German silicon wafer manufacturer Siltronic, which operates a large factory on Portland’s industrial northwest waterfront, sold this week for $4.5 billion.
The buyer is a Taiwanese company in the same market, GlobalWafers. The companies said the deal will enable them to accelerate development of more advanced technologies while increasing their market share and competitive position.
Silicon wafers are the large, flat discs that serve as the foundation for computer chip production. Siltronic supplies Intel, among other manufacturers.
The German company employs at least a few hundred at its Portland site and has periodically floated expansion plans with the city but has never followed through. Its property, a former gas plant, is listed among the most polluted in Portland.
This week’s deal includes a provision that prohibits GlobalWafers from closing German sites or laying off those employees until the end of 2024. There does not appear to be a similar provision protecting the Portland site.
GlobalWafers and Siltronic did not immediately respond to messages Thursday inquiring about the future of the Portland factory.
— Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699
