First Solar R&D increased by 1.5% to $66.94M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 27.8%, from $52.39M to $66.94M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), R&D shows an upward trend with a 23.9% CAGR.
Analysis
StatementIncome Statement
SectionOperating Expenses
CategoryGrowth
SignalContext dependent
VolatilityModerate
First reportedQ1 2014
Last reportedQ1 2026
How to read this metric
Higher spending signals a commitment to innovation and future product launches, whereas significant cuts may indicate a shift toward short-term profitability.
Detailed definition
Research and development expenses represent the costs incurred to discover new products, improve existing technologies,...
Peer comparison
Highly comparable across pharmaceutical and medical device peers, where R&D intensity is a key metric for long-term valuation.
Metric ID:
research_and_developmentHistorical Data
20 periods
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $23.94M | $25.43M | $29.88M | $27.11M | $25.23M | $29.18M | $31.28M | $30.51M | $36.75M | $41.19M | $43.86M | $42.74M | $51.94M | $50.20M | $46.50M | $52.39M | $54.49M | $60.59M | $65.95M | $66.94M |
| QoQ Change | — | +6.2% | +17.5% | -9.3% | -6.9% | +15.7% | +7.2% | -2.5% | +20.4% | +12.1% | +6.5% | -2.6% | +21.5% | -3.4% | -7.4% | +12.7% | +4.0% | +11.2% | +8.8% | +1.5% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +5.4% | +14.8% | +4.7% | +12.5% | +45.6% | +41.1% | +40.2% | +40.1% | +41.3% | +21.9% | +6.0% | +22.6% | +4.9% | +20.7% | +41.8% | +27.8% |
Range$23.94M – $66.94M
CAGR+24.2%
Avg YoY Growth+24.5%
Median YoY Growth+22.2%
Current Streak5 quarters growth
R&D at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is First Solar's r&d?
- First Solar (FSLR) reported r&d of $66.94M in Q1 2026.
- How has First Solar's r&d changed year-over-year?
- First Solar's r&d increased by 27.8% year-over-year, from $52.39M to $66.94M.
- What is the long-term trend for First Solar's r&d?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), First Solar's r&d has grown at a 23.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $99.12M to $233.42M.
- What does r&d mean?
- The money spent on creating new products or improving existing ones to drive future growth.