According to jiwei.com, the Financial Times reported on May 26 that the British government will re-examine the acquisition of Newport wafer fab by Anson semiconductor It is reported that the UK Minister of Commerce, energy and industry strategy Kwasi kwarteng said on Wednesday that the acquisition of Newport wafer fab by Anson semiconductor (the Dutch subsidiary of Wentai Technology) last year will face the review of the new national security and Investment Act (NSI).
"We welcome overseas investment, but we cannot threaten the national security of the UK," kwarteng said.
The NSI act, which came into force on January 4 this year, allows stricter scrutiny of foreign companies acquiring sensitive industries.
NSI gives the Secretary of commerce the power to review the transaction on national security grounds. Starting from Wednesday, he has 30 working days to make a decision, but he can extend it for another 45 working days.
In March, after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked him to review the deal, Stephen Lovegrove, the government's national security adviser, concluded that there was insufficient evidence to block the deal on specific security grounds, given that the company's technology was not the most cutting-edge semiconductor technology.
However, Ciaran Martin, former head of the National Cyber Security Center, expressed "very real concerns" about the acquisition.
Other senior government officials also warned that the sale of Newport wafer fab, which will produce silicon wafers at a factory in southern Wales, to Chinese buyers would be detrimental to the country's strategic industry.
Kwarteng's decision was supported by Tom tugendhat, a Conservative MP and a member of the Special Committee on foreign affairs. "We need to maintain a foundation to ensure UK flexibility within the semiconductor industry chain," he said
Newport wafer fab is one of the four major companies that make up the semiconductor "cluster" in Wales. Together with Iqe, SPTs technologies and microchip, Newport wafer fab manufactures parts for electric vehicles and smartphones. It is estimated that the cluster can generate more than £ 600 million in revenue per year and employ more than 2000 employees. (proofread / Aaron)