Rambus Inc DEF 14A, filed Mar 7, 2025

Rambus Inc (RMBS)

DEF 14A 2025-03-07 For: 2025-04-24

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Added on June 12, 2026

About this DEF 14A

Rambus Inc filed this DEF 14A on March 7, 2025.

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☐		Preliminary Proxy Statement

☐		Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

☒		Definitive Proxy Statement

☐		Definitive Additional Materials

☐		Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-11(c) or §240.14a-2



☒		No fee required

☐		Fee paid previously with preliminary materials

☐		Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11


	Page
General Information About the Meeting		2
Proposal One Election of Directors		8
Nominees for Class II Directors		9
Class I Directors		10
Corporate Governance		13
Proposal Two Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm		25
Proposal Three Non-Binding Advisory Vote to Approve Named Executive Officer Compensation		28
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management		29
Executive Compensation — Compensation Discussion and Analysis		31
Compensation and Human Resources Committee Report		44
Executive Compensation Tables		45
Pay Versus Performance Information		54
Equity Compensation Plan Information		57
Audit Committee Report		58
Environmental, Social and Governance Issues and Corporate Social Responsibility		59
Other Matters		61


Who May Attend		You may virtually attend the Annual Meeting if you owned your shares, either as a stockholder of record or as a beneficial owner (as described below), as of the close of business on February 26, 2025 (the “Record Date”). Stockholders of Record. If your shares are registered directly in your name, then you are considered to be the stockholder of record with respect to those shares, and we are providing these proxy materials directly to you. Instructions on how to attend virtually and participate via the Internet, including how to demonstrate proof of stock ownership, are posted at http://www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/RMBS2025. Stockholders may vote while virtually attending the meeting on the Internet. Beneficial Owners. If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee, you are considered the beneficial owner of shares held in “street name,” and your broker, bank or nominee will forward these proxy materials to you. Your broker, bank or nominee is considered to be the stockholder of record with respect to those shares. “Street name” stockholders who wish to vote virtually during the Annual Meeting will need to obtain a “legal proxy” from the broker, bank or nominee that holds their shares and that broker, bank or nominee will likely require voting instructions to be submitted. Please consult your broker, bank or nominee for additional information on how to vote your shares.

Who May Vote		You may vote at the Annual Meeting if you owned your shares, either as a stockholder of record or as a beneficial owner, as of the close of business on the Record Date. As of that date, we had a total of 107,445,874 shares of common stock outstanding, which were held of record by approximately 442 stockholders. You are entitled to one vote for each share of our common stock that you own as of the Record Date.

Voting Your Proxy		Stockholders of Record. If you hold your shares in your own name as a holder of record, you may instruct the proxy holders how to vote your common stock by: • voting via the internet at http://www.proxyvote.com/; • voting by telephone at 1-800-690-6903; or • voting by mail by signing, dating and mailing the proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided. Even if you vote your shares by proxy, you may also choose to attend the Annual Meeting virtually and vote your shares during the Annual Meeting. If you provide instructions in your completed proxy card, the proxy holders will vote your shares in accordance with those instructions. If you sign and return a proxy card without giving specific voting instructions, your shares will be voted “FOR” all of the proposals described herein.


		Beneficial Owners. If you are the beneficial owner of shares held in street name, you have the right to direct your broker, bank or nominee how to vote your shares. Your broker, bank or nominee has enclosed instructions with your proxy materials or provided voting instructions for you to use in directing such broker, bank or nominee how to vote your shares.

Discretionary Voting Power; Matters to be Presented		We are not aware of any matters to be presented during the Annual Meeting other than those described in this Proxy Statement. If any matters not described in this Proxy Statement are properly presented during the meeting, the proxy holders will use their own judgment to determine how to vote your shares. If the meeting is adjourned or postponed, the proxy holders can vote your shares on the new meeting date as well, unless you have revoked your proxy prior to the new meeting date.

Changing Your Vote		Subject to any rules your broker, bank or other nominee may have, you can change your vote or revoke your proxy before the Annual Meeting. If you are a registered stockholder, you may change your vote by: • entering a new vote via the Internet or by telephone by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 23, 2025; or • virtually attending the Annual Meeting and voting. If you are a registered stockholder, you may also revoke your proxy by providing our Corporate Secretary with a written notice of revocation prior to your shares being voted at the Annual Meeting. Such written notice of revocation should be hand delivered to our Corporate Secretary or mailed to and received by Rambus prior to the Annual Meeting at 4453 North First Street, Suite 100, San Jose, California 95134, Attention: Corporate Secretary. If you are a street name stockholder, you may change your vote by: • submitting new voting instructions to your broker, bank or other nominee pursuant to instructions provided by such broker, bank or other nominee; or • virtually attending the Annual Meeting and voting (to do so, you must have obtained a “legal proxy” from your broker, bank or other nominee giving you the right to vote your shares). If you are a street name stockholder, you must contact your broker, bank or other nominee that holds your shares to find out how to revoke your proxy.

Cost of this Proxy Solicitation		We will bear the cost of this proxy solicitation. In addition to soliciting proxies by mail, our directors, officers and employees may solicit proxies in person or by telephone. None of these individuals will receive any additional or special compensation for doing this, but they may be reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. We have also hired Alliance Advisors LLC (“Alliance Advisors”) to help us solicit proxies from brokers, banks, nominees and other institutional stockholders. We expect to pay Alliance Advisors a fee of up to approximately $23,500 for its services, and we will reimburse certain of its out-of-pocket expenses.


Meeting Quorum		The Annual Meeting will be held if a majority of the voting power of our capital stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote are present in person (or virtually) or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting. If a quorum is not present during the Annual Meeting, the chairperson of the Annual Meeting or the stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting, virtually present or represented by proxy, will have the power to adjourn the meeting until a quorum is present.

