 million shares after giving effect to the 1.61 to 1.0 ratio applicable under the 2005 Stock Plan for issuances of restricted stock units made on or after May 18, 2011. The shares assumed as part of the Ozmo acquisition were not issued under the 2005 Stock Plan.

Restricted Stock Units

Activity related to restricted stock units is set forth below:

	Number of Units		Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value
	(in thousands, except per share data)
Balances, December 31, 2009	24,044		$	4.29
Restricted stock units issued	11,701		7.97
Restricted stock units vested	(4,816	)	4.56
Restricted stock units cancelled	(1,200	)	4.16
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	472		5.49
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	(951	)	4.10
Balances, December 31, 2010	29,250		$	5.74
Restricted stock units issued	6,343		10.88
Restricted stock units vested	(6,345	)	5.20
Restricted stock units cancelled	(1,025	)	6.80
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	3,474		13.94
Performance-based restricted stock units vested	(8,485	)	4.22
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	(25	)	9.77
Balances, December 31, 2011	23,187		$	8.99
Restricted stock units issued	8,507		6.11
Restricted stock units vested	(7,975	)	6.80
Restricted stock units cancelled	(1,783	)	7.81
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	338		9.19
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	(330	)	12.31
Balances, December 31, 2012	21,944		$	8.71

Excluded from the table above are 0.3 million restricted stock units, with a weighted average grant date fair value of $6.17, assumed as part of the acquisition of Ozmo.

For the year ended December 31, 2012, 8.0 million restricted stock units vested, including 2.1 million units withheld for taxes. These vested restricted stock units had a weighted-average grant date fair value of $6.80 per share for the year ended December 31, 2012. As of December 31, 2012, total unearned stock-based compensation related to unvested restricted stock units previously granted (including performance-based restricted stock units) was approximately $140.8 million, excluding forfeitures, and is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.44 years.

For the year ended December 31, 2011, 6.3 million restricted stock units vested, including 2.3 million units withheld for taxes. These vested restricted stock units had a weighted-average grant date fair value of $5.20 per share on the vesting dates for the year ended December 31, 2011.

For the year ended December 31, 2010, 4.8 million restricted stock units vested, including 1.4 million units withheld for taxes. These vested restricted stock units had a weighted-average grant date fair value of $4.56 per share on the vesting dates.

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Until restricted stock units are vested, they do not have the voting rights of common stock and the shares underlying such restricted stock units are not considered issued and outstanding. Upon vesting of restricted stock units, shares withheld by the Company to pay taxes are retired.

Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units

In the quarter ended June 30, 2011, 8.5 million performance based restricted stock units issued under the Company's 2008 Incentive Plan (the "2008 Plan") vested upon board of director approval on May 23, 2011 as a result of the Company achieving all of the performance criteria as of March 31, 2011. A total of 5.1 million shares were issued to participants, net of withholding taxes of 3.3 million shares, which represented all remaining shares available under the 2008 Plan. These vested performance based restricted stock units had a weighted average grant date fair value of $4.22 per share on the vesting date. The Company recorded total stock based compensation expense related to performance based restricted stock units of $6.5 million and $24.8 million under the 2008 Plan in the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

In May 2011, the Company adopted the 2011 Long-Term Performance Based Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”), which provides for the grant of restricted stock units to eligible employees. Vesting of restricted stock units granted under the 2011 Plan is subject to the satisfaction of performance metrics tied to revenue growth and operating margin over the designated performance periods. The performance periods for the 2011 Plan run from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2013 and consist of threeone-year performance periods (calendar years 2011, 2012 and 2013) and a three year cumulative performance period. The Company issued 0.3 million and 3.5 million performance-based restricted stock units in the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The Company recorded total stock-based compensation expense related to performance-based restricted stock units of $12.7 million and $7.5 million under the 2011 Plan in the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

The 2011 Plan performance metrics include revenue growth rankings for the Company relative to a semiconductor peer group or a microcontroller peer group, as determined by the Compensation Committee. In addition, in order for a participant to receive credit for a performance period, the Company must achieve a minimum operating margin during such performance period, measured on a pro forma basis as defined in the 2011 Plan, subject to adjustment by the Compensation Committee. Management evaluates, on a quarterly basis, the likelihood of the Company meeting its performance metrics in determining stock-based compensation expense for performance share plans.

Stock Option Awards

Options Outstanding							Options Exercisable
Range of Exercise Price	Number Outstanding	Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term (years)	Weighted- Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value		Number Exercisable	Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term (years)	Weighted- Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value
(In thousands, except per share prices and life data)
1.68-3.29	920	3.86	$	3.20	$	3,079	920	3.86	$	3.20	$	3,079
3.32-3.32	1,047	5.21	3.32		3,381		1,047	5.20	3.32		3,381
3.41-4.20	833	5.64	4.13		2,018		810	5.61	4.13		1,961
4.23-4.37	524	4.04	4.25		1,203		367	4.11	4.26		807
4.43-4.43	873	6.71	4.43		1,850		635	6.71	4.43		1,345
4.56-4.78	589	4.70	4.74		1,064		543	4.55	4.74		983
4.89-4.89	813	3.60	4.89		1,349		813	3.60	4.89		1,349
4.92-6.05	717	4.06	5.42		807		717	4.15	5.42		794
6.11-7.38	348	3.77	6.31		98		319	3.72	6.33		86
10.01-10.01	11	7.87	10.01		—		7	7.88	10.01		—
	6,675	4.75	$	4.33	$	14,849	6,178	4.67	$	4.32	$	13,785

Excluded from the table above are 0.1 million options, with a weighted average grant date fair value of $0.81, assumed as part of the acquisition of Ozmo.

The number of options exercisable under Atmel's stock option plans at December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 were 6.2 million, 6.4 million and 8.5 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, the number of stock options that were forfeited, but were not available for future stock option grants due to the expiration of these shares under the 1986 Stock Plan was not material.

For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 , the number of stock options that were exercised were 1.2 million, 4.3 million and 5.3 million, respectively, which had a total intrinsic value at the date of exercise of $4.8 million, $42.0 million and $24.8 million, respectively, and had an aggregate exercise price of $4.6 million, $19.3 million and $22.5 million, respectively.

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The fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions:

	Year Ended
	December 31, 2010
Risk-free interest rate	2.05	%
Expected life (years)	5.54
Expected volatility	54	%
Expected dividend yield	—

No options were granted for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.

The Company's weighted-average assumptions for the year ended December 31, 2010 were determined in accordance with the accounting standard on stock-based compensation and are further discussed below.

The expected life of employee stock options represents the weighted-average period the stock options are expected to remain outstanding and was derived based on an evaluation of the Company's historical settlement trends including an evaluation of historical exercise and expected post-vesting employment-termination behavior. The expected life of employee stock options impacts all underlying assumptions used in the Company's Black-Scholes option-pricing model, including the period applicable for risk-free interest and expected volatility.

The risk-free interest rate assumption is based upon observed interest rates appropriate for the expected life of the Company's employee stock options.

The Company calculates the historic volatility over the expected life of the employee stock options and believes this to be representative of the Company's expectations about its future volatility over the expected life of the option.

The dividend yield assumption is based on the Company's history and expectation of dividend payouts.

The weighted-average estimated fair value of options granted for the year ended December 31, 2010 was $2.70.

As of December 31, 2012, total unearned compensation expense related to unvested stock options was approximately $1.6 million, excluding forfeitures, and is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.08 years.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

     Under the 1991 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“1991 ESPP”) and 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“2010 ESPP” and, together with the 1991 ESPP, the “Company’s ESPPs”), qualified employees are entitled to purchase shares of Atmel’s common stock at the lower of 85% of the fair market value of the common stock at the date of commencement of the 6 month offering period or 85% of the fair market value on the last day of the offering period. Purchases are limited to 10% of an employee’s eligible compensation. There were 0.8 million and 2.0 million shares purchased under the 1991 ESPP for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, at an average price per share of $4.85 and $3.65, respectively. There were 1.8 million and 0.7 million shares purchased under the 2010 ESPP for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 at an average price per share of $6.19 and $8.56, respectively. The 1991 ESPP was superseded by the 2010 ESPP in the three months ended March 31, 2011. Of the 25.0 million shares authorized for issuance under the 2010 ESPP, 22.5 million shares were available for issuance at December 31, 2012.

The fair value of each purchase under the Company’s ESPPs is estimated on the date of the beginning of the offering period using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The following assumptions were utilized to determine the fair value of the Company’s ESPPs shares:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
Risk-free interest rate	0.15	%	0.12	%	0.18	%
Expected life (years)	0.50		0.50		0.50
Expected volatility	51	%	46	%	45	%
Expected dividend yield	—		—		—

The weighted-average fair value purchase price per share under the Company’s ESPPs for purchase periods beginning in the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 was $1.75, $2.70 and $0.89, respectively. Cash proceeds from the issuance

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of shares under the Company’s ESPPs were $11.0 million, $9.4 million and $7.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Common Stock Repurchase Program

Atmel’s Board of Directors authorized an aggregate of $700.0 million of funding for the Company’s stock repurchase program. The repurchase program does not have an expiration date, and the number of shares repurchased and the timing of repurchases are based on the level of the Company’s cash balances, general business and market conditions, regulatory requirements, and other factors, including alternative investment opportunities. As of December 31, 2012, $127.2 million remained available for repurchasing common stock under this program.

During the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, Atmel repurchased 22.7 million, 28.8 million and 11.7 million shares, respectively, of its common stock on the open market at an average repurchase price of $7.92, $10.57 and $7.59 per share, respectively, excluding commission, and subsequently retired those shares. Common stock and additional paid-in capital were reduced by $179.6 million, $304.2 million and $89.2 million, excluding commission, for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, as a result of the stock repurchases.

Note 10 ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

Comprehensive income is defined as a change in equity of a company during a period, from transactions and other events and circumstances excluding transactions resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners. The primary difference between net income and comprehensive income for the Company arises from foreign currency translation adjustments, actuarial (loss) gain related to defined benefit pension plans and net unrealized (loss) gain on investments. The components of accumulated other comprehensive income at December 31, 2012 and 2011, net of tax, are as follows:

	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Foreign currency translation adjustments	$	11,627		$	7,725
Actuarial (loss) gain related to defined benefit pension plans	(5,066		)	1,712
Net unrealized (loss) gain on investments	(149		)	11
Total accumulated other comprehensive income	$	6,412		$	9,448

Note 11 COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Commitments

Leases

The Company leases its domestic and foreign sales offices under non-cancelable operating leases. These leases contain various expiration dates and renewal options. The Company also leases certain manufacturing equipment and software rights under operating leases. Total rental expense for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 was $25.0 million, $20.1 million and $19.7 million, respectively.

On August 30, 2011, the Company completed the sale of its former San Jose corporate headquarters and adjacent parcels of land for an aggregate sale price of $48.5 million.

On August 30, 2011, the Company entered into a ten year lease of approximately $52.6 million for its current headquarters located at 1600 Technology Drive in San Jose, California (the "Technology Drive Lease").

Aggregate non-cancelable future minimum rental payments under operating leases, including manufacturing equipment and software rights, are as follows:

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Years Ending December 31:	Operating Leases
	(In thousands)
2013	$	8,992
2014	8,990
2015	7,610
2016	7,377
2017	6,758
Thereafter	28,770
	$	68,497

Indemnification

As is customary in the Company’s industry, the Company’s standard contracts provide remedies to its customers, such as defense, settlement, or payment of judgment for intellectual property claims related to the use of the Company’s products. From time to time, the Company will indemnify customers against combinations of loss, expense, or liability arising from various trigger events related to the sale and the use of the Company’s products and services, usually up to a specified maximum amount. In addition, as permitted under state laws in the United States, the Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its officers and directors and certain employees, and the Company’s bylaws permit the indemnification of the Company’s agents. The estimated fair value of the liability is not material.

Purchase Commitments

At December 31, 2012, the Company, or its affiliates, had certain non-cancellable commitments which were not included on the consolidated balance sheets at that date. These include outstanding capital purchase commitments of approximately $13.8 million, wafer purchase commitments of approximately $27.1 million under a supply agreement with Telefunken Semiconductors International LLC ("Telefunken") and wafer purchase commitments of approximately $43.9 million under a supply agreement with LFoundry Rousset SAS ("LFoundry").

Contingencies

Legal Proceedings

The Company is party to various legal proceedings. Management currently believes that the ultimate outcome of these proceedings, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations and statement of cash flows. If an unfavorable ruling were to occur in any of the legal proceedings described below or other legal proceedings that were not deemed material as of December 31, 2012, there exists the possibility of a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows. The Company has accrued for losses related to the litigation described below that it considers probable and for which the loss can be reasonably estimated. In the event that a probable loss cannot be reasonably estimated, it has not accrued for such losses. As the Company continues to monitor these matters or other matters that were not deemed material as of December 31, 2012, its determination could change, however, and we may decide, at some future date, to establish an appropriate reserve. With respect to each of the matters below, except where noted otherwise, management has determined a potential loss is not probable at this time and, accordingly, no amount has been accrued at December 31, 2012. Management makes a determination as to when a potential loss is reasonably possible based on relevant accounting literature and then includes appropriate disclosure of the contingency. Except as otherwise noted, management does not believe that the amount of loss or a range of possible losses is reasonably estimable.

Infineon Litigation.  On April 11, 2011, Infineon Technologies A.G. and Infineon Technologies North America Corporation (collectively, “Infineon”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the Company in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. Infineon alleges that the Company is infringing 11 Infineon patents and seeks a declaration that three of the Company’s patents are either invalid or not infringed. On July 5, 2011, the Company answered Infineon’s complaint, and filed counterclaims seeking a declaration that each of the 11 asserted Infineon patents is invalid and not infringed. The Company also counterclaimed for infringement of six of the Company’s patents and breach of contract related to Infineon’s breach of a confidentiality agreement. On July 29, 2011, Infineon answered these counterclaims and sought a declaration that the Company’s patents were either invalid or not infringed. On March 13, 2012, the Company filed amended counterclaims that alleged Infineon’s infringement of four additional Atmel patents. On March 31, 2012, Infineon answered these counterclaims and sought a declaration that the Company’s newly asserted patents were either invalid or not infringed. On December 4, 2012, the Court issued its Markman ruling, in which it interpreted as a matter of law certain disputed terms in the asserted patent claims. On December 28, 2012, the Court granted the Company and Infineon's joint request to dismiss, without prejudice, four patents per side.  The trial of these claims currently is scheduled to commence in early 2014, and the Company intends to prosecute its claims and defend vigorously against Infineon's claims.

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From time to time, the Company is notified of claims that its products may infringe patents, or other intellectual property, issued to other parties. The Company periodically receives demands for indemnification from its customers with respect to intellectual property matters. The Company also periodically receives claims relating to the quality of its products, including claims for additional labor costs, costs for replacing defective parts, reimbursement to customers for damages incurred in correcting defective products, costs for product recalls or other damages. Receipt of these claims and requests occurs in the ordinary course of the Company’s business, and the Company responds based on the specific circumstances of each event. The Company undertakes an accrual for losses relating to those types of claims when it considers those losses “probable” and when a reasonable estimate of loss can be determined.

Other Contingencies

In October 2008, officials of the European Union Commission (the “Commission”) conducted an inspection at the offices of one of the Company’s French subsidiaries. The Company was informed that the Commission was seeking evidence of potential violations by Atmel or its subsidiaries of the European Union’s competition laws in connection with the Commission’s investigation of suppliers of integrated circuits for smart cards. On September 21, 2009 and October 27, 2009, the Commission requested additional information from the Company, and the Company responded to the Commission’s requests. The Company continues to cooperate with the Commission’s investigation and has not received any specific findings, monetary demand or judgment through the date of filing this Form 10-K. As a result, the Company has not recorded any provision in its financial statements related to this matter.

Product Warranties

The Company accrues for warranty costs based on historical trends of product failure rates and the expected material and labor costs to provide warranty services. The Company’s products are generally covered by a warranty typically ranging from 30 days to three years.

The following table summarizes the activity related to the product warranty liability for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Balance at beginning of period	$	5,746		$	4,019		$	4,225
Accrual for warranties during the period, net of change in estimate	3,672			7,383			3,779
Actual costs incurred	(4,586		)	(5,656		)	(3,985		)
Balance at end of period	$	4,832		$	5,746		$	4,019

Product warranty liability is included in accrued and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

Guarantees

During the ordinary course of business, the Company provides standby letters of credit or other guarantee instruments to certain parties as required for certain transactions initiated by either the Company or its subsidiaries. The Company has not recorded any liability in connection with these guarantee arrangements. Based on historical experience and information currently available, the Company believes it will not be required to make any payments under these guarantee arrangements.

Note 12 INCOME TAXES

The components of income before income taxes were as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
U.S.	$	(19,956	)	$	125,905	$	102,590
Foreign	62,194			255,285		13,762
Income before income taxes	$	42,238		$	381,190	$	116,352

The provision for (benefit from) income taxes consists of the following:

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		Years Ended
		December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
		(In thousands)
Federal	Current	$	10,378		$	2,454		$	(142,191	)
	Deferred	4,501			5,982			(88,291		)
State	Current	(5		)	172			58
	Deferred	(494		)	(2,064		)	(20,041		)
Foreign	Current	3,757			18,979			8,495
	Deferred	(6,344		)	40,677			(64,753		)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		$	11,793		$	66,200		$	(306,723	)

The Company's effective tax rate differs from the U.S. Federal statutory income tax rate as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
U.S. Federal statutory income tax rate	35.00	%	35.00	%	35.00	%
State tax	(0.23	)	0.22		0.65
Effect of foreign operations	(2.55	)	(15.52	)	(40.37	)
Recognition of tax credits	(10.04	)	(2.95	)	(56.22	)
Net operating loss and future deductions not currently benefited	—		—		27.82
Change of valuation allowance	1.04		(0.09	)	(100.33	)
Audit settlements and IRS refunds	—		0.20		(129.42	)
Other, net (1)	4.70		0.51		(0.75	)
Effective tax provision rate	27.92	%	17.37	%	(263.62	)%

_________________________________________

(1) Included in Other, net, are adjustments related to return to provision true-up, unrecognized tax benefit ("UTB"), withholding taxes and non-deductible stock compensation.

For the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, the significant components of the tax provision were from operations in jurisdictions with operating profits. The Company's effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 was lower than the statutory federal income tax rate of 35%, primarily due to income recognized in lower tax rate jurisdictions and the recognition of foreign R&D credits.

For the year ended December 31, 2010, the significant components of the tax benefit were the favorable settlement of the IRS tax audit, the release of valuation allowances attributable to deferred tax assets, and the recognition of certain U.S. foreign tax credits and foreign R&D credits.

Deferred income taxes

The tax effects of temporary differences that constitute significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are presented below:

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	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Deferred income tax assets:
Net operating losses	$	53,500		$	33,324
Research and development, foreign tax and other tax credits	55,051			45,327
Accrued liabilities	31,519			33,124
Fixed assets	42,711			42,501
Intangible assets	8,331			12,356
Deferred income	5,007			8,391
Stock-based compensation	9,084			6,830
Unrealized foreign exchange translation	4,801			4,651
Other	4,878			4,832
Total deferred income tax assets	214,882			191,336
Deferred income tax liabilities:
Fixed assets	(55		)	(57		)
Deferred income	(846		)	(693		)
Unremitted earnings of foreign subsidiaries	(2,548		)	(5,075		)
Foreign losses subject to recapture	(14,837		)	(15,170		)
Other	(267		)	—
Total deferred tax liabilities	(18,553		)	(20,995		)
Less valuation allowance	(41,271		)	(38,742		)
Net deferred income tax assets	$	155,058		$	131,599
Reported as:
Current deferred tax assets(1)	$	53,105		$	10,239
Current deferred tax liabilities(2)	(304		)	—
Non-current deferred tax assets(3)	102,315			121,417
Non-current deferred tax liabilities(4)	(58		)	(57		)
Net deferred income tax assets	$	155,058		$	131,599

_________________________________________

(1) Included within Prepaids and other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets and short-term tax attributes.

(2) Included within Accrued and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

(3) Included within Other assets on the consolidated balance sheets and long-term tax attributes.

(4) Included within Other long-term liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

Similar to the Company's position during the fourth quarter of 2011, it concluded that it was more likely than not that it would be able to realize the benefit of a significant portion of its deferred tax assets in the future, except certain assets related to state and some foreign net operating losses and state tax credits, including R&D credit carry forwards. As a result, the Company continues to provide a full valuation allowance on the deferred tax assets relating to those items for year ended December 31, 2012.

As a result of certain realization requirements of the accounting standard for stock-based compensation, the table of deferred tax assets and liabilities shown above does not include deferred tax assets that arose directly from tax deductions related to equity compensation in excess of compensation recognized for financial reporting. The Company uses the "with and without" method to determine the order in which tax attributes are utilized. The Company only recognizes excess tax benefits from stock-based awards in additional paid-in capital if an incremental tax benefit is realized from a reduction in taxes payable, after all other tax attributes currently available to the Company have been utilized. In addition, the Company accounts for the indirect effects of stock-based awards on other tax attributes, such as research tax credits, through the consolidated statements of operations. The tax benefit realized from stock options exercised during 2012 was $1.3 million.

As of December 31, 2012, income taxes were provided on the undistributed earnings in Atmel Automotive, Atmel Rousset, Atmel Nantes, Atmel BV, Atmel Switzerland, and Atmel SARL. In determining the tax liability, the Company has accounted for potential gross-up of foreign taxes and expected foreign tax credits determined on the basis of U.S. tax rules governing earnings and profits computations in these jurisdictions. The Company continues to assert indefinite re-investment with respect to the earnings and profits of its other foreign subsidiaries (other than earnings subject to current U.S. tax under subpart F or Section 956 of the Internal Revenue Code) amounting to approximately $389.6 million as it is currently the Company's intention to reinvest these

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earnings indefinitely in operations outside the U.S. The Company estimates that its U.S. cash needs will be met from its prospective business operations and it will not need to repatriate cash (earnings) from its foreign jurisdictions to the US.

The Company's tax attribute carry forwards as of December 31, 2012 consist of the following:

Tax Attribute	December 31, 2012		Nature of Expiration
	(In thousands)
Foreign net operating loss carry forwards	$	164,491	beginning of 2013
State net operating loss carry forwards	502,349		2013-2032
Federal R&D credits, net of those related to stock option deductions	5,126		beginning of 2020
Federal R&D credits related to stock option deductions	29,314		beginning of 2020
State R&D credits	14,817		indefinite
Foreign tax credits	43,973		beginning of 2020
State investment tax credits	8,255		beginning of 2013
Foreign R&D credits	32,203		refundable

The Company believes it may not be able to utilize portions of the net operating loss carry forwards in non-U.S. jurisdictions before they expire, starting in 2013.

Unrecognized tax benefits

The Company recognizes uncertain tax positions only to the extent that management believes that it is more-likely-than-not that the position will be sustained. The reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of gross UTB is as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Balance at January 1	$	67,967		$	63,593		$	182,552
Tax Positions Related to Current Year:
Additions	10,270			8,794			35,810
Tax Positions Related to Prior Years:
Additions	793			—			—
Reductions	(1,877		)	(568		)	(34		)
Lapse of Statute of Limitation	(4,314		)	(1,672		)	(2,239		)
Settlements	(147		)	(2,180		)	(152,496		)
Balance at December 31	$	72,692		$	67,967		$	63,593

Included in the UTBs at December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, are $27.2 million, $25.2 million and $24.7 million, respectively, of tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate. Also included in the balance of unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, are $45.5 million, $42.8 million and $38.9 million, respectively, of tax benefits that, if recognized, would result in adjustments to other tax accounts, primarily deferred tax assets.

The table above includes unrecognized tax benefits associated with the refundable foreign R&D credits, including additions due to positions taken in the current year and reductions for the completion of income tax audits or expiration of the related statute of limitations.

Increases or decreases in unrecognizable tax benefits could occur over the next twelve months due to tax law changes, unrecognized tax benefits established in the normal course of business, or the conclusion of ongoing tax audits in various jurisdictions around the world. The Company believes that before December 31, 2013, it is reasonably possible that either certain audits will conclude or the statutes of limitations relating to certain income tax examination periods will expire, or both. As such, after the Company reaches settlement with the tax authorities, the Company expects to record a corresponding adjustment to its unrecognized tax benefits. Given the uncertainty as to settlement terms, the timing of payments and the impact of such settlements on other uncertain tax positions, the range of estimated potential decreases in underlying uncertain tax positions is between $0 and $10.0 million in the next twelve months.

The calculation of unrecognized tax benefits involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex global tax regulations. The Company regularly assesses its tax positions in light of legislative, bilateral tax treaty, regulatory and judicial developments in the countries in which the Company does business.

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Income tax audits

The Company files U.S., state, and foreign income tax returns in jurisdictions with varying statutes of limitations. The 2001 through 2012 tax years generally remain subject to examination by federal and most state tax authorities. For significant foreign jurisdictions, the 2001 through 2012 tax years generally remain subject to examination by their respective tax authorities.

Currently, the Company has tax audits in progress in various other foreign jurisdictions. To the extent the final tax liabilities are different from the amounts originally accrued, the increases or decreases are recorded as income tax expense or benefit in the consolidated statements of operations. While the Company believes that the resolution of these audits will not have a material adverse impact on the Company's results of operations, the outcome is subject to uncertainty.

The Company's policy is to recognize interest and/or penalties related to income tax matters in its income tax provision. In the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, the Company recognized expense (credits) related to interest and penalties in the consolidated statements of operations of $0.4 million, $0.5 million and $(45.8) million, respectively. The total amount of interest and penalties accrued on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 was $1.8 million and $1.4 million, respectively.

Note 13 PENSION PLANS

The Company sponsors defined benefit pension plans that cover substantially all of its French and German employees. Plan benefits are provided in accordance with local statutory requirements. Benefits are based on years of service and employee compensation levels. The plans are unfunded. Pension liabilities and charges are based upon various assumptions, updated annually, including discount rates, future salary increases, employee turnover, and mortality rates.

The Company’s French pension plan provides for termination benefits paid to covered French employees only at retirement, and consists of approximately one to five months of salary. The Company’s German pension plan provides for defined benefit payouts for covered German employees following retirement.

The aggregate net pension expense relating to these two plans are as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Service costs	$	1,290		$	1,289		$	1,577
Interest cost	1,447			1,326			1,568
Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss	(55		)	67			(49		)
Settlement and other related (gains) losses	(12		)	(726		)	1,149
Net pension period cost	$	2,670		$	1,956		$	4,245

Settlement and other related gains for the years ended December 31, 2012 were insignificant. Settlement and and other related gains of $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 related to restructuring activity in the Company’s Rousset, France operations initiated in the second quarter of 2010. Settlement and other related losses of $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 consisted of $0.9 million related to the sale of the Company’s manufacturing operations in Rousset, France which was recorded as a charge to cost of revenue and $0.2 million related to the Company’s sale of its Secure Microcontroller Solutions business which was recorded as a charge to research and development expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

The change in projected benefit obligation during the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the accumulated benefit obligation at December 31, 2012 and 2011, were as follows:

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	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Projected benefit obligation at beginning of the year	$	29,751		$	26,898
Service costs	1,290			1,289
Interest costs	1,447			1,326
Transfer of obligation upon sale	—			(91		)
Settlement	(12		)	(726		)
Amendments and plan transfers	—			422
Actuarial loss	9,196			199
Benefits paid	(360		)	(182		)
Foreign currency exchange rate changes	(691		)	616
Projected benefit obligation at end of the year	$	40,621		$	29,751
Accumulated benefit obligation at end of the year	$	34,216		$	24,069

As the defined benefit plans are unfunded, the liability recognized on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2012 was $40.6 million, of which $0.5 million is included in accrued and other liabilities and $40.1 million million is included in other long-term liabilities. The liability recognized on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2011 was $29.8 million, of which $0.5 million is included in accrued and other liabilities and $29.3 million is included in other long-term liabilities.

Actuarial assumptions used to determine benefit obligations for the plans were as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012	December 31, 2011	December 31, 2010
Assumed discount rate	2.7-3.9%	4.6-5.3%	4.7-5.0%
Assumed compensation rate of increase	2.4-3.0%	2.5-3.0%	2.1-4.0%

The discount rate is based on the quarterly average yield for Euros treasuries with a duration of 30 years, plus a supplement for corporate bonds (Euros, AA rating).

Future estimated expected benefit payments over the next 10 years are as follows:

Years Ending December 31:
	(In thousands)
2013	$	544
2014	535
2015	596
2016	1,143
2017	1,003
2018 through 2022	9,465
	$	13,286

The Company’s pension liability represents the present value of estimated future benefits to be paid.

With respect to the Company’s unfunded pension plans in Europe, for the year ended December 31, 2012, a change in assumed discount rate and compensation rate used to calculate the present value of pension obligation resulted in an increase in pension liability of $6.8 million, which was charged to accumulated other comprehensive income in stockholders’ equity.

The Company’s net pension period cost for 2013 is expected to be approximately $3.4 million. Cash funding for benefits paid was $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2012. The Company expects total contribution to these plans to be approximately $0.5 million in 2013.

Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income consist of net actuarial loss of $5.1 million and an actuarial gain of $1.7 million at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Net actuarial gains expected to be minimal and will be

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recognized as a component of net periodic pension benefit cost during 2013, which is included in accumulated other comprehensive income in the consolidated statement of shareholders’ equity and comprehensive income as of December 31, 2012.

Note 14 OPERATING AND GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTS

The Company designs, develops, manufactures and sells semiconductor integrated circuit products. The Company’s segments represent management’s view of the Company’s businesses and how it allocates Company resources and measures performance of its major components. Each segment consists of product families with similar requirements for design, development and marketing. Each segment requires different design, development and marketing resources to produce and sell products. Atmel’s four operating and reportable segments are as follows:

• Microcontrollers. This segment includes Atmel's capacitive touch products, including maXTouch and QTouch, AVR 8-bit and 32-bit products, ARM based products, Atmel's 8051 8-bit products, and designated commercial wireless products, including low power radio and SOC products that meet Zigbee and Wi-Fi specifications. XSense related products are also included as part of this segment.

• Nonvolatile Memories. This segment includes serial interface electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (“SEEPROM”), electrically erasable programmable read-only ("EEPROM") and erasable programmable read-only memory (“EPROM”) devices. This segment also includes products with military and aerospace applications. In the third quarter of 2012, the Company sold its serial flash product line.

• Radio Frequency (“RF”) and Automotive. This segment includes automotive electronics, wireless and wired devices for industrial, consumer and automotive applications and foundry services.

• Application Specific Integrated Circuit (“ASIC”). This segment includes custom application specific integrated circuits designed to meet specialized single‑customer requirements for their high performance devices, including products that provide hardware security for embedded digital systems, products with military and aerospace applications and application specific standard products for space applications, power management and secure cryptographic memory products.

The Company evaluates segment performance based on revenue and income or loss from operations excluding acquisition-related charges, restructuring charges, asset impairment charges, impairment on receivables from foundry supplier, credit from reserved grant income and gain on sale of assets. Interest and other (expense) income, net, foreign exchange gains and losses and income taxes are not measured by operating segment. Because the Company’s segments reflect the manner in which management reviews its business, they necessarily involve subjective judgments that management believes are reasonable in light of the circumstances under which they are made. These judgments may change over time or may be modified to reflect new facts or circumstances. Segments may also be changed or modified to reflect products, technologies or applications that are newly created, or that change over time, or other business conditions that evolve, each of which may result in reassessing specific segments and the elements included within each of those segments.

Segments are defined by the products they design and sell. They do not make sales to each other. The Company’s net revenue and segment income (loss) from operations for each reportable segment for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 are as follows:

Information about Reportable Segments

	Micro- Controllers		Nonvolatile Memories		RF and Automotive			ASIC		Total
	(In thousands)
Year ended December 31, 2012
Net revenue from external customers	$	892,839	$	170,736	$	174,237		$	194,298	$	1,432,110
Segment income (loss) from operations	22,994		21,057		(12,004		)	42,496		$	74,543
Year ended December 31, 2011
Net revenue from external customers	$	1,113,579	$	255,683	$	202,013		$	231,778	$	1,803,053
Segment income from operations	235,478		55,721		16,962			64,009		$	372,170
Year ended December 31, 2010
Net revenue from external customers	892,301		277,179		188,090			286,490		$	1,644,060
Segment income from operations	$	158,888	$	39,839	$	14,341		$	13,008	$	226,076

The Company's primary products are semiconductor integrated circuits, which it has concluded constitutes a group of similar products. Therefore, it is impracticable to differentiate the revenues from external customers for each product sold. The Company does not allocate assets by segment, as management does not use asset information to measure or evaluate a segment’s performance.

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Reconciliation of Segment Information to Consolidated Statements of Operations

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Total segment income from operations	$	74,543		$	372,170		$	226,076
Unallocated amounts:
Acquisition-related charges	(7,388		)	(5,408		)	(1,600		)
Restructuring charges	(23,986		)	(20,064		)	(5,253		)
Impairment of receivables due from foundry supplier	(6,495		)	—			—
Asset Impairment Charges	—			—			(11,922		)
Credit from reserved grant income	10,689			—			—
Gain (loss) on sale of assets	—			35,310			(99,767		)
Consolidated income from operations	$	47,363		$	382,008		$	107,534

Geographic sources of revenue were as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
United States	$	189,699	$	249,887	$	260,091
Germany	175,930		237,777		207,305
France	28,343		31,231		55,107
Japan	51,141		57,376		46,671
China, including Hong Kong	451,642		531,561		489,480
Singapore	41,637		42,982		42,819
South Korea	178,547		223,967		143,213
Taiwan	67,806		135,650		115,559
Rest of Asia-Pacific	72,128		71,048		70,958
Rest of Europe	149,104		193,558		177,274
Rest of the World	26,133		28,016		35,583
Total net revenue	$	1,432,110	$	1,803,053	$	1,644,060

Net revenue is attributed to regions based on ship-to locations.

The Company had two customers that accounted for 12% and 10%, respectively, of net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2012. No single customer accounted for more than 10% of net revenue in any of the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010. Two distributors accounted for 14% and 12% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2012 and one customer accounted for 10% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2012. Two distributors accounted for 15% and 14%, respectively, of accounts receivable at December 31, 2011.

Physical locations of tangible long-lived assets as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 were as follows:

84

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
United States	$	85,044	$	81,777
Philippines	61,594		71,332
Germany	17,602		20,681
France	28,000		30,277
Rest of Asia-Pacific	38,842		59,906
Rest of Europe	9,547		10,534
Total	$	240,629	$	274,507

Excluded from the table above are auction-rate securities of $1.1 million and $2.3 million at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, which are included in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets. Also excluded from the table above as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 are goodwill of $104.4 million and $67.7 million, respectively, intangible assets, net of $27.3 million and $20.6 million, respectively, and deferred income tax assets of $102.3 million and $121.4 million, respectively. 

Note 15 SALE OF ASSETS

(Gain) Loss on Sale of Assets

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
San Jose Corporate Headquarters	$	(33,428	)	$	—
Secure Microcontroller Solutions	—			5,715
Rousset, France	—			94,052
Dream, France	(1,882		)	—
Total (gain) loss on sale of assets	$	(35,310	)	$	99,767

Serial Flash Product Line

On September 28, 2012, the Company completed the sale of its serial flash product line. Under the terms of the sale agreement, the Company transferred assets to the buyer, who assumed certain liabilities, in return for cash consideration of $25.0 million. As part of the sale transactions, the Company has also granted the buyer an exclusive option to purchase the Company's remaining $7.0 million of serial flash inventory, of which the buyer has purchased $1.9 million as of December 31, 2012. The Company has, therefore, classified the remaining $5.1 million of serial flash inventory as assets held-for-sale, which are presented as part of other current assets on the Company's consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2012. The Company has recorded a deferred gain of $4.4 million, which is presented as part of accrued liabilities on the Company's consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2012.

Sale of Former San Jose Corporate Headquarters

On August 30, 2011, the Company completed the sale of its former San Jose corporate headquarters and adjacent parcels of land for an aggregate sale price of $48.5 million. The net book value of the properties sold was approximately $12.3 million on the closing date and the Company recorded a gain of $33.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2011, which is summarized below:

	(In thousands)
Sales price	$	(48,500	)
Net book value of assets transferred	12,262
Transaction related costs	2,810
Gain on sale of assets	$	(33,428	)

85

DREAM

On February 15, 2011, the Company sold its DREAM business, including its French subsidiary, Digital Research in Electronics, Acoustics and Music SAS (DREAM), which sold custom-designed ASIC chips for karaoke and other entertainment machines, for $2.3 million. The Company recorded a gain of $1.9 million, which is reflected in gain on sale of assets in the consolidated statements of operations.

