Qimonda appoints team to sell 300-mm wafer fab

LONDON — Former DRAM manufacturer Qimonda North America Corp. has announced the appointment of Colliers International, Emerald Technology Valuations LLC and Gordon Brothers to assist it in the sale of a wafer fab at Sandston, Virginia, subject to bankruptcy court approval.

Qimonda said the advisory team is starting talks with potential buyers who may consider operating the 300-mm wafer fab. When facilitized it has had a manufacturing capacity of 38,000 wafers and is capable of being operated with a 65-nm CMOS process, Qimonda said.

If a buyer is not found for the wafer fab complete, the advisory team is ready to move on to a complete 300-mm production line sale and clean room and other manufacturing facilities sold in separate transactions.

"This is the first time an operational 300-mm fab has come to the market for sale. The fully automated, state-of-the-art Qimonda Richmond site was built and equipped at a cost of approximately $3 billion, and volume 300-mm production began in 2005," said Stephen Rothrock, managing director of ATREG, a division of Colliers International.

Qimonda North America Corp. and Qimonda Richmond LLC each filed for creditor protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code on February 20, 2009.