Our Voting Recommendations		When proxies are properly dated, executed and returned, the shares represented by such proxies will be voted during the Annual Meeting in accordance with the directions of the stockholder. However, if no specific instructions are given, the shares will be voted in accordance with the following recommendations of our Board of Directors: • “FOR” the election of Emiko Higashi, Steven Laub, and Eric Stang as Class II directors; • “FOR” the ratification of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025; and • “FOR” the advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation;

Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes		We treat shares that are voted “ABSTAIN” during the meeting or by proxy as being present for purposes of determining whether or not a quorum is present during the Annual Meeting. In the election of directors, any abstentions in respect of a nominee will not impact the election of that nominee. In tabulating the voting results for the election of directors, only “FOR” and “AGAINST” votes are counted. For Proposals Two and Three, an “ABSTAIN” vote is the same as voting against the Proposal. If you hold your common stock through a broker, bank or nominee, the broker, bank or nominee may be prevented from voting these shares on non-routine matters (a “broker non-vote”) unless you have given the broker, bank or nominee voting instructions. Thus, if you hold your common stock through a broker, bank or nominee, it is critical that you provide your broker, bank or nominee with instructions on how to vote your shares if you want your vote to count. If you hold your common stock through a broker, bank or nominee and you do not instruct your broker, bank or nominee how to vote on Proposals One or Three, we expect it will be considered a broker non-vote and, accordingly, no votes will be cast on your behalf with respect to such Proposal. Shares that are subject to a broker non-vote are counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum exists, but do not count for or against any particular proposal. Proposal Two, Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, is the only routine matter for which banks, brokers or nominees will have discretionary voting power.


Procedure for Submitting Stockholder Proposals		Stockholders may present proper proposals for inclusion in our proxy statement and for consideration at the next annual meeting of stockholders by submitting their proposals in writing to our Corporate Secretary in a timely manner. Stockholder proposals must comply with the requirements of Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act regarding the inclusion of stockholder proposals in company-sponsored proxy materials. To be timely for our annual meeting of stockholders in 2026, a stockholder proposal made pursuant to Rule 14a-8 must be received by the Company’s Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Company not later than November 7, 2025.

Procedure for Submitting Stockholder Proposals/Nominations		Our bylaws also establish an advance notice procedure for stockholders who wish to present a proposal before an annual meeting of stockholders but do not intend for the proposal to be included in our proxy statement. Our bylaws provide that the only business that may be conducted at an annual meeting is business that is brought (A) pursuant to our proxy materials with respect to such meeting, (B) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, or (C) by a stockholder of the Company who (1) is a stockholder of record both at the time of giving notice of such business and on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote during the annual meeting and (2) has timely complied in proper written form with the notice procedures set forth in our bylaws. To be timely for our annual meeting of stockholders in 2026, a stockholder proposal not made pursuant to Rule 14a-8 must be received by the Company’s Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Company: • not earlier than December 22, 2025; and • not later than January 21, 2026. In the event that the date of the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders is changed by more than 25 days from the one-year anniversary of the date of this year’s annual meeting, then notice of a stockholder proposal not intended to be included in our proxy statement must be received no earlier than the close of business on the 120th day before such annual meeting and no later than the close of business on the later of the following two dates: • the 90th day prior to such annual meeting; or • the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such annual meeting is first made. Any notice of proposed business must contain specific information concerning the matters to be brought before the meeting in accordance with our bylaws. We urge you to read our bylaws in full in order to


		understand the requirements of bringing a proposal or nomination. If a notice containing all the required information is not timely delivered, your proposal will not be presented. All notices of proposals by stockholders, whether or not they are intended to be included in our proxy materials, should be sent to Rambus Inc., 4453 North First Street, Suite 100, San Jose, California 95134, Attention: Corporate Secretary/General Counsel.

Availability of Bylaws		A copy of the full text of the bylaw provisions relating to our advance notice procedures may be obtained by writing to our Corporate Secretary/General Counsel or by accessing a copy of our bylaws, which are publicly available at http://www.sec.gov/.

Communication with the Board of Directors		Our Board of Directors may be contacted by writing to them via mail at Board of Directors, Rambus Inc., 4453 North First Street, Suite 100, San Jose, California 95134. If you wish to contact our Board of Directors or any member of the Audit Committee to report questionable accounting or auditing matters, you may do so anonymously by using this mailing address and designating the communication as “confidential.” Our process for handling communications to our Board of Directors is as follows: Any stockholder communications that our Board of Directors receives will first go to our Corporate Secretary/General Counsel, who will log the date of receipt of the communication as well as (for non-confidential communications) the identity of the correspondent in our stockholder communications log. Unless the communication is marked “confidential,” our Corporate Secretary/General Counsel will review, summarize and, if appropriate, draft a response to the communication. The summary and response will become part of the stockholder communications log that our Corporate Secretary/General Counsel maintains with respect to all stockholder communications. Our Corporate Secretary/General Counsel will then forward the stockholder communication to the member(s) of our Board of Directors (or committee chair, if the communication is addressed to a committee) for review. Any stockholder communication marked “confidential” will be logged by our Corporate Secretary/General Counsel as “received” but will not be reviewed, opened or otherwise held by our Corporate Secretary/General Counsel. Such confidential correspondence will be forwarded to the addressee(s).

Annual Meeting Attendance		Members of our Board of Directors are encouraged but not required to attend the virtual Annual Meeting. The 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders was attended virtually by all members of our Board of Directors who were members at the time of the meeting.

