The ailing Chinese chipmaker, Fujian Jinhua, is looking to an unexpected quarter for rescue — Micron, the US semiconductor company whose trade secrets it is accused of pilfering.
The state-owned company, one of the national champions at the heart of China’s efforts to develop a domestic semiconductor industry, was stopped from starting production late last year when the US government indicted it for allegedly stealing Micron’s intellectual property and barred it from buying vital tools and materials from US suppliers.
Now Jinhua is seeking a deal with a foreign semiconductor company willing to provide technology and expertise in running a chip fabrication plant, or “fab”, in exchange for use of the site, according to people familiar with the matter.