[The Chosun Ilbo, October 31 2007] Samsung Buys Israeli Image Sensor Maker

Samsung Electronics has acquired an Israeli non-memory chip company. This is the first time in 10 years that Korea’s electronics giant has bought a foreign company, since it bought American PC maker AST in 1994 and acquired the non-memory chip business of American game company 3DO in 1997. The acquisition is seen as bolstering its non-memory chip capabilities by securing development talent.

Samsung said Tuesday that it bought Israel’s TransChip to strengthen its research and development in image sensors. Reborn as the Samsung Semiconductor Israel R&D Center, the company works on CMOS image sensors and has some 60 staff. CMOS image sensors convert optical images into digital signals and are used mainly in mobile phones and digital cameras. The Korean company ranks third in the world in the sector.