The sale of Elmos 200mm fab has officially been blocked
Dortmund-based Elmos’ 200mm wafer fab may not be sold to a Chinese investor. Germany’s federal cabinet prohibits the sale.
The federal cabinet has officially blocked the sale of Elmos Semiconductor 200mm wafer fabrication activities at the Dortmund location. It was back in December last year that the company signed a sale and purchase agreement with Swedish MEMS foundry Silex Microsystems AB to transfer the fabrication activities.
Back in 2015, Silex Microelectronics was acquired by Chinese company Nav Technology Co Ltd.
According to a press release from the Federal Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection (BMWK), the ban occurred because the purchase would have “endangered public order and security in Germany”. The BMWK continues to state that milder measures, such as approving the acquisition but with conditions, would not have been suitable for eliminating the risks identified.
Federal Minister Dr. Robert Habeck says in the press release that the cabinet has to take a close look at company takeovers, especially when important infrastructure is involved, or when there is a risk that technology will flow fo buyers from non-EU countries.
“In the semiconductor sector in particular, it is important to us to protect the technological and economic sovereignty of Germany and Europe. Of course, Germany is and will remain an open investment location, but we are not naïve either,” Dr. Habeck says in the press release.