Secure Microcontroller Solutions

On September 30, 2010, the Company completed the sale of its SMS business to INSIDE Contactless S.A. ("INSIDE"). Under the terms of the sale agreement, the Company transferred certain assets and employee liabilities to INSIDE in return for cash consideration of $37.0 million, subject to a working capital adjustment. Cash proceeds of $5.0 million were deposited in escrow by INSIDE to secure the payment of potential post-sale losses and was subsequently released to the Company during the first half of 2012.The Company also entered into other ancillary agreements, including technology licensing and transition services for certain supply arrangements, testing, and engineering services. The Company recorded a loss on sale of $5.7 million, which is summarized below:

	(In thousands)
Sales consideration	$	(37,000	)
Net assets transferred, including working capital	32,420
Release of currency translation adjustment	2,412
Selling costs	3,882
Other related costs	4,001
Loss on sale of assets	$	5,715

In connection with the sale, the Company transferred net assets totaling $32.4 million to INSIDE.

The Company's subsidiary, Atmel Smart Card ICs Limited, which owned the Company's East Kilbride, UK facility, was included in the assets transferred to INSIDE, resulting in the complete liquidation of the Company's investment in this foreign entity and, as a result, the Company recorded a charge of $2.4 million as a component of loss on sale related to the currency translation adjustment balance that was previously recorded within stockholders' equity.

As part of the SMS sale, the Company incurred direct and incremental selling costs of $3.9 million, which represented broker commissions and legal fees. The Company also incurred a transfer fee of $1.3 million related to transferring a royalty agreement to INSIDE. These costs provided no benefit to the Company, and would not have been incurred if the Company were not selling the SMS business unit. Therefore, the direct and incremental costs associated with these services were recorded as part of the loss on sale. Atmel incurred other costs related to the sale of $2.7 million, which included performance based bonuses of $0.5 million for certain employees (no executive officers were included), related to the completion of the sale.

In connection with the SMS sale, Atmel and INSIDE entered into an escrow agreement, under which $5.0 million of the sales price was deposited into escrow for a period of twenty months from the date of sale to secure potential losses. Upon termination of the escrow period, the escrow, less any validated and paid or outstanding claims for losses, will be released to Atmel. The escrow amount is not considered contingent consideration and, therefore, is included in the loss on sale recognized for the year ended December 31, 2010. The full amount of the escrow was released in the first half of 2012.

INSIDE entered into a three year supply agreement to source wafers from the fabrication facility in Rousset, France that the Company sold to LFoundry in the second quarter of 2010. Wafers purchased by INSIDE from LFoundry's affiliate, LFoundry Rousset, will reduce the Company's future commitment under its manufacturing services agreement with LFoundry Rousset.

The SMS sale also provides INSIDE a royalty based, non-exclusive license to certain business related intellectual property in order to support the current SMS business and future product development.

In connection with the SMS sale, the Company participated in INSIDE's preferred stock offering and invested $3.9 million in INSIDE. This represented an approximate 3% ownership interest in INSIDE at the time of the investment. This equity investment does not provide the Company with any decision making rights that are significant to the economic performance of INSIDE and the Company is shielded from economic losses and do not participate fully in INSIDE's residual economics. INSIDE susbsequently went public during 2012 and the Company has classified this as an equity investment included as part of short term investments on the balance sheet.

The sale of the SMS business unit did not qualify as discontinued operations as it did not meet the requirement to be considered a component of an entity.

Rousset, France

On June 23, 2010, the Company closed the sale of its manufacturing operations in Rousset, France to LFoundry. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company transferred manufacturing assets and related liabilities valued at $61.6 million to the

86

buyer in return for nominal cash consideration. In connection with the sale, the Company entered into certain other ancillary agreements, including a Manufacturing Services Agreement ("MSA") under which a subsidiary of the Company agreed to purchase wafers for four years following the closing on a "take-or-pay" basis. Upon closing of this transaction, the Company recorded a loss on sale of $94.1 million, which is summarized in the following table:

	(In thousands)
Net assets transferred	$	61,646
Fair value of Manufacturing Services Agreement	92,417
Currency translation adjustment	(97,367		)
Severance cost liability	27,840
Transition services	4,746
Selling costs	3,173
Other related costs	1,597
Loss on Sale of Assets	$	94,052

As future and historical wafer purchases under the MSA were negotiated at pricing above their fair value, an affiliate of the Company recorded a liability in conjunction with the sale, representing the present value of the unfavorable purchase commitment. To determine the liability, current market prices for wafers from unaffiliated, well-known third party foundries were obtained, taking into consideration minimum volume requirements as specified in the contract, process technology, industry pricing trends and other factors. The difference between the contract prices and the market prices over the term of the agreement totaled $103.7 million as of June 30, 2010. The present value of this liability totaled $92.4 million (discount rate of 7%) and is included in loss on sale of assets in the consolidated statements of operations. The discount rate was determined based on publicly-traded debt for companies comparable to the Company. The present value of the liability is reduced over the term of the MSA as the wafers are purchased and the present value discount of $11.2 million is being recognized as interest expense over the same term. The MSA liability was reduced by $34.5 million, $31.9 million and $14.9 million for wafers purchased in the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.  The amount for the year ended December 31, 2012 included $3.3 million related to the impact of modification of the agreement in the second quarter 2012. The Company recorded $2.3 million, $4.5 million and $2.9 million in interest expense relating to the MSA in the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

The sale of the Rousset, France manufacturing operations resulted in the substantial liquidation of the Company's investment in its European manufacturing facilities, and accordingly, the Company recorded a gain of $97.4 million related to currency translation adjustments that was previously recorded within stockholders' equity, as the Company concluded, based on guidance related to foreign currency, that it should similarly release all remaining related currency translation adjustments.

As part of the sale, the Company agreed to reimburse LFoundry for specified severance costs expected to be incurred subsequent to the sale. The Company entered into an escrow agreement in which the Company agreed to remit funds to LFoundry for the required benefits and payments to those employees who are determined to be part of the approved departure plan. The Company recorded a liability of $27.8 million as a component of the loss on sale. This amount was paid to the escrow account in the first quarter of 2011.

As part of the sale of the manufacturing operations, the Company incurred $4.7 million in software/hardware and consulting costs to set up a separate, independent IT infrastructure for LFoundry. These costs were incurred to facilitate, and as a condition of, the sale to LFoundry; the IT infrastructure provided no benefit to the Company and the costs related to those efforts would not have been incurred if the Company were not selling the manufacturing operations. Therefore, the direct and incremental consulting costs associated with these services were recorded as part of the loss on sale. The Company also incurred $1.6 million of other costs related to the sale, including performance-based bonuses of $0.5 million for non-executive Company employees responsible for assisting in the completion of the sale to LFoundry.

The Company also incurred direct and incremental consulting costs of $3.2 million, which represented broker commissions and legal fees associated with the sale to LFoundry.

The Company has retained a single share ownership interest in the entity that acquired the manufacturing operations (the "entity") sold to LFoundry. This minority equity interest provides limited protective rights to the Company, but no decision-making rights that are significant to the economic performance of the entity. The Company is an equity holder that is shielded from economic losses and does not participate in the entity's residual economics; accordingly, the Company has concluded that its interest in the entity is an interest in a VIE. In determining whether the Company is the primary beneficiary of LFoundry, it identified LFoundry's significant activities and the parties that have the power to direct them, determined LFoundry's equity, profit and loss participation, and reviewed LFoundry's funding and operating agreements. Based on the above factors, the Company determined that it is not the primary beneficiary of LFoundry and hence does not consolidate LFoundry in its financial statements. The Company's maximum exposure related to LFoundry is not expected to be significantly in excess of the amounts recorded and it does not intend to provide any other support to LFoundry, financial or otherwise.

87

Asset Impairment Charges

The Company assesses the recoverability of long-lived assets with finite useful lives whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the Company may not be able to recover the asset's carrying amount. The Company measures the amount of impairment of such long-lived assets by the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds the fair market value of the asset, which is generally determined based on projected discounted future cash flows or appraised values. The Company classifies long-lived assets to be disposed of other than by sale as held and used until they are disposed, including assets not available for immediate sale in their present condition. The Company reports assets to be disposed of by sale as held for sale and recognizes those assets and liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets at the lower of carrying amount or fair value, less cost to sell. Assets classified as held for sale are not depreciated.

Property and equipment previously included in the disposal group and reclassified to held and used in December 2009 totaled $110.4 million. In connection with this reclassification, the Company assessed the fair value of the property and the equipment to be retained and concluded that the fair value of the property was lower than its carrying value less depreciation expense that would have been recognized had the asset (disposal group) been continuously classified as held and used. As a result, the Company recorded an impairment charge in 2009. For the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company determined that certain assets should instead remain with the Company. As a result, the Company reclassified property and equipment to held and used in the quarter ended June 30, 2010. In connection with this reclassification, the Company assessed the fair value of these assets to be retained and concluded that the fair value of the assets was lower than its carrying value less depreciation expense that would have been recognized had the assets been continuously classified as held and used. As a result, the Company recorded additional asset impairment charges of $11.9 million in the second quarter of 2010.

Note 16 RESTRUCTURING CHARGES

The following table summarizes the activity related to the accrual for restructuring charges detailed by event for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

	Q3'08			Q2'10			Q2'12			Q4'12			Total 2012 Activity
	(In thousands)
January 1, 2012	$	301		$	1,846		$	—		$	—		$	2,147
Charges - Employee termination costs, net of change in estimate	—			924			11,724			10,843			23,491
Charges - Other	—			—			—			495			495
Payments - Employee termination costs	(301		)	(1,902		)	(4,486		)	(2,973		)	(9,662		)
Foreign exchange (gain) loss	—			(429		)	180			—			(249		)
December 31, 2012	$	—		$	439		$	7,418		$	8,365		$	16,222

	Q3'02			Q2'08			Q3'08			Q1'09			Q2'10			Total 2011 Activity
	(In thousands)
January 1, 2011	$	1,592		$	3		$	460		$	136		$	1,286		$	3,477
Charges (credits) - Employee termination costs, net of change in estimate	—			(3		)	—			—			21,659			21,656
Credit - Other	(1,592		)	—			—			—			—			(1,592		)
Payments - Employee termination costs	—			—			—			—			(21,461		)	(21,461		)
Payments - Other	—			—			—			(136		)	—			(136		)
Currency Translation Adjustment	—			—			15			—			1,165			1,180
Foreign exchange gain	—			—			(174		)	—			(803		)	(977		)
December 31, 2011	$	—		$	—		$	301		$	—		$	1,846		$	2,147

88

	Q3'02		Q2'08			Q3'08			Q1'09			Q2'10			Total 2010 Activity
	(In thousands)
January 1, 2010	$	1,592	$	4		$	557		$	318		$	—		$	2,471
Charges - Employee termination costs, net of change in estimate	—		—			—			986			4,267			5,253
Payments - Employee termination costs	—		—			(44		)	(954		)	(2,965		)	(3,963		)
Payments - Other	—		—			—			(182		)	—			(182		)
Currency Translation Adjustment	—		(1		)	(53		)	(32		)	(16		)	(102		)
December 31, 2010	$	1,592	$	3		$	460		$	136		$	1,286		$	3,477

2012 Restructuring Charges

For the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $23.5 million related to workforce reductions. The Company also recorded restructuring charges of $0.5 million related to the termination of leases that were no longer required after we reduced our workforce. Employee severance costs were recorded in accordance with the accounting standard related to costs associated with exit or disposal activities. The Company paid $9.7 million related to employee termination costs for the year ended December 31, 2012. The Company expects to pay the remaining amount accrued over the course of the next twelve months.

2011 Restructuring Charges

For the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company implemented cost reduction actions, primarily targeting a reduction of labor costs. The Company incurred restructuring charges of $21.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 related to severance costs resulting from involuntary termination of employees. Employee severance costs were recorded in accordance with the accounting standard related to costs associated with exit or disposal activities. The Company recorded a restructuring credit of $1.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 related to resolution of a litigation matter. The Company paid $21.5 million related to employee termination costs for the year ended December 31, 2011.

2010 Restructuring Charges

For the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company incurred restructuring charges of $5.3 million related to severance costs resulting from involuntary termination of employees. Employee severance costs were recorded in accordance with the accounting standard related to costs associated with exit or disposal activities. The Company paid $4.0 million related to employee termination costs for the year ended December 31, 2010. The Company expects to pay the remaining amount over the course of the next twelve months.

Note 17 LOSS FROM EUROPEAN FOUNDRY ARRANGEMENTS

In December 2009, a subsidiary entered into a take-or-pay agreement to purchase wafers from a European foundry that had acquired one of its former European manufacturing operations. In connection with the anticipated expiration of this agreement, the Company has notified customers, in the fourth quarter of 2012, of its end-of-life process and requested that customers provide to the Company last-time-buy orders. To the extent that the Company believes it has excess wafers that remain after satisfying anticipated customer demand, the Company estimated a probable loss for those excess wafers, which was approximately $10.6 million. The Company, therefore, recorded a charge in that amount to cost of revenue in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2012.

In June 2010, in connection with the sale of one of the Company's former European manufacturing operations, the Company leased facilities to the acquirer of those operations and have charged that acquirer rent and other occupancy costs. In the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company recorded a loss of $6.5 million on receivables from that tenant based on financial and other circumstances affecting the collectibility of those receivables, which is reflected under the caption of impairment of receivables from foundry supplier in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2012.

Note 18 NET INCOME PER SHARE

Basic net income per share is calculated by using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during that period. Diluted net income per share is calculated giving effect to all dilutive potential common shares that were outstanding during the period. Dilutive potential common shares consist of incremental common shares issuable upon exercise of stock options and vesting of restricted stock units for all periods and accrued issuance of shares under employee stock purchase plans.

89

A reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of basic and diluted net income per share is as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(In thousands, except per share data)
Net income	$	30,445	$	314,990	$	423,075
Weighted-average shares - basic	433,017		455,629		458,482
Dilutive effect of incremental shares and share equivalents	4,565		7,044		11,098
Weighted-average shares - diluted	437,582		462,673		469,580
Net income per share:
Basic
Net income per share - basic	$	0.07	$	0.69	$	0.92
Diluted
Net income per share - diluted	$	0.07	$	0.68	$	0.90

The following table summarizes securities which were not included in the “Weighted-average shares — diluted” used for calculation of diluted net income per share, as their effect would have been anti-dilutive:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012	December 31, 2011	December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Employee stock options and restricted stock units outstanding	4,718	1,977	2,095

Note 19 INTEREST AND OTHER (EXPENSE) INCOME, NET

Interest and other (expense) income, net, are summarized in the following table:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Interest and other (expense) income	$	(1,358	)	$	177		$	3,154
Interest expense	(4,130		)	(7,028		)	(7,535		)
Foreign exchange transaction gains	363			6,033			13,199
Total	$	(5,125	)	$	(818	)	$	8,818

90

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders

Atmel Corporation:

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Atmel Corporation and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2012, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders' equity, and cash flows for the year then ended. In connection with our audit of the consolidated financial statements, we also have audited the financial statement schedule of valuation and qualifying accounts as set forth under Item 15(a)(2). We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company's management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements, financial statement schedule, and an opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit of the consolidated financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Atmel Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2012, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for the year then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein. Also in our opinion, Atmel Corporation maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Santa Clara, California

February 26, 2013

91

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Stockholders of Atmel Corporation:

In our opinion, the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2011 and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders' equity and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2011 present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Atmel Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company") at December 31, 2011, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2011, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. In addition, in our opinion, the financial statement schedule listed in the index appearing under Item 15(a)(2) for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2011 presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein when read in conjunction with the related consolidated financial statements. These financial statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial statement schedule based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

San Jose, California

February 28, 2012

92

Schedule II

ATMEL CORPORATION

VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS

For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010

	Balance at Beginning of Year		Changes to Expense				Deductions‑ Write-offs			Balance at End of Year
	(In thousands)
Allowance for doubtful accounts receivable:
Year ended December 31, 2012	$	11,833	$	(18	)		$	(810	)	$	11,005
Year ended December 31, 2011	$	11,847	$	(14	)		$	—		$	11,833
Year ended December 31, 2010	$	11,930	$	(76	)		$	(7	)	$	11,847
Valuation/Allowance for deferred tax assets:
Year ended December 31, 2012	$	38,742	$	2,935			$	(406	)	$	41,271
Year ended December 31, 2011	$	85,755	$	(47,013	)		$	—		$	38,742
Year ended December 31, 2010	$	197,407	$	(111,652	)	(1)	$	—		$	85,755

(1) Includes a tax benefit of $116.7 million attributable to the release of valuation allowances, as disclosed in Note 12 of the consolidated financial statements.

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UNAUDITED QUARTERLY FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The following tables set forth a summary of the Company’s quarterly financial information for each of the four quarters for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011:

Year Ended December 31, 2012(1)	First Quarter		Second Quarter		Third Quarter		Fourth Quarter
	(In thousands, except per share data)
Net revenue	$	357,837	$	368,200	$	360,990	$	345,083
Gross profit	152,367		161,887		155,526		131,539
Net income (loss)	$	20,387	$	754	$	21,636	$	(12,332	)
Basic net income per share:
Net income (loss) per share	$	0.05	$	0.00	$	0.05	$	(0.03	)
Weighted‑average shares used in basic net income (loss) per share calculations	440,265		433,616		430,845		429,312
Diluted net income per share:
Net income (loss) per share	$	0.05	$	0.00	$	0.05	$	(0.03	)
Weighted‑average shares used in diluted net income (loss) per share calculations	444,927		436,851		433,295		429,312

Year Ended December 31, 2011(2)(3)	First Quarter		Second Quarter		Third Quarter		Fourth Quarter
	(In thousands, except per share data)
Net revenue	$	461,427	$	478,642	$	479,375	$	383,609
Gross profit	235,385		247,800		240,391		184,657
Net income	$	74,553	$	90,870	$	116,706	$	32,861
Basic net income per share:
Net income per share	$	0.16	$	0.20	$	0.25	$	0.07
Weighted‑average shares used in basic net income per share calculations	456,489		456,753		457,721		451,582
Diluted net income per share:
Net income per share	$	0.16	$	0.19	$	0.25	$	0.07
Weighted‑average shares used in diluted net income per share calculations	470,022		469,882		466,862		456,514

(1) The Company recorded restructuring charges (credits) of $11.0 million, $(1.4) million and $14.4 million in the quarters ended December 31, 2012, September 30, 2012 and June 30, 2012, respectively. The Company recorded acquisition-related charges of $1.9 million, $1.5 million, $2.0 million and $2.0 million in the quarters ended December 31, 2012, September 30, 2012, June 30, 2012 and March 31, 2012, respectively. The Company recorded a loss related to a foundry arrangement of $10.6 million and an impairment of receivables from a foundry supplier of $6.5 million in the quarter ended December 31, 2012.

(2) The Company recorded restructuring (credits) charges of $(1.1) million and $21.2 million in the quarters ended December 31, 2011 and March 31, 2011, respectively. The Company recorded gain on sale of assets of $33.4 million and $1.9 million in the quarters ended September 30, 2011 and March 31, 2011, respectively. The Company recorded acquisition-related charges of $2.3 million, $1.0 million, $1.0 million and $1.0 million in the quarters ended December 31, 2011, September 30, 2011, June 30, 2011 and March 31, 2011, respectively.

(3) In the three months ended June 30, 2011, the Company recorded an out-of-period adjustment to reverse test and assembly subcontractor accruals for $6.9 million, related to cost of revenue for the three month period ended March 31, 2011. In addition, in the three months ended June 30, 2011, the Company corrected excess depreciation for certain fixed assets for $1.7 million, related to research and development for the three month periods ended March 31, 2011. The correction of these errors resulted in an increase to the Company's net income of $8.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011. Management assessed the impact of these errors and concluded that the amounts were not material, either individually or in the aggregate, to any prior periods' annual or interim financial statements, nor was the impact of the errors in the three months ended June 30, 2011 material to the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011 included herein. On that basis, the Company recorded these corrections, in the aggregate, in the three months ended June 30, 2011.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

Not applicable.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

As of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, under the supervision of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as such terms are defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and Rule 15d-15(e) under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 (“Disclosure Controls”). Based on this evaluation our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K to ensure that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure, and that such information is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2011. This evaluation was based on the framework in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on our assessment using the criteria in Internal Control — Integrated Framework, we concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2012.

The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012 has been audited by KPMG LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which appears in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Limitations on the Effectiveness of Controls

Our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls or internal control over financial reporting will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within Atmel have been detected.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2012 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

Not applicable.

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PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

Executive Officers of the Registrant

The corporate executive officers of Atmel, who are elected by and serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors, and their ages (as of January 31, 2013), are as follows:

Name	Age	Position
Steven Laub	54	President and Chief Executive Officer and Director
Tsung‑Ching Wu	62	Executive Vice President, Office of the President and Director
Stephen Cumming	42	Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Scott Wornow	50	Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
Robert Valiton	49	Senior Vice President, RF and Automotive and Nonvolatile Memory Segments
Jamie Samath	42	Vice President, Corporate Controller

Steven Laub has served as a director of Atmel since February 2006 and as President and Chief Executive Officer since August 2006. From 2005 to August 2006, Mr. Laub was a technology partner at Golden Gate Capital Corporation, a private equity buyout firm, and the Executive Chairman of Teridian Semiconductor Corporation, a fabless semiconductor company. From 2004 to 2005, Mr. Laub was President and Chief Executive Officer of Silicon Image, Inc., a provider of semiconductor solutions. Prior to that time, Mr. Laub spent 13 years in executive positions (including President, Chief Operating Officer and member of the Board of Directors) at Lattice Semiconductor Corporation, a supplier of programmable logic devices and related software. Prior to joining Lattice Semiconductor, Mr. Laub was a vice president and partner at Bain and Company, a global strategic consulting firm. Mr. Laub holds a degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (BA) and a degree from Harvard Law School (J.D.).

Tsung‑Ching Wu has served as a director of Atmel since 1985, as Executive Vice President, Office of the President since 2001, and served as Executive Vice President and General Manager from January 1996 to January 2001 and as Vice President, Technology from January 1986 to January 1996. Mr. Wu holds degrees in electrical engineering from the National Taiwan University (B.S.), the State University of New York at Stony Brook (M.S.) and the University of Pennsylvania (Ph.D.).

Stephen Cumming has served as Atmel’s Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer since July 2008. Prior to joining Atmel, Mr. Cumming was the Vice President of Business Finance for Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc., from 2005 to July 2008, and was responsible for all business unit finance, corporate financial planning and analysis, manufacturing finance, and sales and marketing finance. Mr. Cumming joined Fairchild in 1997 as Controller for its European Sales and Marketing operations, based in the United Kingdom. From 2000 until 2005, he was Director of Finance for the Discrete Products Group, based in San Jose. Prior to joining Fairchild, Mr. Cumming held various financial management positions at National Semiconductor Corporation. Mr. Cumming received a degree in business from the University of Surrey (B.S.), in the United Kingdom, and is a UK Chartered Management Accountant.

Scott Wornow has served as Atmel’s Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary since November 2010. Prior to joining Atmel, Mr. Wornow served as a Partner at Baker Botts, LLP from March 2009 to November 2010, and as a Partner at Goodwin Procter LLP from January 2008 to February 2009. Prior to Goodwin Procter, Mr. Wornow was the Executive Vice President, Legal and Business Affairs at OpenTV Corp from 2003 to 2007. Mr. Wornow holds degrees from the University of Virginia (B.A.), Cambridge University (B.A. and M.A.) and Harvard Law School (J.D.).

Robert Valiton has served as Atmel’s Senior Vice President, General Manager since March 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Valiton served as Vice President of Sales for Americas, EMEA and Global Sales Operations from December 2008 to March 2011 and as Vice President of Americas Sales and Global Sales Operations from April 2007 to December 2008. Prior to joining Atmel, Mr. Valiton spent 15 years with other semiconductor manufacturing companies in a variety of sales management positions. Mr. Valiton holds a degree from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell (B.S).

Jamie Samath serves as Atmel’s Vice President, Corporate Controller and was appointed as the Company’s Principal Accounting Officer, effective December 2011. Prior to joining Atmel, Mr. Samath spent over 20 years with National Semiconductor, where he most recently served as Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller. Mr. Samath holds a degree from London Metropolitan University (B.A.)

There is no family relationship between any of our executive officers or directors.

The other information required by this Item regarding directors, Section 16 filings, the Registrant’s Audit Committee and our Code of Ethics/Standards of Business Conduct is set forth under the captions “Election of Directors,” “Section 16(a) Beneficial

96

Ownership Reporting Compliance” and “Corporate Governance — Board Meetings and Committees — Audit Committee” and “Corporate Governance — Code of Ethics/Standards of Business Conduct” in the Registrant’s definitive proxy statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2013 Proxy Statement”), and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Information required by this Item regarding compensation of the Registrant’s directors and executive officers is set forth under the captions “Executive Compensation,” “Executive Compensation — Compensation Committee Report” and “Corporate Governance - Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation” in the 2013 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Information required by this Item regarding beneficial ownership of the Registrant’s Common Stock by certain beneficial owners and management of Registrant, as well as equity compensation plans, is set forth under the captions “Security Ownership” and “Executive Compensation - Equity Compensation Plan Information” in the 2013 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Information required by this Item regarding certain relationships and related transactions with management and director independence is set forth under the caption “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” and “Corporate Governance — Independence of Directors” in the 2013 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

Information required by this Item regarding principal accounting fees and services is set forth under the caption “Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm — Fees of Company Auditors, KPMG LLP, and Fees of Former Company Auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Incurred by Atmel” in the 2013 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

PART IV

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

(a)    The following documents are filed as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

1.Financial Statements. See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

2.Financial Statement Schedules. See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

3.Exhibits. We have filed, or incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K by reference, the exhibits listed on the accompanying Exhibit Index immediately following the signature page of this Form 10-K.

(b)    Exhibits. See Item 15(a)(3) above.

(c)    Financial Statement Schedules. See Item 15(a)(2) above.

97

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Annual Report on Form 10-K to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

	ATMEL CORPORATION
February 26, 2013	By:	/s/ STEVEN LAUB
		Steven Laub President and Chief Executive Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Steven Laub and Stephen Cumming, and each of them, jointly and severally, his attorneys-in-fact, each with the power of substitution, for him in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact, or his substitute or substitutes, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this Annual Report on Form 10-K has been signed by the following persons on February 26, 2013 on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities indicated:

	Signature		Title
s/ STEVEN LAUB		President, Chief Executive Officer and Director(principal executive officer)
Steven Laub
/s/ STEPHEN CUMMING		Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer(principal financial officer)
Stephen Cumming
/s/ JAMIE SAMATH		Vice President, Corporate Controller(principal accounting officer)
Jamie Samath
/s/ TSUNG‑CHING WU		Director
Tsung‑Ching Wu
/s/ DR. EDWARD ROSS		Director
Dr. Edward Ross
/s/ DAVID SUGISHITA		Director
David Sugishita
		Director
Papken Der Torossian
/s/ JACK L. SALTICH		Director
Jack L. Saltich
/s/ CHARLES CARINALLI		Director
Charles Carinalli

98

EXHIBITS INDEX

The following Exhibits have been filed with, or incorporated by reference into, this Report:

2.1	Stock Purchase Agreement between Atmel Rousset S.A.S. and LFoundry GmbH (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2010, Commission File No. 0-19032).
2.2*	Share and Asset Purchase and Sale Agreement by and among Inside Contactless S.A., Atmel Corporation and solely for purposes of Section 2.2, Atmel Rousset S.A.S. (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2010, Commission File No. 0-19032).
3.1	Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Registrant (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission File No. 0-19032) filed on February 8, 2010).
3.2	Amended and Restated Bylaws of Registrant (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission File No. 0-19032) filed on April 14, 2009).
3.3	Certificate of Elimination of Series A Preferred Stock (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission File No. 0-19032) filed on February 8, 2010).
10.1+	Form of Indemnification Agreement between Registrant and its officers and directors (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2009, Commission File No. 0-19032).
10.2+	Atmel Corporation 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission File No. 0-19032) filed on May 25, 2010).
10.3+	2005 Stock Plan, as amended (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission File No. 0-19032) filed on May 20, 2011).
10.4+	2005 Stock Plan forms of option agreement (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2009, Commission File No. 0-19032).
10.5+	2005 Stock Plan forms of restricted stock unit agreement (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2009, Commission File No. 0-19032).
10.6+	2005 Stock Plan forms of performance restricted stock unit agreement (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2009, Commission File No. 0-19032).
10.7+	Stock Option Fixed Exercise Date Forms (which are incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission File No. 0-19032) filed on January 8, 2007 and Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission File No. 0-19032) filed on April 15, 2008).
10.8+	Amendment and Restatement of Employment Agreement, effective as of May 31, 2009 and dated as of June 3, 2009, between Registrant and Steven Laub (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2009, Commission File No. 0-19032).
10.9+	Amendment No. 1 to Amended Employment Agreement between Registrant and Steven Laub dated as of October 25, 2011 (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, Commission File No. 0-19032).
10.10+	Change of Control and Severance Plan (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2009, Commission File No. 0-19032)
10.11+	Description of Fiscal 2012 Executive Bonus Plan (which is incorporated herein by reference to Item 5.02 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission File No. 0-19032) filed on March 30, 2012.
10.12	Agreement of Sale and Purchase between Registrant and Ellis Partners LLC, as subsequently assigned to BEP Orchard Investors LLC, dated as of August 22, 2011 (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, Commission File No. 0-19032).
10.13	Office Lease between Registrant and CA-Skyport III Limited Partnership dated as of August 30, 2011 (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, Commission File No. 0-19032).
10.14+	2011 Long-Term Performance-Based Incentive Plan (which is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, Commission File No. 0-19032).
10.15+	Separation Agreement dated as of November 19, 2012, between Registrant and Walt Lifsey (which is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K (Commission File No. 0-19032) filed on November 21, 2012).
21.1	Subsidiaries of Registrant
23.1	Consent of KPMG LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
23.2	Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
24.1	Power of Attorney (included on the signature pages hereof)
31.1	Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a).

99

31.2	Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a).
32.1	Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2	Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
101.INS	XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema
101.CAL	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
101.DEF	XBRL Taxonomy Definition Linkbase
101.LAB	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase
101.PRE	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase

  _________________________________________

+ Indicates management compensatory plan, contract or arrangement

* Portions of this exhibit have been omitted pursuant to a request for confidential treatment granted by the Commission.

100

EX-21.1

EX 21.1

ATMEL CORPORATION SUBSIDIARIES

The following are the subsidiaries of Atmel Corporation:

ACP Test Company, Inc., a Philippine company
Atmel Spain, S.A., a Spanish company
APT Property Investments, Inc., a Philippine company
Atmel Asia Limited, a Hong Kong company
Atmel Automotive GmbH, a German company
Atmel B.V., a Dutch company
Atmel Europe, a French company
Atmel Global Sales Ltd., a Labuan company
Atmel Hellas S.A., a Greek company
Atmel International Holdings, Ltd., a Bermuda company

Atmel Irving, LLC, a California limited liability company
Atmel Italia SRL, an Italian company
Atmel Japan G.K., a Japanese limited liability company
Atmel Korea Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company
Atmel Korea LLC, a Korean limited liability company
Atmel Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., a Malaysian company
Atmel Management Pte. Ltd., a Singapore company
Atmel Materials International, Ltd., a Bermuda company
Atmel Materials Technologies, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company
Atmel Munich GmbH, a German company
Atmel Nantes SAS, a French company
Atmel Nordic AB, a Swedish company
Atmel North Tyneside Limited, a United Kingdom company
Atmel Norway AS, a Norwegian company
Atmel OY, a Finnish company
Atmel R&D India Private Limited, an Indian company
Atmel Roma SRL, an Italian company
Atmel Rousset S.A.S., a French company
Atmel San Jose, LLC, a California limited liability company
Atmel SARL, a Swiss company
Atmel Semiconductor Technology (Shanghai) Ltd., a Chinese company
Atmel Singapore Pte. Ltd., a Singaporean company
Atmel Switzerland SARL, a Swiss company
Atmel Taiwan Limited, a Taiwanese company
Atmel Technologies Ireland Limited, an Irish company
Atmel Technologies U.K. Limited, a United Kingdom company
Atmel Texas L.P., a Texas limited partnership
Atmel Trading Company, Ltd., a Bermuda company
Atmel U.K. Holdings Limited, a United Kingdom company
Atmel U.K. Limited, a United Kingdom company
Atmel Wi-Fi Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation

Ozmo Limited, a United Kingdom company

QRG EBT Nominees Limited, a United Kingdom company
Temic Semiconductor Test Inc., a Philippine company
TSPIC Corporation, a Philippine company

EX-23.1

EX 23.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Board of Directors

Atmel Corporation:

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statements on Form S‑8 (Nos. 33‑39925, 33‑93662, 333‑15823, 333‑71881, 333‑88203, 333‑107899, 333‑151167, 333‑171262, and 333-177902) of Atmel Corporation of our report dated February 26, 2013, with respect to the consolidated balance sheet of Atmel Corporation as of December 31, 2012, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders' equity, and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related financial statement schedule, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012, which report appears in the December 31, 2012 annual report on Form 10‑K of Atmel Corporation.

/s/KPMG LLP

Santa Clara, California

February 26, 2013

EX-23.2

EX 23.2

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

        We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements on Form S‑8 (Nos. 33-39925, 33-93662, 333-15823, 333-71881, 333-88203, 333-107899, 333-151167, 333-177902 and 333-171262) of Atmel Corporation of our report dated February 28, 2012, relating to the financial statements and financial statement schedule, which appears in this Form 10‑K.

/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

San Jose, California

February 26, 2013

EX-31.1

Exhibit 31.1

CERTIFICATIONS

I, Steven Laub, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Atmel Corporation;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)), for the registrant and have:

a. designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b. designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

c. evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

d. disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a. all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

b. any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

February 26, 2013	/s/ STEVEN LAUB
	Steven Laub
	President & Chief Executive Officer

EX-31.2

Exhibit 31.2

CERTIFICATIONS

I, Stephen Cumming, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Atmel Corporation;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)), for the registrant and have:

a. designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b. designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

c. evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

d. disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a. all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

b. any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

February 26, 2013	/s/ STEPHEN CUMMING
	Stephen Cumming
	Vice President Finance & Chief Financial Officer

EX-32.1

Exhibit 32.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Steven Laub, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that the Annual Report of Atmel Corporation on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 (i) fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and (ii) that information contained in such Annual Report on Form 10-K fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of Atmel Corporation.

February 26, 2013	By:	/s/ STEVEN LAUB
		Steven Laub
		President & Chief Executive Officer

EX-32.2

Exhibit 32.2

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Stephen Cumming, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that the Annual Report of Atmel Corporation on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 (i) fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and (ii) that information contained in such Annual Report on Form 10-K fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of Atmel Corporation.

