Variable Interest Entities

6 Months Ended

Feb. 27, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Variable Interest Entities

Variable Interest Entities

We have interests in entities that are VIEs. If we are the primary beneficiary of a VIE, we are required to consolidate it. To determine if we are the primary beneficiary, we evaluate whether we have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. Our evaluation includes identification of significant activities and an assessment of our ability to direct those activities based on governance provisions and arrangements to provide or receive product and process technology, product supply, operations services, equity funding, financing, and other applicable agreements and circumstances. Our assessments of whether we are the primary beneficiary of our VIEs require significant assumptions and judgments.

Unconsolidated VIE

PTI Xi’an: Powertech Technology Inc. Xi’an (“PTI Xi’an”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Powertech Technology Inc. (“PTI”) and was created to provide assembly services to us at our manufacturing site in Xi’an, China. We do not have an equity interest in PTI Xi’an. PTI Xi’an is a VIE because of the terms of its service agreement with us and its dependency on PTI to finance its operations. We do not have the power to direct the activities of PTI Xi’an that most significantly impact its economic performance, primarily because we do not have governance rights. Therefore, we do not consolidate PTI Xi’an. In connection with our assembly services with PTI, as of February 27, 2020 and August 29, 2019, we had net property, plant, and equipment of $44 million and $50 million, respectively, and finance lease obligations of $41 million and $47 million, respectively.

Consolidated VIE

IMFT: Through the date we acquired Intel’s noncontrolling interest in IMFT, IMFT was a VIE because all of its costs were passed to us and its other member, Intel, through product purchase agreements and because IMFT was dependent upon us or Intel for additional cash requirements. The primary activities of IMFT were driven by the constant introduction of product and process technology. Because we performed a significant majority of the technology development we had the power to direct its key activities. We consolidated IMFT due to this power and our obligation to absorb losses and the right to receive benefits from IMFT that could have been potentially significant to it. On October 31, 2019, we acquired Intel’s interest in IMFT at which time IMFT, now known as MTU, became a wholly-owned subsidiary. (See “Equity – Noncontrolling Interest in Subsidiary” note.)