Inventories

6 Months Ended

Mar. 04, 2021


As of	March 4, 2021		September 3, 2020

Finished goods	$	736	$	1,001
Work in process	3,527		3,854
Raw materials and supplies	480		518
	$	4,743	$	5,373

Effective as of the beginning of the second quarter of 2021, we changed our method of inventory costing from average cost to FIFO. This change in accounting principle is preferable because in an environment with continuously changing production costs FIFO more closely matches the actual cost of goods sold with the revenues from sales of those specific units, better represents the actual cost of inventories remaining on hand at any period-end, and improves comparability with our semiconductor industry peers. The change to FIFO was not material to any prior periods, nor is the cumulative effect of $133 million material to the second quarter of 2021. As such, prior periods were not retrospectively adjusted, and the cumulative effect was reported as an increase to cost of goods sold for the second quarter of 2021 of $133 million, with an offsetting reduction to beginning inventories. This charge resulted in a corresponding reduction to operating income, a $128 million reduction to net income, and an $0.11 reduction to diluted earnings per share for the second quarter of 2021.

Beginning in the second quarter of 2021, we changed the classification of spare parts for equipment to better align with the manner in which they are used in operations. As a result, we now present spare parts as other current assets and no longer as a component of raw materials inventories. This reclassification was applied on a retrospective basis. As a result, $270 million of spare parts were presented in other current assets as of March 4, 2021, and we reclassified $234 million of spare parts from inventories to other current assets in the accompanying balance sheet as of September 3, 2020.