US tech giant Intertechnology has signed off a £140m deal to acquire the 海角视频’s biggest semiconductor plant in the 海角视频 with plans for major expansion.
The 100% ownership deal for Nexperia Newport (which previously traded as Newport Wafer Fab), came after Nexperia was ordered to put its facility, which has capacity to produce more than 30,000 wafers a month, in Newport up for sale last year on national interest and security grounds by the 海角视频 Government. The Westminster administration used the Security and Investment Act to force a divestment. Amsterdam-based Nexperia is ultimately owned by Chinese company Wingtech Technologies.
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The Newport fab is the 海角视频’s largest semiconductor fab with a long history in supplying components to the automotive and industrial markets. Vishay plans to position the facility as a manufacturing centre of excellence for 200mm seminconductors with plans to invest £1bn over the next three years.
It will focus on net zero decarbonisation and electrification through silicone carbide (SIC) - and other compound semiconductor capacity - power chips which are used in renewable energy and electric vehicles.
Executive chairman of the New York listed business, Marc Zandman, said: “The acquisition of Newport aligns with the strategic shift the board envisioned with its decision to appoint new leadership. Under Joel’s leadership, Vishay is making this shift, investing in technologies and incremental capacity to drive faster growth and enhance returns to stockholders. The goal is to prepare Vishay to capitalise on the megatrends of e-mobility, sustainability, and connectivity.
Joel Smejkal, president and chief executive of Vishay: said:“We welcome the highly skilled and dedicated employees at the Newport wafer fab into the Vishay family. Vishay is committed to investing in Newport to grow capacity, and to accelerate our SiC and GaN (gallium nitride production and technology developmen as a new member of the compound semiconductor cluster in South Wales. We look forward to the contributions of Newport’s employees to our shared success.
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“With the completion of the acquisition, we are now preparing to share our plans for Newport at our upcoming Investor Day on April 2.”
As a new member of the compound semiconductor cluster (CS Connected), Vishay plans to collaborate with local universities and others in the 海角视频 to enhance its research and development efforts on power compound semiconductors.
Vishay said: “Working in partnership with the Welsh and 海角视频 governments, we want to expand the site to enable new research and development and bring new technologies to market such as compound semiconductor power conversion (a more efficient technology than silicon-based semiconductors)”
Vishay plan to expand the workforce at the fab, which current employs around 400.
Newport West MP Ruth Jones said: “We have a brilliant workforce already, which is one of the reasons why a major American company like Vishay decided to invest £140m in Newport, to develop the 28 acre site in Duffryn, the biggest semiconductor factory in the 海角视频, safeguarding at least 400 jobs at the plant.
"It’s good news for the hundreds of workers at the plant, but also there are plans to invest and expand in the future. For every job created in the semiconductor industry, another six jobs are created in the wider supply chain.”
A spokesman for Nexperia said: “Nexperia and Vishay announced they had entered into an agreement, in November 2023, that Vishay will acquire Newport wafer fab. We are now able to confirm that all conditions to the sale have now been met and the sale of Newport wafer fab to Vishay has now been finalised. Nexperia is pleased that the sale of Newport wafer fab to Vishay, has secured a future for its employees and for the site.”
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The region's compound semiconductor, known as CS Connected, is a growing network of semiconductor industry partners including tech firms such as IQE, SPTS Technologies, Microchip and Newport Wafer Fab (now Vishay Newport).
Its industrial chain goes from wafer manufacturing right through to packaged chips, providing a capability in next generation semiconductors which are going to be at the heart of virtually every industrial vertical imaginable, including aerospace, automotive, electric vehicles communications, fibre optics, data centres 5G, healthcare medtech and robotics.