Intel Reportedly Acquiring Tower Semiconductor for $6 Billion

Update: The Intel acquisition of Tower Semiconductor has gone through for a value of $5.4 billion, at a price of $53 per share. Through the deal, Intel adds Tower Semiconductor’s infrastructure, IP, technicians, logistics and clients to its portfolio. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said that “Tower’s specialty technology portfolio, geographic reach, deep customer relationships and services-first operations will help scale Intel’s foundry services and advance our goal of becoming a major provider of foundry capacity globally.” He then added that “This deal will enable Intel to offer a compelling breadth of leading-edge nodes and differentiated specialty technologies on mature nodes – unlocking new opportunities for existing and future customers in an era of unprecedented demand for semiconductors.” The original story follows.

Intel is reportedly looking to increase its manufacturing capability – and its cadre of wafer-purchasing clients – by acquiring Israeli semiconductor manufacturer Tower Semiconductor. If true, the deal will bring seven additional foundries to Intel’s existing infrastructure, capable of 2 million wafer starts per year. The foundries are located across three continents: Tower Semiconductor owns and operates a 150 mm and a 200 mm fab in Migdal Haemek, Israel; two 200 mm fabs in the United States (Newport Beach, California and San Antonio, Texas); two 200 mm fabs in Japan; and one additional 300 mm fab in Japan. The deal could be finalized as soon as this week.

Tower Semiconductor isn’t a cutting edge manufacturer; it’s competition lies more with Globalfoundries and China’s SMIC than with TSMC or Intel itself. The company specializes in the manufacturing of analog circuitry, sensors, MEMS, mixed-signal, RFCMOS, silicon photonics and PMICs, among others) using specialty process technologies like BiCMOS, SiGe, and SOI. Tower Semiconductor stands as the world’s sixth largest semiconductor manufacturer, with revenues in 2021 totalling 1.3 billion.

Should the acquisition proceed, this looks like the fastest way for Intel to grow its IDM 2.0 strategy quickly and without the time investment of building new capacity and logistics solutions. Six total semiconductor factories in three continents serving contracted clients is nothing to scoff at, and will instantly boost Intel’s revenues for its client manufacturing chip business. At the same time, it increases Intel’s foothold in the analog and specialty semiconductor business, which requires less significant investments in R&D than cutting edge processes.