Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba and Rohm Open Talks to Combine Power-Chip Businesses

Overview

• Talks announced Friday between Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba and Rohm aim to integrate their power semiconductors businesses, which make chips that control electricity in EVs and industrial equipment.
• Rohm’s CEO said joining forces would lift technology and production scale as global competition, especially from China, intensifies.
• The envisioned sequence starts with Rohm and Toshiba merging semiconductor operations, followed by carving out power-chip units to bring in Mitsubishi Electric.
• Denso’s surprise buyout proposal for Rohm in February, along with weak EV demand, helped push the three companies into coordinated negotiations, according to industry sources.
• Expected benefits include a broader product lineup, faster new-product launches, and factory consolidation to cut costs, with Rohm saying it wants to show clear milestones by summer.