Will SK hynix take over Magnachip's foundry business?
By Jun Ji-hyeSK hynix is weighing whether to acquire the foundry business and fabrication line of Magnachip, a local semiconductor manufacturing company, industry sources said Wednesday. The envisioned acquisition of the foundry business and factory of Magnachip in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, is widely expected to enable the world's second-largest memory chipmaker to secure expanded output and bolster its competitiveness in the non-memory business amid the downturn in the memory chip market.“We are closely watching the situation related to the takeover battle of Magnachip, but nothing has been decided,” an official from SK hynix said. Magnachip, formerly owned by SK hynix, was sold when the firm went through corporate restructuring in 2004.Currently, multiple foreign private equity fund operators, including Brigade Capital Management, own Magnachip with a total 79.41 percent stake.Magnachip specializes in the chip design and manufacturing business. Among the firm's sales, the foundry business, which refers to the contract chip manufacturing service for clients t