February 26, 2013	By:	/s/ STEPHEN CUMMING
		Stephen Cumming
		Vice President Finance & Chief Financial Officer

XML

ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent [Abstract]

Components of accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax

The components of accumulated other comprehensive income at December 31, 2012 and 2011, net of tax, are as follows:

	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Foreign currency translation adjustments	$	11,627		$	7,725
Actuarial (loss) gain related to defined benefit pension plans	(5,066		)	1,712
Net unrealized (loss) gain on investments	(149		)	11
Total accumulated other comprehensive income	$	6,412		$	9,448

XML

BUSINESS COMBINATIONS (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended							12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended									12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012 Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Ozmo Inc.	Dec. 20, 2012 Ozmo Inc.	Dec. 31, 2012 Ozmo Inc. Customer Relationships [Member]	Dec. 20, 2012 Ozmo Inc. Customer Relationships [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Ozmo Inc. Developed Technology Rights [Member]	Dec. 20, 2012 Ozmo Inc. Developed Technology Rights [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Ozmo Inc. Developed Technology Rights [Member] Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Ozmo Inc. Developed Technology Rights [Member] Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Ozmo Inc. Trade Names [Member]	Dec. 20, 2012 Ozmo Inc. Trade Names [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Ozmo Inc. Noncompete Agreements [Member]	Dec. 20, 2012 Ozmo Inc. Noncompete Agreements [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Ozmo Inc. Order or Production Backlog [Member]	Dec. 20, 2012 Ozmo Inc. Order or Production Backlog [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member]	Oct. 06, 2011 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Customer Relationships [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Customer Relationships [Member]	Oct. 06, 2011 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Customer Relationships [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Developed Technology Rights [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Developed Technology Rights [Member]	Oct. 06, 2011 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Developed Technology Rights [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Trade Names [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Trade Names [Member]	Oct. 06, 2011 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Trade Names [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Noncompete Agreements [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Noncompete Agreements [Member]	Oct. 06, 2011 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Noncompete Agreements [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Order or Production Backlog [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Order or Production Backlog [Member]	Oct. 06, 2011 Advanced Digital Design S A [Member] Order or Production Backlog [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Quantum Research Group Ltd.	Dec. 31, 2011 Quantum Research Group Ltd.	Dec. 31, 2010 Quantum Research Group Ltd.	Dec. 31, 2012 Quantum Research Group Ltd. Customer Relationships [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Quantum Research Group Ltd. Customer Relationships [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Quantum Research Group Ltd. Developed Technology Rights [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Quantum Research Group Ltd. Developed Technology Rights [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Quantum Research Group Ltd. Trade Names [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Quantum Research Group Ltd. Trade Names [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Quantum Research Group Ltd. Noncompete Agreements [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Quantum Research Group Ltd. Noncompete Agreements [Member]
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price [Abstract]
Business Acquistion, Cost of Acquired Entity, Equity Interest of Acquiree Purchased						$ 58,165
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Unvested Shares Purchased						237
Transaction costs incurred						1,816
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Liabilities Assumed						1,415
Eligible earnout amount based on achieving certain revenue targets and continuing employment						1,927
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Financial Liabilities						861
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross						64,421
Purchase price allocation as of the closing date of acquisition
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross						64,421
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Tangible Assets							(2,805)
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets							(15,450)		(2,650)						(60)				(60)
Goodwill	104,430	67,662					46,166																															54,800	54,300
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Cash Paid																						19,915
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Net Tangible Assets																						4,879
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Amortizable Intangible Assets																									(6,580)			(3,330)			(150)			(720)			(290)
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Amortizable Intangible Assets Acquired, Tangible Liabilities Assumed, Net																						(11,070)
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Goodwill Amount											(12,020)						(660)					13,724
Components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization
Gross Value						15,450		2,650		12,020				60		660		60		11,070	11,070		6,580	6,580		3,330	3,330		150	150		720	720		290	290		22,030	22,030		15,427	15,427	4,948	4,948	849	849	806	806
Accumulated Amortization						(99)		(26)		(61)				(1)		(10)		(1)		(1,796)	(375)		(548)	(110)		(595)	(119)		(63)	(13)		(300)	(60)		(290)	(73)		(21,350)	(17,275)		(14,912)	(11,827)	(4,783)	(3,793)	(849)	(849)	(806)	(806)
Total intangible assets, net	(27,257)	(20,594)				(15,351)		(2,624)		(11,959)				(59)		(650)		(59)		(9,274)	(10,695)		(6,032)	(6,470)		(2,735)	(3,211)		(87)	(137)		(420)	(660)		0	(217)		(680)	(4,755)		(515)	(3,600)	(165)	(1,155)	0		0	0
Estimated Useful Life (in years)				2 years	5 years			3 years				4 years	6 years	3 years		2 years		1 year					15 years	15 years		7 years	7 years		3 years	3 years		3 years	3 years		1 year	1 year					5 years	5 years	5 years	5 years	3 years		5 years	5 years
Components of acquisition-related charges
Amortization of intangible assets																				1,421	375																	4,075	4,192	4,466
Compensation-related expense - cash																				1,793	944																	0	0	199
Compensation-related expense - stock																																						0	(103)	(3,065)
Total acquisition-related charges	$ 7,388	$ 5,408	$ 1,600																	$ 3,214	$ 1,319																	$ 4,075	$ 4,089	$ 1,600

XML

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES 2 (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012
Minimum
Fixed assets
Estimated Useful Life (in years)	2 years
Maximum
Fixed assets
Estimated Useful Life (in years)	5 years
Buildings and improvements | Minimum
Fixed assets
Estimated useful lives (in years)	10 years
Buildings and improvements | Maximum
Fixed assets
Estimated useful lives (in years)	20 years
Machinery, equipment and software | Minimum
Fixed assets
Estimated useful lives (in years)	2 years
Machinery, equipment and software | Maximum
Fixed assets
Estimated useful lives (in years)	5 years
Furniture and fixtures
Fixed assets
Estimated useful lives (in years)	5 years

XML

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 6 (Details) (USD $) Share data in Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions and Methodology [Abstract]
Expected dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Employee stock options
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized Under Stock Option Plans By Exercise Price Range [Abstract]
Options Outstanding - Number of Shares	6,675
Options Outstanding - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Terms (in years)	4 years 9 months
Options Outstanding - Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 4.33
Options Outstanding - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	$ 14,849,000
Options Exercisable - Number of Shares	6,178	6,400	8,500
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	4 years 8 months
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 4.32
Options Exercisable - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	13,785,000
Options exercised (in shares)	1,239	4,285	5,344
Total intrinsic value of options exercised	4,800,000	42,000,000	24,800,000
Aggregate exercise price	4,600,000	19,300,000	22,500,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions and Methodology [Abstract]
Risk-free interest rate (as a percent)			2.05%
Expected life (in years)			5 years 6 months 15 days
Expected volatility (as a percent)			54.00%
Weighted-average estimated fair value of options granted (in dollars per share)			$ 2.70
Unearned stock-based compensation expense related to non-vested awards	1,600,000
Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 1 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized Under Stock Option Plans By Exercise Price Range [Abstract]
Options Outstanding - Number of Shares	920
Options Outstanding - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Terms (in years)	3 years 10 months 10 days
Options Outstanding - Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 3.20
Options Outstanding - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	3,079,000
Options Exercisable - Number of Shares	920
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	3 years 10 months 10 days
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 3.20
Options Exercisable - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	3,079,000
Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 2 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized Under Stock Option Plans By Exercise Price Range [Abstract]
Options Outstanding - Number of Shares	1,047
Options Outstanding - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Terms (in years)	5 years 2 months 15 days
Options Outstanding - Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 3.32
Options Outstanding - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	3,381,000
Options Exercisable - Number of Shares	1,047
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	5 years 2 months 12 days
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 3.32
Options Exercisable - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	3,381,000
Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 3 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized Under Stock Option Plans By Exercise Price Range [Abstract]
Options Outstanding - Number of Shares	833
Options Outstanding - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Terms (in years)	5 years 7 months 20 days
Options Outstanding - Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 4.13
Options Outstanding - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	2,018,000
Options Exercisable - Number of Shares	810
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	5 years 7 months 10 days
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 4.13
Options Exercisable - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	1,961,000
Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 4 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized Under Stock Option Plans By Exercise Price Range [Abstract]
Options Outstanding - Number of Shares	524
Options Outstanding - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Terms (in years)	4 years 15 days
Options Outstanding - Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 4.25
Options Outstanding - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	1,203,000
Options Exercisable - Number of Shares	367
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	4 years 1 month 10 days
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 4.26
Options Exercisable - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	807,000
Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 5 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized Under Stock Option Plans By Exercise Price Range [Abstract]
Options Outstanding - Number of Shares	873
Options Outstanding - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Terms (in years)	6 years 8 months 15 days
Options Outstanding - Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 4.43
Options Outstanding - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	1,850,000
Options Exercisable - Number of Shares	635
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	6 years 8 months 15 days
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 4.43
Options Exercisable - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	1,345,000
Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 6 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized Under Stock Option Plans By Exercise Price Range [Abstract]
Options Outstanding - Number of Shares	589
Options Outstanding - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Terms (in years)	4 years 8 months 12 days
Options Outstanding - Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 4.74
Options Outstanding - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	1,064,000
Options Exercisable - Number of Shares	543
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	4 years 6 months 18 days
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 4.74
Options Exercisable - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	983,000
Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 7 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized Under Stock Option Plans By Exercise Price Range [Abstract]
Options Outstanding - Number of Shares	813
Options Outstanding - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Terms (in years)	3 years 7 months 7 days
Options Outstanding - Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 4.89
Options Outstanding - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	1,349,000
Options Exercisable - Number of Shares	813
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	3 years 7 months 7 days
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 4.89
Options Exercisable - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	1,349,000
Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 8 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized Under Stock Option Plans By Exercise Price Range [Abstract]
Options Outstanding - Number of Shares	717
Options Outstanding - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Terms (in years)	4 years 21 days
Options Outstanding - Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 5.42
Options Outstanding - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	807,000
Options Exercisable - Number of Shares	717
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	4 years 1 month 25 days
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 5.42
Options Exercisable - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	794,000
Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 9 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized Under Stock Option Plans By Exercise Price Range [Abstract]
Options Outstanding - Number of Shares	348
Options Outstanding - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Terms (in years)	3 years 9 months 8 days
Options Outstanding - Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 6.31
Options Outstanding - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	98,000
Options Exercisable - Number of Shares	319
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	3 years 8 months 20 days
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 6.33
Options Exercisable - Aggregate Intrinsic Value	$ 86,000
Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 10 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized Under Stock Option Plans By Exercise Price Range [Abstract]
Options Outstanding - Number of Shares	11
Options Outstanding - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Terms (in years)	7 years 10 months 15 days
Options Outstanding - Weighted-Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 10.01
Options Exercisable - Number of Shares	7
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years)	7 years 10 months 18 days
Options Exercisable - Weighted Average Exercise Price (in dollars per share)	$ 10.01
Stock Options [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions and Methodology [Abstract]
Weighted-average period of recognition of unearned compensation expense of non-vested awards (in years)	1 year 0 months 29 days
Ozmo Inc. | Employee stock options
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period	100
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value	$ 0.81
Minimum | Employee stock options
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range, Lower Range Limit	$ 1.68	$ 1.68	$ 1.68	$ 1.68
Minimum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 1 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range, Lower Range Limit	$ 1.68
Minimum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 2 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range, Lower Range Limit	$ 3.32
Minimum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 3 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range, Lower Range Limit	$ 3.41
Minimum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 4 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range, Lower Range Limit	$ 4.23
Minimum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 5 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range, Lower Range Limit	$ 4.43
Minimum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 6 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range, Lower Range Limit	$ 4.56
Minimum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 7 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range, Lower Range Limit	$ 4.89
Minimum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 8 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range, Lower Range Limit	$ 4.92
Minimum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 9 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range, Lower Range Limit	$ 6.11
Minimum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 10 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range, Lower Range Limit	$ 10.01
Maximum | Employee stock options
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Balance at the end of the period, high end of the range (in dollars per share)	$ 10.01	$ 10.01	$ 14.94	$ 24.44
Maximum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 1 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Balance at the end of the period, high end of the range (in dollars per share)	$ 3.29
Maximum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 2 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Balance at the end of the period, high end of the range (in dollars per share)	$ 3.32
Maximum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 3 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Balance at the end of the period, high end of the range (in dollars per share)	$ 4.20
Maximum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 4 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Balance at the end of the period, high end of the range (in dollars per share)	$ 4.37
Maximum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 5 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Balance at the end of the period, high end of the range (in dollars per share)	$ 4.43
Maximum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 6 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Balance at the end of the period, high end of the range (in dollars per share)	$ 4.78
Maximum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 7 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Balance at the end of the period, high end of the range (in dollars per share)	$ 4.89
Maximum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 8 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Balance at the end of the period, high end of the range (in dollars per share)	$ 6.05
Maximum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 9 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Balance at the end of the period, high end of the range (in dollars per share)	$ 7.38
Maximum | Employee stock options | Range of Exercise Price 10 [Member]
Share-based Compensation, Shares Authorized under Stock Option Plans, Exercise Price Range [Line Items]
Balance at the end of the period, high end of the range (in dollars per share)	$ 10.01

XML

BUSINESS COMBINATIONS OZMO (DETAILS) (USD $)			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012 Ozmo Inc.	Dec. 20, 2012 Ozmo Inc.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross			$ 64,421,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity Escrow Deposit				7,700,000
Contingent consideration, potential cash payment through 2014	22,000,000
Eligible earnout amount based on achieving certain revenue targets and continuing employment			1,927,000
Goodwill	104,430,000	67,662,000		46,166,000
Deferred Tax Assets, Valuation Allowance	41,271,000	38,742,000		11,200,000
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization			$ 99,000

XML

OPERATING AND GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTS (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012 segment	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Information about Reportable Segments
Net revenue from external customers	$ 1,432,110	$ 1,803,053	$ 1,644,060
Segment income (loss) from operations	74,543	372,170	226,076
Unallocated amounts:
Acquisition-related charges	(7,388)	(5,408)	(1,600)
Restructuring charges	(23,986)	(20,064)	(5,253)
ImpairmentOfRecivablesDueFromFoundry	(6,495)	0	0
Asset Impairment Charges	0	0	(11,922)
Credit from Reserved Economic Grant Income	10,689	0	0
Gain on sale of assets	0	35,310	(99,767)
Income from operations	47,363	382,008	107,534
Number of Operating Segments	4
Micro-Controllers
Information about Reportable Segments
Net revenue from external customers	892,839	1,113,579	892,301
Segment income (loss) from operations	22,994	235,478	158,888
Nonvolatile Memories
Information about Reportable Segments
Net revenue from external customers	170,736	255,683	277,179
Segment income (loss) from operations	21,057	55,721	39,839
RF and Automotive
Information about Reportable Segments
Net revenue from external customers	174,237	202,013	188,090
Segment income (loss) from operations	(12,004)	16,962	14,341
ASIC
Information about Reportable Segments
Net revenue from external customers	194,298	231,778	286,490
Segment income (loss) from operations	$ 42,496	$ 64,009	$ 13,008

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INTEREST AND OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE), NET (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]

Summary of interest and other income (expense), net

Interest and other (expense) income, net, are summarized in the following table:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Interest and other (expense) income	$	(1,358	)	$	177		$	3,154
Interest expense	(4,130		)	(7,028		)	(7,535		)
Foreign exchange transaction gains	363			6,033			13,199
Total	$	(5,125	)	$	(818	)	$	8,818

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INVESTMENTS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]

Components of investment securities

For the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company's gross realized gains and losses on short-term investments were not significant. The Company’s investments are further detailed in the table below:

	December 31, 2012				December 31, 2011
	Adjusted Cost		Fair Value		Adjusted Cost			Fair Value
	(in thousands)
Corporate equity securities	$	2,687	$	2,687	$	—		$	—
Auction-rate securities	983		1,066		2,220			2,251
Corporate debt securities and other obligations	—		—		3,099			3,079
	$	3,670	$	3,753	$	5,319		$	5,330
Unrealized gains	83				31
Unrealized losses	—				(20		)
Net unrealized gains	83				11
Fair value	$	3,753			$	5,330
Amount included in short-term investments			$	2,687				$	3,079
Amount included in other assets			1,066					2,251
			$	3,753				$	5,330

Contractual maturities (at adjusted cost) of available-for-sale debt securities

Contractual maturities (at adjusted cost) of available-for-sale debt securities as of December 31, 2012, were as follows:

	(in thousands)
Due within one year	$	—
Due in 1-5 years	—
Due in 5-10 years	—
Due after 10 years	983
Total	$	983

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OPERATING AND GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTS 2 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011		Dec. 31, 2010
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Net revenue	$ 1,432,110		$ 1,803,053		$ 1,644,060
Long-lived assets	240,629		274,507
Exclusions from long-lived assets
Fair value of investment	3,753		5,330
Goodwill	104,430		67,662
Intangible assets, net	27,257		20,594
Non-current deferred tax assets(3)	102,315	[1]	121,417	[1]
Auction-rate securities
Exclusions from long-lived assets
Fair value of investment	1,066		2,251
United States
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Net revenue	189,699		249,887		260,091
Long-lived assets	85,044		81,777
Philippines
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Long-lived assets	61,594		71,332
Germany
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Net revenue	175,930		237,777		207,305
Long-lived assets	17,602		20,681
FRANCE
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Net revenue	28,343		31,231		55,107
Long-lived assets	28,000		30,277
Japan
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Net revenue	51,141		57,376		46,671
China, including Hong Kong
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Net revenue	451,642		531,561		489,480
Singapore
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Net revenue	41,637		42,982		42,819
South Korea
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Net revenue	178,547		223,967		143,213
Taiwan
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Net revenue	67,806		135,650		115,559
Asia-Pacific
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Long-lived assets	38,842		59,906
Rest of Asia-Pacific
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Net revenue	72,128		71,048		70,958
Rest of Europe
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Net revenue	149,104		193,558		177,274
Long-lived assets	9,547		10,534
Rest of the World
Geographic sources of revenue and locations of long-lived assets
Net revenue	$ 26,133		$ 28,016		$ 35,583

[1] Included within Other assets on the consolidated balance sheets and long-term tax attributes.

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INCOME TAXES 1 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011		Dec. 31, 2010
Components of income (loss) before income taxes
U.S.	$ (19,956)		$ 125,905		$ 102,590
Foreign	62,194		255,285		13,762
Income before income taxes	42,238		381,190		116,352
Federal
Current	10,378		2,454		(142,191)
Deferred	4,501		5,982		(88,291)
State
Current	(5)		172		58
Deferred	(494)		(2,064)		(20,041)
Foreign
Current	3,757		18,979		8,495
Deferred	(6,344)		40,677		(64,753)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	11,793		66,200		(306,723)
Company's effective tax rate
U.S. Federal statutory income tax rate	35.00%		35.00%		35.00%
State tax	(0.23%)		0.22%		0.65%
Effect of foreign operations	(2.55%)		(15.52%)		(40.37%)
Recognition of tax credits	(10.04%)		(2.95%)		(56.22%)
Net operating loss and future deductions not currently benefited	0.00%		0.00%		27.82%
Change of valuation allowance	1.04%		(0.09%)		(100.33%)
Audit settlements and IRS refunds	0.00%		0.20%		(129.42%)
Other, net (1)	4.70%	[1]	0.51%	[1]	(0.75%)	[1]
Effective tax provision rate	27.92%		17.37%		(263.62%)
Deferred income tax assets:
Net operating losses	53,500		33,324
Research and development, foreign tax and other tax credits	55,051		45,327
Accrued liabilities	31,519		33,124
Fixed assets	42,711		42,501
Intangible assets	8,331		12,356
Deferred income	5,007		8,391
Stock-based compensation	9,084		6,830
Unrealized foreign exchange translation	4,801		4,651
Other	4,878		4,832
Total deferred income tax assets	214,882		191,336
Deferred income tax liabilities:
Fixed assets	(55)		(57)
Deferred income	(846)		(693)
Unremitted earnings of foreign subsidiaries	(2,548)		(5,075)
Foreign losses subject to recapture	(14,837)		(15,170)
Other	(267)		0
Total deferred tax liabilities	18,553		20,995
Less valuation allowance	(41,271)		(38,742)
Net deferred income tax assets	155,058		131,599
Reported as:
Current deferred tax assets(1)	53,105	[2]	10,239	[2]
Current deferred tax liabilities(2)	(304)	[3]	0	[3]
Non-current deferred tax assets(3)	102,315	[4]	121,417	[4]
Non-current deferred tax liabilities(4)	$ (58)	[5]	$ (57)	[5]

[1] Included in Other, net, are adjustments related to return to provision true-up, unrecognized tax benefit ("UTB"), withholding taxes and non-deductible stock compensation.

[2] Included within Prepaids and other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets and short-term tax attributes.

[3] Included within Accrued and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

[4] Included within Other assets on the consolidated balance sheets and long-term tax attributes.

[5] Included within Other long-term liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

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RESTRUCTURING CHARGES - Textual (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	$ 23,986	$ 20,064	$ 5,253
Other Charges		(495)
Restructuring Reserve, Settled with Cash	9,662	21,461	3,963
Restructuring Charges, Net of Change in Estimate	(23,491)	(21,656)	(5,253)
Other Restructuring Costs		1,592
Employee termination costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring charges	23,500
Restructuring Reserve, Settled with Cash			(4,000)
Employee termination costs in fourth quarter of 2012
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Other Charges	(495)
Restructuring Reserve, Settled with Cash	2,973
Restructuring Charges, Net of Change in Estimate	(10,843)
Employee termination costs in second quarter of 2010
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Reserve, Settled with Cash	1,902	21,461	2,965
Restructuring Charges, Net of Change in Estimate	$ (924)	$ (21,659)	$ (4,267)

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BUSINESS COMBINATIONS QUANTUM RESEARCH GROUP (DETAILS) (USD $)	1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2010	Mar. 31, 2008	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill			$ 104,430,000	$ 67,662,000
Quantum Research Group Ltd.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Amortization of intangible assets			4,075,000	4,192,000	4,466,000
Goodwill			54,800,000	54,300,000
Business Acquisition, Agreed Compensation Period		3 years
Business Acquisition, Maximum Executive Compensation Payable in Cash		15,100,000
Business Acquisition, Executive Compensation Payable in Shares, Number of Shares		5,300,000
Business Acquisition, Executive Compensation Payable in Shares, Value of Shares		17,300,000
Common stock issued to former employees of Quantum (See Note 3) (in shares)	3,200,000
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Share-based Compensation, Forfeited	2,200,000
Business Acquisition, Reversal of Previous Share Based Compensation Expense Due to Forfeitures					4,500,000
Business Acquisition, Cash Compensation Payments					$ 3,800,000

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INCOME TAXES 3 (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits
Balance at the beginning of the period	$ 67,967,000	$ 63,593,000	$ 182,552,000
Tax Positions Related to Current Year:
Additions	10,270,000	8,794,000	35,810,000
Tax Positions Related to Prior Years:
Additions	793,000	0	0
Reductions	(1,877,000)	(568,000)	(34,000)
Lapse of Statute of Limitation	(4,314,000)	(1,672,000)	(2,239,000)
Settlements	(147,000)	(2,180,000)	(152,496,000)
Balance at the end of the period	72,692,000	67,967,000	63,593,000
Unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate	27,200,000	25,200,000	24,700,000
Portion of unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would result in adjustments to other tax accounts	45,500,000	42,800,000	38,900,000
Minimum
Tax Positions Related to Prior Years:
Unrecognized tax benefits reasonably possible	0
Maximum
Tax Positions Related to Prior Years:
Unrecognized tax benefits reasonably possible	$ 10,000,000

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RESTRUCTURING CHARGES Restructuring Charges 2012 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Accrual at the beginning of the period	$ 2,147	$ 3,477	$ 2,471
Restructuring Charges, Net of Change in Estimate	23,491	21,656	5,253
Other Charges		495
Restructuring Reserve, Settled with Cash	(9,662)	(21,461)	(3,963)
Foreign exchange (gain) loss	(249)	(977)
Accrual at the end of the period	16,222	2,147	3,477
Employee termination costs in third quarter of 2008
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Accrual at the beginning of the period	301	460	557
Restructuring Reserve, Settled with Cash	(301)		(44)
Foreign exchange (gain) loss		(174)
Accrual at the end of the period	0	301	460
Employee termination costs in second quarter of 2010
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Accrual at the beginning of the period	1,846	1,286	0
Restructuring Charges, Net of Change in Estimate	924	21,659	4,267
Restructuring Reserve, Settled with Cash	(1,902)	(21,461)	(2,965)
Foreign exchange (gain) loss	(429)	(803)
Accrual at the end of the period	439	1,846	1,286
Employee Severance in Second Quarter of 2012
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Accrual at the beginning of the period	0
Restructuring Charges, Net of Change in Estimate	11,724
Restructuring Reserve, Settled with Cash	(4,486)
Foreign exchange (gain) loss	180
Accrual at the end of the period	7,418
Employee termination costs in fourth quarter of 2012
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Accrual at the beginning of the period	0
Restructuring Charges, Net of Change in Estimate	10,843
Other Charges	495
Restructuring Reserve, Settled with Cash	(2,973)
Accrual at the end of the period	$ 8,365

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GAIN ON SALE OF ASSETS 1 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended					1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2011 San Jose Corporate Headquarters [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 San Jose Corporate Headquarters [Member]	Sep. 30, 2010 Secure Microcontroller Solutions SMS	Dec. 31, 2011 Secure Microcontroller Solutions SMS	Dec. 31, 2010 Secure Microcontroller Solutions SMS	Jun. 30, 2010 Manufacturing operations in Rousset, France	Dec. 31, 2011 Manufacturing operations in Rousset, France	Dec. 31, 2010 Manufacturing operations in Rousset, France	Feb. 15, 2011 Dream, France	Dec. 31, 2011 Dream, France	Dec. 31, 2010 Dream, France
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Gain on sale of assets	$ 0	$ 35,310	$ (99,767)	$ 33,428	$ 0	$ (5,715)	$ 0	$ (5,715)	$ (94,052)	$ 0	$ (94,052)	$ 1,900	$ 1,882	$ 0

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RESTRUCTURING CHARGES Restructuring Charges 2011 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended										12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012 Employee termination costs in second quarter of 2010	Dec. 31, 2011 Employee termination costs in second quarter of 2010	Dec. 31, 2010 Employee termination costs in second quarter of 2010	Dec. 31, 2011 Other restructuring charges in first quarter of 2009	Dec. 31, 2010 Other restructuring charges in first quarter of 2009	Dec. 31, 2011 Termination of contract with supplier in third quarter of 2002	Dec. 31, 2009 Termination of contract with supplier in third quarter of 2002	Dec. 31, 2010 Employee termination costs in first quarter of 2009	Dec. 31, 2011 Employee termination costs in first quarter of 2009	Dec. 31, 2011 Employee termination costs in second quarter of 2008	Dec. 31, 2010 Employee termination costs in second quarter of 2008	Dec. 31, 2012 Employee termination costs in third quarter of 2008	Dec. 31, 2011 Employee termination costs in third quarter of 2008	Dec. 31, 2010 Employee termination costs in third quarter of 2008
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Accrual at the beginning of the period	$ 2,147	$ 3,477	$ 2,471	$ 1,846	$ 1,286	$ 0			$ 1,592	$ 1,592	$ 318	$ 0	$ 3	$ 4	$ 301	$ 460	$ 557
Restructuring Charges, Net of Change in Estimate	23,491	21,656	5,253	924	21,659	4,267					986		(3)
Other Restructuring Costs		(1,592)							(1,592)
Restructuring Reserve, Settled with Cash	(9,662)	(21,461)	(3,963)	(1,902)	(21,461)	(2,965)					(954)				(301)		(44)
RestructuringReserveSettledWithCashOther		(136)	182				(136)	182
Currency Translation Adjustment		1,180	(102)		1,165	(16)					(32)			(1)		15	(53)
Foreign exchange (gain) loss	(249)	(977)		(429)	(803)											(174)
Accrual at the end of the period	$ 16,222	$ 2,147	$ 3,477	$ 439	$ 1,846	$ 1,286			$ 0	$ 1,592	$ 136	$ 0	$ 0	$ 3	$ 0	$ 301	$ 460

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INCOME TAXES 4 (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Tax Examination, Penalties and Interest Expense	$ 0.4	$ 0.5	$ (45.8)
Income Tax Examination, Penalties and Interest Accrued	$ 1.8	$ 1.4

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STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 7 (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Purchase price of the entity's common stock expressed as percentage of fair market value at the commencement or end of the offering period	85.00%
Share Based Compensation, Arrangement by Share Based Payment Award, Offering Period	6 months
Assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the Company ESPPs shares
Expected dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Common Stock Repurchase Program
Authorized amount under stock repurchase program	$ 700,000,000
Remaining authorized amount available for stock repurchase	127,200,000
Shares of common stock repurchased	22,700,000	28,800,000	11,700,000
Average price of shares repurchased (in dollars per share)	$ 7.92	$ 10.57	$ 7.59
Reduction in common stock and additional paid-in capital by stock repurchases, excluding commission	179,600,000	304,200,000	89,200,000
1991 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Percentage of employee's eligible compensation as limitation on purchases	10.00%
Average purchase price per share		$ 4.85	$ 3.65
Shares purchased		800,000	2,000,000
Employee Stock Purchase Plan 2010 [Member]
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Average purchase price per share	$ 6.19	$ 8.56
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Authorized	25,000,000
Shares purchased	1,800,000	700,000
Number of shares available for issuances	22,500,000
Employee stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Forfeitures and Expirations in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$ 4.05	$ 5.01	$ 5.79
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Number of shares available for issuances	6,148,000	16,523,000	11,463,000	28,478,000
Assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the Company ESPPs shares
Risk-free interest rate (as a percent)			2.05%
Expected life (in years)			5 years 6 months 15 days
Expected volatility (as a percent)			54.00%
Employee stock purchase plan
Assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the Company ESPPs shares
Risk-free interest rate (as a percent)	0.15%	0.12%	0.18%
Expected life (in years)	6 months	6 months	6 months
Expected volatility (as a percent)	51.00%	46.00%	45.00%
Weighted-average fair value of the rights to purchase shares (in dollars per share)	$ 1.75	$ 2.70	$ 0.89
Cash proceeds from the issuance of shares	$ 11,000,000	$ 9,400,000	$ 7,400,000

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INTEREST AND OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE), NET

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]

INTEREST AND OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE), NET

INTEREST AND OTHER (EXPENSE) INCOME, NET

Interest and other (expense) income, net, are summarized in the following table:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Interest and other (expense) income	$	(1,358	)	$	177		$	3,154
Interest expense	(4,130		)	(7,028		)	(7,535		)
Foreign exchange transaction gains	363			6,033			13,199
Total	$	(5,125	)	$	(818	)	$	8,818

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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES 4 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012 customer	Dec. 31, 2011 customer	Dec. 31, 2010 customer
Certain Risks and Concentrations
Number of customers with concentration risk	2	0	0
Foreign Currency Transaction Gain (Loss), before Tax	$ 363	$ 6,033	$ 13,199
Net revenues | Customer Concentration Risk | Maximum
Certain Risks and Concentrations
Threshold for Disclosure (as a percent)		10.00%	10.00%
Accounts receivable | Credit Concentration Risk
Certain Risks and Concentrations
Number of customers with concentration risk	2
Accounts receivable | Credit Concentration Risk | Major Distributor with Largest Balance
Certain Risks and Concentrations
Concentration Risk, Percentage	14.00%
Accounts receivable | Credit Concentration Risk | Major Distributor with Second Largest Balance
Certain Risks and Concentrations
Concentration Risk, Percentage	12.00%
Accounts receivable | Credit Concentration Risk | Major Customer with Largest Balance
Certain Risks and Concentrations
Concentration Risk, Percentage	10.00%	15.00%
Accounts receivable | Credit Concentration Risk | Major Customer with Second Largest Balance
Certain Risks and Concentrations
Concentration Risk, Percentage		14.00%

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OPERATING AND GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment

The Company’s net revenue and segment income (loss) from operations for each reportable segment for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 are as follows:

Information about Reportable Segments

	Micro- Controllers		Nonvolatile Memories		RF and Automotive			ASIC		Total
	(In thousands)
Year ended December 31, 2012
Net revenue from external customers	$	892,839	$	170,736	$	174,237		$	194,298	$	1,432,110
Segment income (loss) from operations	22,994		21,057		(12,004		)	42,496		$	74,543
Year ended December 31, 2011
Net revenue from external customers	$	1,113,579	$	255,683	$	202,013		$	231,778	$	1,803,053
Segment income from operations	235,478		55,721		16,962			64,009		$	372,170
Year ended December 31, 2010
Net revenue from external customers	892,301		277,179		188,090			286,490		$	1,644,060
Segment income from operations	$	158,888	$	39,839	$	14,341		$	13,008	$	226,076

Reconciliation of Segment Information to Consolidated Statements of Operations

The Company does not allocate assets by segment, as management does not use asset information to measure or evaluate a segment’s performance.

Reconciliation of Segment Information to Consolidated Statements of Operations

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Total segment income from operations	$	74,543		$	372,170		$	226,076
Unallocated amounts:
Acquisition-related charges	(7,388		)	(5,408		)	(1,600		)
Restructuring charges	(23,986		)	(20,064		)	(5,253		)
Impairment of receivables due from foundry supplier	(6,495		)	—			—
Asset Impairment Charges	—			—			(11,922		)
Credit from reserved grant income	10,689			—			—
Gain (loss) on sale of assets	—			35,310			(99,767		)
Consolidated income from operations	$	47,363		$	382,008		$	107,534

Geographic sources of revenue

Geographic sources of revenue were as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
United States	$	189,699	$	249,887	$	260,091
Germany	175,930		237,777		207,305
France	28,343		31,231		55,107
Japan	51,141		57,376		46,671
China, including Hong Kong	451,642		531,561		489,480
Singapore	41,637		42,982		42,819
South Korea	178,547		223,967		143,213
Taiwan	67,806		135,650		115,559
Rest of Asia-Pacific	72,128		71,048		70,958
Rest of Europe	149,104		193,558		177,274
Rest of the World	26,133		28,016		35,583
Total net revenue	$	1,432,110	$	1,803,053	$	1,644,060

Locations of long-lived assets

Physical locations of tangible long-lived assets as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 were as follows:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
United States	$	85,044	$	81,777
Philippines	61,594		71,332
Germany	17,602		20,681
France	28,000		30,277
Rest of Asia-Pacific	38,842		59,906
Rest of Europe	9,547		10,534
Total	$	240,629	$	274,507

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INCOME TAXES 2 (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009 Subsidiary
Operating Loss and Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
Number of Foreign Subsidiary of Which Shares Have been Sold				1
Tax benefit realized from stock options exercised	$ 1,264,000	$ 2,650,000	$ 3,088,000
Amount of indefinite re-investment with respect to the earnings and profits of its other foreign subsidiaries	389,600,000
Federal | R&D credits
Operating Loss and Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
Federal R&D credits, net of those related to stock option deductions	5,126,000
Federal R&D credits related to stock option deductions	29,314,000
Foreign
Operating Loss and Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
Net operating loss carry forwards	164,491,000
Tax credits carry forwards	43,973,000
Foreign | R&D credits
Operating Loss and Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
Tax credits carry forwards	32,203,000
State
Operating Loss and Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
Net operating loss carry forwards	502,349,000
State | R&D credits
Operating Loss and Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
Tax credits carry forwards	14,817,000
State | Investment tax credits
Operating Loss and Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
Tax credits carry forwards	$ 8,255,000

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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Future Minimum Rental Payments for Operating Leases

Aggregate non-cancelable future minimum rental payments under operating leases, including manufacturing equipment and software rights, are as follows:

Years Ending December 31:	Operating Leases
	(In thousands)
2013	$	8,992
2014	8,990
2015	7,610
2016	7,377
2017	6,758
Thereafter	28,770
	$	68,497

Summary of the activity related to the product warranty liability

The following table summarizes the activity related to the product warranty liability for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Balance at beginning of period	$	5,746		$	4,019		$	4,225
Accrual for warranties during the period, net of change in estimate	3,672			7,383			3,779
Actual costs incurred	(4,586		)	(5,656		)	(3,985		)
Balance at end of period	$	4,832		$	5,746		$	4,019

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BALANCE SHEET DETAILS 1 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Inventories
Raw materials and purchased parts	$ 19,963		$ 23,415
Work-in-progress	231,614		251,933
Finished goods	96,696		102,085
Total inventories	348,273		377,433
Prepaids and other current assets
Deferred income tax assets	53,105	[1]	10,239	[1]
Prepaid income taxes	13,113		16,441
Value‑added tax receivable	7,144		24,971
Income tax receivable	6,346		17,000
Other	45,311		48,278
Total prepaids and other current assets	125,019		116,929
Other assets
Deferred income tax assets, net of current portion	102,315	[2]	121,417	[2]
Investments in privately-held companies	8,493		12,208
Auction-rate securities	1,066		2,251
Other	11,091		5,595
Total other assets	$ 122,965		$ 141,471

[1] Included within Prepaids and other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets and short-term tax attributes.

[2] Included within Other assets on the consolidated balance sheets and long-term tax attributes.

