In a further consolidation of the European semiconductor industry, which started with SGS and Thomson pooling their interests and the resultant SGS-Thomson Microelectronics BV acquiring Inmos International Plc, and has seen Plessey Co buying Ferranti International’s chip business and that in turn passing into 50% ownership of Siemens AG, AEG AG joined forces with Matra SA yesterday. AEG’s Telefunken Elektronik GmbH will take a 50% stake in Matra-MHS SA, the company born out of the Matra-Harris Semiconductor joint venture with Harris Corp of Melbourne, Florida. AEG is looking for chip sales of $650m or so this year, while Matra-MHS had sales of about $75m last year. The German semiconductor company has about 6,000 employees, Matra MHS about 750. AEG AG is itself owned by the car maker Daimler-Benz AG.
