INVENTORIES

9 Months Ended

Jul. 29, 2023

As of the dates indicated, inventories are comprised of the following (in thousands):


	July 29, 2023		October 29, 2022
Raw materials	$	771,955	$	664,916
Work-in-process	51,763		18,232
Finished goods	333,544		258,584
Deferred cost of goods sold	77,521		41,084
Gross inventories	1,234,783		982,816
Reserve for inventory excess and obsolescence	(42,261)		(36,086)
Inventories, net	$	1,192,522	$	946,730

The increase in raw materials inventory is related to the steps Ciena has taken to mitigate the impact of supply chain constraints on its business and customers in recent prior periods and a global market shortage of semiconductor components. The increase in finished goods inventories resulted primarily from planned fulfillment of customer advance orders for which some deliveries have been rescheduled.

Ciena writes down its inventory for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable inventory by an amount equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the estimated net realizable value based on assumptions about future demand,

which are affected by changes in Ciena’s strategic direction, discontinuance of a product or introduction of newer versions of products, declines in the sales of or forecasted demand for certain products, and general market conditions. During the first nine months of fiscal 2023, Ciena recorded a provision for inventory excess and obsolescence of $18.8 million, primarily related to a decrease in the forecasted demand for certain Networking Platforms products. Deductions from the provision for excess and obsolete inventory relate primarily to disposal activities.