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STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 3 (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended											16 Months Ended	12 Months Ended						16 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012 Employee stock options	Dec. 31, 2011 Employee stock options	Dec. 31, 2010 Employee stock options	Dec. 31, 2009 Employee stock options	Dec. 31, 2012 Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2011 Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2010 Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2009 Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Employee stock options Maximum	Dec. 31, 2011 Employee stock options Maximum	Dec. 31, 2010 Employee stock options Maximum	Dec. 31, 2009 Employee stock options Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Restricted stock units	Dec. 31, 2011 Restricted stock units	Dec. 31, 2010 Restricted stock units	Sep. 30, 2012 Restricted stock units	Dec. 31, 2012 Restricted Stock Units R S U Non Performance Based [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Restricted Stock Units R S U Non Performance Based [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Restricted Stock Units R S U Non Performance Based [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Performance Shares [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Performance Shares [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Performance Shares [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Stock Plan 2005 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 1 [Member] Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 1 [Member] Employee stock options Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 2 [Member] Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 2 [Member] Employee stock options Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 3 [Member] Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 3 [Member] Employee stock options Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 4 [Member] Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 4 [Member] Employee stock options Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 5 [Member] Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 5 [Member] Employee stock options Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 6 [Member] Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 6 [Member] Employee stock options Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 7 [Member] Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 7 [Member] Employee stock options Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 8 [Member] Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 8 [Member] Employee stock options Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 9 [Member] Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 9 [Member] Employee stock options Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 10 [Member] Employee stock options Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Range of Exercise Price 10 [Member] Employee stock options Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$ 4.33	$ 4.26	$ 4.35	$ 4.38
Shares authorized for issuance																							133,000,000
Vesting period of options (in years)	4 years
Expiration Period of options (in years)	10 years
Available for grant
Balance at the beginning of the period (in shares)	16,523,000	11,463,000	28,478,000
Additional shares authorized (in shares)		19,000,000
Stock units issued (in shares)													(8,507,000)	(6,343,000)	(11,701,000)		(8,507,000)	(6,343,000)	(11,701,000)	(338,000)	(3,474,000)	(472,000)
Adjustment for restricted stock units issued (in shares)													(5,189,000)	(4,017,000)	(9,127,000)					(206,000)	(2,124,000)	(368,000)
Stock units cancelled (in shares)													1,783,000	1,025,000	2,151,000		1,783,000	1,025,000	1,200,000	330,000	25,000	951,000
Adjustment for restricted stock units cancelled (in shares)													1,248,000	793,000	1,678,000					201,000	17,000
Options granted, Available for Grant (in shares)			(315,000)
Options cancelled/expired/forfeited, Available for Grant (in shares)	303,000	158,000	1,139,000
Balance at the end of the period (in shares)	6,148,000	16,523,000	11,463,000
Outstanding Options, Number of Options
Balance at the beginning of the period (in shares)	8,217,000	12,660,000	18,828,000
Options granted (in shares)			315,000
Options cancelled/expired/forfeited (in shares)	(303,000)	(158,000)	(1,139,000)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Forfeitures and Expirations in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$ 4.05	$ 5.01	$ 5.79
Options exercised (in shares)	(1,239,000)	(4,285,000)	(5,344,000)
Balance at the end of the period (in shares)	6,675,000	8,217,000	12,660,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price			$ 5.39
Exercise Price Per Share [Abstract]
Balance at the end of the period, low end of range (in dollars per share)					$ 1.68	$ 1.68	$ 1.68	$ 1.68																$ 1.68		$ 3.32		$ 3.41		$ 4.23		$ 4.43		$ 4.56		$ 4.89		$ 4.92		$ 6.11		$ 10.01
Balance at the end of the period, high end of the range (in dollars per share)									$ 10.01	$ 10.01	$ 14.94	$ 24.44													$ 3.29		$ 3.32		$ 4.20		$ 4.37		$ 4.43		$ 4.78		$ 4.89		$ 6.05		$ 7.38		$ 10.01
Options Granted, weighted average price per share (in dollars per share)							$ 4.77				$ 10.01
Options cancelled/expired/forfeited, weighted average price per share (in dollars per share)					$ 2.11	$ 2.11	$ 2.11		$ 8.83	$ 14.94	$ 24.44
Options exercised, weighted average price per share (in dollars per share)					$ 1.68	$ 1.80	$ 1.68		$ 8.89	$ 13.77	$ 10.82
Share-based payment award
Shares counted against the numerical limit for options available for grant on or after May 18, 2011 (in shares)																							1.61
Shares counted against the numerical limit for options available for grant prior to May 18, 2011 (in shares)																							1.78
Restricted stock units issued, net of cancellations (in shares)																14,800,000
Reduction of shares available for grant due to issue of restricted stock units																							23,700,000
Common stock remained available for grant after giving effect to plan ratio (in shares)																							3,800,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price	$ 3.76	$ 4.51	$ 4.21

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INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Intangible assets, net
Intangible assets, net	$ 27,257,000	$ 20,594,000
Estimated future amortization
2013	6,505,000
2014	4,829,000
2015	4,080,000
2016	2,957,000
2017	2,831,000
Thereafter	6,055,000
Total future amortization	27,257,000	20,594,000
Technology Licenses
Intangible assets, net
Intangible assets, gross	18,123,000	17,564,000
Accumulated Amortization	(16,171,000)	(12,420,000)
Intangible assets, net	1,952,000	5,144,000
Amortization expense	3,700,000	3,500,000	5,200,000
Estimated future amortization
2013	1,283,000
2014	427,000
2015	242,000
2016	0
2017	0
Thereafter	0
Total future amortization	1,952,000	5,144,000
Acquisition‑Related Intangible Assets
Intangible assets, net
Intangible assets, gross	48,550,000	33,100,000
Accumulated Amortization	(23,245,000)	(17,650,000)
Intangible assets, net	25,305,000	15,450,000
Amortization expense	5,600,000	4,600,000	4,500,000
Estimated future amortization
2013	5,222,000
2014	4,402,000
2015	3,838,000
2016	2,957,000
2017	2,831,000
Thereafter	6,055,000
Total future amortization	$ 25,305,000	$ 15,450,000

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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES 1 (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Investments
Term of original or remaining maturity to classify available-for-sale securities as short-term (in days)	90 days
Fair value of investment	$ 3,753,000	$ 5,330,000
Prior Period Adjustment
Increase in net income due to error corrections		8,000,000
Auction-rate securities
Investments
Fair value of investment	1,066,000	2,251,000
Minimum | Auction-rate securities
Investments
Short-term interest rate reset period (in days)	7 days
Period of contractual maturities (in years)	10 years
Maximum
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Term of original or remaining maturity to classify investments as cash and cash equivalents (in days)	90 days
Maximum | Auction-rate securities
Investments
Short-term interest rate reset period (in days)	28 days
Reversal of Subcontractor Cost of Revenue Accruals [Member]
Prior Period Adjustment
Error correction and adjustment		6,900,000
Depreciation on Fixed Assets [Member]
Prior Period Adjustment
Error correction and adjustment		$ 1,700,000

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BALANCE SHEET DETAILS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Balance Sheet Related Disclosures [Abstract]

BALANCE SHEET DETAILS

BALANCE SHEET DETAILS

Inventories are comprised of the following:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(in thousands)
Raw materials and purchased parts	$	19,963	$	23,415
Work-in-progress	231,614		251,933
Finished goods	96,696		102,085
	$	348,273	$	377,433

Prepaids and other current assets consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Deferred income tax assets	$	53,105	$	10,239
Prepaid income taxes	13,113		16,441
Value‑added tax receivable	7,144		24,971
Income tax receivable	6,346		17,000
Other	45,311		48,278
	$	125,019	$	116,929

Other assets consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Deferred income tax assets, net of current portion	$	102,315	$	121,417
Investments in privately-held companies	8,493		12,208
Auction-rate securities	1,066		2,251
Other	11,091		5,595
	$	122,965	$	141,471

Accrued and other liabilities consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Accrued salaries and benefits and other employee related	$	54,993	$	63,360
Advance payments from customer	10,000		10,000
Income taxes payable	7,863		5,734
Deferred income tax liability, current portion	304		—
Grants to be repaid	5,054		14,931
Warranty accruals and accrued returns	10,411		13,855
Royalties and licenses	4,295		5,045
Accrued restructuring	16,222		2,147
Current portion of market price adjustment to supply agreement (See Note 15)	20,953		31,934
Other	73,415		60,112
	$	203,510	$	207,118

Other long-term liabilities consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Advance payments from customer	$	4,668	$	14,668
Income taxes payable	26,744		26,622
Accrued pension liability	40,087		29,268
Long-term technology license payable	—		3,831
Deferred income tax liability, non-current portion	58		57
Long-term portion of market price adjustment to supply agreement (See Note 15)	—		21,188
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations, less current portion	5,602		4,612
Other	23,020		12,725
	$	100,179	$	112,971

Advance payments from customer relate to an agreement that the Company entered into with a specific customer in the year 2000. The agreement calls for the Company to supply either a minimum quantity of the Company's products or make minimum repayments. The minimum payment required to be made annually is the greatest of 15% of the value of product shipped to the customer or $10.0 million, until such time that the advances have been fully repaid. The Company repaid $10.0 million in each of the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 under this agreement. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had remaining $14.7 million in customer advances received, of which $10.0 million is recorded in accrued and other liabilities and $4.7 million in other long-term liabilities.

Also included in other long-term liabilities is a note payable from an entity in which the Company has an equity investment to further its strategic objectives. The total outstanding amount due was $7.5 million, of which $6.6 million is included in other long-term liabilities, and $0.9 million is included in accounts payable at December 31, 2012 and $7.4 million, of which $6.6 million is included in other long-term liabilities, and $0.8 million is included in accounts payable at December 31, 2011. In addition, the Company paid $6.6 million, $3.7 million and $5.0 million to this company for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, relating to a cost sharing arrangement for facility services at its Heilbronn, Germany facility.

Included in current liabilities is a liability related to a manufacturing services agreement entered into with LFoundry Rousset SAS (“LFoundry Rousset”). In connection with the sale of the Company’s Rousset manufacturing operations to LFoundry GmbH (“LFoundry GmbH”), a subsidiary of the Company entered into certain other ancillary agreements, including a manufacturing services agreement (“MSA”) in which a subsidiary agreed to purchase wafers following the closing on a “take-or-pay” basis. See Note 15 for further discussion.

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BORROWING ARRANGEMENTS (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Company's debt and capital lease obligations
Long-term debt	$ 5,602,000	$ 4,612,000
Less: current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Long-term debt due after one year	5,602,000	4,612,000
Maturities of long-term debt and capital lease obligations
Estimated repayment amount of Long-term debt obligations in 2015	$ 9,200,000

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GAIN ON SALE OF ASSETS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]

Schedule of Loss (Gain) on Sale of Assets

(Gain) Loss on Sale of Assets

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
San Jose Corporate Headquarters	$	(33,428	)	$	—
Secure Microcontroller Solutions	—			5,715
Rousset, France	—			94,052
Dream, France	(1,882		)	—
Total (gain) loss on sale of assets	$	(35,310	)	$	99,767

San Jose Corporate Headquarters [Member]

Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]

Schedule of Loss (Gain) on Sale of Assets

The net book value of the properties sold was approximately $12.3 million on the closing date and the Company recorded a gain of $33.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2011, which is summarized below:

	(In thousands)
Sales price	$	(48,500	)
Net book value of assets transferred	12,262
Transaction related costs	2,810
Gain on sale of assets	$	(33,428	)

Secure Microcontroller Solutions SMS

Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]

Schedule of Loss (Gain) on Sale of Assets

The Company recorded a loss on sale of $5.7 million, which is summarized below:

	(In thousands)
Sales consideration	$	(37,000	)
Net assets transferred, including working capital	32,420
Release of currency translation adjustment	2,412
Selling costs	3,882
Other related costs	4,001
Loss on sale of assets	$	5,715

Manufacturing operations in Rousset, France

Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]

Schedule of Loss (Gain) on Sale of Assets

Upon closing of this transaction, the Company recorded a loss on sale of $94.1 million, which is summarized in the following table:

	(In thousands)
Net assets transferred	$	61,646
Fair value of Manufacturing Services Agreement	92,417
Currency translation adjustment	(97,367		)
Severance cost liability	27,840
Transition services	4,746
Selling costs	3,173
Other related costs	1,597
Loss on Sale of Assets	$	94,052

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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Schedule of estimated useful lives of fixed assets

Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:

Building and improvements	10	to	20 years
Machinery, equipment and software	2	to	5 years
Furniture and fixtures			5 years

Schedule of subsidy grant benefits

The Company recognized the following amount of subsidy grant benefits as a reduction of either cost of revenue or research and development expenses, depending on the nature of the grant:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Cost of revenue	$	—	$	6	$	18
Research and development expenses	4,202		3,167		7,866
Total	$	4,202	$	3,173	$	7,884

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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Atmel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates in these financial statements include provision for excess and obsolete inventory, sales return reserves, stock-based compensation expense, allowances for doubtful accounts receivable, warranty accruals, estimates for useful lives associated with long-lived assets, asset impairment charges, recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets, restructuring charges, fair value of net assets held for sale, liabilities for uncertain tax positions, and deferred tax asset valuation allowances. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

For certain of Atmel's financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other current assets and current liabilities, the carrying amounts approximate their fair value due to the relatively short maturity of these items. Investments in debt securities are carried at fair value based on quoted market prices. The estimated fair value has been determined by the Company using available market information. However, considerable judgment is required in interpreting market data to develop the estimates of fair value. Accordingly, the estimates presented are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that Atmel could realize in a current market exchange. The use of different market assumptions and/or estimation methodologies could have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Investments with an original or remaining maturity of 90 days or less, as of the date of purchase, are considered cash equivalents, and consist of highly liquid money market instruments.

Atmel maintains its cash balances at a variety of financial institutions and has not experienced any material losses relating to such instruments. Atmel invests its excess cash in accordance with its investment policy that has been reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors.

Investments

Investments

All of the Company's investments in debt and equity securities in publicly-traded companies are classified as available-for-sale. Available-for-sale securities with an original or remaining maturity of greater than 90 days, as of the date of purchase, are classified as short-term when they represent investments of cash that are intended for use in current operations. Investments in available-for-sale securities are reported at fair value with unrealized (losses) gains, net of related tax, included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income.

The Company's marketable securities include corporate equity securities, U.S. and foreign corporate debt securities, guaranteed variable annuities and auction-rate securities. The Company monitors its investments for impairment periodically and recognizes an impairment charge when the decline in the fair value of these investments is judged to be other-than temporary. Significant judgment is used to identify events or circumstances that would likely have a significant adverse effect on the future use of the investment. The Company considers various factors in determining whether impairment is other-than-temporary, including the length of time and extent to which fair value has been below cost basis, the financial condition of the issuer and the Company's ability and intent to hold the investment for a period of time which may be sufficient for anticipated recovery of market value. The Company's investments include certain highly-rated auction rate securities, totaling $1.1 million and $2.3 million at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, which are structured with short-term interest rate reset dates of either 7 days or 28 days, and contractual maturities that can be in excess of 10 years. The Company evaluates its portfolio by continuing to monitor the credit rating and interest yields of these auction-rate securities and status of reset at each auction date.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable

An allowance for doubtful accounts is calculated based on the aging of Atmel's accounts receivable, historical experience, and management judgment. Atmel writes off accounts receivable against the allowance when Atmel determines a balance is uncollectible and no longer intends to actively pursue collection of the receivable. The Company's bad debt expenses (recoveries) were not material for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Inventories

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (on a first-in, first-out basis) or market. Market is based on estimated net realizable value. Determining market value of inventories involves numerous judgments, including estimating average selling prices and sales volumes for future periods. The Company establishes provisions for lower of cost or market and excess and obsolescence write-downs, which are charged to cost of revenue. The Company makes a determination regarding excess and obsolete inventory on a quarterly basis. This determination requires an estimation of the future demand for the Company’s products and involves an analysis of historical and forecasted sales levels by product, competitiveness of product offerings, market conditions, product lifecycles, as well as other factors. Excess and obsolete inventory write-downs are recorded when the inventory on hand exceeds management’s estimate of future demand for each product and are charged to cost of revenue.

The Company’s inventories include parts that have a potential for rapid technological obsolescence and are sold in a highly competitive industry. The Company writes down inventory that is considered excess or obsolete. When the Company recognizes a loss on such inventory, it establishes a new, lower-cost basis for that inventory, and subsequent changes in facts and circumstances will not result in the restoration or increase in that newly established cost basis. If inventory with a lower-cost basis is subsequently sold, it will result in higher gross margin for the products making up that inventory.

Fixed Assets

Fixed Assets

Fixed assets are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:

Building and improvements	10	to	20 years
Machinery, equipment and software	2	to	5 years
Furniture and fixtures			5 years

Maintenance, repairs and minor upgrades are expensed as incurred.

Investments in Privately-Held Companies

Investments in Privately-Held Companies

Periodically, the Company makes minority investments in certain privately-held companies to further its strategic objectives. Investments in privately-held companies are accounted for at historical cost or, if Atmel has significant influence over the investee, using the equity method of accounting. Atmel's proportionate share of income or losses from investments accounted for under the equity method, and any gain or loss on disposal, are recorded in interest and other (expenses) income, net. Investments in privately- held companies are included in other assets on the Company's consolidated balance sheets.

For investments in privately-held companies, the Company monitors for impairment annually, or when indicators arise, and reduces their carrying values to fair value when the declines are determined to be other-than-temporary.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition

The Company sells its products to OEMs and distributors and recognizes revenue when the rights and risks of ownership have passed to the customer, when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the product has been delivered, the price is fixed or determinable, and collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured. Allowances for sales returns and other credits are recorded at the time of sale.

Contracts and customer purchase orders are used to determine the existence of an arrangement. Shipping documents are used to verify delivery. The Company assesses whether the price is fixed or determinable based on the payment terms associated with the transaction and whether the sales price is subject to refund or adjustment. The Company assesses collectibility based primarily on the creditworthiness of the customer as determined by credit checks and analysis, as well as the customer's payment history. Sales terms do not include post-shipment obligations except for product warranty.

For sales to certain distributors (primarily based in the U.S. and Europe) with agreements allowing for price protection and product returns, the Company historically has not had the ability to estimate future claims at the point of shipment, and given that price is not fixed or determinable at that time, revenue is not recognized until the distributor sells the product to its end customer. At the time of shipment to these distributors, the Company records a trade receivable for the selling price as there is a legally enforceable right to payment, relieves inventory for the carrying value of goods shipped since legal title has passed to the distributor, and records the gross margin in deferred income on shipments to distributors on the consolidated balance sheets.

For sales to independent distributors in Asia, excluding Japan, the Company invoices these distributors at full list price upon shipment and issues a rebate, or "credit," once product has been sold to the end customer and the distributor has met certain reporting requirements. After reviewing the more limited pricing, rebate and quotation-related terms, the Company concluded that it could reliably estimate future claims therefore, the Company recognize revenue at the point of shipment for its Asian distributors, assuming all of the other revenue recognition criteria are met, utilizing amounts invoiced, less estimated future claims.

Grant Recognition

Grant Recognition

Subsidy grants from government organizations are amortized as a reduction of expenses over the period the related obligations are fulfilled. Recognition of future subsidy benefits will depend on the Company's achievement of certain technical milestones, capital investment spending goals, employment goals and other requirements. The Company recognized the following amount of subsidy grant benefits as a reduction of either cost of revenue or research and development expenses, depending on the nature of the grant:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Cost of revenue	$	—	$	6	$	18
Research and development expenses	4,202		3,167		7,866
Total	$	4,202	$	3,173	$	7,884

From time to time, the Company receives economic incentive grants and allowances from European governments, agencies and research organizations targeted at preserving employment at specific locations. The subsidy grant agreements typically contain economic incentive, headcount, capital and research and development expenditures and other conditions that must be met to receive and retain grant benefits. Noncompliance with the conditions of the grants could result in the forfeiture of all or a portion of any future amounts to be received, as well as the repayment of all or a portion of amounts previously received. In addition, the Company may need to record charges to reverse grant benefits recorded in prior periods as a result of changes to its plans for headcount, project spending, or capital investment at any of these specific locations. If the Company is unable to comply with any of the conditions in the grant agreements, the Company may face adverse actions from the government agencies providing the grants. If the Company were required to repay grant benefits, its results of operations and financial position could be materially adversely affected by the amount of such repayments.

In March 2012, the Greek government executed a ministerial decision related to an outstanding state grant previously made to a Greek subsidiary of the Company. Based on the execution of the ministerial decision and the subsequent publication of that decision by the Greek government, the Company determined that its Greek subsidiary would not be required to repay the full amount of that grant. As a result, the Company recognized a benefit of $10.7 million in its results for the year ended December 31, 2012 resulting from the reversal of a reserve previously established for that grant.

As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the total liability for grant benefits subject to repayment was $5.1 million and $14.9 million, respectively, and is included in accrued and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

Advertising Costs

Advertising Costs

Atmel expenses all advertising costs as incurred. Advertising costs were not significant for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Foreign Currency Translation

Foreign Currency Translation

Certain of Atmel's major international subsidiaries use their local currencies as their respective functional currencies. Financial statements of these foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars at current rates, except that revenue, costs and expenses are translated at average current rates during each reporting period. The effect of translating the accounts of these foreign subsidiaries into U.S. dollars has been included in the consolidated statements of stockholders' equity and comprehensive (loss) income as a foreign currency translation adjustment. Gains and losses from remeasurement of assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the respective functional currencies are included in the consolidated statements of operations. Gains (losses) due to foreign currency remeasurement included in interest and other (expense) income, net for the year ended December 31, 2012 were not significant. Gains due to foreign currency remeasurement included in interest and other (expense) income, net for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 were $6.0 million and $13.2 million, respectively.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company determines the fair value of options on the measurement date utilizing an option-pricing model, which is affected by its common stock price, as well as changes in assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited to: expected common stock price volatility over the term of the option awards, as well as the projected employee option exercise behaviors during the expected period between the stock option grant date and stock option exercise date. For performance-based restricted stock units, the Company is required to assess the probability of achieving certain financial objectives at the end of each reporting period. Based on the assessment of this probability, which requires subjective judgment, the Company records stock-based compensation expense before the performance criteria are actually fully achieved, which may then be reversed in future periods if the Company determines that it is no longer probable that the objectives will be achieved. The expected cost of each award is reflected over the performance period and is reduced for estimated forfeitures. The fair value of a restricted stock unit is equivalent to the market price of the Company's common stock on the measurement date.

Valuation of Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Valuation of Goodwill and Intangible Assets

The Company reviews goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives for impairment annually during the fourth quarter of each year and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable. In 2011, the Company adopted ASU 2011-08 "Intangibles-Goodwill and Other" and in both 2011 and 2012 performed a Step 0, or qualitative assessment of its goodwill balance, which required management to make certain judgments and estimates. Based on the Company's assessment of its carrying amount of reporting units compared to its fair value of reporting units as of the assessment date and due to current economic factors, the Company did not proceed to Step 1. Purchased intangible assets with finite useful lives are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives and are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the Company may not be able to recover the asset's carrying amount. Determining the fair value of a reporting unit is subjective in nature and involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions. The Company determines the fair value of its reporting unit based on an income approach, whereby it calculates the fair value of the reporting unit based on the present value of estimated future cash flows, which are formed by evaluating operating plans. Estimates of the future cash flows associated with the businesses are critical to these assessments. The assumptions used in the fair value calculation change from year to year and include revenue growth rates, operating margins, risk adjusted discount rates and future economic and market conditions. If the total future cash flows are less than the carrying amount of the assets, the Company recognizes an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets. Changes in these estimates based on changed economic conditions or business strategies could result in material impairment charges in future periods. The Company bases its fair value estimates on assumptions it believes to be reasonable. Actual future results may differ from those estimates. No impairment charges relating to goodwill and intangible assets were recorded for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Certain Risks and Concentrations

Certain Risks and Concentrations

Atmel sells its products primarily to OEMs and distributors in North America, Europe and Asia, generally without requiring any collateral. Atmel performs ongoing credit evaluations and seeks to maintain adequate allowances for potential credit losses. Two distributors accounted for 14% and 12% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2012 and one customer accounted for 10% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2012. Two distributors accounted for 15% and 14% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2011. Two customers accounted for more than 10% of net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2012 (see Note 14 for further discussion). No single customer accounted for more than 10% of net revenue in any of the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010.

The semiconductor industry is characterized by rapid technological change, competitive pricing pressures and cyclical market patterns. The Company's financial results are affected by a wide variety of factors, including general economic conditions worldwide, economic conditions specific to the semiconductor industry, the timely introduction of new products and implementation of new manufacturing process technologies and the ability to safeguard patents and intellectual property in a rapidly evolving market. In addition, the semiconductor industry has historically been cyclical and subject to significant economic downturns at various times. As a result, Atmel may experience significant period-to-period fluctuations in future operating results due to the factors mentioned above or other factors. Atmel believes that its existing cash, cash equivalents and investments together with cash flow from operations, equipment lease financing and other short term borrowing, will be sufficient to support its liquidity and capital investment activities for the next twelve months.

Additionally, the Company relies on a limited number of contract manufacturers to provide assembly services for its products. The inability of a contract manufacturer or supplier to fulfill supply requirements of the Company could materially affect future operating results.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

The Company's (provision for) benefit from income tax comprises its current tax liability and change in deferred tax assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected tax consequences of temporary differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements using enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the difference is expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are provided to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount that in management's judgment is more likely than not to be recoverable against future taxable income. No U.S. taxes are provided on earnings of non U.S. subsidiaries; to the extent such earnings are deemed to be permanently reinvested.

The Company's income tax calculations are based on application of the respective U.S. federal, state or foreign tax law. The Company's tax filings, however, are subject to audit by the relevant tax authorities. Accordingly, the Company recognizes tax liabilities based upon its estimate of whether, and the extent to which, additional taxes will be due when such estimates are more-likely-than-not to be sustained. An uncertain income tax position will not be recognized if it has less than a 50% likelihood of being sustained. To the extent the final tax liabilities are different than the amounts originally accrued, the increases or decreases are recorded as income tax expense or benefit in the consolidated statements of operations.

In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, the Company evaluates both positive and negative evidence that may exist and considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible.

Any adjustment to the net deferred tax asset valuation allowance would be recorded in the consolidated statement of operations for the period that the adjustment is determined to be required.

Long-Lived Assets

Long-Lived Assets

Atmel periodically evaluates the recoverability of its long-lived assets. Factors which could trigger an impairment review include the following: (i) significant negative industry or economic trends; (ii) exiting an activity in conjunction with a restructuring of operations; (iii) current, historical or projected losses that demonstrate a likelihood of continuing losses associated with an asset; (iv) significant decline in the Company's market capitalization for an extended period of time relative to net book value; (v) material changes in the Company's manufacturing model; and (vi) management's assessment of future manufacturing capacity requirements. When the Company determines that there is an indicator that the carrying value of long-lived assets may not be recoverable, the assessment of possible impairment is based on the Company's ability to recover the carrying value of the asset from the expected future undiscounted pre-tax cash flows of the related operations. These estimates include assumptions about future conditions such as future revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, and the fair values of certain assets based on appraisals and industry trends. If these cash flows are less than the carrying value of such assets, an impairment loss is recognized for the difference between estimated fair value and carrying value. The measurement of impairment requires management to estimate future cash flows and the fair value of long-lived assets. The evaluation is performed at the lowest levels for which there are identifiable, independent cash flows.

Costs that the Company incurs to acquire completed product and process technology are capitalized and amortized on a straight-line basis over two to five years. Capitalized product and process technology costs are amortized over the shorter of the estimated useful life of the technology or the term of the technology agreement.

Net Income (Loss) Per Share

Net Income Per Share

Basic net income per share is computed by using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income per share is computed giving effect to all dilutive potential common shares that were outstanding during the period. Dilutive potential common shares consist of incremental common shares issuable upon exercise of stock options, upon vesting of restricted stock units, contingently issuable shares for all periods and assumed issuance of shares under the Company's employee stock purchase plan. No dilutive potential common shares are included in the computation of any diluted per share amount when a loss from continuing operations is reported by the Company.

Product Warranties

Research and Development

Research and Development

Cost incurred in the research and development of Atmel's products is expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses were $251.5 million, $255.7 million and $237.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05,Comprehensive Income (ASC Topic 220) — Presentation of Comprehensive Income. The amendments from this update will result in more converged guidance on how comprehensive income is presented under U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). With this update to ASC 220, an entity has the option to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. In both choices, an entity is required to present each component of net income along with total net income, each component of other comprehensive income along with a total for other comprehensive income, and a total amount for comprehensive income. The amendments in this update do not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income or when an item of other comprehensive income must be reclassified to net income, nor does it affect how earnings per share is calculated or presented. Current U.S. GAAP allows reporting entities three alternatives for presenting other comprehensive income and its components in financial statements. One of those presentation options is to present the components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders' equity. This update eliminates that option. The amended guidance also requires presentation of adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income in the statement where the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income are presented. The amendments in this ASU should be applied retrospectively. For public entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011. On October 21, 2011 the FASB decided to propose a deferral of the requirement to present reclassifications of other comprehensive income on the face of the income statement and on February 5, 2013, the FASB finalized this requirement for public entities beginning after December 15, 2012. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-04,Fair Value Measurement (ASC Topic 820) — Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRS. The amendments in this ASU result in common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements under U.S. GAAP and IFRS. Consequently, the amendments describe many of the requirements in U.S. GAAP for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements as well as improving consistency in application across jurisdictions to ensure that U.S. GAAP and IFRS fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are described in the same way. The ASU also provides for certain changes in current GAAP disclosure requirements, for example with respect to the measurement of Level 3 assets and for measuring the fair value of an instrument classified in a reporting entity's shareholders' equity. The amendments in this ASU are to be applied prospectively. For public entities, the amendments are effective during interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

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BUSINESS COMBINATIONS ADVANCE DIGITAL DESIGN (DETAILS) (Advanced Digital Design S A [Member], USD $)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Oct. 06, 2011
Advanced Digital Design S A [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Cash Paid				$ 19,915,000
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Net Tangible Assets				4,879,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity Escrow Deposit				4,500,000
Escrow Deposit to be Released Period First Related to Entity Acquistion	18 months
Escrow Deposit to be Released Period Second Related to Entity Acquistion	36 months
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Goodwill Amount				13,724,000
Amortization of intangible assets		1,421,000	375,000
Compensation-related expense - cash		1,793,000	944,000
Business Combination, Cash Compensation Related Expense Accelerated			400,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Transaction Costs			$ 700,000

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RESTRUCTURING CHARGES (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]

Summary of the activity related to the accrual for restructuring charges detailed by event

The following table summarizes the activity related to the accrual for restructuring charges detailed by event for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

	Q3'08			Q2'10			Q2'12			Q4'12			Total 2012 Activity
	(In thousands)
January 1, 2012	$	301		$	1,846		$	—		$	—		$	2,147
Charges - Employee termination costs, net of change in estimate	—			924			11,724			10,843			23,491
Charges - Other	—			—			—			495			495
Payments - Employee termination costs	(301		)	(1,902		)	(4,486		)	(2,973		)	(9,662		)
Foreign exchange (gain) loss	—			(429		)	180			—			(249		)
December 31, 2012	$	—		$	439		$	7,418		$	8,365		$	16,222

	Q3'02			Q2'08			Q3'08			Q1'09			Q2'10			Total 2011 Activity
	(In thousands)
January 1, 2011	$	1,592		$	3		$	460		$	136		$	1,286		$	3,477
Charges (credits) - Employee termination costs, net of change in estimate	—			(3		)	—			—			21,659			21,656
Credit - Other	(1,592		)	—			—			—			—			(1,592		)
Payments - Employee termination costs	—			—			—			—			(21,461		)	(21,461		)
Payments - Other	—			—			—			(136		)	—			(136		)
Currency Translation Adjustment	—			—			15			—			1,165			1,180
Foreign exchange gain	—			—			(174		)	—			(803		)	(977		)
December 31, 2011	$	—		$	—		$	301		$	—		$	1,846		$	2,147

	Q3'02		Q2'08			Q3'08			Q1'09			Q2'10			Total 2010 Activity
	(In thousands)
January 1, 2010	$	1,592	$	4		$	557		$	318		$	—		$	2,471
Charges - Employee termination costs, net of change in estimate	—		—			—			986			4,267			5,253
Payments - Employee termination costs	—		—			(44		)	(954		)	(2,965		)	(3,963		)
Payments - Other	—		—			—			(182		)	—			(182		)
Currency Translation Adjustment	—		(1		)	(53		)	(32		)	(16		)	(102		)
December 31, 2010	$	1,592	$	3		$	460		$	136		$	1,286		$	3,477

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BALANCE SHEET DETAILS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Balance Sheet Related Disclosures [Abstract]

Components of inventories

Inventories are comprised of the following:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(in thousands)
Raw materials and purchased parts	$	19,963	$	23,415
Work-in-progress	231,614		251,933
Finished goods	96,696		102,085
	$	348,273	$	377,433

Components of prepaids and other current assets

Prepaids and other current assets consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Deferred income tax assets	$	53,105	$	10,239
Prepaid income taxes	13,113		16,441
Value‑added tax receivable	7,144		24,971
Income tax receivable	6,346		17,000
Other	45,311		48,278
	$	125,019	$	116,929

Components of other assets

Other assets consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Deferred income tax assets, net of current portion	$	102,315	$	121,417
Investments in privately-held companies	8,493		12,208
Auction-rate securities	1,066		2,251
Other	11,091		5,595
	$	122,965	$	141,471

Components of accrued and other liabilities

Accrued and other liabilities consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Accrued salaries and benefits and other employee related	$	54,993	$	63,360
Advance payments from customer	10,000		10,000
Income taxes payable	7,863		5,734
Deferred income tax liability, current portion	304		—
Grants to be repaid	5,054		14,931
Warranty accruals and accrued returns	10,411		13,855
Royalties and licenses	4,295		5,045
Accrued restructuring	16,222		2,147
Current portion of market price adjustment to supply agreement (See Note 15)	20,953		31,934
Other	73,415		60,112
	$	203,510	$	207,118

Components of other long-term liabilities

Other long-term liabilities consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Advance payments from customer	$	4,668	$	14,668
Income taxes payable	26,744		26,622
Accrued pension liability	40,087		29,268
Long-term technology license payable	—		3,831
Deferred income tax liability, non-current portion	58		57
Long-term portion of market price adjustment to supply agreement (See Note 15)	—		21,188
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations, less current portion	5,602		4,612
Other	23,020		12,725
	$	100,179	$	112,971

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BUSINESS COMBINATIONS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Ozmo Inc.

Business Acquisition [Line Items]

Schedule of Total Purchase Price [Table Text Block]

The total purchase price of the acquisition was as follows:

	December 20, 2012
	(in thousands)
Cash in exchange for shareholders' equity interest	$	58,165
Unvested shares in Ozmo	237
Transaction expenses incurred by Ozmo	1,816
Long-term debt paid on behalf of Ozmo	1,415
Fair value of contingent consideration (earnout provision)	1,927
Liabilities assumed	861
Total purchase price	$	64,421

Schedule of purchase price allocation as of the closing date of the acquisition

The purchase price was allocated as follows as of the closing date of the acquisition:

	December 20, 2012
	(In thousands)
Total purchase price	$	64,421
Less:
Net tangible assets acquired	(2,805		)
Intangible assets acquired:
Customer relationships	(2,650		)
Developed technologies	(12,020		)
Tradename	(60		)
Non-compete agreements	(660		)
Backlog	(60		)
Total intangible assets	(15,450		)
Goodwill	$	46,166

Schedule of components of the acquired identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization

The intangible assets for the Ozmo acquisition were measured at fair value using the income approach. The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2012, which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Lives
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	2,650	$	(26	)	$	2,624			3 years
Developed technologies	12,020		(61		)	11,959		4	to	6 years
Tradename	60		(1		)	59				3 years
Non-compete agreements	660		(10		)	650				2 years
Backlog	60		(1		)	59				1 year
	$	15,450	$	(99	)	$	15,351

Advanced Digital Design S A [Member]

Business Acquisition [Line Items]

Schedule of purchase price allocation as of the closing date of the acquisition

The purchase price was allocated as follows as of the closing date of the acquisition:

	October 6, 2011
	(In thousands)
Cash paid for acquisition	$	19,915
Less:
Net tangible liabilities assumed	4,879
Intangible assets acquired:
Customer relationships	(6,580		)
Developed technologies	(3,330		)
Tradename	(150		)
Non-compete agreements	(720		)
Backlog	(290		)
Total intangible assets	(11,070		)
Goodwill	$	13,724

Schedule of components of the acquired identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization

The intangible assets for the ADD acquisition were measured at fair value using the income approach. The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2012, which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Lives
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	6,580	$	(548	)	$	6,032	15 years
Developed technology	3,330		(595		)	2,735		7 years
Tradename	150		(63		)	87		3 years
Non-compete agreement	720		(300		)	420		3 years
Backlog	290		(290		)	—		1 year
	$	11,070	$	(1,796	)	$	9,274

The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2011 which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Lives
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	6,580	$	(110	)	$	6,470	15 years
Developed technology	3,330		(119		)	3,211		7 years
Tradename	150		(13		)	137		3 years
Non-compete agreement	720		(60		)	660		3 years
Backlog	290		(73		)	217		1 year
	$	11,070	$	(375	)	$	10,695

Schedule of acquisition-related charges

The Company recorded the following acquisition‑related charges in the consolidated statements of operations in the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 related to the ADD acquisition:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Amortization of intangible assets	$	1,421	$	375
Compensation‑related expense — cash	1,793		944
	$	3,214	$	1,319

Quantum Research Group Ltd.