“Householding” of Proxy Materials		The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has adopted rules that permit companies and intermediaries such as brokers to satisfy delivery requirements for proxy statements with respect to two or more


		stockholders sharing the same address by delivering a single proxy statement addressed to those stockholders. This process, which is commonly referred to as “householding,” potentially provides extra convenience for stockholders and cost savings for companies. The Company and some brokers household proxy materials, delivering a single proxy. Upon written or oral request, we will deliver promptly a separate copy of our proxy materials to any stockholder at a shared address to which we delivered a single copy of any of these materials. If your proxy statement is being householded and you would like to receive separate copies, or if you are receiving multiple copies and would like to receive a single copy, please contact Investor Relations at Rambus Inc., 4453 North First Street, Suite 100, San Jose, California 95134, Attention: Corporate Secretary, or ir@rambus.com, or place a collect call to the Company, at (408) 462-8000, and direct the call to Investor Relations.

Delivery of Proxy Materials		To receive current and future proxy materials, such as annual reports, proxy statements and proxy cards, in either paper or electronic form, please contact Investor Relations at ir@rambus.com or https://investor.rambus.com/investor-home/default.aspx, or place a collect call to the Company, at (408) 462-8000, and direct the call to Investor Relations.


Nominees		Three Class II directors are to be elected during the Annual Meeting for a two-year term ending in 2027. Based on the recommendation of our Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee, our Board of Directors has nominated Emiko Higashi, Steven Laub, and Eric Stang for election as Class II directors. If any of these persons nominated by the Board of Directors is unable or declines to serve as a director at the time of the Annual Meeting, proxies will be voted for a substitute nominee or nominees designated by the Board of Directors.

Vote Required		The Company’s bylaws provide that in uncontested elections, a nominee for director shall be elected to the Board of Directors if the votes cast for such nominee’s election exceed the votes cast against such nominee’s election. The Board of Directors, after taking into consideration the recommendation of the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors, will determine whether or not to accept the pre-tendered resignation of any nominee for director, in an uncontested election, who receives a greater number of votes “AGAINST” his or her election than votes “FOR” such election. There are no cumulative voting rights in the election of directors. Stockholders as of the Record Date may vote their shares for or against some, all or none of the Class II nominees. In the election of directors, any abstentions or broker non-votes in respect of a nominee will not impact the election of that nominee. In tabulating the voting results for the election of directors, only “FOR” and “AGAINST” votes are counted.

Recommendation of the Board of Directors		The Board unanimously recommends that you vote “FOR” the election to the Board of Directors each of our Class II nominees: Emiko Higashi, Steven Laub, and Eric Stang.

Information About Nominees and Other Directors		The members of our Board of Directors have deep executive and board leadership experience derived from their respective tenures as executives and directors of technology companies of various sizes. The following table contains information regarding the Class II nominees and other directors as of March 7, 2025. This information includes the specific experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills that led to our Board of Directors’ conclusion that the person should be nominated to serve as a director.


Name	Age	Principal Occupation and Business Experience
Emiko Higashi	66	Ms. Higashi has served as a director since May 2017. Ms. Higashi currently serves as the chair of our Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee and member of our Audit Committee and Corporate Development Committee. Ms. Higashi is a founder of Tohmon Capital Partners, LLC (formerly Tomon Partners, LLC), a strategy and M&A advisory firm based in San Francisco and primarily serving companies in technology and healthcare-related fields since 2003. Ms. Higashi also serves on the boards of One Equity Partners Open Water I Corp (OEPW.U), where she also serves on the Audit Committee, as Chair of the Compensation Committee and Nomination Committee; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. (TSE/NYSE), where she also serves on the Compensation Committee and Audit Supervisory Committee; and KLA Inc. (Nasdaq), where she also serves on the Audit Committee. Ms. Higashi also served as a director on the board of InvenSense, Inc. until May 2017. Prior to Tohmon Capital Partners, she was a co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gilo Ventures, a technology-focused venture capital firm, from 2000 to 2002. Before that, Ms. Higashi spent 15 years in investment banking. After beginning her investment banking career at Lehman Brothers from 1985 to 1988, Ms. Higashi was a founding member of Wasserstein Perella & Co. and the head of that firm’s technology M&A business from 1988 to 1994, and subsequently served as a managing director in charge of Merrill Lynch’s global technology M&A practice from 1994 until 2000. Prior to her investment banking career, Ms. Higashi spent two years as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. in Tokyo, Japan. She has also served on a number of other public and private boards. Ms. Higashi holds a B.A. from International Christian University in Tokyo, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Ms. Higashi’s experience in investment banking and finance, as a director of several publicly traded companies, and as a founder and partner of a venture capital firm, led the Board of Directors to conclude that she should serve as a director.

Steven Laub	66	Mr. Laub has served as a director since April 2022. He currently serves as the chair of our Cyber Risk Committee and as a member of our Compensation and Human Resources Committee and Corporate Development Committee. He is an accomplished executive with over 25 years of semiconductor industry leadership experience. Prior to serving on the Advisory board at IPV Capital, a semiconductor private equity firm, from 2017 to 2020, Mr. Laub served as president, chief executive officer and member of the board of directors at Atmel Corporation, a leader in microcontroller, automotive and memory solutions, from 2006 until its acquisition in 2016. While at Atmel, he also served as a board member of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) from 2011 to 2016. Prior to Atmel, he served as the Executive Chairman of Teridian Semiconductor, a provider of mixed-signal ICs focused on the energy management and communications markets, from 2005 to 2006.


Name	Age	Principal Occupation and Business Experience
		Mr. Laub served as president, chief executive officer and board member of Silicon Image, a leading provider of multimedia connectivity solutions, from 2004 to 2005. He also served in executive management positions including as president, chief operating officer and board member at Lattice Semiconductor Corporation, a leading provider of low power, field-programmable gate arrays, from 1990 to 2003. Prior to his semiconductor career, Mr. Laub was a Vice President and Partner at Bain and Company, a global strategy consulting firm. He has also served on several not-for-profit boards focused on the education sector, and currently is a board member at Heterodox Academy. Mr. Laub holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Juris Doctor from the Harvard Law School. Mr. Laub’s experience as chief executive officer of semiconductor companies and as an experienced business leader led the Board of Directors to conclude that he should serve as a director.

