Foxconn in Taiwan buys $ 90.8 million wafer factory from Macronix for EV chips

Taipei (Reuters) -Foxcon said on Thursday it had acquired a chip factory from Taiwanese chipmaker Macronics International for NT $ 2.52 billion ($ 90.8 million).

Foxconn, an electronics manufacturing conglomerate that has giants such as Apple among its main customers, has acquired a global chip factory as a global chip shortage has upset producers of products ranging from cars to electronics. I try.

Supply bottlenecks have led to warnings of production cuts and supply chain disruptions from manufacturers around the world this year.

Foxconn and Macronix said at a joint press conference that the sale of a 6-inch wafer manufacturing plant (fab) in the Xinzhou chip manufacturing center will be completed by the end of this year. The plant is currently not in operation.

Foxconn Chairman Liu Young-way told reporters that the factory is preparing to produce 15,000 wafers per month by 2024 and could supply 30,000 silicon carbide semiconductor electric vehicles per month. Said.

“The 6-inch factory may not be perfect for Macronix anymore, and Foxconn saw it as a very good opportunity,” said Liu, calling the purchase a significant milestone in the company’s new EV business. . ..

Foxconn has announced plans to become a major player in the global electric vehicle market in recent months, saying it is discussing possible collaborations with the foundry to make chips for electric vehicles.

Liu said the target production was slim, but “this was just the start” of Foxconn’s plans to become a major player in automotive chips.

Foxconn, which counts semiconductors as its core business, announced in May a joint venture with Yageo Corp for small integrated circuit products.

Liu said that the Shinchu Fab will be the world semiconductor center of Foxconn, officially known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd.

($ 1 = 27.7470 Taiwan dollars)

(Report by Yimou Lee, edited by Jacqueline Wong, Sonali Paul, Kim Coghill)