Apple and Dell join with Foxconn to bid for Toshiba chips unit, but chief executive is coy over pricing
Apple and Dell have partnered with electronics giant Foxconn to bid for Toshiba’s chip unit, according to Foxconn’s chief executive Terry Gou.
In an interview with Reuters, he added that US-based Kingston Technology, a maker of memory products, would also be part of the bidding group.
Amazon is apparently close to joining, while Google, Microsoft and Cisco Systems have all been approached by Taiwanese Foxconn with a view to joining the bid.
Gou declined to comment on the value of the deal, which has been placed by analysts at around $18bn (£14bn).
Toshiba is desperate for the money to cover the liabilities arising from its bankrupt Westinghouse unit’s project to build nuclear facilities in the US.
Yet Foxconn has not been seen as a frontrunner in this latest deal due to its ties with China. The Japanese government has said it will block any deal which risks moving the manufacturing unit out of the country.
US computer storage manufacturer Western Digital said on Saturday it would offer 2 trillion yen (£14.2bn), while a Japanese newspaper reported earlier this month that US chipmaker Broadcom was first in line.