Infineon Technologies AG said it's in talks with Hynix Semicon-ductor Inc for an alliance, complicating attempts by Micron Technology Inc to take control of its Korean rival.
Infineon Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Schumacher told the Nihon Keizai newspaper the memory-chip makers are in discussions, said Hirotaka Shiroguchi, a spokesman for Infineon's Japan unit.
Schumacher suggested an alliance may be forged in development and manufacturing, possibly through a joint venture.
Some investors said Infineon, the fourth-largest memory-chip maker, may be trying to scuttle Micron's attempt to take over Hynix, a combination that would control 40 percent of global chip production. The US chipmaker, which has been in talks with Hynix for two months, trumped Munich, Germany-based Infineon last month in talks to buy chip plants from Toshiba Corp.
"This may be a tactic to prevent a Micron-Hynix marriage," said Jeon Woo-dong, who helps manage 600 billion won (US$459 million) at Jooeun Investment Trust Management Corp in Seoul.
"Infineon won't be happy" if Micron and Hynix seal a pact.
Other than Hynix, Infineon hopes to ally with companies whose market share is smaller than Elpida Memory Inc, a joint venture between NEC Corp and Hitachi Ltd, Shiroguchi quoted Schumacher as saying.
"I am not aware of any talks being held between Infineon and Hynix," said Lee Youn-soo, senior managing director in charge of corporate credit at Korea Exchange Bank, which has led efforts to keep Hynix in business during the past year.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS