President Trump has blocked Canyon Bridge Capital Partners LLC from acquiring Lattice Semiconductor Corporation, using the authority granted by the Exon–Florio Amendment. Lattice Semiconductor makes programmable logic devices including field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs):
President Trump on Wednesday blocked a China-backed investor from buying an American semiconductor maker over national security concerns, a rare move that could signal more aggressive scrutiny of China's deal-making ambitions. The deal for Lattice Semiconductor has provided a test of the president's economic and diplomatic relationship with China.
[...] The White House said on Wednesday that it prevented the acquisition of Lattice Semiconductor, in part because the United States government relies on the company's products. The integrity of the semiconductor industry, it said, was vital.
The White House also raised concerns over the buyer's close ties to Beijing. The investment group included China Venture Capital Fund Corporation, which is owned by state-backed entities, the White House said.
The decision could foretell trouble for other Chinese deals under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a multiagency group that examines takeovers of American companies by foreign buyers and makes recommendations to the president. The group, which operates largely in secrecy, is also looking at the proposed purchase of MoneyGram International by Ant Financial, an affiliate of the Chinese technology giant Alibaba Group.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by bob_super on Thursday September 14 2017, @09:21PM (2 children)
Would you like to learn about my new silk-lined tinfoil ? It comes in Yellow and Brown hues.
Lattice sells a particular line of chips, which are very popular with people building for extreme environments. The US military and its suppliers would prefer to ensure that those chips, and the missiles and satellites they control, are free from outside interference.
Bonus: it probably saves US jobs.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by NewNic on Thursday September 14 2017, @09:53PM
They would also prefer that Lattice's customers don't talk to a foreign company, and give away secrets through the requirements they place on new chips from Lattice.
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 3, Interesting) by RamiK on Thursday September 14 2017, @10:23PM
Unless, of course, Gowin will now receive a fat check from the PRC to develop and flood the market with similar FPGA\ASICs.
compiling...