Business Acquisition [Line Items]

Schedule of components of the acquired identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization

The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2012 which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Life
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	15,427	$	(14,912	)	$	515	5 years
Developed technology	4,948		(4,783		)	165		5 years
Tradename	849		(849		)	—		3 years
Non-compete agreement	806		(806		)	—		5 years
	$	22,030	$	(21,350	)	$	680

The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2011 which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Life
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	15,427	$	(11,827	)	$	3,600	5 years
Developed technology	4,948		(3,793		)	1,155		5 years
Tradename	849		(849		)	—		3 years
Non-compete agreement	806		(806		)	—		5 years
	$	22,030	$	(17,275	)	$	4,755

Schedule of acquisition-related charges

The Company recorded the following acquisition‑related charges in the consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 related to the Quantum acquisition:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Amortization of intangible assets	$	4,075	$	4,192		$	4,466
Compensation‑related expense — cash	—		—			199
Compensation‑related credit — stock	—		(103		)	(3,065		)
	$	4,075	$	4,089		$	1,600

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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Nature of Operations

Atmel is one of the world’s leading designers, developers and suppliers of microcontrollers, which are self-contained computers-on-a-chip. Microcontrollers are generally less expensive, consume less power and offer enhanced programming capabilities compared to traditional microprocessors. Atmel's microcontrollers and related products are used in many of the world’s leading smartphones, ultrabooks, tablet devices, e-readers, wireless peripherals and other consumer and industrial electronics in which they provide core functionality for such things as touch sensing, sensor and lighting management, security,and encryption features, wireless applications, industrial controls, building automation and battery management. Atmel offers an extensive portfolio of capacitive touch products that integrate its microcontrollers with fundamental touch‑focused intellectual property ("IP") we have developed, and Atmel continues to leverage its market and technology advantages to expand its product portfolio within the touch‑related eco-system. Toward that end, and as a natural extension of Atmel's touch controller business, Atmel announced its XSense products, a new type of touch sensor based on proprietary metal mesh technologies, in 2012. Atmel also designs and sells products that are complementary to its microcontroller business, including nonvolatile memory, radio frequency and mixed‑signal components and application specific integrated circuits. With Atmel's broad product portfolio, its semiconductors also enable applications, such as smart‑metering for utility monitoring and billing, residential and architectural LED-based lighting systems, touch panels used on household and industrial appliances that integrate Atmel's “non-mechanical” buttons, sliders and wheels, various aerospace, industrial and military products and systems, and electronic‑based automotive components, like keyless ignition and access, engine control, and lighting and entertainment systems for standard and hybrid vehicles. Over the past several years, Atmel transitioned its business to a “fab-lite” manufacturing model, lowering its fixed costs and capital investment requirements, and Atmel currently own and operate one remaining wafer fabrication facility. Atmel has continued to focus on the development of wireless products that allow devices to communicate and connect with each other, and has continued to integrate enhanced wireless capabilities into its product portfolio, including technologies such as “Wi-Fi Direct;” that enable the so-called “Internet of Things,” where smart, connected devices and appliances seamlessly share data and information. Atmel currently owns and operates one wafer manufacturing facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, consistent with Atmel's strategic determination made several years ago to maintain lower fixed costs and capital investment requirements.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Atmel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

2011 Out-of-Period Adjustments

The Company recorded an out-of-period adjustment to reverse test and assembly subcontractor accruals for $6.9 million, related to cost of revenues for the year ended December 31, 2011. In addition, the Company corrected excess depreciation for certain fixed assets for $1.7 million, related to research and development for the year ended December 31, 2011. The correction of these errors resulted in an increase to the Company's net income of $8.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. Management assessed the impact of these errors and concluded that the amounts were not material, either individually or in the aggregate, to any prior periods' annual or interim financial statements, nor was the impact of the errors material to the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011. On that basis, the Company recorded these corrections, in the aggregate, in the year ended December 31, 2011.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates in these financial statements include provision for excess and obsolete inventory, sales return reserves, stock-based compensation expense, allowances for doubtful accounts receivable, warranty accruals, estimates for useful lives associated with long-lived assets, asset impairment charges, recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets, restructuring charges, fair value of net assets held for sale, liabilities for uncertain tax positions, and deferred tax asset valuation allowances. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

For certain of Atmel's financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other current assets and current liabilities, the carrying amounts approximate their fair value due to the relatively short maturity of these items. Investments in debt securities are carried at fair value based on quoted market prices. The estimated fair value has been determined by the Company using available market information. However, considerable judgment is required in interpreting market data to develop the estimates of fair value. Accordingly, the estimates presented are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that Atmel could realize in a current market exchange. The use of different market assumptions and/or estimation methodologies could have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Investments with an original or remaining maturity of 90 days or less, as of the date of purchase, are considered cash equivalents, and consist of highly liquid money market instruments.

Atmel maintains its cash balances at a variety of financial institutions and has not experienced any material losses relating to such instruments. Atmel invests its excess cash in accordance with its investment policy that has been reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors.

Investments

All of the Company's investments in debt and equity securities in publicly-traded companies are classified as available-for-sale. Available-for-sale securities with an original or remaining maturity of greater than 90 days, as of the date of purchase, are classified as short-term when they represent investments of cash that are intended for use in current operations. Investments in available-for-sale securities are reported at fair value with unrealized (losses) gains, net of related tax, included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income.

The Company's marketable securities include corporate equity securities, U.S. and foreign corporate debt securities, guaranteed variable annuities and auction-rate securities. The Company monitors its investments for impairment periodically and recognizes an impairment charge when the decline in the fair value of these investments is judged to be other-than temporary. Significant judgment is used to identify events or circumstances that would likely have a significant adverse effect on the future use of the investment. The Company considers various factors in determining whether impairment is other-than-temporary, including the length of time and extent to which fair value has been below cost basis, the financial condition of the issuer and the Company's ability and intent to hold the investment for a period of time which may be sufficient for anticipated recovery of market value. The Company's investments include certain highly-rated auction rate securities, totaling $1.1 million and $2.3 million at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, which are structured with short-term interest rate reset dates of either 7 days or 28 days, and contractual maturities that can be in excess of 10 years. The Company evaluates its portfolio by continuing to monitor the credit rating and interest yields of these auction-rate securities and status of reset at each auction date.

Accounts Receivable

An allowance for doubtful accounts is calculated based on the aging of Atmel's accounts receivable, historical experience, and management judgment. Atmel writes off accounts receivable against the allowance when Atmel determines a balance is uncollectible and no longer intends to actively pursue collection of the receivable. The Company's bad debt expenses (recoveries) were not material for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (on a first-in, first-out basis) or market. Market is based on estimated net realizable value. Determining market value of inventories involves numerous judgments, including estimating average selling prices and sales volumes for future periods. The Company establishes provisions for lower of cost or market and excess and obsolescence write-downs, which are charged to cost of revenue. The Company makes a determination regarding excess and obsolete inventory on a quarterly basis. This determination requires an estimation of the future demand for the Company’s products and involves an analysis of historical and forecasted sales levels by product, competitiveness of product offerings, market conditions, product lifecycles, as well as other factors. Excess and obsolete inventory write-downs are recorded when the inventory on hand exceeds management’s estimate of future demand for each product and are charged to cost of revenue.

The Company’s inventories include parts that have a potential for rapid technological obsolescence and are sold in a highly competitive industry. The Company writes down inventory that is considered excess or obsolete. When the Company recognizes a loss on such inventory, it establishes a new, lower-cost basis for that inventory, and subsequent changes in facts and circumstances will not result in the restoration or increase in that newly established cost basis. If inventory with a lower-cost basis is subsequently sold, it will result in higher gross margin for the products making up that inventory.

Fixed Assets

Fixed assets are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:

Building and improvements	10	to	20 years
Machinery, equipment and software	2	to	5 years
Furniture and fixtures			5 years

Maintenance, repairs and minor upgrades are expensed as incurred.

Investments in Privately-Held Companies

Periodically, the Company makes minority investments in certain privately-held companies to further its strategic objectives. Investments in privately-held companies are accounted for at historical cost or, if Atmel has significant influence over the investee, using the equity method of accounting. Atmel's proportionate share of income or losses from investments accounted for under the equity method, and any gain or loss on disposal, are recorded in interest and other (expenses) income, net. Investments in privately- held companies are included in other assets on the Company's consolidated balance sheets.

For investments in privately-held companies, the Company monitors for impairment annually, or when indicators arise, and reduces their carrying values to fair value when the declines are determined to be other-than-temporary.

Revenue Recognition

The Company sells its products to OEMs and distributors and recognizes revenue when the rights and risks of ownership have passed to the customer, when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the product has been delivered, the price is fixed or determinable, and collection of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured. Allowances for sales returns and other credits are recorded at the time of sale.

Contracts and customer purchase orders are used to determine the existence of an arrangement. Shipping documents are used to verify delivery. The Company assesses whether the price is fixed or determinable based on the payment terms associated with the transaction and whether the sales price is subject to refund or adjustment. The Company assesses collectibility based primarily on the creditworthiness of the customer as determined by credit checks and analysis, as well as the customer's payment history. Sales terms do not include post-shipment obligations except for product warranty.

For sales to certain distributors (primarily based in the U.S. and Europe) with agreements allowing for price protection and product returns, the Company historically has not had the ability to estimate future claims at the point of shipment, and given that price is not fixed or determinable at that time, revenue is not recognized until the distributor sells the product to its end customer. At the time of shipment to these distributors, the Company records a trade receivable for the selling price as there is a legally enforceable right to payment, relieves inventory for the carrying value of goods shipped since legal title has passed to the distributor, and records the gross margin in deferred income on shipments to distributors on the consolidated balance sheets.

For sales to independent distributors in Asia, excluding Japan, the Company invoices these distributors at full list price upon shipment and issues a rebate, or "credit," once product has been sold to the end customer and the distributor has met certain reporting requirements. After reviewing the more limited pricing, rebate and quotation-related terms, the Company concluded that it could reliably estimate future claims therefore, the Company recognize revenue at the point of shipment for its Asian distributors, assuming all of the other revenue recognition criteria are met, utilizing amounts invoiced, less estimated future claims.

Grant Recognition

Subsidy grants from government organizations are amortized as a reduction of expenses over the period the related obligations are fulfilled. Recognition of future subsidy benefits will depend on the Company's achievement of certain technical milestones, capital investment spending goals, employment goals and other requirements. The Company recognized the following amount of subsidy grant benefits as a reduction of either cost of revenue or research and development expenses, depending on the nature of the grant:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Cost of revenue	$	—	$	6	$	18
Research and development expenses	4,202		3,167		7,866
Total	$	4,202	$	3,173	$	7,884

From time to time, the Company receives economic incentive grants and allowances from European governments, agencies and research organizations targeted at preserving employment at specific locations. The subsidy grant agreements typically contain economic incentive, headcount, capital and research and development expenditures and other conditions that must be met to receive and retain grant benefits. Noncompliance with the conditions of the grants could result in the forfeiture of all or a portion of any future amounts to be received, as well as the repayment of all or a portion of amounts previously received. In addition, the Company may need to record charges to reverse grant benefits recorded in prior periods as a result of changes to its plans for headcount, project spending, or capital investment at any of these specific locations. If the Company is unable to comply with any of the conditions in the grant agreements, the Company may face adverse actions from the government agencies providing the grants. If the Company were required to repay grant benefits, its results of operations and financial position could be materially adversely affected by the amount of such repayments.

In March 2012, the Greek government executed a ministerial decision related to an outstanding state grant previously made to a Greek subsidiary of the Company. Based on the execution of the ministerial decision and the subsequent publication of that decision by the Greek government, the Company determined that its Greek subsidiary would not be required to repay the full amount of that grant. As a result, the Company recognized a benefit of $10.7 million in its results for the year ended December 31, 2012 resulting from the reversal of a reserve previously established for that grant.

As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the total liability for grant benefits subject to repayment was $5.1 million and $14.9 million, respectively, and is included in accrued and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

Advertising Costs

Atmel expenses all advertising costs as incurred. Advertising costs were not significant for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Foreign Currency Translation

Certain of Atmel's major international subsidiaries use their local currencies as their respective functional currencies. Financial statements of these foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars at current rates, except that revenue, costs and expenses are translated at average current rates during each reporting period. The effect of translating the accounts of these foreign subsidiaries into U.S. dollars has been included in the consolidated statements of stockholders' equity and comprehensive (loss) income as a foreign currency translation adjustment. Gains and losses from remeasurement of assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the respective functional currencies are included in the consolidated statements of operations. Gains (losses) due to foreign currency remeasurement included in interest and other (expense) income, net for the year ended December 31, 2012 were not significant. Gains due to foreign currency remeasurement included in interest and other (expense) income, net for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 were $6.0 million and $13.2 million, respectively.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company determines the fair value of options on the measurement date utilizing an option-pricing model, which is affected by its common stock price, as well as changes in assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited to: expected common stock price volatility over the term of the option awards, as well as the projected employee option exercise behaviors during the expected period between the stock option grant date and stock option exercise date. For performance-based restricted stock units, the Company is required to assess the probability of achieving certain financial objectives at the end of each reporting period. Based on the assessment of this probability, which requires subjective judgment, the Company records stock-based compensation expense before the performance criteria are actually fully achieved, which may then be reversed in future periods if the Company determines that it is no longer probable that the objectives will be achieved. The expected cost of each award is reflected over the performance period and is reduced for estimated forfeitures. The fair value of a restricted stock unit is equivalent to the market price of the Company's common stock on the measurement date.

Valuation of Goodwill and Intangible Assets

The Company reviews goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives for impairment annually during the fourth quarter of each year and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable. In 2011, the Company adopted ASU 2011-08 "Intangibles-Goodwill and Other" and in both 2011 and 2012 performed a Step 0, or qualitative assessment of its goodwill balance, which required management to make certain judgments and estimates. Based on the Company's assessment of its carrying amount of reporting units compared to its fair value of reporting units as of the assessment date and due to current economic factors, the Company did not proceed to Step 1. Purchased intangible assets with finite useful lives are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives and are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the Company may not be able to recover the asset's carrying amount. Determining the fair value of a reporting unit is subjective in nature and involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions. The Company determines the fair value of its reporting unit based on an income approach, whereby it calculates the fair value of the reporting unit based on the present value of estimated future cash flows, which are formed by evaluating operating plans. Estimates of the future cash flows associated with the businesses are critical to these assessments. The assumptions used in the fair value calculation change from year to year and include revenue growth rates, operating margins, risk adjusted discount rates and future economic and market conditions. If the total future cash flows are less than the carrying amount of the assets, the Company recognizes an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets. Changes in these estimates based on changed economic conditions or business strategies could result in material impairment charges in future periods. The Company bases its fair value estimates on assumptions it believes to be reasonable. Actual future results may differ from those estimates. No impairment charges relating to goodwill and intangible assets were recorded for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Certain Risks and Concentrations

Atmel sells its products primarily to OEMs and distributors in North America, Europe and Asia, generally without requiring any collateral. Atmel performs ongoing credit evaluations and seeks to maintain adequate allowances for potential credit losses. Two distributors accounted for 14% and 12% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2012 and one customer accounted for 10% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2012. Two distributors accounted for 15% and 14% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2011. Two customers accounted for more than 10% of net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2012 (see Note 14 for further discussion). No single customer accounted for more than 10% of net revenue in any of the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010.

The semiconductor industry is characterized by rapid technological change, competitive pricing pressures and cyclical market patterns. The Company's financial results are affected by a wide variety of factors, including general economic conditions worldwide, economic conditions specific to the semiconductor industry, the timely introduction of new products and implementation of new manufacturing process technologies and the ability to safeguard patents and intellectual property in a rapidly evolving market. In addition, the semiconductor industry has historically been cyclical and subject to significant economic downturns at various times. As a result, Atmel may experience significant period-to-period fluctuations in future operating results due to the factors mentioned above or other factors. Atmel believes that its existing cash, cash equivalents and investments together with cash flow from operations, equipment lease financing and other short term borrowing, will be sufficient to support its liquidity and capital investment activities for the next twelve months.

Additionally, the Company relies on a limited number of contract manufacturers to provide assembly services for its products. The inability of a contract manufacturer or supplier to fulfill supply requirements of the Company could materially affect future operating results.

Income Taxes

The Company's (provision for) benefit from income tax comprises its current tax liability and change in deferred tax assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected tax consequences of temporary differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements using enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the difference is expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are provided to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount that in management's judgment is more likely than not to be recoverable against future taxable income. No U.S. taxes are provided on earnings of non U.S. subsidiaries; to the extent such earnings are deemed to be permanently reinvested.

The Company's income tax calculations are based on application of the respective U.S. federal, state or foreign tax law. The Company's tax filings, however, are subject to audit by the relevant tax authorities. Accordingly, the Company recognizes tax liabilities based upon its estimate of whether, and the extent to which, additional taxes will be due when such estimates are more-likely-than-not to be sustained. An uncertain income tax position will not be recognized if it has less than a 50% likelihood of being sustained. To the extent the final tax liabilities are different than the amounts originally accrued, the increases or decreases are recorded as income tax expense or benefit in the consolidated statements of operations.

In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, the Company evaluates both positive and negative evidence that may exist and considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible.

Any adjustment to the net deferred tax asset valuation allowance would be recorded in the consolidated statement of operations for the period that the adjustment is determined to be required.

Long-Lived Assets

Atmel periodically evaluates the recoverability of its long-lived assets. Factors which could trigger an impairment review include the following: (i) significant negative industry or economic trends; (ii) exiting an activity in conjunction with a restructuring of operations; (iii) current, historical or projected losses that demonstrate a likelihood of continuing losses associated with an asset; (iv) significant decline in the Company's market capitalization for an extended period of time relative to net book value; (v) material changes in the Company's manufacturing model; and (vi) management's assessment of future manufacturing capacity requirements. When the Company determines that there is an indicator that the carrying value of long-lived assets may not be recoverable, the assessment of possible impairment is based on the Company's ability to recover the carrying value of the asset from the expected future undiscounted pre-tax cash flows of the related operations. These estimates include assumptions about future conditions such as future revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, and the fair values of certain assets based on appraisals and industry trends. If these cash flows are less than the carrying value of such assets, an impairment loss is recognized for the difference between estimated fair value and carrying value. The measurement of impairment requires management to estimate future cash flows and the fair value of long-lived assets. The evaluation is performed at the lowest levels for which there are identifiable, independent cash flows.

Costs that the Company incurs to acquire completed product and process technology are capitalized and amortized on a straight-line basis over two to five years. Capitalized product and process technology costs are amortized over the shorter of the estimated useful life of the technology or the term of the technology agreement.

Net Income Per Share

Basic net income per share is computed by using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income per share is computed giving effect to all dilutive potential common shares that were outstanding during the period. Dilutive potential common shares consist of incremental common shares issuable upon exercise of stock options, upon vesting of restricted stock units, contingently issuable shares for all periods and assumed issuance of shares under the Company's employee stock purchase plan. No dilutive potential common shares are included in the computation of any diluted per share amount when a loss from continuing operations is reported by the Company.

Research and Development

Cost incurred in the research and development of Atmel's products is expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses were $251.5 million, $255.7 million and $237.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05,Comprehensive Income (ASC Topic 220) — Presentation of Comprehensive Income. The amendments from this update will result in more converged guidance on how comprehensive income is presented under U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). With this update to ASC 220, an entity has the option to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. In both choices, an entity is required to present each component of net income along with total net income, each component of other comprehensive income along with a total for other comprehensive income, and a total amount for comprehensive income. The amendments in this update do not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income or when an item of other comprehensive income must be reclassified to net income, nor does it affect how earnings per share is calculated or presented. Current U.S. GAAP allows reporting entities three alternatives for presenting other comprehensive income and its components in financial statements. One of those presentation options is to present the components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders' equity. This update eliminates that option. The amended guidance also requires presentation of adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income in the statement where the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income are presented. The amendments in this ASU should be applied retrospectively. For public entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011. On October 21, 2011 the FASB decided to propose a deferral of the requirement to present reclassifications of other comprehensive income on the face of the income statement and on February 5, 2013, the FASB finalized this requirement for public entities beginning after December 15, 2012. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-04,Fair Value Measurement (ASC Topic 820) — Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRS. The amendments in this ASU result in common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements under U.S. GAAP and IFRS. Consequently, the amendments describe many of the requirements in U.S. GAAP for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements as well as improving consistency in application across jurisdictions to ensure that U.S. GAAP and IFRS fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are described in the same way. The ASU also provides for certain changes in current GAAP disclosure requirements, for example with respect to the measurement of Level 3 assets and for measuring the fair value of an instrument classified in a reporting entity's shareholders' equity. The amendments in this ASU are to be applied prospectively. For public entities, the amendments are effective during interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

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FAIR VALUE OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis

The table below presents the balances of investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2012:

	December 31, 2012
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
	(in thousands)
Assets
Cash
Money market funds	$	1,036	$	1,036	$	—	$	—
Short-term investments
Corporate equity securities	2,687		2,687		—		—
Other assets
Auction-rate securities	1,066		—		—		1,066
Investment funds - Deferred compensation plan assets
Institutional money market funds	597		597		—		—
Fixed income	902		902		—		—
Marketable equity securities	3,479		3,479		—		—
Total institutional funds - Deferred compensation plan	4,978		4,978		—		—
Total other assets	6,044		4,978		—		1,066
Total	$	9,767	$	8,701	$	—	$	1,066

The table below presents the balances of investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2011:

	December 31, 2011
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
	(in thousands)
Assets
Cash
Money market funds	$	18,164	$	18,164	$	—	$	—
Short-term investments
Corporate debt securities	3,079		—		3,079		—
Other assets
Auction-rate securities	2,251		—		—		2,251
Investment funds - Deferred compensation plan assets
Institutional money market funds	549		549		—		—
Fixed income	1,613		1,613		—		—
Marketable equity securities	2,737		2,737		—		—
Total institutional funds - Deferred compensation plan	4,899		4,899		—		—
Total other Assets	7,150		4,899		—		2,251
Total	$	28,393	$	23,063	$	3,079	$	2,251

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GAIN ON SALE OF ASSETS 3 (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Sep. 30, 2010 INSIDE	Jun. 30, 2010 INSIDE	Sep. 30, 2010 Secure Microcontroller Solutions SMS	Dec. 31, 2011 Secure Microcontroller Solutions SMS	Dec. 31, 2010 Secure Microcontroller Solutions SMS
Loss (gain) on disposal
Sales consideration						$ (37,000,000)
Net assets transferred, including working capital						32,420,000
Release of currency translation adjustment						2,412,000
Selling costs						3,882,000
Other related costs						4,001,000
(Gain) loss on sale of assets	0	(35,310,000)	99,767,000			5,715,000	0	5,715,000
Escrow Deposit						5,000,000
Number of months escrow deposit was deposited						20 months
Transfer fee related to royalty agreement						1,300,000
Other costs related to sale						2,700,000
Performance based bonuses on disposition of assets						500,000
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, Period					three
Investment in preferred stock offering				$ 3,900,000
Ownership percentage in preferred stock offering investment				3.00%

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INCOME TAXES (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Income before Income Tax, Domestic and Foreign

The components of income before income taxes were as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
U.S.	$	(19,956	)	$	125,905	$	102,590
Foreign	62,194			255,285		13,762
Income before income taxes	$	42,238		$	381,190	$	116,352

Schedule of (provision for) benefit from income taxes and the effective tax rates

The provision for (benefit from) income taxes consists of the following:

		Years Ended
		December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
		(In thousands)
Federal	Current	$	10,378		$	2,454		$	(142,191	)
	Deferred	4,501			5,982			(88,291		)
State	Current	(5		)	172			58
	Deferred	(494		)	(2,064		)	(20,041		)
Foreign	Current	3,757			18,979			8,495
	Deferred	(6,344		)	40,677			(64,753		)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		$	11,793		$	66,200		$	(306,723	)

Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation

The Company's effective tax rate differs from the U.S. Federal statutory income tax rate as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
U.S. Federal statutory income tax rate	35.00	%	35.00	%	35.00	%
State tax	(0.23	)	0.22		0.65
Effect of foreign operations	(2.55	)	(15.52	)	(40.37	)
Recognition of tax credits	(10.04	)	(2.95	)	(56.22	)
Net operating loss and future deductions not currently benefited	—		—		27.82
Change of valuation allowance	1.04		(0.09	)	(100.33	)
Audit settlements and IRS refunds	—		0.20		(129.42	)
Other, net (1)	4.70		0.51		(0.75	)
Effective tax provision rate	27.92	%	17.37	%	(263.62	)%

Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities

The tax effects of temporary differences that constitute significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are presented below:

	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Deferred income tax assets:
Net operating losses	$	53,500		$	33,324
Research and development, foreign tax and other tax credits	55,051			45,327
Accrued liabilities	31,519			33,124
Fixed assets	42,711			42,501
Intangible assets	8,331			12,356
Deferred income	5,007			8,391
Stock-based compensation	9,084			6,830
Unrealized foreign exchange translation	4,801			4,651
Other	4,878			4,832
Total deferred income tax assets	214,882			191,336
Deferred income tax liabilities:
Fixed assets	(55		)	(57		)
Deferred income	(846		)	(693		)
Unremitted earnings of foreign subsidiaries	(2,548		)	(5,075		)
Foreign losses subject to recapture	(14,837		)	(15,170		)
Other	(267		)	—
Total deferred tax liabilities	(18,553		)	(20,995		)
Less valuation allowance	(41,271		)	(38,742		)
Net deferred income tax assets	$	155,058		$	131,599
Reported as:
Current deferred tax assets(1)	$	53,105		$	10,239
Current deferred tax liabilities(2)	(304		)	—
Non-current deferred tax assets(3)	102,315			121,417
Non-current deferred tax liabilities(4)	(58		)	(57		)
Net deferred income tax assets	$	155,058		$	131,599

_________________________________________

(1) Included within Prepaids and other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets and short-term tax attributes.

(2) Included within Accrued and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

(3) Included within Other assets on the consolidated balance sheets and long-term tax attributes.

(4) Included within Other long-term liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

Summary of Operating Loss Carryforwards and Tax Credit Carryforwards

The Company's tax attribute carry forwards as of December 31, 2012 consist of the following:

Tax Attribute	December 31, 2012		Nature of Expiration
	(In thousands)
Foreign net operating loss carry forwards	$	164,491	beginning of 2013
State net operating loss carry forwards	502,349		2013-2032
Federal R&D credits, net of those related to stock option deductions	5,126		beginning of 2020
Federal R&D credits related to stock option deductions	29,314		beginning of 2020
State R&D credits	14,817		indefinite
Foreign tax credits	43,973		beginning of 2020
State investment tax credits	8,255		beginning of 2013
Foreign R&D credits	32,203		refundable

Summary of Income Tax Contingencies

The reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of gross UTB is as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Balance at January 1	$	67,967		$	63,593		$	182,552
Tax Positions Related to Current Year:
Additions	10,270			8,794			35,810
Tax Positions Related to Prior Years:
Additions	793			—			—
Reductions	(1,877		)	(568		)	(34		)
Lapse of Statute of Limitation	(4,314		)	(1,672		)	(2,239		)
Settlements	(147		)	(2,180		)	(152,496		)
Balance at December 31	$	72,692		$	67,967		$	63,593

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BALANCE SHEET DETAILS 2 (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011		Dec. 31, 2010
Accrued and other liabilities
Accrued salaries and benefits and other employee related	$ 54,993,000		$ 63,360,000
Advance payments from customer	10,000,000		10,000,000
Income taxes payable	7,863,000		5,734,000
Deferred income tax liability, current portion	304,000	[1]	0	[1]
Grants to be repaid	5,054,000		14,931,000
Warranty accruals and accrued returns	10,411,000		13,855,000
Royalties and licenses	4,295,000		5,045,000
Accrued restructuring	16,222,000		2,147,000
Current portion of market price adjustment to supply agreement (See Note 15)	20,953,000		31,934,000
Other	73,415,000		60,112,000
Total accrued and other liabilities	203,510,000		207,118,000
Percentage of value of product shipped to the customer required to be paid annually as minimum repayment of customer advances	15.00%
Minimum repayment of customer advance required to be made annually, if minimum quantity of products is not supplied	10,000,000
Repayment of advances during the period under an agreement	10,000,000		10,000,000		10,000,000
Remaining customer advances received	14,700,000
Advance payments from customer included in other long-term liabilities	4,668,000		14,668,000
Outstanding note payable	7,500,000		7,400,000
Outstanding note payable included in other long-term liabilities	6,600,000		6,600,000
Outstanding note payable included in accounts payable	900,000		800,000
Payment to equity method investee relating to a cost sharing arrangement for facility services	6,600,000		3,700,000		5,000,000
Other long-term liabilities
Advance payments from customer	4,668,000		14,668,000
Income taxes payable	26,744,000		26,622,000
Accrued pension liability	40,087,000		29,268,000
Long-term technology license payable	0		3,831,000
Deferred income tax liability, non-current portion	58,000	[2]	57,000	[2]
Long-term portion of market price adjustment to supply agreement (See Note 15)	0		21,188,000
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations, less current portion	5,602,000		4,612,000
Other	23,020,000		12,725,000
Total other long-term liabilities	$ 100,179,000		$ 112,971,000

[1] Included within Accrued and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

[2] Included within Other long-term liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

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ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent [Abstract]
Foreign currency translation	$ 11,627	$ 7,725
Actuarial gains related to defined benefit pension plans	(5,066)	1,712
Net unrealized (losses) gains on investments	(149)	11
Total accumulated other comprehensive income	$ 6,412	$ 9,448

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Consolidated Statements of Operations (USD $) In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net revenue	$ 1,432,110	$ 1,803,053	$ 1,644,060
Operating expenses
Cost of revenue	830,791	894,820	915,876
Research and development	251,519	255,653	237,812
Selling, general and administrative	275,257	280,410	264,296
Acquisition-related charges	7,388	5,408	1,600
Restructuring charges	23,986	20,064	5,253
Impairment of receivables from foundry supplier	6,495	0	0
Asset impairment charges	0	0	11,922
Credit from Reserved Economic Grant Income	10,689	0	0
(Gain) loss on sale of assets	0	(35,310)	99,767
Total operating expenses	1,384,747	1,421,045	1,536,526
Income from operations	47,363	382,008	107,534
Interest and other (expense) income, net	(5,125)	(818)	8,818
Income before income taxes	42,238	381,190	116,352
(Provision for) benefit from income taxes	(11,793)	(66,200)	306,723
Net income	$ 30,445	$ 314,990	$ 423,075
Basic net income per share:
Net income per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.07	$ 0.69	$ 0.92
Weighted-average shares used in basic net income per share calculations (in shares)	433,017	455,629	458,482
Diluted net income per share:
Net income per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.07	$ 0.68	$ 0.90
Weighted-average shares used in diluted net income per share calculations (in shares)	437,582	462,673	469,580

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NET INCOME PER SHARE (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of basic and diluted net income per share

A reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of basic and diluted net income per share is as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(In thousands, except per share data)
Net income	$	30,445	$	314,990	$	423,075
Weighted-average shares - basic	433,017		455,629		458,482
Dilutive effect of incremental shares and share equivalents	4,565		7,044		11,098
Weighted-average shares - diluted	437,582		462,673		469,580
Net income per share:
Basic
Net income per share - basic	$	0.07	$	0.69	$	0.92
Diluted
Net income per share - diluted	$	0.07	$	0.68	$	0.90

Anti-dilutive securities not included in the "Weighted-average shares - diluted" used for calculation of diluted net income per share

The following table summarizes securities which were not included in the “Weighted-average shares — diluted” used for calculation of diluted net income per share, as their effect would have been anti-dilutive:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012	December 31, 2011	December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Employee stock options and restricted stock units outstanding	4,718	1,977	2,095

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Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $) In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Accounts receivable, allowance for doubtful accounts (in dollars)	$ 11,005	$ 11,833
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Preferred stock, Authorized shares	5,000	5,000
Preferred stock, Shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, Shares outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Common stock, Authorized shares	1,600,000	1,600,000
Common stock, Shares issued	428,593	442,389
Common stock, Shares outstanding	428,593	442,389

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INVESTMENTS (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Investments
Unrealized losses	$ 1,200,000
Adjusted Cost	3,670,000	5,319,000
Unrealized gains	83,000	31,000
Unrealized losses	0	(20,000)
Net unrealized (losses) gains	83,000	11,000
Tax Excluded from Net Unrealized Gains	0	0
Fair value of investment	3,753,000	5,330,000
Amount included in short-term investments	2,687,000	3,079,000
Auction-rate securities	1,066,000	2,251,000
Contractual maturities (at adjusted cost) of available-for-sale debt securities
Due within one year	0
Due in 1-5 years	0
Due in 5-10 years	0
Due after 10 years	983,000
Total	983,000
Minimum maturity period of short-term investments as company has the ability and intent to redeem them within the year (in days)	90 days
Corporate equity securities
Investments
Adjusted Cost	2,687,000	0
Fair value of investment	2,687,000	0
Auction-rate securities
Investments
Adjusted Cost	983,000	2,220,000
Fair value of investment	1,066,000	2,251,000
Corporate debt securities and other obligations
Investments
Adjusted Cost	0	3,099,000
Fair value of investment	$ 0	$ 3,079,000

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INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Intangible assets, net

Intangible assets, net, consist of technology licenses and acquisition‑related intangible assets as follows:

	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(in thousands)
Core/licensed technology	$	18,123		$	17,564
Accumulated amortization	(16,171		)	(12,420		)
Total technology licenses	1,952			5,144
Acquisition‑related intangible assets	48,550			33,100
Accumulated amortization	(23,245		)	(17,650		)
Total acquisition‑related intangible assets	25,305			15,450
Total intangible assets, net	$	27,257		$	20,594

Estimated future amortization of the technology licenses and acquisition-related intangible assets

The following table presents the estimated future amortization of the technology licenses and acquisition‑related intangible assets:

Years Ending December 31:	Technology Licenses		Acquisition‑Related Intangible Assets		Total
	(in thousands)
2013	$	1,283	$	5,222	$	6,505
2014	427		4,402		4,829
2015	242		3,838		4,080
2016	—		2,957		2,957
2017	—		2,831		2,831
Thereafter	—		6,055		6,055
Total future amortization	$	1,952	$	25,305	$	27,257

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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES 2 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended					1 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2008 subsidiary	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012 Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Maximum	Jul. 31, 2011 Infineon Litigation patent	Apr. 30, 2011 Infineon Litigation patent	Aug. 12, 2012 Infineon Litigation patent
Contingencies
Number of patents claimed to be infringed								11
Number of Infineon patents alleged to be either invalid or not infringed								3
Number of Infineon patents Atmel is seeking to declare either invalid or not infringed							11
Number of Atmel patents counterclaimed that Infineon infringed on							6
Number of additional Infineon patents claimed to be infringed by the company							4
Number of patents withdrawn									4
Number of company's French subsidiaries where inspection conducted by European Union Commission	1
Product Warranties
Product Warranty Period					30 days	3 years
Activity related to the product warranty liability
Balance at beginning of period		$ 5,746	$ 4,019	$ 4,225
Accrual for warranties during the period, net of change in estimates		3,672	7,383	3,779
Actual costs incurred		(4,586)	(5,656)	(3,985)
Balance at end of period		$ 4,832	$ 5,746	$ 4,019

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GAIN ON SALE OF ASSETS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Disposal Group, Not Discontinued Operation, Disposal Disclosures [Abstract]

Gain on Sales of Assets

15 SALE OF ASSETS

(Gain) Loss on Sale of Assets

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
San Jose Corporate Headquarters	$	(33,428	)	$	—
Secure Microcontroller Solutions	—			5,715
Rousset, France	—			94,052
Dream, France	(1,882		)	—
Total (gain) loss on sale of assets	$	(35,310	)	$	99,767

Serial Flash Product Line

On September 28, 2012, the Company completed the sale of its serial flash product line. Under the terms of the sale agreement, the Company transferred assets to the buyer, who assumed certain liabilities, in return for cash consideration of $25.0 million. As part of the sale transactions, the Company has also granted the buyer an exclusive option to purchase the Company's remaining $7.0 million of serial flash inventory, of which the buyer has purchased $1.9 million as of December 31, 2012. The Company has, therefore, classified the remaining $5.1 million of serial flash inventory as assets held-for-sale, which are presented as part of other current assets on the Company's consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2012. The Company has recorded a deferred gain of $4.4 million, which is presented as part of accrued liabilities on the Company's consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2012.

Sale of Former San Jose Corporate Headquarters

On August 30, 2011, the Company completed the sale of its former San Jose corporate headquarters and adjacent parcels of land for an aggregate sale price of $48.5 million. The net book value of the properties sold was approximately $12.3 million on the closing date and the Company recorded a gain of $33.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2011, which is summarized below:

	(In thousands)
Sales price	$	(48,500	)
Net book value of assets transferred	12,262
Transaction related costs	2,810
Gain on sale of assets	$	(33,428	)

DREAM

On February 15, 2011, the Company sold its DREAM business, including its French subsidiary, Digital Research in Electronics, Acoustics and Music SAS (DREAM), which sold custom-designed ASIC chips for karaoke and other entertainment machines, for $2.3 million. The Company recorded a gain of $1.9 million, which is reflected in gain on sale of assets in the consolidated statements of operations.

Secure Microcontroller Solutions

On September 30, 2010, the Company completed the sale of its SMS business to INSIDE Contactless S.A. ("INSIDE"). Under the terms of the sale agreement, the Company transferred certain assets and employee liabilities to INSIDE in return for cash consideration of $37.0 million, subject to a working capital adjustment. Cash proceeds of $5.0 million were deposited in escrow by INSIDE to secure the payment of potential post-sale losses and was subsequently released to the Company during the first half of 2012.The Company also entered into other ancillary agreements, including technology licensing and transition services for certain supply arrangements, testing, and engineering services. The Company recorded a loss on sale of $5.7 million, which is summarized below:

	(In thousands)
Sales consideration	$	(37,000	)
Net assets transferred, including working capital	32,420
Release of currency translation adjustment	2,412
Selling costs	3,882
Other related costs	4,001
Loss on sale of assets	$	5,715

In connection with the sale, the Company transferred net assets totaling $32.4 million to INSIDE.

