Speculation has circulated in the DRAM industry recently that Globalfoundries may be now more instereted in acquiring ProMOS Technologies' 12-inch wafer fab than taking over equipment from Powerchip Technology.

Globalfoundries previously agreed to procure a large portion of equipment from Powerchip's P3 12-inch plant, and was supposed to forward payments in February, industry sources claimed. But the payments have not been made so far, the sources added.

Globalfoundries previously also targeted ProMOS' 12-inch plant, but specialty IC foundry Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) won the right to negotiate with ProMOS to take over the facility, the sources said.

But with ProMOS failing to reach a deal with VIS due to a disagreement over prices, Globalfoundries is renewing its interest in the ProMOS fab, the sources said.

Globalfoundries has not made any acquisition announcements, while ProMOS and Powerchip both declined to comment on the speculation.

ProMOS and Powerchip have both unveiled plans to turn their business focuses away from the volatile DRAM market, where they find it hard to keep up or compete against larger peers such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. ProMOS is looking to go fabless, while Powerchip has shifted towards a foundry model.

Powerchip currently has three 12-inch wafer fabs at the Hsinchu Science Park (HSP), northern Taiwan while ProMOS' 12-inch wafer fab is located in Taichung, central Taiwan.