TOKYO, March 4 (Reuters) - Japan's Elpida Memory Inc said it plans to buy the flash memory assets of U.S. chipmaker Spansion on Thursday.
Elpida, which is chasing DRAM sector leaders Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor, aims to offer semiconductor modules that combine DRAM and flash memory function.Those modules are increasingly used in smart phones, such as Apple Inc's iPhone.
Elpida spokesman Hiroshi Tsuboi said the company is in talks to acquire Spansion's flash memory technologies as well as 40-50 engineers in Italy. He declined to comment how much the company would spend on the purchase.
The Nikkei business daily reported earlier in the day that the Japanese DRAM chipmaker would pay 3-5 billion yen ($34-57 million) to acquire Spansion's NAND flash memory-related assets.
Hit by the global economic downturn, Elpida received an injection of public money last year.
Spansion, which was established as a joint venture between Japan's Fujitsu Ltd and U.S. Advanced Micro Devices Inc , filed for bankruptcy last March.
(Reporting by Nobuhiro Kubo; Editing by Valerie Lee)
((nobuhiro.kubo@thomsonreuters.com; +81-3-6441-1821; Reuters Messaging: nobuhiro.kubo.reuters.com@reuters.net)) ($1=88.44 Yen) Keywords: ELPIDA/ (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
Elpida, which is chasing DRAM sector leaders Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor, aims to offer semiconductor modules that combine DRAM and flash memory function.Those modules are increasingly used in smart phones, such as Apple Inc's iPhone.
Elpida spokesman Hiroshi Tsuboi said the company is in talks to acquire Spansion's flash memory technologies as well as 40-50 engineers in Italy. He declined to comment how much the company would spend on the purchase.
The Nikkei business daily reported earlier in the day that the Japanese DRAM chipmaker would pay 3-5 billion yen ($34-57 million) to acquire Spansion's NAND flash memory-related assets.
Hit by the global economic downturn, Elpida received an injection of public money last year.
Spansion, which was established as a joint venture between Japan's Fujitsu Ltd and U.S. Advanced Micro Devices Inc , filed for bankruptcy last March.
(Reporting by Nobuhiro Kubo; Editing by Valerie Lee)
((nobuhiro.kubo@thomsonreuters.com; +81-3-6441-1821; Reuters Messaging: nobuhiro.kubo.reuters.com@reuters.net)) ($1=88.44 Yen) Keywords: ELPIDA/ (If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
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