by Anton Shilov
02/25/2003 | 06:48 PM
We received additional details concerning Elpida’s intention to boost its manufacturing capacities with the help from foreign investors the company has been looking for several months. The Japanese DRAM maker needs nearly $680 to upgrade its facilities, it was revealed today by various mass-media sources.
Reportedly Intel wants to acquire 10-20% stake in Elpida, or, to invest about $169 to $304 million. The deal with is expected to be closed by the end of March, but it is not yet clear if Elpida has some other investors or not. Even $300 million is not enough to expand the fabs, as it is even less than a half needed to fully perform all the actions. Note that Elpida has been loosing money for a lot of time already, so, amid economic crisis not a lot of companies may be able to help the DRAM maker. It is possible that Hitachi and NEC will provide financing needed to boost manufacturing capabilities, as it is clear for everyone (and especially the “parents” of Elpida) that there are no other ways for the company to become profitable or, at least, stop loosing money.<%BANNER[article]%>
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