Eric Stang	65	Mr. Stang has served as a director since July 2008 and served as Chairman of the Board from March 2013 to June 2019. Mr. Stang serves as chair of our Compensation and Human Resources Committee and member of our Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee. Mr. Stang currently serves as chairman, president and chief executive officer of Ooma, Inc., a cloud-based communications and connected services public company. He has held the position of Chairman since December 2014 and the positions of president, chief executive officer and director since January 2009. Prior to joining Ooma, Mr. Stang served as a director, chief executive officer and president of Reliant Technologies, Inc., a developer of medical technology solutions for aesthetic applications, from 2006 to 2008. Mr. Stang previously served as chief executive officer and president of Lexar Media, Inc., a provider of solid-state memory products from 2001 to 2006 and chairman from 2004 to 2006. From September 2013 until May 2017, he served on the board of InvenSense, Inc. and from December 2008 to January 2014 he served on the board of Solta Medical. Mr. Stang also serves on the boards of private and nonprofit companies. Mr. Stang holds an A.B. in Economics from Stanford University and M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. Mr. Stang’s experience as chief executive officer of high technology companies, his prior experience in the memory products market and licensing semiconductor patents, and his years of business and leadership experience, led the Board of Directors to conclude that he should serve as a director.


Name	Age	Principal Occupation and Business Experience
Charles Kissner	77	Mr. Kissner has served as a director since July 2012. Mr. Kissner also currently serves as Chair of our Board of Directors and as a member of our Audit Committee, Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee and Cyber Risk Committee. Mr. Kissner currently serves as chief executive


Name	Age	Principal Occupation and Business Experience
		officer of Digital Pillars, a private information systems company. From April 2013 to September 2017, Mr. Kissner served as Chairman of the Board of ShoreTel Inc., a business communications systems company acquired by Mitel Networks Corporation. He joined ShoreTel as a director in April 2006, where he also served on the Nominating and Governance Committee, Audit Committee and Compensation Committee. From January 2007 to February 2015, he was Chairman of Aviat Networks and from June 2010 to July 2011, Mr. Kissner was Chairman and CEO. From 2010 to 2015, he served on the board of Meru Networks, a technology leader in the enterprise wireless systems market, where he also served on the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee. From 1995 to 2006, he served as Chairman and CEO of Stratex Networks, a global provider of wireless transmission solutions. Mr. Kissner previously was Vice President and General Manager of M/A-COM, Inc., a manufacturer of radio and microwave communications semiconductors and systems, President and CEO of Aristacom International, a communications software company, Executive Vice President of Fujitsu Network Switching, Inc., and held a number of executive positions at AT&T. He has also served on a number of other public and private boards, including Spectrian Corp. (sold to REMEC) and Quickturn Design Systems (sold to Cadance Design Systems) as well as not-for-profit boards such as Avenidas, the NPR Foundation, Angel Flight, Inc and KQED Public Media. Mr. Kissner holds a Bachelor of Science degree from California State Polytechnic University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Santa Clara University. Mr. Kissner’s experience as a director and executive of wireless technology and networking companies and his years of business and leadership experience led the Board of Directors to conclude that he should serve as a director.

Meera Rao	64	Ms. Rao has served as a director since August 2019. Ms. Rao currently serves as the chair of our Audit Committee and a member of our Cyber Risk Committee. Ms. Rao also serves on the board of Impinj, Inc., a manufacturer of radio-frequency identification devices and software, where she also serves on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and as Chairperson of the Audit Committee. She has held several senior executive positions, most recently from January 2011 to March 2016 as Chief Financial Officer at Monolithic Power Systems, a leading company in high-performance analog solutions, and as VP Finance from January 2009 to December 2010. Prior to Monolithic Power Systems, Ms. Rao has held various executive roles at leading technology companies, including Integration Associates Inc. from 2004 to 2006, Atrica from 2002 to 2003, Raza Foundries from 2000 to 2002, NVIDIA from February 1998 to May 1999 and AMD from 1988 to 1998. Ms. Rao holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Rochester in New York.

		Ms. Rao’s experience as a semiconductor and technology industry executive and her years of finance and operations experience led the Board of Directors to conclude that she should serve as a director.


Name	Age	Principal Occupation and Business Experience
Necip Sayiner	59	Dr. Sayiner has served as a director since October 2019. Dr. Sayiner currently serves as the chair of our Corporate Development Committee and member of our Compensation and Human Resources Committee. He was most recently the executive vice president of Renesas Electronics Corporation from February 2017 to March 2019 and the president of Renesas Electronics America from July 2017 to March 2019. Previously, he was the president, chief executive officer and a director of Intersil Corporation, a leading provider of innovative power management and precision analog solutions, from March 2013 until its acquisition by Renesas Electronics Corporation in February 2017. Prior to Intersil, from September 2005 to April 2012, he served as president and chief executive officer, and director of Silicon Laboratories, a fabless semiconductor company engaged in the design of analog-intensive, mixed signal integrated circuits. Dr. Sayiner served as Chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association, or SIA, from December 2015 to November 2016 and as Vice Chairman from November 2014 to December 2015. Dr. Sayiner was initially appointed to the Board of the SIA in September 2013. He also serves on the board of directors and as a member of the Compensation Committee and Technology Committee of Axcelis Technologies, Inc., a supplier to the semiconductor manufacturing industry. He previously served on the board of directors of Power Integrations, a semiconductor manufacturing company from April 2018 to May 2023. Dr. Sayiner holds a doctoral degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Science degree in Engineering from Southern Illinois University, along with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Bosphorus University in Turkey. Dr. Sayiner’s experience as a chief executive officer and extensive engineering experience, along with his deep knowledge of the semiconductor industry and with his proven track records of successfully increasing company revenue growth and profitability, led the Board of Directors to conclude that he should serve as a director.

