May 11, 2005 – Dutch electronics giant Philips has announced it is considering the sale of a “substantial part” of up to 1.05 billion common shares in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), a leading foundry for custom-made chips.
Currently, Philips holds approximately 4.4 billion TSMC shares, representing a stake of about 19%
“While we’ll remain among the largest shareholders in TSMC for the foreseeable future, we believe that in the long-term our shareholders would benefit most from a gradual and orderly reduction in this holding,” Philips CFO Jan Hommen said in a press release.