Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2012/03/20/elpida_soliciting_bids/

Bankrupt DRAMurai survivor seeks cash-laden Samsung rival

Elpida fab and tech could help bidder crush Korean firm – report

By Chris Mellor

Posted in Storage, 20th March 2012 16:38 GMT

Japan's Nikkei paper is reporting (paywall) that Japan's sole and now bankrupt DRAM manufacturer, Elpida, is soliciting bids to rescue it from bankruptcy, with Micron and Intel identified as potential white knights for the stricken DRAMurai chip-maker.

There will be a 2-stage bidding process, with round one this month followed by a second round in April, according to the newswire. Hopefully Elpida's corporate reconstruction will be complete in July, with subsequent integration of its operations into the successful bidder's operation.

Micron and Intel, partners in Intel Micron Flash Technologies, and Nanya parent Formosa Plastics Group, have been fingered in the Nikkei report as potential bidders. Bulking up their operations with Elpida's fab capacity and technology would better relabel them to compete with Samsung, the DRAM market leader.

We have been in touch by telephone and email with Elpida but the company was not able to immediately comment.

We can guess what it might say, however. In response to all previous reports about Elpida's corporate status and direction not based on Elpida statements, the company has steadfastly said: "Elpida declines to comment on reports that are based on rumour or speculation." ®