Luc Seraphin	61	Mr. Seraphin is President and Chief Executive Officer of Rambus Inc. With over 30 years of experience managing global businesses, Mr. Seraphin brings the overall vision and leadership necessary to drive future growth for the company. Prior to this role, Mr. Seraphin was the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Memory and Interface Division, leading the development of the company’s innovative memory architectures and high-speed serial link solutions. Mr. Seraphin also served as the Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Operations where he oversaw sales, business development, customer support and operations across the various business units within Rambus. Mr. Seraphin started his career as a field application engineer at NEC and later joined AT&T Bell Labs, which became Lucent Technologies and Agere Systems (now Broadcom Inc.). During his 18 years at Agere, Mr. Seraphin held several senior positions in sales, marketing and general management, culminating in his last position as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Wireless Business Unit. Following this, Mr. Seraphin held the position of General Manager of a GPS startup company in


	Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2024		Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023
Audit Fees(1)	$	1,280,000	$	2,010,000
Audit-Related Fees(2)		274,028		781,053
Tax Fees(3)		—		80,822
All Other Fees(4)		—		2,000

Total Fees	$	1,554,028	$	2,873,875


Board of Directors Meetings and Committees		Our Board of Directors held a total of seven meetings during 2024. During 2024, each member of our Board of Directors attended 75% or more of the meetings of the Board of Directors and of the committees, of which she or he was a member.

Director Independence		Our Board of Directors has determined that each of the following directors, constituting greater than a majority of our Board of Directors, has no material relationship with us (either directly as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with us) and is “independent” under the applicable Nasdaq and SEC rules: Emiko Higashi, Charles Kissner, Steven Laub, Meera Rao, Necip Sayiner and Eric Stang.



	Currently, each of the committees of our Board of Directors is composed of independent directors as follows:

	Audit Committee:	Meera Rao (Chair) Emiko Higashi Charles Kissner

	Compensation and Human Resources Committee:	Eric Stang (Chair) Steven Laub Necip Sayiner

	Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee:	Emiko Higashi (Chair) Charles Kissner Eric Stang

	Corporate Development Committee:	Necip Sayiner (Chair) Emiko Higashi Steven Laub

	Cyber Risk Committee:	Steven Laub (Chair) Charles Kissner Meera Rao

Director Qualifications	Except as may be required by rules promulgated by Nasdaq or the SEC, there are currently no specific, minimum qualifications that must be met by each candidate for our Board of Directors, nor are there any specific qualities or skills that are necessary for one or more of the members of our Board of Directors to possess. The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee considers a number of factors in its assessment of the appropriate skills and characteristics of members of the Board of Directors, as well as the composition of the Board of Directors as a whole. These factors include the members’ qualification as independent, as well as consideration of judgment, character, integrity, diversity, skills, and experience in such areas as operations, technology, finance, the semiconductor industry, and the general needs of the Board of Directors and such other factors as the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee may consider appropriate. The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee does not have a formal policy with respect to diversity. However, the Board of Directors and the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee believe that it is essential that the members of the Board of Directors represent diverse viewpoints. In considering candidates for the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors and the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee consider the entirety of each candidate’s credentials in the context of the factors mentioned above. Our directors have deep executive and board leadership experience from tenures at diverse technology companies of various sizes.


Board Member or Nominee		Select Experience
Charles Kissner (Board member since 2012) Non-Executive Chairman		• Currently serves as chief executive officer of Digital Pillars • Previously Chairman of the Board at ShoreTel, Inc. and Chairman and CEO of Aviat Networks, Stratex Networks, and President and CEO of Aristacom International
Emiko Higashi (Board member since 2017)		• Currently founder and managing director of Tohmon Capital Partners • Previously cofounder and CEO of Gilo Ventures
Steven Laub (Board member since 2022)		• Currently serves as a director at Heterodox Academy • Previously served on Advisory board at IPV Capital • Previously served as Director, President, CEO of Atmel Corporation; board member of Semiconductor Industry Association; Executive Chairman of Teridian Semiconductor; Director, President, CEO of Silicon Image; Director and President of Lattice Semiconductor Corporation • Previously served as Vice President and Partner at Bain and Company
Meera Rao (Board member since 2019)		• Currently serves as a director at Impinj, Inc. • Previously CFO of Monolithic Power Systems; VP, Finance of Monolithic Power Systems
Necip Sayiner (Board member since 2019)		• Currently serves as a director at Axcelis Technologies, Inc. • Previously served as a director at Power Integrations, Inc. • Previously served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Renesas Electronics Corporation • Previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Intersil Corporation and Silicon Laboratories
Luc Seraphin (Board member since 2018) CEO		• Previously Interim CEO; SVP and GM, Memory and Interface Division; and SVP Worldwide Sales and Operations
Eric Stang (Board member since 2008)		• Currently Chairman, President & CEO of Ooma, Inc. • Previously Director, CEO, and President of Reliant Technologies; Director, Chairman, CEO and President of Lexar Media


Board Diversity		The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee is committed to continuing to identify and recruit highly qualified director candidates with diverse experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds to join our Board of Directors. The table below provides certain voluntarily disclosed information regarding the composition of our Board of Directors.


Board Diversity Matrix

	As of December 31, 2024								As of December 31, 2023

Total Number of Directors		7								7

	Female		Male		Non-Binary		Did Not Disclose Gender		Female		Male		Non-Binary		Did Not Disclose Gender

Part I: Gender Identity

Directors		2		5		—		—		2		5		—		—

Part II: Demographic Background

African American or Black		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—

Alaskan Native or Native American		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—

Asian		2		—		—		—		2		—		—		—

Hispanic or Latinx		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander		—		—		—		—		—		—		—		—

White		—		4		—		—		—		4		—		—

Two or More Races or Ethnicities		—		1		—		—		—		1		—		—

LGBTQ+		—								—

Did Not Disclose Demographic Background		—								—


Corporate Governance Principles		We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of business conduct and corporate governance, which we believe are essential to running our business efficiently, serving our stockholders’ interests and maintaining our integrity in the marketplace. We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies to all of our directors, officers and employees, known as the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available on our website at https://investor.rambus.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents/ default.aspx. We will post amendments to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics on the same website.


