Taiwan SemiConductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) are attempting to take over the 12 inch wafer fab of ProMOS Technologies, who are seeking to acquire new funds and investors in the efforts to restructure their DRAM business, which is losing money.
According to Digitimes they say “TSMC is now in talks with ProMOS to take over the DRAM maker's 12-inch fab located in Taichung, central Taiwan for an estimated NT$25 billion (US$847 million), in a challenge to Globalfoundries which reportedly had offered NT$20-30 billion for the facility, according to industry sources.”
TSMC and ProMOS have both declined to comment on the matter.
We know that earlier this year Globalfoundries expressed interest in ProMOS 12 inch plant as ‘acquiring the fab would help the foundry build and enhance relationships with Taiwan-based IC design houses, which contract mainly local foundry houses including TSMC and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) to manufacture their 65nm and below solutions. Globalfoundries also expected the addition of the Taiwan fab to help grow its presence in China, the report cited industry sources as indicating.'
Kitguru says: The race is on!