The Company's subsidiary, Atmel Smart Card ICs Limited, which owned the Company's East Kilbride, UK facility, was included in the assets transferred to INSIDE, resulting in the complete liquidation of the Company's investment in this foreign entity and, as a result, the Company recorded a charge of $2.4 million as a component of loss on sale related to the currency translation adjustment balance that was previously recorded within stockholders' equity.

As part of the SMS sale, the Company incurred direct and incremental selling costs of $3.9 million, which represented broker commissions and legal fees. The Company also incurred a transfer fee of $1.3 million related to transferring a royalty agreement to INSIDE. These costs provided no benefit to the Company, and would not have been incurred if the Company were not selling the SMS business unit. Therefore, the direct and incremental costs associated with these services were recorded as part of the loss on sale. Atmel incurred other costs related to the sale of $2.7 million, which included performance based bonuses of $0.5 million for certain employees (no executive officers were included), related to the completion of the sale.

In connection with the SMS sale, Atmel and INSIDE entered into an escrow agreement, under which $5.0 million of the sales price was deposited into escrow for a period of twenty months from the date of sale to secure potential losses. Upon termination of the escrow period, the escrow, less any validated and paid or outstanding claims for losses, will be released to Atmel. The escrow amount is not considered contingent consideration and, therefore, is included in the loss on sale recognized for the year ended December 31, 2010. The full amount of the escrow was released in the first half of 2012.

INSIDE entered into a three year supply agreement to source wafers from the fabrication facility in Rousset, France that the Company sold to LFoundry in the second quarter of 2010. Wafers purchased by INSIDE from LFoundry's affiliate, LFoundry Rousset, will reduce the Company's future commitment under its manufacturing services agreement with LFoundry Rousset.

The SMS sale also provides INSIDE a royalty based, non-exclusive license to certain business related intellectual property in order to support the current SMS business and future product development.

In connection with the SMS sale, the Company participated in INSIDE's preferred stock offering and invested $3.9 million in INSIDE. This represented an approximate 3% ownership interest in INSIDE at the time of the investment. This equity investment does not provide the Company with any decision making rights that are significant to the economic performance of INSIDE and the Company is shielded from economic losses and do not participate fully in INSIDE's residual economics. INSIDE susbsequently went public during 2012 and the Company has classified this as an equity investment included as part of short term investments on the balance sheet.

The sale of the SMS business unit did not qualify as discontinued operations as it did not meet the requirement to be considered a component of an entity.

Rousset, France

On June 23, 2010, the Company closed the sale of its manufacturing operations in Rousset, France to LFoundry. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company transferred manufacturing assets and related liabilities valued at $61.6 million to the buyer in return for nominal cash consideration. In connection with the sale, the Company entered into certain other ancillary agreements, including a Manufacturing Services Agreement ("MSA") under which a subsidiary of the Company agreed to purchase wafers for four years following the closing on a "take-or-pay" basis. Upon closing of this transaction, the Company recorded a loss on sale of $94.1 million, which is summarized in the following table:

	(In thousands)
Net assets transferred	$	61,646
Fair value of Manufacturing Services Agreement	92,417
Currency translation adjustment	(97,367		)
Severance cost liability	27,840
Transition services	4,746
Selling costs	3,173
Other related costs	1,597
Loss on Sale of Assets	$	94,052

As future and historical wafer purchases under the MSA were negotiated at pricing above their fair value, an affiliate of the Company recorded a liability in conjunction with the sale, representing the present value of the unfavorable purchase commitment. To determine the liability, current market prices for wafers from unaffiliated, well-known third party foundries were obtained, taking into consideration minimum volume requirements as specified in the contract, process technology, industry pricing trends and other factors. The difference between the contract prices and the market prices over the term of the agreement totaled $103.7 million as of June 30, 2010. The present value of this liability totaled $92.4 million (discount rate of 7%) and is included in loss on sale of assets in the consolidated statements of operations. The discount rate was determined based on publicly-traded debt for companies comparable to the Company. The present value of the liability is reduced over the term of the MSA as the wafers are purchased and the present value discount of $11.2 million is being recognized as interest expense over the same term. The MSA liability was reduced by $34.5 million, $31.9 million and $14.9 million for wafers purchased in the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.  The amount for the year ended December 31, 2012 included $3.3 million related to the impact of modification of the agreement in the second quarter 2012. The Company recorded $2.3 million, $4.5 million and $2.9 million in interest expense relating to the MSA in the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

The sale of the Rousset, France manufacturing operations resulted in the substantial liquidation of the Company's investment in its European manufacturing facilities, and accordingly, the Company recorded a gain of $97.4 million related to currency translation adjustments that was previously recorded within stockholders' equity, as the Company concluded, based on guidance related to foreign currency, that it should similarly release all remaining related currency translation adjustments.

As part of the sale, the Company agreed to reimburse LFoundry for specified severance costs expected to be incurred subsequent to the sale. The Company entered into an escrow agreement in which the Company agreed to remit funds to LFoundry for the required benefits and payments to those employees who are determined to be part of the approved departure plan. The Company recorded a liability of $27.8 million as a component of the loss on sale. This amount was paid to the escrow account in the first quarter of 2011.

As part of the sale of the manufacturing operations, the Company incurred $4.7 million in software/hardware and consulting costs to set up a separate, independent IT infrastructure for LFoundry. These costs were incurred to facilitate, and as a condition of, the sale to LFoundry; the IT infrastructure provided no benefit to the Company and the costs related to those efforts would not have been incurred if the Company were not selling the manufacturing operations. Therefore, the direct and incremental consulting costs associated with these services were recorded as part of the loss on sale. The Company also incurred $1.6 million of other costs related to the sale, including performance-based bonuses of $0.5 million for non-executive Company employees responsible for assisting in the completion of the sale to LFoundry.

The Company also incurred direct and incremental consulting costs of $3.2 million, which represented broker commissions and legal fees associated with the sale to LFoundry.

The Company has retained a single share ownership interest in the entity that acquired the manufacturing operations (the "entity") sold to LFoundry. This minority equity interest provides limited protective rights to the Company, but no decision-making rights that are significant to the economic performance of the entity. The Company is an equity holder that is shielded from economic losses and does not participate in the entity's residual economics; accordingly, the Company has concluded that its interest in the entity is an interest in a VIE. In determining whether the Company is the primary beneficiary of LFoundry, it identified LFoundry's significant activities and the parties that have the power to direct them, determined LFoundry's equity, profit and loss participation, and reviewed LFoundry's funding and operating agreements. Based on the above factors, the Company determined that it is not the primary beneficiary of LFoundry and hence does not consolidate LFoundry in its financial statements. The Company's maximum exposure related to LFoundry is not expected to be significantly in excess of the amounts recorded and it does not intend to provide any other support to LFoundry, financial or otherwise.

Asset Impairment Charges

The Company assesses the recoverability of long-lived assets with finite useful lives whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the Company may not be able to recover the asset's carrying amount. The Company measures the amount of impairment of such long-lived assets by the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds the fair market value of the asset, which is generally determined based on projected discounted future cash flows or appraised values. The Company classifies long-lived assets to be disposed of other than by sale as held and used until they are disposed, including assets not available for immediate sale in their present condition. The Company reports assets to be disposed of by sale as held for sale and recognizes those assets and liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets at the lower of carrying amount or fair value, less cost to sell. Assets classified as held for sale are not depreciated.

Property and equipment previously included in the disposal group and reclassified to held and used in December 2009 totaled $110.4 million. In connection with this reclassification, the Company assessed the fair value of the property and the equipment to be retained and concluded that the fair value of the property was lower than its carrying value less depreciation expense that would have been recognized had the asset (disposal group) been continuously classified as held and used. As a result, the Company recorded an impairment charge in 2009. For the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company determined that certain assets should instead remain with the Company. As a result, the Company reclassified property and equipment to held and used in the quarter ended June 30, 2010. In connection with this reclassification, the Company assessed the fair value of these assets to be retained and concluded that the fair value of the assets was lower than its carrying value less depreciation expense that would have been recognized had the assets been continuously classified as held and used. As a result, the Company recorded additional asset impairment charges of $11.9 million in the second quarter of 2010.

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BORROWING ARRANGEMENTS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Information with respect to the Company's debt and capital lease obligations

Information with respect to the Company’s debt and capital lease obligations as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 is shown in the following table:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(in thousands)
Long-term debt	$	5,602	$	4,612
Less: current portion of long-term debt	—		—
Long-term debt due after one year	$	5,602	$	4,612

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NET INCOME PER SHARE

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

NET INCOME PER SHARE

NET INCOME PER SHARE

Basic net income per share is calculated by using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during that period. Diluted net income per share is calculated giving effect to all dilutive potential common shares that were outstanding during the period. Dilutive potential common shares consist of incremental common shares issuable upon exercise of stock options and vesting of restricted stock units for all periods and accrued issuance of shares under employee stock purchase plans.

A reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of basic and diluted net income per share is as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(In thousands, except per share data)
Net income	$	30,445	$	314,990	$	423,075
Weighted-average shares - basic	433,017		455,629		458,482
Dilutive effect of incremental shares and share equivalents	4,565		7,044		11,098
Weighted-average shares - diluted	437,582		462,673		469,580
Net income per share:
Basic
Net income per share - basic	$	0.07	$	0.69	$	0.92
Diluted
Net income per share - diluted	$	0.07	$	0.68	$	0.90

The following table summarizes securities which were not included in the “Weighted-average shares — diluted” used for calculation of diluted net income per share, as their effect would have been anti-dilutive:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012	December 31, 2011	December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Employee stock options and restricted stock units outstanding	4,718	1,977	2,095

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STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 4 (Details) (USD $) In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Restricted Stock Units R S U Non Performance Based [Member]
Restricted stock units, Number of Shares
Stock units issued (in shares)		8,507,000	6,343,000	11,701,000
Stock units vested (in shares)		(7,975,000)	(6,345,000)	(4,816,000)
Stock units cancelled (in shares)		(1,783,000)	(1,025,000)	(1,200,000)
Restricted stock units, Weighted Average Fair Value Per Share
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value		$ 6.11	$ 10.88	$ 7.97
Stock units vested (in dollars per share)		$ 6.80	$ 5.20	$ 4.56
Stock units cancelled (in dollars per share)		$ 7.81	$ 6.80	$ 4.16
Stock units vested (in shares)		7,975,000	6,345,000	4,816,000
Performance Shares [Member]
Restricted stock units, Number of Shares
Stock units issued (in shares)		338,000	3,474,000	472,000
Stock units cancelled (in shares)		(330,000)	(25,000)	(951,000)
Restricted stock units, Weighted Average Fair Value Per Share
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value		$ 9.19	$ 13.94	$ 5.49
Stock units cancelled (in dollars per share)		$ 12.31	$ 9.77	$ 4.10
Restricted stock units
Restricted stock units, Number of Shares
Stock units issued (in shares)		8,507,000	6,343,000	11,701,000
Stock units cancelled (in shares)		(1,783,000)	(1,025,000)	(2,151,000)
Balance at the end of the period (in shares)		21,944,000	23,187,000	29,250,000	24,044,000
Restricted stock units, Weighted Average Fair Value Per Share
Balance at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)	$ 8.99	$ 8.99	$ 5.74	$ 4.29
Balance at the end of the period (in dollars per share)		$ 8.71	$ 8.99	$ 5.74
Unearned stock-based compensation expense related to unvested awards	$ 140.8
Weighted-average period of recognition of unearned compensation expense of unvested awards (in years)	2 years 5 months 10 days
Restricted stock units withheld for taxes (in shares)	2,300,000			1,400,000
Stock Options [Member]
Restricted stock units, Weighted Average Fair Value Per Share
Weighted-average period of recognition of unearned compensation expense of unvested awards (in years)		1 year 0 months 29 days
Employee stock options
Restricted stock units, Weighted Average Fair Value Per Share
Unearned stock-based compensation expense related to unvested awards		$ 1.6
Common Stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock Withheld For Employee Taxes Shares, Related to Vested Restricted Stock Units		2,100,000	6,252,000	1,418,000
Ozmo Inc. | Restricted stock units
Restricted stock units, Number of Shares
Stock units issued (in shares)		300,000
Restricted stock units, Weighted Average Fair Value Per Share
Balance at the end of the period (in dollars per share)		$ 6.17
Ozmo Inc. | Employee stock options
Restricted stock units, Number of Shares
Stock units issued (in shares)		100,000
Restricted stock units, Weighted Average Fair Value Per Share
Balance at the end of the period (in dollars per share)		$ 0.81

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Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income	$ 30,445	$ 314,990	$ 423,075
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities
Depreciation and amortization	76,933	76,986	66,495
Non-cash losses (gains) on sale of fixed assets, net	264	(36,333)	(31,137)
Asset impairment charges	0	0	11,922
Deferred taxes	(23,459)	44,233	(164,590)
Loss from foundry arrangement	10,628	0	0
Impairment of receivable from foundry supplier	6,495	0	0
Other non-cash losses (gains), net	1,037	(6,240)	(13,225)
Recovery of doubtful accounts receivable	(18)	(14)	(76)
Accretion of interest on long-term debt	1,017	784	650
Stock-based compensation expense	72,442	68,125	57,445
Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation	(1,264)	(2,650)	(3,088)
Non-cash acquisition-related and other charges	2,934	0	0
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions
Accounts receivable	24,362	19,787	(37,510)
Inventories	10,250	(100,695)	(60,132)
Current and other assets	32,406	(15,932)	(31,423)
Trade accounts payable	38,644	(60,113)	16,031
Accrued and other liabilities	(66,255)	(47,055)	111,112
Income taxes payable	2,251	(15,639)	(68,112)
Deferred income on shipments to distributors	(18,394)	(19,088)	22,017
Net cash provided by operating activities	200,718	221,146	299,454
Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisitions of fixed assets	(38,289)	(84,564)	(99,808)
Proceeds from the sale of business	26,908	1,597	19,023
Proceeds from the sale of fixed assets	0	47,250	652
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired	(43,499)	(20,256)	0
Acquisitions of intangible assets	(4,000)	(4,000)	(5,458)
Purchases of marketable securities	0	0	(20,567)
Sales or maturities of marketable securities	4,450	16,739	39,388
Investment in private companies	(2,500)	0	(3,936)
Decrease (increase) in long-term restricted cash	5,000	0	(5,000)
Net cash used in investing activities	(51,930)	(43,234)	(75,706)
Cash flows from financing activities
Principal payments on debt and capital leases	0	(85)	(11,106)
Repayment of bank lines of credit	0	0	(80,000)
Repurchases of common stock	(179,579)	(304,236)	(89,216)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	15,537	28,746	29,911
Tax payments related to shares withheld for vested restricted stock units	(19,830)	(73,286)	(11,139)
Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation	1,264	2,650	3,088
Net cash used in financing activities	(182,608)	(346,211)	(158,462)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(2,241)	(3,725)	(1,340)
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	(36,061)	(172,024)	63,946
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period	329,431	501,455	437,509
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period	293,370	329,431	501,455
Supplemental cash flow disclosures:
Interest paid	242	1,857	2,864
Income taxes paid	16,064	31,986	14,993
Supplemental non-cash investing and financing activities disclosures
Decreases in accounts payable related to fixed assets purchases	(803)	(21,000)	(841)
Decreases in liabilities related to intangible assets purchases	(4,000)	(4,000)	(4,000)
Additional consideration payable related to acquisition	$ 18,225	$ 0	$ 0

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Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity and Comprehensive Income (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Total	Common Stock	Additional Paid-In Capital	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit)	Stockholders' Equity, Total [Member]
Balances at Dec. 31, 2009		$ 455	$ 1,284,140	$ 140,470	$ (660,658)	$ 764,407
Balances (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2009		454,586
Comprehensive income (loss):
Net income	423,075					423,075
Actuarial losses related to defined benefit pension plans	(788)			(788)		(788)
Unrealized losses on investments, net of tax				(2,102)		(2,102)
Inclusion of foreign CTA adjustments in net income	(99,779)			(99,779)		(99,779)
Foreign currency translation adjustments (CTA)	(21,472)			(21,472)		(21,472)
Total comprehensive income	298,934					298,934
Stock-based compensation expense			58,487			58,487
Tax benefit on stock-based compensation expense			1,664			1,664
Exercise of stock options		5	22,493			22,498
Exercise of stock options (in shares)		5,344
Issuance of commons stock under employee stock purchase plan		2	7,411			7,413
Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan (in shares)		2,028
Vested restricted stock units		5				5
Vested restricted stock units (in shares)		4,816
Shares withheld for employee taxes related to vested restricted stock units		(1)	(11,138)			(11,139)
Shares withheld for employee taxes related to vested restricted stock units (in shares)		(1,418)
Common stock issued to former employees of Quantum		3				3
Common stock issued to former employees of Quantum (See Note 3) (in shares)		3,152
Repurchase of common stock	(89,200)	(12)	(89,204)			(89,216)
Repurchase of common stock (in shares)	(11,700)	(11,720)
Balances at Dec. 31, 2010		457	1,273,853	16,329	(237,583)	1,053,056
Balances (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2010		456,788
Comprehensive income (loss):
Net income	314,990					314,990
Actuarial losses related to defined benefit pension plans	(197)			(197)		(197)
Unrealized (losses) gains on investments				179
Unrealized losses on investments, net of tax						179
Inclusion of foreign CTA adjustments in net income	0
Foreign currency translation adjustments (CTA)	(6,863)			(6,863)		(6,863)
Total comprehensive income	308,109					308,109
Stock-based compensation expense			69,102			69,102
Tax benefit on stock-based compensation expense			939			939
Exercise of stock options		4	19,336			19,340
Exercise of stock options (in shares)		4,285
Issuance of commons stock under employee stock purchase plan		2	9,404			9,406
Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan (in shares)		1,514
Vested restricted stock units		6				6
Vested restricted stock units (in shares)		6,345
Vested performance restricted stock units		8				8
Vested performance-based restricted stock units (in shares)		8,485
Shares withheld for employee taxes related to vested restricted stock units		(6)	(73,280)			(73,286)
Shares withheld for employee taxes related to vested restricted stock units (in shares)		(6,252)
Repurchase of common stock	(304,200)	(29)	(304,207)			(304,236)
Repurchase of common stock (in shares)	(28,800)	(28,776)
Balances at Dec. 31, 2011	1,082,444	442	995,147	9,448	77,407	1,082,444
Balances (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2011		442,389
Comprehensive income (loss):
Net income	30,445					30,445
Actuarial losses related to defined benefit pension plans	(6,778)			(6,778)		(6,778)
Unrealized (losses) gains on investments				(160)
Unrealized losses on investments, net of tax						(160)
Inclusion of foreign CTA adjustments in net income	0
Foreign currency translation adjustments (CTA)	3,902			3,902		3,902
Total comprehensive income	27,409					27,409
Stock-based compensation expense			71,974			71,974
Equity related restructuring charges			413			413
Tax benefit on stock-based compensation expense			(1,738)			(1,738)
Exercise of stock options		2	4,578			4,580
Exercise of stock options (in shares)		1,239
Issuance of commons stock under employee stock purchase plan		2	10,955			10,957
Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan (in shares)		1,770
Vested restricted stock units		8				8
Vested restricted stock units (in shares)		7,975
Shares withheld for employee taxes related to vested restricted stock units		(2)	(19,828)			(19,830)
Shares withheld for employee taxes related to vested restricted stock units (in shares)		(2,100)
Repurchase of common stock	(179,600)	(23)	(179,556)			(179,579)
Repurchase of common stock (in shares)	(22,700)	(22,680)
Balances at Dec. 31, 2012	$ 996,638	$ 429	$ 881,945	$ 6,412	$ 107,852	$ 996,638
Balances (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2012		428,593

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STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Stock-Based Compensation

The components of the Company's stock-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 are summarized below:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Employee stock options	$	3,470	$	5,685		$	9,230
Employee stock purchase plan	3,107		2,511			1,844
Restricted stock units	65,397		60,906			50,478
Net amounts released from (capitalized in) inventory	468		(977		)	(1,042		)
	$	72,442	$	68,125		$	60,510

The table above excludes stock-based compensation credit of $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2010, for former Quantum executives related to the Quantum acquisition in 2008, which is classified within acquisition-related charges in the consolidated statements of operations.

The accounting standard on stock-based compensation requires the gross benefits of tax deductions in excess of recognized compensation cost to be reported as a financing cash flow, rather than as an operating cash flow. The future realizability of tax benefits related to stock compensation is dependent upon the timing of employee exercises and future taxable income, among other factors. The Company reported gross excess tax benefits of $1.3 million, $2.7 million and $3.1 million in the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

There was no significant non-employee stock-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

The following table summarizes stock-based compensation, net of amount capitalized in (released from) inventory, included in operating results for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Cost of revenue	$	8,052		$	7,840		$	8,159
Research and development	22,825			22,916			19,324
Selling, general and administrative	41,565			37,369			33,027
Total stock-based compensation expense, before income taxes	72,442			68,125			60,510
Tax benefit	(12,060		)	(10,453		)	(7,548		)
Total stock-based compensation expense, net of income taxes	$	60,382		$	57,672		$	52,962

Stock Options, Restricted Stock Units and Employee Stock Purchase Plan

In May 2005, Atmel’s stockholders initially approved Atmel’s 2005 Stock Plan (as amended, the “2005 Stock Plan”). As of December 31, 2012, 133.0 million shares were authorized for issuance under the 2005 Stock Plan. Under the 2005 Stock Plan, Atmel may issue common stock directly, grant options to purchase common stock or grant restricted stock units payable in common stock to employees, consultants and directors of Atmel. Options, which generally vest over four years, are granted at fair market value on the date of the grant and generally expire ten years from that date.

Activity under Atmel’s 2005 Stock Plan is set forth below: 

			Outstanding Options			Weighted-
					Exercise	Average
	Available for Grant		Number of Options		Price per Share	Exercise Price per Share
	(in thousands, except per share data)
Balances, December 31, 2009	28,478		18,828		$1.68-$24.44	$	4.38
Restricted stock units issued	(11,701	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units issued	(9,127	)	—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	(472	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units issued	(368	)	—		—	—
Restricted stock units cancelled	2,151		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units cancelled	1,678		—		—	—
Options granted	(315	)	315		$4.77-$10.01	5.39
Options cancelled/expired/forfeited	1,139		(1,139	)	$2.11-$24.44	5.79
Options exercised	—		(5,344	)	$1.68-$10.82	4.21
Balances, December 31, 2010	11,463		12,660		$1.68-$14.94	$	4.35
Additional shares authorized	19,000		—		—	—
Restricted stock units issued	(6,343	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units issued	(4,017	)	—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	(3,474	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units issued	(2,124	)	—		—	—
Restricted stock units cancelled	1,025		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units cancelled	793		—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	25		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	17		—		—	—
Options cancelled/expired/forfeited	158		(158	)	$2.11-$14.94	5.01
Options exercised	—		(4,285	)	$1.80-$13.77	4.51
Balances, December 31, 2011	16,523		8,217		$1.68-$10.01	$	4.26
Restricted stock units issued	(8,507	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units issued	(5,189	)	—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	(338	)	—		—	—
Adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units issued	(206	)	—		—	—
Restricted stock units cancelled	1,783		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units cancelled	1,248		—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	330		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	201		—		—	—
Options cancelled/expired/forfeited	303		(303	)	$2.11-$8.83	4.05
Options exercised	—		(1,239	)	$1.68-$8.89	3.76
Balances, December 31, 2012	6,148		6,675		$1.68-$10.01	$	4.33

In connection with the Company's acquisition of Ozmo, we assumed Ozmo's equity incentive plan. Excluded from the table above are 0.4 million shares assumed as part of the acquisition of Ozmo. This amount is comprised of 0.3 million restricted stock units, with a weighted average grant date fair value of $6.17 and 0.1 million options, with a weighted average grant date fair value of $0.81. These stock options and restricted stock units remain governed by the terms and conditions of the Ozmo plan. No additional equity is expected to be granted under the Ozmo plan.

Restricted stock units are granted from the pool of options available for grant. As the result of an amendment and restatement of the 2005 Stock Plan in May 2011, every share underlying restricted stock, restricted stock units (including performance based restricted stock units), or stock purchase rights issued on or after May 18, 2011 (the date on which the amendment and restatement became effective) is counted against the numerical limit for options available for grant as 1.61 shares in the table above, as reflected in the line items for "Plan adjustments", except that restricted stock units (including performance based restricted stock units), and stock purchase rights issued prior to May 18, 2011, continue to be governed by an earlier amendment to the 2005 Stock Plan that provided for a numerical limit of 1.78 shares. If shares issued pursuant to any restricted stock, restricted stock unit, and stock purchase right agreements granted on or after May 18, 2011 are cancelled, forfeited or repurchased by the Company or would otherwise return to the 2005 Stock Plan, 1.61 times the number of those shares will return to the 2005 Stock Plan and will again become available for issuance. The Company issued 14.8 million shares of restricted stock units from May 18, 2011 to December 31, 2012 (net of cancellations) resulting in a reduction, based on a 1.61 to 1.0 ratio, of 23.7 million shares available for grant under the 2005 Stock Plan from May 18, 2011 to December 31, 2012. As of December 31, 2012, there were 6.1 million shares available for issuance under the 2005 Stock Plan, or 3.8 million shares after giving effect to the 1.61 to 1.0 ratio applicable under the 2005 Stock Plan for issuances of restricted stock units made on or after May 18, 2011. The shares assumed as part of the Ozmo acquisition were not issued under the 2005 Stock Plan.

Restricted Stock Units

Activity related to restricted stock units is set forth below:

	Number of Units		Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value
	(in thousands, except per share data)
Balances, December 31, 2009	24,044		$	4.29
Restricted stock units issued	11,701		7.97
Restricted stock units vested	(4,816	)	4.56
Restricted stock units cancelled	(1,200	)	4.16
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	472		5.49
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	(951	)	4.10
Balances, December 31, 2010	29,250		$	5.74
Restricted stock units issued	6,343		10.88
Restricted stock units vested	(6,345	)	5.20
Restricted stock units cancelled	(1,025	)	6.80
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	3,474		13.94
Performance-based restricted stock units vested	(8,485	)	4.22
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	(25	)	9.77
Balances, December 31, 2011	23,187		$	8.99
Restricted stock units issued	8,507		6.11
Restricted stock units vested	(7,975	)	6.80
Restricted stock units cancelled	(1,783	)	7.81
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	338		9.19
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	(330	)	12.31
Balances, December 31, 2012	21,944		$	8.71

Excluded from the table above are 0.3 million restricted stock units, with a weighted average grant date fair value of $6.17, assumed as part of the acquisition of Ozmo.

For the year ended December 31, 2012, 8.0 million restricted stock units vested, including 2.1 million units withheld for taxes. These vested restricted stock units had a weighted-average grant date fair value of $6.80 per share for the year ended December 31, 2012. As of December 31, 2012, total unearned stock-based compensation related to unvested restricted stock units previously granted (including performance-based restricted stock units) was approximately $140.8 million, excluding forfeitures, and is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.44 years.

For the year ended December 31, 2011, 6.3 million restricted stock units vested, including 2.3 million units withheld for taxes. These vested restricted stock units had a weighted-average grant date fair value of $5.20 per share on the vesting dates for the year ended December 31, 2011.

For the year ended December 31, 2010, 4.8 million restricted stock units vested, including 1.4 million units withheld for taxes. These vested restricted stock units had a weighted-average grant date fair value of $4.56 per share on the vesting dates.

Until restricted stock units are vested, they do not have the voting rights of common stock and the shares underlying such restricted stock units are not considered issued and outstanding. Upon vesting of restricted stock units, shares withheld by the Company to pay taxes are retired.

Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units

In the quarter ended June 30, 2011, 8.5 million performance based restricted stock units issued under the Company's 2008 Incentive Plan (the "2008 Plan") vested upon board of director approval on May 23, 2011 as a result of the Company achieving all of the performance criteria as of March 31, 2011. A total of 5.1 million shares were issued to participants, net of withholding taxes of 3.3 million shares, which represented all remaining shares available under the 2008 Plan. These vested performance based restricted stock units had a weighted average grant date fair value of $4.22 per share on the vesting date. The Company recorded total stock based compensation expense related to performance based restricted stock units of $6.5 million and $24.8 million under the 2008 Plan in the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

In May 2011, the Company adopted the 2011 Long-Term Performance Based Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”), which provides for the grant of restricted stock units to eligible employees. Vesting of restricted stock units granted under the 2011 Plan is subject to the satisfaction of performance metrics tied to revenue growth and operating margin over the designated performance periods. The performance periods for the 2011 Plan run from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2013 and consist of threeone-year performance periods (calendar years 2011, 2012 and 2013) and a three year cumulative performance period. The Company issued 0.3 million and 3.5 million performance-based restricted stock units in the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The Company recorded total stock-based compensation expense related to performance-based restricted stock units of $12.7 million and $7.5 million under the 2011 Plan in the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

The 2011 Plan performance metrics include revenue growth rankings for the Company relative to a semiconductor peer group or a microcontroller peer group, as determined by the Compensation Committee. In addition, in order for a participant to receive credit for a performance period, the Company must achieve a minimum operating margin during such performance period, measured on a pro forma basis as defined in the 2011 Plan, subject to adjustment by the Compensation Committee. Management evaluates, on a quarterly basis, the likelihood of the Company meeting its performance metrics in determining stock-based compensation expense for performance share plans.

Stock Option Awards

Options Outstanding							Options Exercisable
Range of Exercise Price	Number Outstanding	Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term (years)	Weighted- Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value		Number Exercisable	Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term (years)	Weighted- Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value
(In thousands, except per share prices and life data)
1.68-3.29	920	3.86	$	3.20	$	3,079	920	3.86	$	3.20	$	3,079
3.32-3.32	1,047	5.21	3.32		3,381		1,047	5.20	3.32		3,381
3.41-4.20	833	5.64	4.13		2,018		810	5.61	4.13		1,961
4.23-4.37	524	4.04	4.25		1,203		367	4.11	4.26		807
4.43-4.43	873	6.71	4.43		1,850		635	6.71	4.43		1,345
4.56-4.78	589	4.70	4.74		1,064		543	4.55	4.74		983
4.89-4.89	813	3.60	4.89		1,349		813	3.60	4.89		1,349
4.92-6.05	717	4.06	5.42		807		717	4.15	5.42		794
6.11-7.38	348	3.77	6.31		98		319	3.72	6.33		86
10.01-10.01	11	7.87	10.01		—		7	7.88	10.01		—
	6,675	4.75	$	4.33	$	14,849	6,178	4.67	$	4.32	$	13,785

Excluded from the table above are 0.1 million options, with a weighted average grant date fair value of $0.81, assumed as part of the acquisition of Ozmo.

The number of options exercisable under Atmel's stock option plans at December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 were 6.2 million, 6.4 million and 8.5 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, the number of stock options that were forfeited, but were not available for future stock option grants due to the expiration of these shares under the 1986 Stock Plan was not material.

For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 , the number of stock options that were exercised were 1.2 million, 4.3 million and 5.3 million, respectively, which had a total intrinsic value at the date of exercise of $4.8 million, $42.0 million and $24.8 million, respectively, and had an aggregate exercise price of $4.6 million, $19.3 million and $22.5 million, respectively.

The fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions:

	Year Ended
	December 31, 2010
Risk-free interest rate	2.05	%
Expected life (years)	5.54
Expected volatility	54	%
Expected dividend yield	—

No options were granted for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.

The Company's weighted-average assumptions for the year ended December 31, 2010 were determined in accordance with the accounting standard on stock-based compensation and are further discussed below.

The expected life of employee stock options represents the weighted-average period the stock options are expected to remain outstanding and was derived based on an evaluation of the Company's historical settlement trends including an evaluation of historical exercise and expected post-vesting employment-termination behavior. The expected life of employee stock options impacts all underlying assumptions used in the Company's Black-Scholes option-pricing model, including the period applicable for risk-free interest and expected volatility.

The risk-free interest rate assumption is based upon observed interest rates appropriate for the expected life of the Company's employee stock options.

The Company calculates the historic volatility over the expected life of the employee stock options and believes this to be representative of the Company's expectations about its future volatility over the expected life of the option.

The dividend yield assumption is based on the Company's history and expectation of dividend payouts.

The weighted-average estimated fair value of options granted for the year ended December 31, 2010 was $2.70.

As of December 31, 2012, total unearned compensation expense related to unvested stock options was approximately $1.6 million, excluding forfeitures, and is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.08 years.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

     Under the 1991 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“1991 ESPP”) and 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“2010 ESPP” and, together with the 1991 ESPP, the “Company’s ESPPs”), qualified employees are entitled to purchase shares of Atmel’s common stock at the lower of 85% of the fair market value of the common stock at the date of commencement of the 6 month offering period or 85% of the fair market value on the last day of the offering period. Purchases are limited to 10% of an employee’s eligible compensation. There were 0.8 million and 2.0 million shares purchased under the 1991 ESPP for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, at an average price per share of $4.85 and $3.65, respectively. There were 1.8 million and 0.7 million shares purchased under the 2010 ESPP for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 at an average price per share of $6.19 and $8.56, respectively. The 1991 ESPP was superseded by the 2010 ESPP in the three months ended March 31, 2011. Of the 25.0 million shares authorized for issuance under the 2010 ESPP, 22.5 million shares were available for issuance at December 31, 2012.

The fair value of each purchase under the Company’s ESPPs is estimated on the date of the beginning of the offering period using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The following assumptions were utilized to determine the fair value of the Company’s ESPPs shares:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
Risk-free interest rate	0.15	%	0.12	%	0.18	%
Expected life (years)	0.50		0.50		0.50
Expected volatility	51	%	46	%	45	%
Expected dividend yield	—		—		—

The weighted-average fair value purchase price per share under the Company’s ESPPs for purchase periods beginning in the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 was $1.75, $2.70 and $0.89, respectively. Cash proceeds from the issuance of shares under the Company’s ESPPs were $11.0 million, $9.4 million and $7.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Common Stock Repurchase Program

Atmel’s Board of Directors authorized an aggregate of $700.0 million of funding for the Company’s stock repurchase program. The repurchase program does not have an expiration date, and the number of shares repurchased and the timing of repurchases are based on the level of the Company’s cash balances, general business and market conditions, regulatory requirements, and other factors, including alternative investment opportunities. As of December 31, 2012, $127.2 million remained available for repurchasing common stock under this program.

During the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, Atmel repurchased 22.7 million, 28.8 million and 11.7 million shares, respectively, of its common stock on the open market at an average repurchase price of $7.92, $10.57 and $7.59 per share, respectively, excluding commission, and subsequently retired those shares. Common stock and additional paid-in capital were reduced by $179.6 million, $304.2 million and $89.2 million, excluding commission, for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, as a result of the stock repurchases.

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Schedule II (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010		Dec. 31, 2009
Allowance for doubtful accounts receivable:
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Line Items]
Balance at Beginning of Year	$ 11,005	$ 11,833	$ 11,847		$ 11,930
Changes to Expense	(18)	(14)	(76)
Deductions‑ Write-offs	(810)	0	(7)
Balance at End of Year	11,005	11,833	11,847		11,930
Valuation/Allowance for deferred tax assets:
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Line Items]
Balance at Beginning of Year	41,271	38,742	85,755		197,407
Changes to Expense	2,935	(47,013)	(111,652)	[1]
Deductions‑ Write-offs	(406)	0	0
Balance at End of Year	$ 41,271	$ 38,742	$ 85,755		$ 197,407

[1] Includes a tax benefit of $116.7 million attributable to the release of valuation allowances, as disclosed in Note 12 of the consolidated financial statements.