Executive Sessions of the Independent Directors		It is the policy of the Board of Directors to have executive sessions of the independent directors at which only independent directors are present, typically in conjunction with the regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Directors.

Committees of the Board of Directors		During 2024, our Board of Directors had five standing committees: • an Audit Committee, • a Compensation and Human Resources Committee, • a Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee, • a Corporate Development Committee, and • a Cyber Risk Committee. The following describes each standing committee, its function, its membership, and the number of meetings held during 2024. Each of the standing committees operates pursuant to a written charter adopted by our Board of Directors. All of the current committee charters are available on our website at https://investor.rambus.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents/default.aspx.

Audit Committee		Currently, the Audit Committee is composed of Meera Rao (Chair), Charles Kissner and Emiko Higashi. The Audit Committee oversees our corporate accounting and financial reporting processes and internal control over financial reporting, as well as our internal and external audits. The Audit Committee held 12 meetings during 2024. Its duties include: • Reviewing our accounting and financial reporting processes and internal controls over financial reporting; • Providing oversight and review at least annually of our risk management policies, including our investment policy; • Retaining the independent registered public accounting firm, approving their fees, and providing oversight of communication with them; • Reviewing the plans, findings and performance of our internal auditors; • Reviewing our annual and quarterly financial statements and related disclosure documents; and • Overseeing special investigations into financial and other matters, as necessary. Our Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is an “audit committee financial expert,” that each member is “financially sophisticated” and is able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, each as required by Nasdaq. No member of the Audit Committee has a material relationship with us (either directly or as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with us) and


		to have a material adverse effect on the Company, and reporting to the Board regarding these matters; and • Conducting an annual assessment of the Company’s engagement with compensation consultants retained by the Board and/or management, as applicable, including the nature and extent of services provided, the amount of fees paid and who made or recommended the decision to retain the compensation consultants. The Compensation and Human Resources Committee retained Farient Advisors LLC (“Farient”) in 2024 to assist in evaluating executive and director compensation and has determined that Farient is an independent consultant under applicable Nasdaq and SEC rules. A detailed description of the processes and procedures of the Compensation and Human Resources Committee for considering and determining executive and director compensation, including the role of Farient, is provided in the “Executive Compensation” section of this proxy statement. The Compensation and Human Resources Committee’s role is detailed in the Compensation and Human Resources Committee Charter, which is available on our website at https://investor.rambus.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents/default.aspx.
Compensation and Human Resources Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation		None of the members of our Compensation and Human Resources Committee is or has ever been an officer or employee of Rambus. None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the board or compensation committee (or other board committee performing equivalent functions or, in the absence of any such committee, the entire board) of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our Board of Directors or Compensation and Human Resources Committee. Please see the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section of this Proxy Statement for further discussion.
Corporate Governance / Nominating Committee		Currently, the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee is composed of Emiko Higashi (Chair), Charles Kissner and Eric Stang. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of Ms. Higashi and Messrs. Kissner and Stang are “independent” under applicable Nasdaq and SEC rules. The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee held five meetings during 2024. The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee recommends and approves Rambus’ Corporate Governance Guidelines. Its duties include: • Evaluating and making recommendations to the Board of Directors concerning the appointment of directors to committees of the Board of Directors and the selection of committee chairs; • Identifying best practices and recommending corporate governance principles; • Overseeing the evaluation of the Board of Directors; and


		• Proposing the slate of nominees for election to the Board of Directors. The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee’s role is detailed in the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee Charter which is available on our website at https://investor.rambus.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents/default.aspx.

Corporate Development Committee		Currently, the Corporate Development Committee is composed of Necip Sayiner (Chair), Emiko Higashi, and Steven Laub. The Corporate Development Committee held six meetings during 2024. The duties of the Corporate Development Committee include: • Reviewing and advising management with respect to our growth strategy; • Working with management to review and consider potential strategic transactions that are consistent with our growth strategy; and • Acting as the liaison to the Board of Directors in connection with the Committee’s and management’s activities in this regard. The Corporate Development Committee’s role is detailed in the Corporate Development Committee Charter which is available on our website at https://investor.rambus.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents/default.aspx.

Cyber Risk Committee		Currently, the Cyber Risk Committee is composed of Steven Laub (Chair), Charles Kissner, and Meera Rao. The Cyber Risk Committee held four meetings during 2024. The duties of the Cyber Risk Committee include: • overseeing the systems, controls and procedures used by the Company and business partners engaged by the Company to collect, create, use, maintain, process and protect personal information and/or any information or assets of the Company’s customers, employees and business partners (collectively, “Company Information Assets”); • overseeing policies, procedures, plans and execution intended to provide security, confidentiality, availability and integrity of Company Information Assets; • overseeing the quality and effectiveness of the Company’s policies and procedures with respect to its information technology systems, including enterprise cybersecurity and privacy; • reviewing and providing oversight on the policies and procedures of the Company in preparation for responding to any data security incidents as well as reviewing with management the root cause of and remediation efforts with respect to all material cybersecurity incidents; • reviewing periodically with management the Company’s disaster recovery, business continuity, and business resiliency capabilities;


		• overseeing the Company’s management of internal and external risks related to its information technology systems and processes, including encryption, network security, data security, risk management frameworks, and any internal or third-party audits of such systems and processes; and • reviewing with management the quality and effectiveness of IT systems and processes that relate to the Company’s internal access control systems, including physical, organizational, and technical security. The Cyber Risk Committee’s role is detailed in the Cyber Risk Committee Charter, which is available on our website at https://investor.rambus.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents/default.aspx.

