According to Nikkei, Panasonic decided to withdraw from the semiconductor industry and to sell its semiconductor business to Nuvoton for $ 250 million.
In fact, as early as April of this year, Panasonic had sold the Diode and Transistor Division in its semiconductor business to ROHM Semiconductor. In addition to selling the entire Semiconductor business to Nuvoton, Panasonic will withdraw from its joint venture with TowerJazz, Panasonic TowerJazz Semiconductor, which has three factories in Japan that manufacture semiconductor products such as image sensors.
The history of Panasonic Semiconductor can be traced back to the 1850s. In 1952, Panasonic and Philips established a joint venture company, entered the semiconductor business, and supplied products to Panasonic's home appliances. Around 1990, Panasonic's semiconductor business ranked among the top ten in the world in terms of sales. But with the rise of the semiconductor industry in Korea and Taiwan, Panasonic has gradually lost its leading position.
In recent years, Panasonic has been focusing on the next-generation automotive market, strengthening automotive semiconductors such as battery management for electric vehicles. However, due to the complex international situation and the sluggish demand, Panasonic's semiconductor business has been difficult to achieve profitability.
According to the latest news, the acquisition will close in June next year.