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INTEREST AND OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE), NET (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Interest and other income (expense), net
Interest and other (expense) income	$ (1,358)	$ 177	$ 3,154
Interest expense	(4,130)	(7,028)	(7,535)
Foreign exchange transaction gains	363	6,033	13,199
Total	$ (5,125)	$ (818)	$ 8,818

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Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Jan. 31, 2013	Jun. 29, 2012
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	ATMEL CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000872448
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2012
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Public Float			$ 2,814,721,375
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		439,341,816	419,481,576
Entity Well Known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Document Fiscal Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY

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ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent [Abstract]

ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

Comprehensive income is defined as a change in equity of a company during a period, from transactions and other events and circumstances excluding transactions resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners. The primary difference between net income and comprehensive income for the Company arises from foreign currency translation adjustments, actuarial (loss) gain related to defined benefit pension plans and net unrealized (loss) gain on investments. The components of accumulated other comprehensive income at December 31, 2012 and 2011, net of tax, are as follows:

	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Foreign currency translation adjustments	$	11,627		$	7,725
Actuarial (loss) gain related to defined benefit pension plans	(5,066		)	1,712
Net unrealized (loss) gain on investments	(149		)	11
Total accumulated other comprehensive income	$	6,412		$	9,448

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OPERATING AND GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTS 3 (Details)				12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012 customer	Dec. 31, 2011 customer	Dec. 31, 2010 customer	Dec. 31, 2012 Net revenues Customer Concentration Risk Customer 1	Dec. 31, 2012 Net revenues Customer Concentration Risk Customer 2	Dec. 31, 2012 Accounts receivable Credit Concentration Risk distributor	Dec. 31, 2012 Accounts receivable Credit Concentration Risk Customer	Dec. 31, 2011 Accounts receivable Credit Concentration Risk distributor	Dec. 31, 2012 Accounts receivable Credit Concentration Risk Distributor with largest balance	Dec. 31, 2011 Accounts receivable Credit Concentration Risk Distributor with largest balance	Dec. 31, 2011 Accounts receivable Credit Concentration Risk Distributor with second largest balance	Dec. 31, 2012 Accounts receivable Credit Concentration Risk Major Distributor with Largest Balance	Dec. 31, 2012 Accounts receivable Credit Concentration Risk Major Distributor with Second Largest Balance
Concentration risk
Entity wide revenue, major customer, percentage				12.00%	10.00%
Number of customers with concentration risk	2	0	0			2	1	2
Concentration Risk, Percentage									10.00%	15.00%	14.00%	14.00%	12.00%

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NET INCOME PER SHARE (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of basic and diluted net income per share
Net income	$ 30,445	$ 314,990	$ 423,075
Weighted-average shares - basic	433,017	455,629	458,482
Dilutive effect of incremental shares and share equivalents	4,565	7,044	11,098
Weighted-average shares - diluted	437,582	462,673	469,580
Basic
Net income per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.07	$ 0.69	$ 0.92
Diluted
Net income per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.07	$ 0.68	$ 0.90
Anti-dilutive securities not included in the "Weighted-average shares - diluted" used for calculation of diluted net income per share
Employee stock options and restricted stock units outstanding (in shares)	4,718	1,977	2,095

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Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Statement of Other Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 30,445	$ 314,990	$ 423,075
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
Foreign currency translation adjustments (CTA)	3,902	(6,863)	(21,472)
Inclusion of foreign CTA adjustments in net income	0	0	(99,779)
Actuarial losses related to defined benefit pension plans	(6,778)	(197)	(788)
Unrealized (losses) gains on investments	(160)	179	(2,102)
Other comprehensive loss	(3,036)	(6,881)	(124,141)
Total comprehensive income	$ 27,409	$ 308,109	$ 298,934

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INVESTMENTS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]

INVESTMENTS

INVESTMENTS

Investments at December 31, 2012 and 2011 primarily include corporate equity securities, U.S. and foreign corporate debt securities and auction-rate securities.

All marketable securities are deemed by management to be available-for-sale and are reported at fair value, with the exception of certain auction-rate securities as described below. Net unrealized gains and losses that are deemed to be temporary are reported within stockholders’ equity on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income. Unrealized losses that are deemed to be other-than-temporary are recorded in the consolidated statement of operations in the period such determination is made. Gross realized gains or losses are recorded based on the specific identification method. For the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company's gross realized gains were not significant and the Company had a $1.2 million loss related to an "other-than-temporary impairment" in connection with an equity investment. For the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company's gross realized gains and losses on short-term investments were not significant. The Company’s investments are further detailed in the table below:

	December 31, 2012				December 31, 2011
	Adjusted Cost		Fair Value		Adjusted Cost			Fair Value
	(in thousands)
Corporate equity securities	$	2,687	$	2,687	$	—		$	—
Auction-rate securities	983		1,066		2,220			2,251
Corporate debt securities and other obligations	—		—		3,099			3,079
	$	3,670	$	3,753	$	5,319		$	5,330
Unrealized gains	83				31
Unrealized losses	—				(20		)
Net unrealized gains	83				11
Fair value	$	3,753			$	5,330
Amount included in short-term investments			$	2,687				$	3,079
Amount included in other assets			1,066					2,251
			$	3,753				$	5,330

In September 2010, in connection with the sale of the Company’s smart card business in France to INSIDE Secure (“INSIDE”), the Company received an equity interest in INSIDE, which was privately-held at the time of the investment.  In February 2012, INSIDE successfully completed an initial public offering on the NYSE Euronext stock exchange in Paris.  As a result of that public offering, the Company reclassified its investment in INSIDE to short-term investments from other assets and accounted for this investment as available for sale. In the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $1.2 million on its investment in INSIDE, which it believes to be other-than-temporary.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company redeemed a portion of its auction-rate securities in the open market, resulting in an insignificant gain. The Company concluded that its remaining $1.0 million (adjusted cost) of auction-rate securities are unlikely to be liquidated within the next twelve months and classified these securities as long-term investments, which are included in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets.

Contractual maturities (at adjusted cost) of available-for-sale debt securities as of December 31, 2012, were as follows:

	(in thousands)
Due within one year	$	—
Due in 1-5 years	—
Due in 5-10 years	—
Due after 10 years	983
Total	$	983

Atmel has classified all investments with original maturity dates of 90 days or more as short-term as it has the ability and intent to liquidate them within the year, with the exception of the Company’s remaining auction-rate securities, which have been classified as long-term investments and included in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets.

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FAIR VALUE OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

FAIR VALUE OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

FAIR VALUE OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

Fair value is defined as “the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (exit price)”. The accounting standard establishes a consistent framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosure requirements regarding fair value measurements. This accounting standard, among other things, requires the Company to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.

The table below presents the balances of investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2012:

	December 31, 2012
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
	(in thousands)
Assets
Cash
Money market funds	$	1,036	$	1,036	$	—	$	—
Short-term investments
Corporate equity securities	2,687		2,687		—		—
Other assets
Auction-rate securities	1,066		—		—		1,066
Investment funds - Deferred compensation plan assets
Institutional money market funds	597		597		—		—
Fixed income	902		902		—		—
Marketable equity securities	3,479		3,479		—		—
Total institutional funds - Deferred compensation plan	4,978		4,978		—		—
Total other assets	6,044		4,978		—		1,066
Total	$	9,767	$	8,701	$	—	$	1,066

The table below presents the balances of investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2011:

	December 31, 2011
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
	(in thousands)
Assets
Cash
Money market funds	$	18,164	$	18,164	$	—	$	—
Short-term investments
Corporate debt securities	3,079		—		3,079		—
Other assets
Auction-rate securities	2,251		—		—		2,251
Investment funds - Deferred compensation plan assets
Institutional money market funds	549		549		—		—
Fixed income	1,613		1,613		—		—
Marketable equity securities	2,737		2,737		—		—
Total institutional funds - Deferred compensation plan	4,899		4,899		—		—
Total other Assets	7,150		4,899		—		2,251
Total	$	28,393	$	23,063	$	3,079	$	2,251

The Company’s investments, with the exception of auction-rate securities, are classified within Level 1 or Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy because they are valued using quoted market prices, broker or dealer quotations, or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency. The types of instruments valued based on quoted market prices in active markets include most U.S. government and agency securities and money market securities. Such instruments are generally classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. The types of instruments valued based on other observable inputs include corporate debt securities and other obligations. Such instruments are generally classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Auction-rate securities are classified within Level 3 because significant assumptions for such securities are not observable in the market. The total amount of assets measured using Level 3 valuation methodologies represented less than 1% of the Company's total assets as of December 31, 2012. The Company redeemed one auction rate security in the open market at book value of $1.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2012.

There were no changes in Level 3 assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011. There were no transfers between Level 1 and 2 hierarchies for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.

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RESTRUCTURING CHARGES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]

RESTRUCTURING CHARGES

RESTRUCTURING CHARGES

The following table summarizes the activity related to the accrual for restructuring charges detailed by event for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

	Q3'08			Q2'10			Q2'12			Q4'12			Total 2012 Activity
	(In thousands)
January 1, 2012	$	301		$	1,846		$	—		$	—		$	2,147
Charges - Employee termination costs, net of change in estimate	—			924			11,724			10,843			23,491
Charges - Other	—			—			—			495			495
Payments - Employee termination costs	(301		)	(1,902		)	(4,486		)	(2,973		)	(9,662		)
Foreign exchange (gain) loss	—			(429		)	180			—			(249		)
December 31, 2012	$	—		$	439		$	7,418		$	8,365		$	16,222

	Q3'02			Q2'08			Q3'08			Q1'09			Q2'10			Total 2011 Activity
	(In thousands)
January 1, 2011	$	1,592		$	3		$	460		$	136		$	1,286		$	3,477
Charges (credits) - Employee termination costs, net of change in estimate	—			(3		)	—			—			21,659			21,656
Credit - Other	(1,592		)	—			—			—			—			(1,592		)
Payments - Employee termination costs	—			—			—			—			(21,461		)	(21,461		)
Payments - Other	—			—			—			(136		)	—			(136		)
Currency Translation Adjustment	—			—			15			—			1,165			1,180
Foreign exchange gain	—			—			(174		)	—			(803		)	(977		)
December 31, 2011	$	—		$	—		$	301		$	—		$	1,846		$	2,147

	Q3'02		Q2'08			Q3'08			Q1'09			Q2'10			Total 2010 Activity
	(In thousands)
January 1, 2010	$	1,592	$	4		$	557		$	318		$	—		$	2,471
Charges - Employee termination costs, net of change in estimate	—		—			—			986			4,267			5,253
Payments - Employee termination costs	—		—			(44		)	(954		)	(2,965		)	(3,963		)
Payments - Other	—		—			—			(182		)	—			(182		)
Currency Translation Adjustment	—		(1		)	(53		)	(32		)	(16		)	(102		)
December 31, 2010	$	1,592	$	3		$	460		$	136		$	1,286		$	3,477

2012 Restructuring Charges

For the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $23.5 million related to workforce reductions. The Company also recorded restructuring charges of $0.5 million related to the termination of leases that were no longer required after we reduced our workforce. Employee severance costs were recorded in accordance with the accounting standard related to costs associated with exit or disposal activities. The Company paid $9.7 million related to employee termination costs for the year ended December 31, 2012. The Company expects to pay the remaining amount accrued over the course of the next twelve months.

2011 Restructuring Charges

For the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company implemented cost reduction actions, primarily targeting a reduction of labor costs. The Company incurred restructuring charges of $21.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 related to severance costs resulting from involuntary termination of employees. Employee severance costs were recorded in accordance with the accounting standard related to costs associated with exit or disposal activities. The Company recorded a restructuring credit of $1.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 related to resolution of a litigation matter. The Company paid $21.5 million related to employee termination costs for the year ended December 31, 2011.

2010 Restructuring Charges

For the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company incurred restructuring charges of $5.3 million related to severance costs resulting from involuntary termination of employees. Employee severance costs were recorded in accordance with the accounting standard related to costs associated with exit or disposal activities. The Company paid $4.0 million related to employee termination costs for the year ended December 31, 2010. The Company expects to pay the remaining amount over the course of the next twelve months.

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INCOME TAXES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

INCOME TAXES

INCOME TAXES

The components of income before income taxes were as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
U.S.	$	(19,956	)	$	125,905	$	102,590
Foreign	62,194			255,285		13,762
Income before income taxes	$	42,238		$	381,190	$	116,352

The provision for (benefit from) income taxes consists of the following:

		Years Ended
		December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
		(In thousands)
Federal	Current	$	10,378		$	2,454		$	(142,191	)
	Deferred	4,501			5,982			(88,291		)
State	Current	(5		)	172			58
	Deferred	(494		)	(2,064		)	(20,041		)
Foreign	Current	3,757			18,979			8,495
	Deferred	(6,344		)	40,677			(64,753		)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		$	11,793		$	66,200		$	(306,723	)

The Company's effective tax rate differs from the U.S. Federal statutory income tax rate as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
U.S. Federal statutory income tax rate	35.00	%	35.00	%	35.00	%
State tax	(0.23	)	0.22		0.65
Effect of foreign operations	(2.55	)	(15.52	)	(40.37	)
Recognition of tax credits	(10.04	)	(2.95	)	(56.22	)
Net operating loss and future deductions not currently benefited	—		—		27.82
Change of valuation allowance	1.04		(0.09	)	(100.33	)
Audit settlements and IRS refunds	—		0.20		(129.42	)
Other, net (1)	4.70		0.51		(0.75	)
Effective tax provision rate	27.92	%	17.37	%	(263.62	)%

_________________________________________

(1) Included in Other, net, are adjustments related to return to provision true-up, unrecognized tax benefit ("UTB"), withholding taxes and non-deductible stock compensation.

For the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, the significant components of the tax provision were from operations in jurisdictions with operating profits. The Company's effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 was lower than the statutory federal income tax rate of 35%, primarily due to income recognized in lower tax rate jurisdictions and the recognition of foreign R&D credits.

For the year ended December 31, 2010, the significant components of the tax benefit were the favorable settlement of the IRS tax audit, the release of valuation allowances attributable to deferred tax assets, and the recognition of certain U.S. foreign tax credits and foreign R&D credits.

Deferred income taxes

The tax effects of temporary differences that constitute significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are presented below:

	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Deferred income tax assets:
Net operating losses	$	53,500		$	33,324
Research and development, foreign tax and other tax credits	55,051			45,327
Accrued liabilities	31,519			33,124
Fixed assets	42,711			42,501
Intangible assets	8,331			12,356
Deferred income	5,007			8,391
Stock-based compensation	9,084			6,830
Unrealized foreign exchange translation	4,801			4,651
Other	4,878			4,832
Total deferred income tax assets	214,882			191,336
Deferred income tax liabilities:
Fixed assets	(55		)	(57		)
Deferred income	(846		)	(693		)
Unremitted earnings of foreign subsidiaries	(2,548		)	(5,075		)
Foreign losses subject to recapture	(14,837		)	(15,170		)
Other	(267		)	—
Total deferred tax liabilities	(18,553		)	(20,995		)
Less valuation allowance	(41,271		)	(38,742		)
Net deferred income tax assets	$	155,058		$	131,599
Reported as:
Current deferred tax assets(1)	$	53,105		$	10,239
Current deferred tax liabilities(2)	(304		)	—
Non-current deferred tax assets(3)	102,315			121,417
Non-current deferred tax liabilities(4)	(58		)	(57		)
Net deferred income tax assets	$	155,058		$	131,599

_________________________________________

(1) Included within Prepaids and other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets and short-term tax attributes.

(2) Included within Accrued and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

(3) Included within Other assets on the consolidated balance sheets and long-term tax attributes.

(4) Included within Other long-term liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

Similar to the Company's position during the fourth quarter of 2011, it concluded that it was more likely than not that it would be able to realize the benefit of a significant portion of its deferred tax assets in the future, except certain assets related to state and some foreign net operating losses and state tax credits, including R&D credit carry forwards. As a result, the Company continues to provide a full valuation allowance on the deferred tax assets relating to those items for year ended December 31, 2012.

As a result of certain realization requirements of the accounting standard for stock-based compensation, the table of deferred tax assets and liabilities shown above does not include deferred tax assets that arose directly from tax deductions related to equity compensation in excess of compensation recognized for financial reporting. The Company uses the "with and without" method to determine the order in which tax attributes are utilized. The Company only recognizes excess tax benefits from stock-based awards in additional paid-in capital if an incremental tax benefit is realized from a reduction in taxes payable, after all other tax attributes currently available to the Company have been utilized. In addition, the Company accounts for the indirect effects of stock-based awards on other tax attributes, such as research tax credits, through the consolidated statements of operations. The tax benefit realized from stock options exercised during 2012 was $1.3 million.

As of December 31, 2012, income taxes were provided on the undistributed earnings in Atmel Automotive, Atmel Rousset, Atmel Nantes, Atmel BV, Atmel Switzerland, and Atmel SARL. In determining the tax liability, the Company has accounted for potential gross-up of foreign taxes and expected foreign tax credits determined on the basis of U.S. tax rules governing earnings and profits computations in these jurisdictions. The Company continues to assert indefinite re-investment with respect to the earnings and profits of its other foreign subsidiaries (other than earnings subject to current U.S. tax under subpart F or Section 956 of the Internal Revenue Code) amounting to approximately $389.6 million as it is currently the Company's intention to reinvest these earnings indefinitely in operations outside the U.S. The Company estimates that its U.S. cash needs will be met from its prospective business operations and it will not need to repatriate cash (earnings) from its foreign jurisdictions to the US.

The Company's tax attribute carry forwards as of December 31, 2012 consist of the following:

Tax Attribute	December 31, 2012		Nature of Expiration
	(In thousands)
Foreign net operating loss carry forwards	$	164,491	beginning of 2013
State net operating loss carry forwards	502,349		2013-2032
Federal R&D credits, net of those related to stock option deductions	5,126		beginning of 2020
Federal R&D credits related to stock option deductions	29,314		beginning of 2020
State R&D credits	14,817		indefinite
Foreign tax credits	43,973		beginning of 2020
State investment tax credits	8,255		beginning of 2013
Foreign R&D credits	32,203		refundable

The Company believes it may not be able to utilize portions of the net operating loss carry forwards in non-U.S. jurisdictions before they expire, starting in 2013.

Unrecognized tax benefits

The Company recognizes uncertain tax positions only to the extent that management believes that it is more-likely-than-not that the position will be sustained. The reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of gross UTB is as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Balance at January 1	$	67,967		$	63,593		$	182,552
Tax Positions Related to Current Year:
Additions	10,270			8,794			35,810
Tax Positions Related to Prior Years:
Additions	793			—			—
Reductions	(1,877		)	(568		)	(34		)
Lapse of Statute of Limitation	(4,314		)	(1,672		)	(2,239		)
Settlements	(147		)	(2,180		)	(152,496		)
Balance at December 31	$	72,692		$	67,967		$	63,593

Included in the UTBs at December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, are $27.2 million, $25.2 million and $24.7 million, respectively, of tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate. Also included in the balance of unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, are $45.5 million, $42.8 million and $38.9 million, respectively, of tax benefits that, if recognized, would result in adjustments to other tax accounts, primarily deferred tax assets.

The table above includes unrecognized tax benefits associated with the refundable foreign R&D credits, including additions due to positions taken in the current year and reductions for the completion of income tax audits or expiration of the related statute of limitations.

Increases or decreases in unrecognizable tax benefits could occur over the next twelve months due to tax law changes, unrecognized tax benefits established in the normal course of business, or the conclusion of ongoing tax audits in various jurisdictions around the world. The Company believes that before December 31, 2013, it is reasonably possible that either certain audits will conclude or the statutes of limitations relating to certain income tax examination periods will expire, or both. As such, after the Company reaches settlement with the tax authorities, the Company expects to record a corresponding adjustment to its unrecognized tax benefits. Given the uncertainty as to settlement terms, the timing of payments and the impact of such settlements on other uncertain tax positions, the range of estimated potential decreases in underlying uncertain tax positions is between $0 and $10.0 million in the next twelve months.

The calculation of unrecognized tax benefits involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex global tax regulations. The Company regularly assesses its tax positions in light of legislative, bilateral tax treaty, regulatory and judicial developments in the countries in which the Company does business.

Income tax audits

The Company files U.S., state, and foreign income tax returns in jurisdictions with varying statutes of limitations. The 2001 through 2012 tax years generally remain subject to examination by federal and most state tax authorities. For significant foreign jurisdictions, the 2001 through 2012 tax years generally remain subject to examination by their respective tax authorities.

Currently, the Company has tax audits in progress in various other foreign jurisdictions. To the extent the final tax liabilities are different from the amounts originally accrued, the increases or decreases are recorded as income tax expense or benefit in the consolidated statements of operations. While the Company believes that the resolution of these audits will not have a material adverse impact on the Company's results of operations, the outcome is subject to uncertainty.

The Company's policy is to recognize interest and/or penalties related to income tax matters in its income tax provision. In the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, the Company recognized expense (credits) related to interest and penalties in the consolidated statements of operations of $0.4 million, $0.5 million and $(45.8) million, respectively. The total amount of interest and penalties accrued on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 was $1.8 million and $1.4 million, respectively.

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GAIN ON SALE OF ASSETS 4 (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2010	Jun. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Loss (gain) on disposal
(Gain) loss on sale of assets			$ 0	$ (35,310,000)	$ 99,767,000
Interest expense			4,130,000	7,028,000	7,535,000
Manufacturing operations in Rousset, France
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Unrecorded Unconditional Purchase Obligation, Period	4 years
Loss (gain) on disposal
Net assets transferred, including working capital	61,646,000	61,646,000
Fair Value of Manufacturing Services Agreement	92,417,000	92,417,000
Currency translation adjustment	(97,367,000)
Severance cost liability	27,840,000
Transition services	4,746,000
Selling costs	3,173,000
Other related costs	1,597,000
(Gain) loss on sale of assets	94,052,000			0	94,052,000
Difference between purchase commitment and market price		103,700,000
Fair value of manufacturing service agreement, discount rate	7.00%	7.00%
Present value of purchase commitment		11,200,000	3,300,000
Reduction of cost of good sold			34,500,000	31,900,000	14,900,000
Interest expense			2,300,000	4,500,000	2,900,000
Performance based bonuses on disposition of assets		$ 500,000

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BORROWING ARRANGEMENTS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

BORROWING ARRANGEMENTS

BORROWING ARRANGEMENTS

Information with respect to the Company’s debt and capital lease obligations as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 is shown in the following table:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(in thousands)
Long-term debt	$	5,602	$	4,612
Less: current portion of long-term debt	—		—
Long-term debt due after one year	$	5,602	$	4,612

Long‑term debt obligations of $5.6 million relates to an amount previously advanced from a foreign government which is repayable in 2015. The balance is increased on a monthly basis as a result of interest accretion. The repayment amount is expected to be approximately $9.2 million in 2015.

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FIXED ASSETS (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Fixed assets
Fixed assets, gross	$ 1,516,092,000	$ 1,532,152,000
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(1,295,048,000)	(1,275,082,000)
Total fixed assets, net	221,044,000	257,070,000
Depreciation expense	67,600,000	68,900,000	56,800,000
Asset impairment charges	0	0	11,922,000
Land
Fixed assets
Fixed assets, gross	14,489,000	14,970,000
Buildings and improvements
Fixed assets
Fixed assets, gross	510,468,000	533,205,000
Machinery and equipment
Fixed assets
Fixed assets, gross	966,756,000	965,451,000
Furniture and fixtures
Fixed assets
Fixed assets, gross	21,636,000	17,906,000
Construction-in-progress
Fixed assets
Fixed assets, gross	$ 2,743,000	$ 620,000

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FIXED ASSETS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

FIXED ASSETS

FIXED ASSETS

Fixed assets consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(in thousands)
Land	$	14,489		$	14,970
Buildings and improvements	510,468			533,205
Machinery and equipment	966,756			965,451
Furniture and fixtures	21,636			17,906
Construction-in-progress	2,743			620
	$	1,516,092		$	1,532,152
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(1,295,048		)	(1,275,082		)
	$	221,044		$	257,070

On August 30, 2011, the Company completed the sale of its former San Jose corporate headquarters and adjacent parcels of land. See Notes 11 and 15 for further discussion.

Depreciation expense on fixed assets for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 was $67.6 million, $68.9 million and $56.8 million, respectively. Fixed assets acquired under capital leases were not material at December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

The Company assesses the recoverability of long-lived assets with finite useful lives annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the Company may not be able to recover the asset’s carrying amount. The Company measures the amount of impairment of such long-lived assets by the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds the fair market value of the asset, which is generally determined based on projected discounted future cash flows or appraised values. For the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company recorded impairment charges of $11.9 million related to the sale of its Rousset, France manufacturing operation (see Note 15 for further discussion).

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INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

Note 7 INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

Intangible assets, net, consist of technology licenses and acquisition‑related intangible assets as follows:

	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(in thousands)
Core/licensed technology	$	18,123		$	17,564
Accumulated amortization	(16,171		)	(12,420		)
Total technology licenses	1,952			5,144
Acquisition‑related intangible assets	48,550			33,100
Accumulated amortization	(23,245		)	(17,650		)
Total acquisition‑related intangible assets	25,305			15,450
Total intangible assets, net	$	27,257		$	20,594

Amortization expense for technology licenses totaled $3.7 million, $3.5 million and $5.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Amortization expense for acquisition‑related intangible assets totaled $5.6 million, $4.6 million and $4.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

The following table presents the estimated future amortization of the technology licenses and acquisition‑related intangible assets:

Years Ending December 31:	Technology Licenses		Acquisition‑Related Intangible Assets		Total
	(in thousands)
2013	$	1,283	$	5,222	$	6,505
2014	427		4,402		4,829
2015	242		3,838		4,080
2016	—		2,957		2,957
2017	—		2,831		2,831
Thereafter	—		6,055		6,055
Total future amortization	$	1,952	$	25,305	$	27,257

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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Commitments

Leases

The Company leases its domestic and foreign sales offices under non-cancelable operating leases. These leases contain various expiration dates and renewal options. The Company also leases certain manufacturing equipment and software rights under operating leases. Total rental expense for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 was $25.0 million, $20.1 million and $19.7 million, respectively.

On August 30, 2011, the Company completed the sale of its former San Jose corporate headquarters and adjacent parcels of land for an aggregate sale price of $48.5 million.

On August 30, 2011, the Company entered into a ten year lease of approximately $52.6 million for its current headquarters located at 1600 Technology Drive in San Jose, California (the "Technology Drive Lease").

Aggregate non-cancelable future minimum rental payments under operating leases, including manufacturing equipment and software rights, are as follows:

Years Ending December 31:	Operating Leases
	(In thousands)
2013	$	8,992
2014	8,990
2015	7,610
2016	7,377
2017	6,758
Thereafter	28,770
	$	68,497

Indemnification

As is customary in the Company’s industry, the Company’s standard contracts provide remedies to its customers, such as defense, settlement, or payment of judgment for intellectual property claims related to the use of the Company’s products. From time to time, the Company will indemnify customers against combinations of loss, expense, or liability arising from various trigger events related to the sale and the use of the Company’s products and services, usually up to a specified maximum amount. In addition, as permitted under state laws in the United States, the Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its officers and directors and certain employees, and the Company’s bylaws permit the indemnification of the Company’s agents. The estimated fair value of the liability is not material.

Purchase Commitments

At December 31, 2012, the Company, or its affiliates, had certain non-cancellable commitments which were not included on the consolidated balance sheets at that date. These include outstanding capital purchase commitments of approximately $13.8 million, wafer purchase commitments of approximately $27.1 million under a supply agreement with Telefunken Semiconductors International LLC ("Telefunken") and wafer purchase commitments of approximately $43.9 million under a supply agreement with LFoundry Rousset SAS ("LFoundry").

Contingencies

Legal Proceedings

The Company is party to various legal proceedings. Management currently believes that the ultimate outcome of these proceedings, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations and statement of cash flows. If an unfavorable ruling were to occur in any of the legal proceedings described below or other legal proceedings that were not deemed material as of December 31, 2012, there exists the possibility of a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows. The Company has accrued for losses related to the litigation described below that it considers probable and for which the loss can be reasonably estimated. In the event that a probable loss cannot be reasonably estimated, it has not accrued for such losses. As the Company continues to monitor these matters or other matters that were not deemed material as of December 31, 2012, its determination could change, however, and we may decide, at some future date, to establish an appropriate reserve. With respect to each of the matters below, except where noted otherwise, management has determined a potential loss is not probable at this time and, accordingly, no amount has been accrued at December 31, 2012. Management makes a determination as to when a potential loss is reasonably possible based on relevant accounting literature and then includes appropriate disclosure of the contingency. Except as otherwise noted, management does not believe that the amount of loss or a range of possible losses is reasonably estimable.

Infineon Litigation.  On April 11, 2011, Infineon Technologies A.G. and Infineon Technologies North America Corporation (collectively, “Infineon”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the Company in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. Infineon alleges that the Company is infringing 11 Infineon patents and seeks a declaration that three of the Company’s patents are either invalid or not infringed. On July 5, 2011, the Company answered Infineon’s complaint, and filed counterclaims seeking a declaration that each of the 11 asserted Infineon patents is invalid and not infringed. The Company also counterclaimed for infringement of six of the Company’s patents and breach of contract related to Infineon’s breach of a confidentiality agreement. On July 29, 2011, Infineon answered these counterclaims and sought a declaration that the Company’s patents were either invalid or not infringed. On March 13, 2012, the Company filed amended counterclaims that alleged Infineon’s infringement of four additional Atmel patents. On March 31, 2012, Infineon answered these counterclaims and sought a declaration that the Company’s newly asserted patents were either invalid or not infringed. On December 4, 2012, the Court issued its Markman ruling, in which it interpreted as a matter of law certain disputed terms in the asserted patent claims. On December 28, 2012, the Court granted the Company and Infineon's joint request to dismiss, without prejudice, four patents per side.  The trial of these claims currently is scheduled to commence in early 2014, and the Company intends to prosecute its claims and defend vigorously against Infineon's claims.

From time to time, the Company is notified of claims that its products may infringe patents, or other intellectual property, issued to other parties. The Company periodically receives demands for indemnification from its customers with respect to intellectual property matters. The Company also periodically receives claims relating to the quality of its products, including claims for additional labor costs, costs for replacing defective parts, reimbursement to customers for damages incurred in correcting defective products, costs for product recalls or other damages. Receipt of these claims and requests occurs in the ordinary course of the Company’s business, and the Company responds based on the specific circumstances of each event. The Company undertakes an accrual for losses relating to those types of claims when it considers those losses “probable” and when a reasonable estimate of loss can be determined.

Other Contingencies

In October 2008, officials of the European Union Commission (the “Commission”) conducted an inspection at the offices of one of the Company’s French subsidiaries. The Company was informed that the Commission was seeking evidence of potential violations by Atmel or its subsidiaries of the European Union’s competition laws in connection with the Commission’s investigation of suppliers of integrated circuits for smart cards. On September 21, 2009 and October 27, 2009, the Commission requested additional information from the Company, and the Company responded to the Commission’s requests. The Company continues to cooperate with the Commission’s investigation and has not received any specific findings, monetary demand or judgment through the date of filing this Form 10-K. As a result, the Company has not recorded any provision in its financial statements related to this matter.

Product Warranties

The Company accrues for warranty costs based on historical trends of product failure rates and the expected material and labor costs to provide warranty services. The Company’s products are generally covered by a warranty typically ranging from 30 days to three years.

The following table summarizes the activity related to the product warranty liability for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Balance at beginning of period	$	5,746		$	4,019		$	4,225
Accrual for warranties during the period, net of change in estimate	3,672			7,383			3,779
Actual costs incurred	(4,586		)	(5,656		)	(3,985		)
Balance at end of period	$	4,832		$	5,746		$	4,019

Product warranty liability is included in accrued and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

Guarantees

During the ordinary course of business, the Company provides standby letters of credit or other guarantee instruments to certain parties as required for certain transactions initiated by either the Company or its subsidiaries. The Company has not recorded any liability in connection with these guarantee arrangements. Based on historical experience and information currently available, the Company believes it will not be required to make any payments under these guarantee arrangements.

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STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 1 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Stock-based compensation expense
Gross excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation	$ 1,264	$ 2,650	$ 3,088
Total stock-based compensation expense, excluding acquisition-related charges
Stock-based compensation expense
Stock-based compensation expense	72,442	68,125	60,510
Net amounts released from (capitalized in) inventory	468	(977)	(1,042)
Acquistion Related Charges [Member]
Stock-based compensation expense
Stock-based compensation expense			(3,100)
Employee stock options | Total stock-based compensation expense, excluding acquisition-related charges
Stock-based compensation expense
Stock-based compensation expense	3,470	5,685	9,230
Employee stock purchase plan | Total stock-based compensation expense, excluding acquisition-related charges
Stock-based compensation expense
Stock-based compensation expense	3,107	2,511	1,844
Restricted stock units | Total stock-based compensation expense, excluding acquisition-related charges
Stock-based compensation expense
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 65,397	$ 60,906	$ 50,478

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GAIN ON SALE OF ASSETS 5 (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended				3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Sep. 30, 2012 Cash [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Assets Held-for-sale [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Assets Held-for-sale [Member]	Feb. 15, 2011 Digital Research in Electronics Acoustics and Music SAS [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Digital Research in Electronics Acoustics and Music SAS [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Digital Research in Electronics Acoustics and Music SAS [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Cash consideration						$ 25,000,000
Remaining inventory								7,000,000
Sales consideration									2,300,000
Gain on sale of assets		0	35,310,000	(99,767,000)					1,900,000	1,882,000	0
Property, plant and equipment reclassified					110,400,000
Impairment of long-lived assets to be disposed of	11,900,000
Sales Revenue, Goods, Gross							1,900,000
Assets Held-for-sale, at Carrying Value							5,100,000
Deferred Gain on Sale of Property		$ 4,400,000

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STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 2 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Total stock-based compensation expense, excluding acquisition-related charges
Stock-based compensation expense
Total stock-based compensation expense, before income taxes	$ 72,442	$ 68,125	$ 60,510
Tax benefit	(12,060)	(10,453)	(7,548)
Total stock-based compensation expense, net of income taxes	60,382	57,672	52,962
Cost of revenues
Stock-based compensation expense
Total stock-based compensation expense, before income taxes	8,052	7,840	8,159
Research and development
Stock-based compensation expense
Total stock-based compensation expense, before income taxes	22,825	22,916	19,324
Selling, general and administrative
Stock-based compensation expense
Total stock-based compensation expense, before income taxes	$ 41,565	$ 37,369	$ 33,027

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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES 1 (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Aug. 31, 2011 San Jose Corporate Headquarters [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 San Jose Corporate Headquarters [Member]	Aug. 30, 2011 San Jose Corporate Headquarters [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Capital purchase commitments	Dec. 31, 2012 Wafer purchase commitments Telefunken Semiconductors GmbH & Co. KG	Dec. 31, 2012 Wafer purchase commitments LFoundry
Leases [Abstract]
Total rental expense	$ 25,000,000	$ 20,100,000	$ 19,700,000
Sales consideration					48,500,000
Lease term of new corporate headquarters located at 1600 Technology Drive in San Jose, California (the Technology Drive Lease)				10 years
Future minimum rental payment of new corporate headquarters located at 1600 Technology Drive in San Jose, California (the Technology Drive Lease)	68,497,000					52,600,000
Aggregate non-cancelable future minimum rental payments under operating leases
2013	8,992,000
2014	8,990,000
2015	7,610,000
2016	7,377,000
2017	6,758,000
Thereafter	28,770,000
Total operating lease	68,497,000					52,600,000
Leases Additional Disclosure [Abstract]
Purchase Commitments							$ 13,800,000	$ 27,100,000	$ 43,900,000

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LOSS FROM FOUNDRY PARTNERS (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Loss from foundry arrangement	$ 10,628	$ 0	$ 0
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable, Charge-offs	$ 6,495	$ 0	$ 0

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FIXED ASSETS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Schedule of fixed assets

Fixed assets consist of the following:

	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(in thousands)
Land	$	14,489		$	14,970
Buildings and improvements	510,468			533,205
Machinery and equipment	966,756			965,451
Furniture and fixtures	21,636			17,906
Construction-in-progress	2,743			620
	$	1,516,092		$	1,532,152
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(1,295,048		)	(1,275,082		)
	$	221,044		$	257,070

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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES 5 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Research and Development
Research and development	$ 251,519	$ 255,653	$ 237,812
Minimum
Long-Lived Assets
Estimated Useful Life (in years)	2 years
Product Warranties
Product Warranty Period	30 days
Maximum
Long-Lived Assets
Estimated Useful Life (in years)	5 years
Income Taxes
Percentage of likelihood of being sustained for uncertain tax position not to be recognized	50.00%
Product Warranties
Product Warranty Period	3 years

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OPERATING AND GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

OPERATING AND GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTS

OPERATING AND GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTS

The Company designs, develops, manufactures and sells semiconductor integrated circuit products. The Company’s segments represent management’s view of the Company’s businesses and how it allocates Company resources and measures performance of its major components. Each segment consists of product families with similar requirements for design, development and marketing. Each segment requires different design, development and marketing resources to produce and sell products. Atmel’s four operating and reportable segments are as follows:

• Microcontrollers. This segment includes Atmel's capacitive touch products, including maXTouch and QTouch, AVR 8-bit and 32-bit products, ARM based products, Atmel's 8051 8-bit products, and designated commercial wireless products, including low power radio and SOC products that meet Zigbee and Wi-Fi specifications. XSense related products are also included as part of this segment.

• Nonvolatile Memories. This segment includes serial interface electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (“SEEPROM”), electrically erasable programmable read-only ("EEPROM") and erasable programmable read-only memory (“EPROM”) devices. This segment also includes products with military and aerospace applications. In the third quarter of 2012, the Company sold its serial flash product line.

• Radio Frequency (“RF”) and Automotive. This segment includes automotive electronics, wireless and wired devices for industrial, consumer and automotive applications and foundry services.

• Application Specific Integrated Circuit (“ASIC”). This segment includes custom application specific integrated circuits designed to meet specialized single‑customer requirements for their high performance devices, including products that provide hardware security for embedded digital systems, products with military and aerospace applications and application specific standard products for space applications, power management and secure cryptographic memory products.

The Company evaluates segment performance based on revenue and income or loss from operations excluding acquisition-related charges, restructuring charges, asset impairment charges, impairment on receivables from foundry supplier, credit from reserved grant income and gain on sale of assets. Interest and other (expense) income, net, foreign exchange gains and losses and income taxes are not measured by operating segment. Because the Company’s segments reflect the manner in which management reviews its business, they necessarily involve subjective judgments that management believes are reasonable in light of the circumstances under which they are made. These judgments may change over time or may be modified to reflect new facts or circumstances. Segments may also be changed or modified to reflect products, technologies or applications that are newly created, or that change over time, or other business conditions that evolve, each of which may result in reassessing specific segments and the elements included within each of those segments.

