UK investors lining up to buy back Nexperia fab

Several investment firms are preparing a bid for Nexperia’s UK wafer facility, in case the British government decides to retroactively block the sale. Previous owner Drew Nelson has teamed up with a private equity group to make an offer for the Newport Wafer fab, according to the Financial Times (FT). The Telegraph reports that another recently started fund is working with Ron Black, former chief executive of chip design company Imagination Technologies.

Nexperia’s acquisition of the fab in 2021 drew a lot of criticism on account of the semiconductor company being Chinese-owned, eventually resulting in a full-blown assessment of the sale on grounds of national security. A decision has been announced for 3 October latest. Sources told FT that the government intends to call for Nexperia to substantially reduce its ownership of the company.