Source: World Wide Web
The US Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) reported on the 2nd that sources revealed that at the time of the global chip shortage, newport Wafer Fab (NWF), the largest chip manufacturer in the United Kingdom, will be acquired by the Chinese-funded enterprise Nexperia.
Negotiations are still ongoing for the deal, with a purchase price of around £63 million ($87 million). Sources revealed that Nexperia will announce the acquisition next Monday or Tuesday.
Screenshot of CNBC report
According to reports, NWF is based in Newport, South Wales, and is one of the few semiconductor chip manufacturers in the UK.
"We are engaged in constructive dialogue with NWF and the Welsh government on the future of NWF," an Nexperia spokesperson told CNBC. ”
However, the deal appears to have been hampered in the UK.
In June, Tom Tugenhart, chairman of the Uk government's "China Research Group" and chairman of the UK Foreign Affairs Special Committee, wrote to British Business Secretary Kwasi Quartten, declaring that "the UK's leading 200mm semiconductor wafer technology development and processing agency has been taken over by Chinese entities, which means major economic and national security issues." He also urged the UK government to review the deal under the National Security and Investment Act. CNBC said the bill was introduced in April to protect British technology companies from overseas acquisitions in the presence of economic risks or threats.
In addition, the report also quoted another source as saying, "This is the last advanced semiconductor factory sold to China in the UK, and the British government has taken no action on this." ”
The report also mentioned that a British government spokesman told the media, "We have learned that Nexperia will acquire NWF." We do not consider it appropriate to intervene at this time, but we will continue to monitor the situation closely and will not hesitate to apply the powers vested in us by the Enterprise Act in case the situation changes." ”