Non-GAAP net income and diluted earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2021 excluded: (a) equity-based compensation expenses, net of taxes, of $2.7 million, (b) the impact of the amortization of acquired intangibles, net of taxes, of $1.4 million associated with the acquisition of the Intrinsix and Hillcrest Labs businesses and investments in NB-IoT and Immervision technologies, (c) $0.3 million of costs associated with the Intrinsix acquisition, (d) $1.5 million of income, net of taxes associated with the reevaluation of an investment in another company, (e) $1.7 million of income tax benefit associated with the purchase price allocation related to the Intrinsix acquisition and (f) an addition of $0.2 million in licensing, NRE and related revenues associated with purchase price allocation for the Intrinsix acquisition. Non-GAAP net income and diluted earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2020 excluded: (a) equity-based compensation expense, net of taxes, of $3.4 million, and (b) the impact of the amortization of acquired intangible and other assets, net of taxes, of $0.7 million associated with the acquisition of the Hillcrest Labs business and investments in NB-IoT and Immervision technologies.
Full Year 2021 Review
Total revenue for 2021 was $122.7 million, an increase of 22%, when compared to $100.3 million reported for 2020. Licensing, NRE and related revenue for 2021 was a record $72.8 million, an increase of 39%, when compared to $52.5 million reported for 2020. Royalty revenue for 2021 was a record $49.9 million, representing an increase of 4%, as compared to $47.8 million reported for 2020.
GAAP operating income for 2021 was $3.5 million, as compared to a GAAP operating loss of $0.8 million reported for 2020. GAAP net income and diluted earnings per share for 2021 were $0.4 million and $0.02, respectively, compared to U.S GAAP net loss and diluted loss per share of $2.4 million and $0.11, respectively, reported for 2020.
Non-GAAP operating income for 2021 increased 43% to $22.7 million from $15.9 million reported for 2020. Non-GAAP net income and diluted earnings per share for 2021 were $15.3 million and $0.65, respectively, representing an increase of 11% and 8%, respectively, over $13.7 million and $0.60 reported for 2020.
Non-GAAP operating income for 2021 excluded (a) equity-based compensation expenses of $13.1 million, (b) the impact of the amortization of acquired intangibles of $4.3 million associated with the acquisition of the Intrinsix and Hillcrest Labs businesses and investments in NB-IoT and Immervision technologies, (c) $1.7 million of costs associated with the Intrinsix acquisition and (d) an addition of $0.2 million in licensing, NRE and related revenues associated with purchase price allocation for the Intrinsix acquisition. Non-GAAP operating income for 2020 excluded: (a) equity-based compensation expenses of $13.6 million and (b) the impact of the amortization of acquired intangibles of $3.0 million associated with the acquisition of the Hillcrest Labs business and investments in NB-IoT and Immervision technologies.
Non-GAAP net income and diluted earnings per share for 2021 excluded (a) equity-based compensation expenses, net of taxes, of $12.2 million, (b) the impact of the amortization of acquired intangibles, net of taxes, of $4.0 million associated with the acquisition of the Intrinsix and Hillcrest Labs businesses and investments in NB-IoT and Immervision technologies, (c) $1.7 million of costs associated with the Intrinsix acquisition, (d) $1.5 million of income, net of taxes associated with the reevaluation of an investment in another company (e) $1.7 million of income tax benefit associated with the purchase price allocation related to the Intrinsix acquisition and (f) an addition of $0.2 million in licensing, NRE and related revenues associated with purchase price allocation for the Intrinsix acquisition. Non-GAAP net income and diluted earnings per share for 2020 excluded (a) equity-based compensation expense, net of taxes, of $13.4 million, and (b) the impact of the amortization of acquired intangible assets, net of taxes, of $2.7 million associated with the acquisition of the Hillcrest Labs business, and investments in NB-IoT and Immervision technologies.
Yaniv Arieli, Chief Financial Officer of CEVA, stated: "2021 was a remarkable year for CEVA as our business continues to benefit from accelerated digitalization of everything. To expedite our growth and further exploit the opportunities for a broader offering of IP and chip design, we acquired Intrinsix Corp. With this acquisition, we also strengthened our presence in the U.S., gained access to the lucrative aerospace & defense markets and diversified our revenue streams geographically. At the end of the year, our balance sheet remains very strong, with our cash and cash equivalent balances, marketable securities and bank deposits of approximately $155 million, and no debt."
The conference call will be available via the following dial in numbers:
- U.S. Participants: Dial 1-844-435-0316 (Access Code: CEVA)
- International Participants: Dial +1-412-317-6365 (Access Code: CEVA)
The conference call will also be available live via webcast at the following link: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/984/44317. Please go to the web site at least fifteen minutes prior to the call to register, download and install any necessary audio software.
For those who cannot access the live broadcast, a replay will be available by dialing +1-877-344-7529 or +1-412-317-0088 (access code: 1887136) from one hour after the end of the call until 9:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) on February 22, 2022. The replay will also be available at CEVA's web site www.ceva-dsp.com.
Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that if they materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of CEVA to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. Forward-looking statements include Mr. Wertheizer's statements about growth in demand for CEVA's IP and chip design portfolio, growth in the base station and IoT product category, and expectations for 2022, and Mr. Arieli's guidance regarding the potential benefits of CEVA's acquisition of Intrinsix. The risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause differing CEVA results include: the scope and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic; the extent and length of the restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on customers, consumer demand and the global economy generally; the ability of the CEVA DSP cores and other technologies to continue to be strong growth drivers for us; our continued success in penetrating new markets and maintaining our market position in existing markets; our ability to diversify the company's royalty streams, the ability of products incorporating our technologies to achieve market acceptance, the effect of intense industry competition and consolidation, global chip market trends, the possibility that markets for CEVA's technologies may not develop as expected or that products incorporating our technologies do not achieve market acceptance; our ability to timely and successfully develop and introduce new technologies; and general market conditions and other risks relating to our business, including, but not limited to, those that are described from time to time in our SEC filings. CEVA assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates.
About CEVA, Inc.
CEVA is the leading licensor of wireless connectivity and smart sensing technologies and integrated IP solutions for a smarter, safer, connected world. We provide Digital Signal Processors, AI engines, wireless platforms, cryptography cores and complementary software for sensor fusion, image enhancement, computer vision, voice input and artificial intelligence. These technologies are offered in combination with our Intrinsix IP integration services, helping our customers address their most complex and time-critical integrated circuit design projects. Leveraging our technologies and chip design skills, many of the world's leading semiconductors, system companies and OEMs create power-efficient, intelligent, secure and connected devices for a range of end markets, including mobile, consumer, automotive, robotics, industrial, aerospace & defense and IoT.
Our DSP-based solutions include platforms for 5G baseband processing in mobile, IoT and infrastructure, advanced imaging and computer vision for any camera-enabled device, audio/voice/speech and ultra-low-power always-on/sensing applications for multiple IoT markets. For sensor fusion, our Hillcrest Labs sensor processing technologies provide a broad range of sensor fusion software and inertial measurement unit ("IMU") solutions for markets including hearables, wearables, AR/VR, PC, robotics, remote controls and IoT. For wireless IoT, our platforms for Bluetooth (low energy and dual mode), Wi-Fi 4/5/6/6E (802.11n/ac/ax), Ultra-wideband (UWB) and NB-IoT are the most broadly licensed connectivity platforms in the industry.
