Amazon, Apple join bidding for Toshiba chip unit

Apple, Amazon, and Google have joined bidding for Toshiba’s flash memory unit, vying with others for the Japanese firm’s prized semiconductor operation, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported on Saturday.
 
Toshiba shareholders on Thursday agreed to split off its NAND flash memory business, paving the way for a sale to raise at least $9 billion to cover US nuclear unit charges that threaten the conglomerate’s future.
 
The Yomiuri newspaper said bidding prices from Apple, Amazon or Google, owned by Alphabet were not known.
 

The Nikkei business daily reported on Friday that U.S. private equity firm Silver Lake Partners SILAK.UL and US chipmaker Broadcom have offered Toshiba about 2 trillion yen ($18 billion) for the unit.

 
About 10 potential bidders are interested in buying a stake in the microchip operation, a source with knowledge of the planned sale told Reuters earlier.
 
Suitors include Western Digital, which operates a chip plant with Toshiba in Japan, Micron Technology, South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix and financial investors.