Identifying and Evaluating Nominees for Directors		The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee utilizes a variety of methods for identifying and evaluating nominees for director, including those discussed in the “Director Qualifications” section of this proxy statement. In the event that vacancies on the Board of Directors are anticipated, or otherwise arise, the committee will consider various potential candidates for director. Candidates may come to the attention of the committee through current members of the Board of Directors, professional search firms, stockholders or other persons. The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee has from time to time retained third parties to whom a fee is paid to assist it in identifying or evaluating potential director nominees. Stockholders may propose director candidates for general consideration by the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee by submitting to the Corporate Secretary/General Counsel of the Company, in proper written form, the individual’s name, qualifications, and the other information required by our bylaws for stockholder nominations submitted as set forth above in “Procedure for Submitting Stockholder Proposals/Nominations.” The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee will evaluate any candidates recommended by stockholders against the same criteria and pursuant to the same policies and procedures applicable to the evaluation of candidates proposed by directors or management.

Majority Voting Policy		In accordance with our bylaws and our Corporate Governance Guidelines, in an uncontested election of directors, a nominee for director shall be elected to the Board of Directors if the votes cast for such nominee’s election or reelection exceeds the votes cast against such nominee’s election or reelection. The Board of Directors expects a director to tender his or her resignation if he or she fails to receive the required number of votes for reelection. The Board of Directors nominates for election or reelection as director only candidates who agree to tender, promptly following the stockholders’ meeting at which they are elected or reelected as director, irrevocable resignations that will be effective upon (i) the failure to receive the required vote at the next stockholders’ meeting at which they face reelection and (ii) Board of Directors’ acceptance of such resignation. In addition, the Board of Directors fills director vacancies and


		new directorships only with candidates who agree to tender, promptly following their appointment to the Board of Directors, the same form of resignation tendered by other directors in accordance with this policy. If an incumbent director fails to receive the required vote for reelection, the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee will act on an expedited basis to determine whether to accept or reject the director’s resignation or whether other action should be taken, and will submit such recommendation for prompt consideration by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors expects a director whose resignation is under consideration to abstain from participating in any decision regarding that resignation. The Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee and the Board of Directors may consider any factors they deem relevant in deciding whether to accept or reject a director’s resignation or whether other appropriate action should be taken.

Board Leadership Structure		Our Corporate Governance Guidelines require that the Chairperson of the Board not be the CEO of the Company. In addition, while the Chairperson works closely with the CEO and other members of our management, the Chairperson is not part of management and does not have an operating role or responsibilities. The Board of Directors considers it useful and appropriate to designate a Chairperson to act as the presiding director at Board of Directors meetings, to call and organize such meetings and manage the agenda thereof, and to manage the affairs of the Board of Directors, including ensuring that the Board of Directors is organized properly, functions effectively, and meets its obligations and responsibilities. The Chairperson also acts as the principal contact for the CEO and other members of the Board of Directors and management, as appropriate, for matters requiring the attention of the full Board of Directors. We believe that this leadership structure is appropriate given the attention, time, effort, and energy that the CEO is required to dedicate to his position in the current business environment, and the high level of commitment required to serve as our Chairperson.

Risk Oversight		The Board of Directors plays an integral role in our risk oversight processes. The Board of Directors meets regularly to receive reports from its committees, as well as from management with respect to areas of material risk to the Company, including legal, operational, financial and strategic risks. The Cyber Risk Committee is responsible for oversight of the Company’s processes to manage information security risks and cybersecurity concerns. In order to respond to the threat of security breaches and cyberattacks, the Company has taken a proactive approach to data protection that includes maintenance of an information security training program, audit and/or certification by top information security standards. The Company’s general security strategy is defense-in-depth and includes sub-segmentation of internal network security for further separation of critical systems and information. The security protocol includes around the clock monitoring of Company networks and systems using commercially available tools with redundant coverage across the different tools. Further, the security team manages real time alerts, which are directed to functional experts as warranted.


		In addition, the Audit Committee is responsible for oversight of the Company’s processes to manage financial risk and oversees and reviews at least annually our risk management policies, including our business interruption and other risk policies and our investment policies. The Compensation and Human Resources Committee oversees the Company’s processes for identifying and managing risks arising from its compensation policies and practices and from other human resources matters.

Transactions with Related Persons		None.

Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons		All of our directors and executive officers are subject to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and our directors are guided in their duties by our Corporate Governance Guidelines. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics requires that our directors and executive officers avoid situations where a conflict of interest might occur or appear to occur. In general, our directors and executive officers should not have a pecuniary interest in transactions involving us or a customer, licensee, or supplier of the Company, unless such interest is solely a result of routine investments made by the individual in publicly traded companies. In the event that a director or executive officer is going to enter into a related party transaction with a relative or significant other, or with a business in which a relative or significant other is associated in any significant role, the director or executive officer must fully disclose the nature of the related party transaction to our Chief Financial Officer. For directors and executive officers, such related party transaction then must be reviewed and approved in advance by the Audit Committee. For other conflicts of interest that may arise, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics advises our directors and executive officers to consult with our General Counsel. In addition, each director and executive officer is required to complete a Director and/or Officer Questionnaire on an annual basis and upon any new appointment, and provide quarterly updates, which requires disclosure of any related-party transactions pertaining to the director or executive officer. Our Board of Directors will consider such information in its determinations of independence with respect to our directors under applicable Nasdaq and SEC rules. In order to help ensure our directors remain free from conflicts or the appearance of conflicts, our Corporate Governance Guidelines require that each director deliver an irrevocable resignation from the Board of Directors, to be effective upon the occurrence of both (i) a significant change in his or her status and appointments or positions with other companies during his or her tenure as a director on the Board of Directors, and (ii) the Board of Directors’ acceptance of such resignation.

