Infineon To Acquire Taiwanese Fabless Semiconductor Company ADMtek; First Acquisition in Asia Strengthens Infineon's Communications Business
MUNICH, Germany & HSINCHU, Taiwan—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Jan. 28, 2004—
Infineon Technologies (NYSE:IFX) (FWB:IFX), the world's
sixth-largest semiconductor company and one of the leading broadband
access IC providers, today announced that it has signed an agreement
to acquire ADMtek Inc., a fabless, integrated circuit (IC) design
company based in Hsinchu, Taiwan, for around Euro 80 million in cash,
which includes an earn out portion of about Euro 20 million if certain
performance and development milestones are achieved within two years
after completion. Infineon will establish a new company,
Infineon-ADMtek Co. Ltd, headquartered in Hsinchu, which will focus on
developing broadband customer premise equipment (CPE) ICs and enable
Infineon to enter the home gateway market. This is Infineon's first
acquisition of a controlling stake in an Asian semiconductor company.
Combining ADMTek's expertise in CPE products with Infineon's
strong position and expertise in the central office, along with the
complementary customer-base of both companies, will further strengthen
Infineon's leading position in the fast-growing, broadband access
market segment. The company will be able to offer its customers a
complete IC solution package for feature-rich, multimedia home
gateways that support high-speed wireline and wireless advanced
services. The acquisition will fuel Infineon's activities in the
access segment of the Wireline Communications business group by
allowing the company to reach a broader market and to generate new
business in key segments such as ADSL and Voice over Internet Protocol
(VoIP).
As part of the transaction, Infineon has also signed a supply
agreement to provide products to Accton Technology Corporation and its
affiliate companies for broadband CPE solutions, creating a mutually
beneficial, long-term partnership between the companies. Accton
Technology Corporation, together with its affiliates, is presently the
largest shareholder of ADMtek.
The acquisition also provides Infineon with a strong R&D center,
favorable cost structure and close proximity to leading Taiwanese ODM
(Original Design Manufacturing) companies that account for more than
70 percent of the broadband modem and router CPE market in the world.
Based in Taiwan, Infineon-ADMtek Co. Ltd is near many of the world's
fastest growing broadband markets today such as China and Japan. This
is in line with Infineon's growth strategy, which includes increasing
its already strong presence in Asia.
"The broadband access market tops 100 million users according to
recent studies. These users want advanced broadband services and
delivering these services requires a single, easy-to-use and
inexpensive home gateway," said Thomas Seifert, CEO of Infineon's
Wireline Communications business group. "Thanks to this acquisition
Infineon can provide its growing customer base fully functioning,
end-to-end broadband access technologies including central office and
CPE products. We are now well-positioned to be the leading provider of
multimedia gateway solutions to the systems companies that serve this
market."
ADMtek's CEO Tony Chang said, "We are excited by the opportunity
to join forces with Infineon, a global leader in broadband
communication. Our team of experienced engineers is already looking
forward to cooperating with our new colleagues around the world.
Together we will take Infineon-ADMtek to the next level, reinforcing
our position as a major force in the broadband CPE market."
The acquisition, which will be structured as a statutory merger
under Taiwan law, is expected to be completed in April 2004, and is
subject to approval by the shareholders of ADMtek, as well as to
various government approvals, including the competent antitrust
authorities.
Within the access market, xDSL is arguably the most attractive
segment regarding size and growth. Sales of xDSL products are expected
to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12 per cent from
2003 to 2007 and to reach annual sales of approximately US-dollar 1.2
billion by 2007 (Source: iSuppli). Sales of ADSL chipsets are expected
to remain the largest subsegment over this period. The CPE sector of
xDSL will represent roughly two thirds of the available xDSL market in
2007. The replacement of traditional voice equipment by data equipment
in the next upgrade cycle is expected to boost demand for xDSL even
beyond 2007.
Considering the number of installed copper lines - about 1.5
billion copper lines are said to be dug into ground worldwide - and
internet users there is an enormous long-term potential for DSL.
About ADMtek
ADMtek has been founded in 1997 and is a fabless integrated
circuits (IC) design company specialized in networking and
communication with a broad customer portfolio including key ODMs and
OEMs particularly in Asia. It is headquartered in Hsinchu
Science-Based Industrial Park, the "Silicon Valley" of Taiwan. The
company has approximately 175 employees, most of them in R&D. In
calendar year 2003, the unaudited revenues of ADMtek were
approximately US-dollar 43.2 million and US-dollar 12.4 million in the
fourth quarter of the same year.
About Accton
Accton Technology Corporation, established in 1988, also
headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, provides a variety of Ethernet, Fast
Ethernet and Gigabit advanced communication products including hubs,
switches, Internet Access Device and Wireless solutions. The company
has more than 2,000 employees and around 1,000 engineers worldwide
generating revenues of US-dollar 476 million in fiscal year 2002
(ending December). Accton is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange
(ticker symbol: 2345.TW) Further information is available at
www.accton.com.
About Infineon
Infineon Technologies AG, based in Munich, Germany, offers
semiconductor and system solutions for the automotive and industrial
sectors, for applications in the wired communications markets, secure
mobile solutions and memory products. In fiscal year 2003 (ending
September), the company achieved sales of Euro 6.15 billion with about
32,300 employees world-wide. Infineon is listed on the DAX index of
the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange
(ticker symbol: IFX). Further information is available at
www.infineon.com.
This news release is available online at
http://www.infineon.com/news/.
General video material can be downloaded from
www.thenewsmarket.com.
Contact:
Infineon Technologies AG
Worldwide Headquarters
Ralph Heinrich
Phone/Fax: +49 89 234 22404/28482
ralph.heinrich@infineon.com
or
U.S.A.
Christoph Liedtke
Phone/Fax: +1 408 501 6790/2424
christoph.liedtke@infineon.com
or
Asia
Kaye Lim
Phone/Fax: +65 6840 0689/0073
kaye.lim@infineon.com
or
Japan
Hirotaka Shiroguchi
Phone/Fax: +81 3 5449 6795/6401
hirotaka.shiroguchi@infineon.com
or
Investor Relations
EU/APAC +49 89 234 26655
USA/CAN +1 408 501 6800
investor.relations@infineon.com