Deals
U.S. Poised to Rule on Risk of China Cash Behind Lattice Bid
- Chipmaker’s Silicon Valley suitor is investing Beijing funds
- Clock on CFIUS security panel review is in final days
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The U.S. is poised to weigh in on whether the sale of chipmaker Lattice Semiconductor Corp. could pose a risk to national security. The possible rub: While the buyer is a private-equity firm with a Silicon Valley address, the money behind the deal comes from Beijing.
The panel that reviews foreign acquisitions of American businesses is due to issue a decision on the sale of Portland, Oregon-based Lattice as soon as this week, five months after opening its examination of the transaction. CFIUS, as the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. is known, has taken a tough line against China’s campaign to acquire semiconductor technology and develop its domestic chip industry.