Forum Selection Bylaws		The Company’s bylaws: • provide that, unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery in the



Independence of KPMG		The Audit Committee has reviewed the written disclosures and the letter provided by KPMG regarding KPMG’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence and has discussed with KPMG its independence. Based on such review and discussions, the Audit Committee determined that KPMG meets the requirements of independence for external auditors under applicable rules and regulations.

Vote Required		The affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the shares present in person (or virtually) or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on this matter will be required to approve this proposal. Abstentions will have the same effect as votes “AGAINST” the proposal. We do not anticipate any broker non-votes on this proposal, but any such broker non-vote will have no effect on the outcome of this proposal.

Recommendation of the Board of Directors		The Board unanimously recommends that you vote “FOR” the ratification of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025.


Name of Group of Beneficial Owners	Number of Shares Beneficially Owned		Equity Awards Exercisable/ Issuable in 60 days		Percentage of Shares Beneficially Owned
Greater than 5% Stockholders:
BlackRock, Inc.(1)		13,693,311		—		12.7	%
The Vanguard Group(2)		12,563,334		—		11.7	%
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.(3)		5,449,128		—		5.1	%
Directors and Named Executive Officers:
Emiko Higashi		60,658		40,000		*
Charles Kissner(4)		53,245		—		*
Steven Laub		10,733		—		*
Meera Rao		29,090		40,000		*
Necip Sayiner		42,000		—		*
Eric Stang(5)		33,047		—		*
Sean Fan		93,841		—		*
Desmond Lynch		66,321		—		*
Luc Seraphin		326,931		—		*
John Shinn		28,455		—		*
All current directors, director nominees and executive officers as a group (10 persons)		744,321		80,000		1	%



Corporate Governance		Compensation
✓ Currently, six of our seven directors are independent, bringing diverse perspectives from various high performing technology companies		✓ There is a strong link between pay and performance
✓ Our Board is led by an independent Non-Executive Chairperson		✓ A significant portion of our NEOs’ target compensation is subject to Company financial and/or share price performance
✓ We have a thoughtful approach to balanced Board composition, diversity, and Board refreshment		✓ Generally, no perquisites are provided to our executives that are not available to our broader employee population
✓ We regularly review succession plans for our CEO and other senior executives		✓ We maintain robust stock ownership guidelines with required ownership levels of 4x base salary for the CEO, 2x base salary for other executive officers, and 3x annual cash compensation for directors
✓ We conduct a thorough annual review of our compensation programs and assess, among other things, whether our programs encourage undue risk taking		✓ Pursuant to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, all employees and directors are prohibited from engaging in hedging transactions in Rambus shares, including short sales and purchases of put and call options, and our Insider Trading Policy prohibits certain insiders from pledging Rambus shares as collateral for loans
✓ We retain an independent compensation consultant		✓ We have adopted a compensation clawback policy that applies to our executive officers and we also retain the right to reduce or withhold future compensation based on any restatement or adjustment to our financials, and to determine the extent to which recovery of prior compensation may be pursued, in each case in the event of fraud
✓ We adhere to robust risk management policies, including investment, legal, operational, financial, and strategic risks		✓ We do not provide tax gross-ups and vesting of outstanding equity awards may only accelerate upon a “double-trigger” following a change in control when applicable
✓ We regularly engage with stockholders		✓ Our executive compensation program is annually submitted to our stockholders for an advisory vote ✓ Our 2015 Plan, most recently amended in April 2023, prohibits the repricing of underwater stock options


Adeia Inc. (ADEA) Allegro MicroSystems, Inc. (ALGM) Ambarella, Inc. (AMBA) Cirrus Logic, Inc. (CRUS) Impinj, Inc. (PI) InterDigital, Inc. (IDCC) Lattice Semiconductor Corporation (LSCC)	MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc. (MTSI) MaxLinear, Inc. (MXL) Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (MPWR) NetScout Systems, Inc. (NTCT) Power Integrations, Inc. (POWI) Semtech Corporation (SMTC)	Silicon Laboratories Inc. (SLAB) SiTime Corporation (SITM) Synaptics Incorporated (SYNA) Universal Display Corporation (OLED) Xperi Inc. (XPER)



Element	Purpose	Design

Salary	Market-based to recognize scope of responsibility and individual performance	Fixed compensation, payable in cash
Annual Corporate Incentive Plan (“CIP”)	Focus, motivate and reward NEOs for achieving annual financial and business objectives	Short-term cash incentive compensation based on pro-forma operating income; Pool ranges from 0% to 200% and is allocated based on individual contributions

RSUs	Encourage retention of top talent and ownership of Rambus equity over the long-term Encourage achievement of superior results for stockholders over the long-term and align executives with stockholder interests	Four-year ratable vesting with weighting at 40% of LTI award for CEO and 50% of LTI award for other NEOs
PSUs		PSUs primarily consist of three-year performance period, based on our TSR relative to the TSR of certain semiconductor index companies; payouts range from 0% to 200%. Weighting at 60% of LTI award for CEO and 50% of LTI award for other NEOs


	2024 Base Salary		2023 Base Salary		Percentage Change
Executive Officers:
Luc Seraphin	$	700,000	$	650,000		7.7	%
Desmond Lynch	$	435,000	$	425,000		2.4	%
Sean Fan	$	530,000	$	520,000		1.9	%
John Shinn	$	410,000	$	400,000		2.5	%


	2024 CIP Target		% of Base Salary
Executive Officers:
Luc Seraphin	$	770,000		110	%
Desmond Lynch	$	326,250		75	%
Sean Fan	$	424,000		80	%
John Shinn	$	205,000		50	%


Target	Actual Performance	CIP Funding
$276.2 million	$263.3 million	94.8%