Segments are defined by the products they design and sell. They do not make sales to each other. The Company’s net revenue and segment income (loss) from operations for each reportable segment for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 are as follows:

Information about Reportable Segments

	Micro- Controllers		Nonvolatile Memories		RF and Automotive			ASIC		Total
	(In thousands)
Year ended December 31, 2012
Net revenue from external customers	$	892,839	$	170,736	$	174,237		$	194,298	$	1,432,110
Segment income (loss) from operations	22,994		21,057		(12,004		)	42,496		$	74,543
Year ended December 31, 2011
Net revenue from external customers	$	1,113,579	$	255,683	$	202,013		$	231,778	$	1,803,053
Segment income from operations	235,478		55,721		16,962			64,009		$	372,170
Year ended December 31, 2010
Net revenue from external customers	892,301		277,179		188,090			286,490		$	1,644,060
Segment income from operations	$	158,888	$	39,839	$	14,341		$	13,008	$	226,076

The Company's primary products are semiconductor integrated circuits, which it has concluded constitutes a group of similar products. Therefore, it is impracticable to differentiate the revenues from external customers for each product sold. The Company does not allocate assets by segment, as management does not use asset information to measure or evaluate a segment’s performance.

Reconciliation of Segment Information to Consolidated Statements of Operations

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Total segment income from operations	$	74,543		$	372,170		$	226,076
Unallocated amounts:
Acquisition-related charges	(7,388		)	(5,408		)	(1,600		)
Restructuring charges	(23,986		)	(20,064		)	(5,253		)
Impairment of receivables due from foundry supplier	(6,495		)	—			—
Asset Impairment Charges	—			—			(11,922		)
Credit from reserved grant income	10,689			—			—
Gain (loss) on sale of assets	—			35,310			(99,767		)
Consolidated income from operations	$	47,363		$	382,008		$	107,534

Geographic sources of revenue were as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
United States	$	189,699	$	249,887	$	260,091
Germany	175,930		237,777		207,305
France	28,343		31,231		55,107
Japan	51,141		57,376		46,671
China, including Hong Kong	451,642		531,561		489,480
Singapore	41,637		42,982		42,819
South Korea	178,547		223,967		143,213
Taiwan	67,806		135,650		115,559
Rest of Asia-Pacific	72,128		71,048		70,958
Rest of Europe	149,104		193,558		177,274
Rest of the World	26,133		28,016		35,583
Total net revenue	$	1,432,110	$	1,803,053	$	1,644,060

Net revenue is attributed to regions based on ship-to locations.

The Company had two customers that accounted for 12% and 10%, respectively, of net revenue in the year ended December 31, 2012. No single customer accounted for more than 10% of net revenue in any of the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010. Two distributors accounted for 14% and 12% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2012 and one customer accounted for 10% of accounts receivable at December 31, 2012. Two distributors accounted for 15% and 14%, respectively, of accounts receivable at December 31, 2011.

Physical locations of tangible long-lived assets as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 were as follows:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
United States	$	85,044	$	81,777
Philippines	61,594		71,332
Germany	17,602		20,681
France	28,000		30,277
Rest of Asia-Pacific	38,842		59,906
Rest of Europe	9,547		10,534
Total	$	240,629	$	274,507

Excluded from the table above are auction-rate securities of $1.1 million and $2.3 million at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, which are included in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets. Also excluded from the table above as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 are goodwill of $104.4 million and $67.7 million, respectively, intangible assets, net of $27.3 million and $20.6 million, respectively, and deferred income tax assets of $102.3 million and $121.4 million, respectively.

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LOSS FROM FOUNDRY PARTNERS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]

LOSS FROM FOUNDRY PARTNERS

LOSS FROM EUROPEAN FOUNDRY ARRANGEMENTS

In December 2009, a subsidiary entered into a take-or-pay agreement to purchase wafers from a European foundry that had acquired one of its former European manufacturing operations. In connection with the anticipated expiration of this agreement, the Company has notified customers, in the fourth quarter of 2012, of its end-of-life process and requested that customers provide to the Company last-time-buy orders. To the extent that the Company believes it has excess wafers that remain after satisfying anticipated customer demand, the Company estimated a probable loss for those excess wafers, which was approximately $10.6 million. The Company, therefore, recorded a charge in that amount to cost of revenue in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2012.

In June 2010, in connection with the sale of one of the Company's former European manufacturing operations, the Company leased facilities to the acquirer of those operations and have charged that acquirer rent and other occupancy costs. In the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company recorded a loss of $6.5 million on receivables from that tenant based on financial and other circumstances affecting the collectibility of those receivables, which is reflected under the caption of impairment of receivables from foundry supplier in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2012.

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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES 3 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Grant Recognition
Subsidy grant benefits recognized as a reduction of expenses	$ 4,202	$ 3,173	$ 7,884
Credit from Reserved Economic Grant Income	10,689	0	0
Total liability for grant benefits subject to repayment	5,054	14,931
Cost of revenues
Grant Recognition
Subsidy grant benefits recognized as a reduction of expenses	0	6	18
Research and development
Grant Recognition
Subsidy grant benefits recognized as a reduction of expenses	$ 4,202	$ 3,167	$ 7,866

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PENSION PLANS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Expense [Abstract]

Aggregate net pension expense relating to the two plan types

The aggregate net pension expense relating to these two plans are as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Service costs	$	1,290		$	1,289		$	1,577
Interest cost	1,447			1,326			1,568
Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss	(55		)	67			(49		)
Settlement and other related (gains) losses	(12		)	(726		)	1,149
Net pension period cost	$	2,670		$	1,956		$	4,245

Schedule of change in projected benefit obligation and accumulated benefit obligation

The change in projected benefit obligation during the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the accumulated benefit obligation at December 31, 2012 and 2011, were as follows:

	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Projected benefit obligation at beginning of the year	$	29,751		$	26,898
Service costs	1,290			1,289
Interest costs	1,447			1,326
Transfer of obligation upon sale	—			(91		)
Settlement	(12		)	(726		)
Amendments and plan transfers	—			422
Actuarial loss	9,196			199
Benefits paid	(360		)	(182		)
Foreign currency exchange rate changes	(691		)	616
Projected benefit obligation at end of the year	$	40,621		$	29,751
Accumulated benefit obligation at end of the year	$	34,216		$	24,069

Schedule of actuarial assumptions used to deteremine benefit obligations for the plans

Actuarial assumptions used to determine benefit obligations for the plans were as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012	December 31, 2011	December 31, 2010
Assumed discount rate	2.7-3.9%	4.6-5.3%	4.7-5.0%
Assumed compensation rate of increase	2.4-3.0%	2.5-3.0%	2.1-4.0%

Schedule of future estimated expected benefit payments over the next ten years

Future estimated expected benefit payments over the next 10 years are as follows:

Years Ending December 31:
	(In thousands)
2013	$	544
2014	535
2015	596
2016	1,143
2017	1,003
2018 through 2022	9,465
	$	13,286

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Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 293,370	$ 329,431
Short-term investments	2,687	3,079
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $11,005 and $11,833, respectively	188,488	212,929
Inventories	348,273	377,433
Prepaids and other current assets	125,019	116,929
Total current assets	957,837	1,039,801
Fixed assets, net	221,044	257,070
Goodwill	104,430	67,662
Intangible assets, net	27,257	20,594
Other assets	122,965	141,471
Total assets	1,433,533	1,526,598
Current liabilities
Trade accounts payable	103,980	76,445
Accrued and other liabilities	203,510	207,118
Deferred income on shipments to distributors	29,226	47,620
Total current liabilities	336,716	331,183
Other long-term liabilities	100,179	112,971
Total liabilities	436,895	444,154
Commitments and contingencies (Note 11)
Stockholders’ equity
Preferred stock; par value $0.001; Authorized: 5,000 shares; no shares issued and outstanding	0	0
Common stock; par value $0.001; Authorized: 1,600,000 shares; Shares issued and outstanding: 428,593 at December 31, 2012 and 442,389 at December 31, 2011	429	442
Additional paid-in capital	881,945	995,147
Accumulated other comprehensive income	6,412	9,448
Retained earnings	107,852	77,407
Total stockholders’ equity	996,638	1,082,444
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$ 1,433,533	$ 1,526,598

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RESTRUCTURING CHARGES Restructuring Charges 2010 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended						12 Months Ended							12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2011 Termination of contract with supplier in third quarter of 2002	Dec. 31, 2010 Termination of contract with supplier in third quarter of 2002	Dec. 31, 2009 Termination of contract with supplier in third quarter of 2002	Dec. 31, 2011 Employee termination costs in second quarter of 2008	Dec. 31, 2010 Employee termination costs in second quarter of 2008	Dec. 31, 2012 Employee termination costs in third quarter of 2008	Dec. 31, 2011 Employee termination costs in third quarter of 2008	Dec. 31, 2010 Employee termination costs in third quarter of 2008	Dec. 31, 2010 Employee termination costs in first quarter of 2009	Dec. 31, 2011 Employee termination costs in first quarter of 2009	Dec. 31, 2012 Employee termination costs in second quarter of 2010	Dec. 31, 2011 Employee termination costs in second quarter of 2010	Dec. 31, 2010 Employee termination costs in second quarter of 2010	Dec. 31, 2011 Other restructuring charges in first quarter of 2009	Dec. 31, 2010 Other restructuring charges in first quarter of 2009
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Accrual at the beginning of the period	$ 2,147	$ 3,477	$ 2,471	$ 0	$ 1,592	$ 1,592	$ 3	$ 4	$ 301	$ 460	$ 557	$ 318	$ 0	$ 1,846	$ 1,286	$ 0
Restructuring Charges, Net of Change in Estimate	23,491	21,656	5,253				(3)					986		924	21,659	4,267
Restructuring Reserve, Settled with Cash	(9,662)	(21,461)	(3,963)						(301)		(44)	(954)		(1,902)	(21,461)	(2,965)
RestructuringReserveSettledWithCashOther		136	(182)														136	(182)
Currency Translation Adjustment		1,180	(102)					(1)		15	(53)	(32)			1,165	(16)
Accrual at the end of the period	$ 16,222	$ 2,147	$ 3,477	$ 0	$ 1,592	$ 1,592	$ 0	$ 3	$ 0	$ 301	$ 460	$ 136	$ 0	$ 439	$ 1,846	$ 1,286

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BUSINESS COMBINATIONS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Business Combinations [Abstract]

BUSINESS COMBINATIONS

BUSINESS COMBINATIONS

Ozmo, Inc.

On December 20, 2012, the Company completed the acquisition of Ozmo, Inc ("Ozmo"), which is included in the Microcontrollers segment, a leading provider in ultra-low power Wi-Fi Direct solutions. The Company acquired all the outstanding shares of Ozmo in an all cash transaction, including assumed liabilities, of $64.4 million.

A total of $7.7 million of the purchase consideration was distributed into an escrow account to meet any indemnification claims. The escrow account is legally owned by the shareholder rights representative. As the Company does not have legal title of the account, no asset and corresponding liability will be recorded relating to the amounts held in escrow.

Further, the employees are eligible for an aggregate potential earnout in 2013 and 2014 of up to $22.0 million, contingent on Ozmo achieving certain revenue targets in 2013 and 2014 and on continuing employment. The Company has recorded a liability of $1.9 million representing the fair value of the earnout.

The total purchase price of the acquisition was as follows:

	December 20, 2012
	(in thousands)
Cash in exchange for shareholders' equity interest	$	58,165
Unvested shares in Ozmo	237
Transaction expenses incurred by Ozmo	1,816
Long-term debt paid on behalf of Ozmo	1,415
Fair value of contingent consideration (earnout provision)	1,927
Liabilities assumed	861
Total purchase price	$	64,421

The purchase price was allocated as follows as of the closing date of the acquisition:

	December 20, 2012
	(In thousands)
Total purchase price	$	64,421
Less:
Net tangible assets acquired	(2,805		)
Intangible assets acquired:
Customer relationships	(2,650		)
Developed technologies	(12,020		)
Tradename	(60		)
Non-compete agreements	(660		)
Backlog	(60		)
Total intangible assets	(15,450		)
Goodwill	$	46,166

The Company recorded $46.2 million in goodwill, including workforce, in connection with the acquisition, which was assigned to the Company’s microcontroller segment. The goodwill balance of $46.2 million above was reduced by $11.2 million related to net deferred tax assets created as a result of the net operating losses generated by Ozmo in previous periods. Such goodwill is not expected to be deductible for tax purposes. Goodwill is not subject to amortization but will be tested annually for impairment or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable in accordance with the relevant standards.

The intangible assets for the Ozmo acquisition were measured at fair value using the income approach. The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2012, which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Lives
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	2,650	$	(26	)	$	2,624			3 years
Developed technologies	12,020		(61		)	11,959		4	to	6 years
Tradename	60		(1		)	59				3 years
Non-compete agreements	660		(10		)	650				2 years
Backlog	60		(1		)	59				1 year
	$	15,450	$	(99	)	$	15,351

Developed technology represents a combination of processes, patents assets and trade secrets developed through years of experience in design and development of the products. Customer relationships represent future projected net revenue that will be derived from sales of current and future versions of existing products that will be sold to existing customers. Tradename represents the Ozmo brand that the Company may continue to use to market the current Ozmo products. Non-compete agreement represents the fair value to the Company from agreements with certain former Ozmo executives to refrain from competition for a number of years. Backlog represents committed orders from customers as of the closing date of the acquisition.

The Company recorded amortization of intangible assets of $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2012, associated with customer relationships, developed technologies, tradename, non-compete agreements and backlog.

Advanced Digital Design

On October 6, 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of Advanced Digital Design S.A (“ADD”), a Spanish company that develops power line communication solutions. The Company acquired all the outstanding shares of ADD in an all cash transaction of $19.9 million and assumed $4.9 million in net tangible liabilities.

In addition to the total purchase price paid, $4.5 million was placed in an escrow account, relating to deferred consideration for key employees. A portion of this amount will be released on the 18 months anniversary of the closing date and the remainder will be released on the 36 month anniversary of the closing date, and each release is contingent on the continuing employment of the key employees. This amount will be amortized over the service periods, resulting in expense classified within acquisition‑related charges in the consolidated statements of operations.

The purchase price was allocated as follows as of the closing date of the acquisition:

	October 6, 2011
	(In thousands)
Cash paid for acquisition	$	19,915
Less:
Net tangible liabilities assumed	4,879
Intangible assets acquired:
Customer relationships	(6,580		)
Developed technologies	(3,330		)
Tradename	(150		)
Non-compete agreements	(720		)
Backlog	(290		)
Total intangible assets	(11,070		)
Goodwill	$	13,724

The Company recorded $13.7 million in goodwill, including workforce, in connection with the acquisition, which was assigned to the Company’s microcontroller segment. Goodwill is not subject to amortization but will be tested annually for impairment or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable in accordance with the relevant standards.

The intangible assets for the ADD acquisition were measured at fair value using the income approach. The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2012, which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Lives
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	6,580	$	(548	)	$	6,032	15 years
Developed technology	3,330		(595		)	2,735		7 years
Tradename	150		(63		)	87		3 years
Non-compete agreement	720		(300		)	420		3 years
Backlog	290		(290		)	—		1 year
	$	11,070	$	(1,796	)	$	9,274

The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2011 which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Lives
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	6,580	$	(110	)	$	6,470	15 years
Developed technology	3,330		(119		)	3,211		7 years
Tradename	150		(13		)	137		3 years
Non-compete agreement	720		(60		)	660		3 years
Backlog	290		(73		)	217		1 year
	$	11,070	$	(375	)	$	10,695

Developed technology represents a combination of processes, patents assets and trade secrets developed through years of experience in design and development of the products. Customer relationships represent future projected net revenue that will be derived from sales of current and future versions of existing products that will be sold to existing customers. Tradename represents the ADD brand that the Company may continue to use to market the current ADD products. Non-compete agreement represents the fair value to the Company from agreements with certain former ADD executives to refrain from competition for a number of years. Backlog represents committed orders from customers as of the closing date of the acquisition.

The Company recorded the following acquisition‑related charges in the consolidated statements of operations in the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 related to the ADD acquisition:

	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Amortization of intangible assets	$	1,421	$	375
Compensation‑related expense — cash	1,793		944
	$	3,214	$	1,319

The Company recorded amortization of intangible assets of $1.4 million and $0.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, associated with customer relationships, developed technologies, tradename, non-compete agreements and backlog. The Company also recorded amortization of certain key employee consideration of $1.8 million and $0.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, related to $4.5 million of deferred compensation discussed above. In 2011, the Company accelerated $0.4 million million of the key employee consideration as a result of the termination of an employee.

The Company incurred $0.7 million of transaction costs as of December 31, 2011, which are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statement of operations.

Quantum Research Group Ltd.

On March 6, 2008, the Company completed its acquisition of all the outstanding equity of Quantum Research Group Ltd. (now known as Atmel Technologies Ireland Limited) (“Quantum”), a supplier of capacitive sensing IP solutions. Quantum is a wholly‑owned subsidiary of Atmel.

Goodwill was $54.8 million and $54.3 million at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, relating to the Quantum acquisition. The goodwill amount is not subject to amortization and is included within the Company’s microcontroller segment. It is tested for impairment annually in the fourth quarter and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable. Based on its 2012 impairment assessment, the Company concluded that the fair value of the reporting unit containing the goodwill balance substantially exceeded its carrying value; therefore, there was no impairment of the goodwill balance. The change in goodwill balance arises from foreign currency translation.

The Company has estimated the fair value of the Quantum‑related other intangible assets using the income approach and these identifiable intangible assets are subject to amortization. The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2012 which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Life
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	15,427	$	(14,912	)	$	515	5 years
Developed technology	4,948		(4,783		)	165		5 years
Tradename	849		(849		)	—		3 years
Non-compete agreement	806		(806		)	—		5 years
	$	22,030	$	(21,350	)	$	680

The following table sets forth the components of the identifiable intangible assets subject to amortization as of December 31, 2011 which are being amortized on a straight-line basis:

	Gross Value		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Estimated Useful Life
	(In thousands, except for years)
Other intangible assets:
Customer relationships	$	15,427	$	(11,827	)	$	3,600	5 years
Developed technology	4,948		(3,793		)	1,155		5 years
Tradename	849		(849		)	—		3 years
Non-compete agreement	806		(806		)	—		5 years
	$	22,030	$	(17,275	)	$	4,755

Customer relationships represent future projected net revenue that will be derived from sales of current and future versions of existing products that will be sold to existing customers. Developed technology represents a combination of processes, patents and trade secrets developed through years of experience in design and development of the products. Trade name represents the Quantum brand which the Company does not intend to use in future capacitive sensing products. Non-compete agreement represents the fair value to the Company from agreements with certain former Quantum executives to refrain from competition for a number of years. Backlog represents committed orders from customers as of the closing date of the acquisition.

The Company recorded the following acquisition‑related charges in the consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 related to the Quantum acquisition:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Amortization of intangible assets	$	4,075	$	4,192		$	4,466
Compensation‑related expense — cash	—		—			199
Compensation‑related credit — stock	—		(103		)	(3,065		)
	$	4,075	$	4,089		$	1,600

The Company recorded amortization of intangible assets of $4.1 million, $4.2 million and $4.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively, associated with customer relationships, developed technology, trade name, non-compete agreements and backlog.

The Company also agreed to compensate former key executives of Quantum, contingent upon continuing employment determined at various dates over a three year period. The Company agreed to pay up to $15.1 million in cash and issue 5.3 million shares of the Company’s common stock valued at $17.3 million, based on the Company’s closing stock price on March 4, 2008. These amounts were accrued over the employment period on a graded vested basis.

In March 2010, 3.2 million shares of the Company’s common stock were issued to a former executive of Quantum in connection with this arrangement. The remaining 2.2 million shares were forfeited in March 2010 due to a change in employment status. As a result, the Company recorded a credit of $4.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 for the reversal of the expenses previously recorded due to the graded vesting recognition methodology. The Company made cash payments of $3.8 million to the former Quantum employees for the year ended December 31, 2010. No further payments are expected to be made.

The acquisitions referred to in this Note 3 were not material to the Company at the time of acquisition. As a result, pro forma profit and loss statements for the acquired businesses are not presented.

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FAIR VALUE OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES (Details) (USD $)		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012 Auction-rate securities	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Corporate debt securities and other obligations	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Corporate equity securities	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Auction-rate securities	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Auction-rate securities	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Institutional money market funds	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Institutional money market funds	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Fixed income	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Fixed income	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Marketable equity securities	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Marketable equity securities	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Total institutional funds - Deferred compensation plan	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Total Institutional Funds [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Level 1	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Level 1	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Level 1 Corporate equity securities	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Level 1 Institutional money market funds	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Level 1 Institutional money market funds	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Level 1 Fixed income	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Level 1 Fixed income	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Level 1 Marketable equity securities	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Level 1 Marketable equity securities	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Level 1 Total institutional funds - Deferred compensation plan	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Level 1 Total Institutional Funds [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Level 2	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Level 2	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Level 2 Corporate debt securities and other obligations	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Level 3	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Level 3	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring basis Level 3 Auction-rate securities	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring basis Level 3 Auction-rate securities
Investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Money market funds			$ 1,036,000	$ 18,164,000													$ 1,036,000	$ 18,164,000
Short-term investments					3,079,000	2,687,000													2,687,000											3,079,000
Other assets			6,044,000	7,150,000			1,066,000	2,251,000	597,000	549,000	902,000	1,613,000	3,479,000	2,737,000	4,899,000	4,978,000	4,978,000	4,899,000		597,000	549,000	902,000	1,613,000	3,479,000	2,737,000	4,899,000	4,978,000				1,066,000	2,251,000	1,066,000	2,251,000
Total			9,767,000	28,393,000													8,701,000	23,063,000										0	3,079,000		1,066,000	2,251,000
Proceeds from Sale of Available-for-sale Securities		$ 1,200,000
Maximum percentage of assets measured using Level 3 valuation methodologies to total assets	1.00%

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GAIN ON SALE OF ASSETS 2 (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Loss (gain) on disposal
(Gain) loss on sale of assets	$ 0	$ (35,310)	$ 99,767
San Jose Corporate Headquarters [Member]
Loss (gain) on disposal
Sales price		(48,500)
Net assets transferred, including working capital		12,262
Transaction related costs		2,810
(Gain) loss on sale of assets		$ (33,428)	$ 0

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STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 5 (Details) (USD $)		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Jun. 30, 2011 Restricted Stock Units R S U Performance Based [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Restricted Stock Units R S U Performance Based [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Restricted Stock Units R S U Performance Based [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Restricted Stock Units R S U Performance Based [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Performance Shares [Member] performance_period	Dec. 31, 2012 Performance Shares [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Performance Shares [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Performance Shares [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Value Assumed as Part of Acuisition	$ 400,000
Stock units vested (in shares)		8,500,000		8,485,000
Restricted Stock, Shares Issued Net of Shares for Tax Withholdings				5,100,000
Restricted stock units withheld for taxes (in shares)				3,300,000
Stock units vested (in dollars per share)			$ 4.22	$ 4.22
Cumulative recognized stock-based compensation expense				$ 6,500,000	$ 24,800,000		$ 12,700,000	$ 7,500,000
Number of performance periods						3
Stock units issued (in shares)							338,000	3,474,000	472,000
Performance period						1 year

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Schedule II

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]

Schedule II

	Balance at Beginning of Year		Changes to Expense				Deductions‑ Write-offs			Balance at End of Year
	(In thousands)
Allowance for doubtful accounts receivable:
Year ended December 31, 2012	$	11,833	$	(18	)		$	(810	)	$	11,005
Year ended December 31, 2011	$	11,847	$	(14	)		$	—		$	11,833
Year ended December 31, 2010	$	11,930	$	(76	)		$	(7	)	$	11,847
Valuation/Allowance for deferred tax assets:
Year ended December 31, 2012	$	38,742	$	2,935			$	(406	)	$	41,271
Year ended December 31, 2011	$	85,755	$	(47,013	)		$	—		$	38,742
Year ended December 31, 2010	$	197,407	$	(111,652	)	(1)	$	—		$	85,755

(1) Includes a tax benefit of $116.7 million attributable to the release of valuation allowances, as disclosed in Note 12 of the consolidated financial statements.

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PENSION PLANS (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012 plan	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Number of types of retirement plans	2
Aggregate net pension expense relating to the two plan types
Service costs	$ 1,290,000	$ 1,289,000	$ 1,577,000
Interest cost	1,447,000	1,326,000	1,568,000
Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss	(55,000)	67,000	(49,000)
Settlement and other related (gains) losses	(12,000)	(726,000)	1,149,000
Net pension period cost	2,670,000	1,956,000	4,245,000
Change in projected benefit obligation and accumulated benefit obligation
Projected benefit obligation at beginning of the year	29,751,000	26,898,000
Service costs	1,290,000	1,289,000	1,577,000
Interest costs	1,447,000	1,326,000	1,568,000
Transfer of obligation upon sale	0	(91,000)
Settlement	(12,000)	(726,000)
Amendments and plan transfers	0	422,000
Actuarial loss	9,196,000	199,000
Benefits paid	(360,000)	(182,000)
Foreign currency exchange rate changes	(691,000)	616,000
Projected benefit obligation at end of the year	40,621,000	29,751,000	26,898,000
Accumulated benefit obligation at end of the year	34,216,000	24,069,000
Liability included in accrued and other liabilities	500,000	500,000
Accrued pension liability	40,087,000	29,268,000
Liability included in other long-term liabilities		29,300,000
Future estimated expected benefit payments over the next ten years
2013	544,000
2014	535,000
2015	596,000
2016	1,143,000
2017	1,003,000
2018 through 2022	9,465,000
Total	13,286,000
Period of assumptions for discount rate (in years)	30 years
Future Estimated Payments Plan Period	10 years
Net actuarial gain recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income	6,800,000
Expected net pension cost for next fiscal year	3,400,000
Expected cash funding for benefits to be paid next year	500,000
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans, Net of Tax	5,066,000	(1,712,000)
Contributions by employer
Future estimated expected benefit payments over the next ten years
Cash funding for benefits paid	400,000
Manufacturing operations in Rousset, France
Aggregate net pension expense relating to the two plan types
Settlement and other related (gains) losses		(900,000)
Secure Microcontroller Solutions SMS
Aggregate net pension expense relating to the two plan types
Settlement and other related (gains) losses		$ (200,000)
Minimum
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Period of salary paid to Company's French employees as termination benefits at retirement, range (in months)	1
Actuarial assumptions used to determine benefit obligations
Assumed discount rate (as a percent)	2.70%	4.60%	4.70%
Assumed compensation rate of increase (as a percent)	2.40%	2.50%	2.10%
Maximum
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure
Period of salary paid to Company's French employees as termination benefits at retirement, range (in months)	5
Actuarial assumptions used to determine benefit obligations
Assumed discount rate (as a percent)	3.90%	5.30%	5.00%
Assumed compensation rate of increase (as a percent)	3.00%	3.00%	4.00%

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STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

Components of the company's stock-based compensation expense, net of amount capitalized in inventory

The components of the Company's stock-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 are summarized below:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Employee stock options	$	3,470	$	5,685		$	9,230
Employee stock purchase plan	3,107		2,511			1,844
Restricted stock units	65,397		60,906			50,478
Net amounts released from (capitalized in) inventory	468		(977		)	(1,042		)
	$	72,442	$	68,125		$	60,510

Summary of the distribution of stock-based compensation expense

The following table summarizes stock-based compensation, net of amount capitalized in (released from) inventory, included in operating results for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(in thousands)
Cost of revenue	$	8,052		$	7,840		$	8,159
Research and development	22,825			22,916			19,324
Selling, general and administrative	41,565			37,369			33,027
Total stock-based compensation expense, before income taxes	72,442			68,125			60,510
Tax benefit	(12,060		)	(10,453		)	(7,548		)
Total stock-based compensation expense, net of income taxes	$	60,382		$	57,672		$	52,962

Activity under the entity's 2005 Stock Plan

Activity under Atmel’s 2005 Stock Plan is set forth below: 

			Outstanding Options			Weighted-
					Exercise	Average
	Available for Grant		Number of Options		Price per Share	Exercise Price per Share
	(in thousands, except per share data)
Balances, December 31, 2009	28,478		18,828		$1.68-$24.44	$	4.38
Restricted stock units issued	(11,701	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units issued	(9,127	)	—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	(472	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units issued	(368	)	—		—	—
Restricted stock units cancelled	2,151		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units cancelled	1,678		—		—	—
Options granted	(315	)	315		$4.77-$10.01	5.39
Options cancelled/expired/forfeited	1,139		(1,139	)	$2.11-$24.44	5.79
Options exercised	—		(5,344	)	$1.68-$10.82	4.21
Balances, December 31, 2010	11,463		12,660		$1.68-$14.94	$	4.35
Additional shares authorized	19,000		—		—	—
Restricted stock units issued	(6,343	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units issued	(4,017	)	—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	(3,474	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units issued	(2,124	)	—		—	—
Restricted stock units cancelled	1,025		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units cancelled	793		—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	25		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	17		—		—	—
Options cancelled/expired/forfeited	158		(158	)	$2.11-$14.94	5.01
Options exercised	—		(4,285	)	$1.80-$13.77	4.51
Balances, December 31, 2011	16,523		8,217		$1.68-$10.01	$	4.26
Restricted stock units issued	(8,507	)	—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units issued	(5,189	)	—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	(338	)	—		—	—
Adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units issued	(206	)	—		—	—
Restricted stock units cancelled	1,783		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for restricted stock units cancelled	1,248		—		—	—
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	330		—		—	—
Plan adjustment for performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	201		—		—	—
Options cancelled/expired/forfeited	303		(303	)	$2.11-$8.83	4.05
Options exercised	—		(1,239	)	$1.68-$8.89	3.76
Balances, December 31, 2012	6,148		6,675		$1.68-$10.01	$	4.33

Activity related to restricted stock units

Activity related to restricted stock units is set forth below:

	Number of Units		Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value
	(in thousands, except per share data)
Balances, December 31, 2009	24,044		$	4.29
Restricted stock units issued	11,701		7.97
Restricted stock units vested	(4,816	)	4.56
Restricted stock units cancelled	(1,200	)	4.16
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	472		5.49
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	(951	)	4.10
Balances, December 31, 2010	29,250		$	5.74
Restricted stock units issued	6,343		10.88
Restricted stock units vested	(6,345	)	5.20
Restricted stock units cancelled	(1,025	)	6.80
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	3,474		13.94
Performance-based restricted stock units vested	(8,485	)	4.22
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	(25	)	9.77
Balances, December 31, 2011	23,187		$	8.99
Restricted stock units issued	8,507		6.11
Restricted stock units vested	(7,975	)	6.80
Restricted stock units cancelled	(1,783	)	7.81
Performance-based restricted stock units issued	338		9.19
Performance-based restricted stock units cancelled	(330	)	12.31
Balances, December 31, 2012	21,944		$	8.71

Schedule of options outstanding and exercisable, by range of exercise price

Options Outstanding							Options Exercisable
Range of Exercise Price	Number Outstanding	Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term (years)	Weighted- Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value		Number Exercisable	Weighted- Average Remaining Contractual Term (years)	Weighted- Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value
(In thousands, except per share prices and life data)
1.68-3.29	920	3.86	$	3.20	$	3,079	920	3.86	$	3.20	$	3,079
3.32-3.32	1,047	5.21	3.32		3,381		1,047	5.20	3.32		3,381
3.41-4.20	833	5.64	4.13		2,018		810	5.61	4.13		1,961
4.23-4.37	524	4.04	4.25		1,203		367	4.11	4.26		807
4.43-4.43	873	6.71	4.43		1,850		635	6.71	4.43		1,345
4.56-4.78	589	4.70	4.74		1,064		543	4.55	4.74		983
4.89-4.89	813	3.60	4.89		1,349		813	3.60	4.89		1,349
4.92-6.05	717	4.06	5.42		807		717	4.15	5.42		794
6.11-7.38	348	3.77	6.31		98		319	3.72	6.33		86
10.01-10.01	11	7.87	10.01		—		7	7.88	10.01		—
	6,675	4.75	$	4.33	$	14,849	6,178	4.67	$	4.32	$	13,785

Assumptions used to estimate the fair value of each option grant

The fair value of each option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions:

	Year Ended
	December 31, 2010
Risk-free interest rate	2.05	%
Expected life (years)	5.54
Expected volatility	54	%
Expected dividend yield	—

Assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the Company's ESPP shares

The following assumptions were utilized to determine the fair value of the Company’s ESPPs shares:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012		December 31, 2011		December 31, 2010
Risk-free interest rate	0.15	%	0.12	%	0.18	%
Expected life (years)	0.50		0.50		0.50
Expected volatility	51	%	46	%	45	%
Expected dividend yield	—		—		—

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PENSION PLANS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Expense [Abstract]

PENSION PLANS

PENSION PLANS

The Company sponsors defined benefit pension plans that cover substantially all of its French and German employees. Plan benefits are provided in accordance with local statutory requirements. Benefits are based on years of service and employee compensation levels. The plans are unfunded. Pension liabilities and charges are based upon various assumptions, updated annually, including discount rates, future salary increases, employee turnover, and mortality rates.

The Company’s French pension plan provides for termination benefits paid to covered French employees only at retirement, and consists of approximately one to five months of salary. The Company’s German pension plan provides for defined benefit payouts for covered German employees following retirement.

The aggregate net pension expense relating to these two plans are as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010
	(In thousands)
Service costs	$	1,290		$	1,289		$	1,577
Interest cost	1,447			1,326			1,568
Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss	(55		)	67			(49		)
Settlement and other related (gains) losses	(12		)	(726		)	1,149
Net pension period cost	$	2,670		$	1,956		$	4,245

Settlement and other related gains for the years ended December 31, 2012 were insignificant. Settlement and and other related gains of $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 related to restructuring activity in the Company’s Rousset, France operations initiated in the second quarter of 2010. Settlement and other related losses of $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 consisted of $0.9 million related to the sale of the Company’s manufacturing operations in Rousset, France which was recorded as a charge to cost of revenue and $0.2 million related to the Company’s sale of its Secure Microcontroller Solutions business which was recorded as a charge to research and development expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

The change in projected benefit obligation during the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the accumulated benefit obligation at December 31, 2012 and 2011, were as follows:

	December 31, 2012			December 31, 2011
	(In thousands)
Projected benefit obligation at beginning of the year	$	29,751		$	26,898
Service costs	1,290			1,289
Interest costs	1,447			1,326
Transfer of obligation upon sale	—			(91		)
Settlement	(12		)	(726		)
Amendments and plan transfers	—			422
Actuarial loss	9,196			199
Benefits paid	(360		)	(182		)
Foreign currency exchange rate changes	(691		)	616
Projected benefit obligation at end of the year	$	40,621		$	29,751
Accumulated benefit obligation at end of the year	$	34,216		$	24,069

As the defined benefit plans are unfunded, the liability recognized on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2012 was $40.6 million, of which $0.5 million is included in accrued and other liabilities and $40.1 million million is included in other long-term liabilities. The liability recognized on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2011 was $29.8 million, of which $0.5 million is included in accrued and other liabilities and $29.3 million is included in other long-term liabilities.

Actuarial assumptions used to determine benefit obligations for the plans were as follows:

	Years Ended
	December 31, 2012	December 31, 2011	December 31, 2010
Assumed discount rate	2.7-3.9%	4.6-5.3%	4.7-5.0%
Assumed compensation rate of increase	2.4-3.0%	2.5-3.0%	2.1-4.0%

The discount rate is based on the quarterly average yield for Euros treasuries with a duration of 30 years, plus a supplement for corporate bonds (Euros, AA rating).

Future estimated expected benefit payments over the next 10 years are as follows:

Years Ending December 31:
	(In thousands)
2013	$	544
2014	535
2015	596
2016	1,143
2017	1,003
2018 through 2022	9,465
	$	13,286

The Company’s pension liability represents the present value of estimated future benefits to be paid.

With respect to the Company’s unfunded pension plans in Europe, for the year ended December 31, 2012, a change in assumed discount rate and compensation rate used to calculate the present value of pension obligation resulted in an increase in pension liability of $6.8 million, which was charged to accumulated other comprehensive income in stockholders’ equity.

The Company’s net pension period cost for 2013 is expected to be approximately $3.4 million. Cash funding for benefits paid was $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2012. The Company expects total contribution to these plans to be approximately $0.5 million in 2013.

Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income consist of net actuarial loss of $5.1 million and an actuarial gain of $1.7 million at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Net actuarial gains expected to be minimal and will be recognized as a component of net periodic pension benefit cost during 2013, which is included in accumulated other comprehensive income in the consolidated statement of shareholders’ equity and comprehensive income as of December 31, 2012.