Reports: Fujitsu is trying to sell its main fab

LONDON – Japan's Fujitsu Ltd. has attempted to open up talks about the sale of its main wafer fab to foundry chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., according to reports. The wafer fab in Mie prefecture makes image processing chips and processors for supercomputers.

However, the Wall Street Journal reported that a TSMC spokesperson said the company has no plans to buy any off shore wafer fabs.

An attempt by Fujitsu to sell its fab as a means of going fab-lite or even fabless would follow on from similar move by fellow Japanese company Renesas Electronics Corp.

In May, it was reported that Renesas had tried to persuade TSMC to acquire a system-chip fab in Yamagata as part of a deal to take on increased foundry work for Renesas. But earlier this month Morris Chang, chairman and CEO of TSMC, was reported saying that the foundry had no intention of acquiring the Renesas fab.

In general TSMC's policy is to concentrate wafer fabs together at a couple of sites in Taiwan although it does operate fabs in mainland China and the United States and has a joint venture fab in Singapore.

It was also reported earlier this year that discussions were taking place about Fujitsu, Panasonic and Renesas merging their system-chip operations but nothing has been heard subsequently about such a move.


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