Procurement Pro takes a look at the top news stories from March 2025.
Analog Devices wins $105M in Federal CHIPS funding
Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), headquartered in Wilmington, has signed a preliminary memorandum of terms with the federal government through the CHIPS Program Office.
Once finalised, the federal award will be supported by a state investment from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) of up to $10.17 million, with eligibility for $4.3 million in state tax incentives and $250,000 in state workforce funding. The proposed investment in ADI would support the expansion and modernisation of two manufacturing and advanced R&D facilities in Chelmsford.
Trump announces $100Bn for five new TSMC factories
President Donald Trump and TSMC CEO C.C. Wei announced a significant expansion of TSMC’s operations in Arizona, United States.
The company committed to an additional $100 billion investment to construct five advanced semiconductor fabrication facilities. This investment marked the largest foreign direct investment in US history.
Arm to bolster Malaysia’s semiconductor industry
In a landmark move to bolster its semiconductor sector, Malaysia has entered into a strategic partnership with Arm, aiming to position the nation at the forefront of global semiconductor innovation.
According to Reuters, Malaysia will invest $250 million over 10 years to acquire Arm’s chip designs and technology for local manufacturers. The deal includes intellectual property, such as seven of Arm’s chip design blueprints, as stated by Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli.
onsemi makes bid to acquire Allegro MicroSystems
onsemi has disclosed details of a proposal submitted to the Board of Directors of Allegro MicroSystems to acquire the company for $35.10 per share in cash for each share of Allegro’s common stock on a fully diluted basis at an implied enterprise value of $6.9 billion.
onsemi has made numerous attempts over the past six months to enter into constructive discussions regarding a potential transaction. The most recent proposal was submitted to Allegro on February 12, 2025, and represents an increase over an initial $34.50 per share proposal submitted on September 2, 2024.
u-blox IoT modules acquired by Trasna
u-blox announced the transfer of its cellular IoT module business to Trasna, a semiconductor and IoT solutions provider. This strategic move reinforces u-blox’s focus on its core locate business while enabling Trasna to strengthen its IoT connectivity chip-to-Cloud offering in the OEM sector.
The acquisition includes u-blox’s cellular module technology intellectual property (IP), workforce, sites, and product portfolio, with Trasna committing to retain all employees, customers, and operations. This strengthens Trasna’s position as a comprehensive cellular IoT solutions provider, offering end-to-end capabilities spanning semiconductor chip design, SIM and eSIM manufacturing, and Cloud-based remote SIM and device management services.
Intel announces new CEO
Intel’s incoming CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, is considering major changes to the company’s chip manufacturing strategy and artificial intelligence (AI) roadmap. According to sources cited by Reuters, Tan is looking to streamline operations and refocus Intel’s manufacturing business in an effort to revitalise the struggling technology giant.
Among the key priorities under consideration are restructuring Intel’s AI approach and reducing what he reportedly sees as an overly complex and slow-moving management structure. Sources indicate that Tan intends to overhaul the company’s foundry operations, which had historically been dedicated to producing chips solely for Intel but in recent years have opened up to external clients such as NVIDIA.
