Apple in Talks to Acquire Japan's Renesas SP Drivers?

Apple is reportedly in talks to acquire Japan's Renesas SP Drivers, a unit of Renesas Electronics that designs chips for smartphone displays, reports Nikkei.

Apple is said to be seeking Renesas' entire 55% stake for an estimated 50 billion yen ($479 million). The Tokyo company appears to have logged a profit of 6 billion yen on sales of some 60 billion yen in the fiscal year ended Monday. Most of the unit's 240 or so employees in Japan are expected to stay on after the transfer, which Apple aims to complete by summer.

Renesas SP is the leading producer of drivers for small and midsize LCDs. The chips determine a display's quality, performance, and energy efficiency.


Sharp owns 25% of Renesas SP and Powerchip owns the remaining 20%. Sharp will reportedly sell its shares in the company to Apple if it can strike a deal with Renesas.

Apple gets all its LCD chips from Renesas SP so this could be an important acquisition for the company, giving it more control over its supply chain.

Read More