-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueVoices of the Industry
We take the pulse of the PCB industry by sharing insights from leading fabricators and suppliers in this month's issue. We've gathered their thoughts on the new U.S. administration, spending, the war in Ukraine, and their most pressing needs. It’s an eye-opening and enlightening look behind the curtain.
The Essential Guide to Surface Finishes
We go back to basics this month with a recount of a little history, and look forward to addressing the many challenges that high density, high frequency, adhesion, SI, and corrosion concerns for harsh environments bring to the fore. We compare and contrast surface finishes by type and application, take a hard look at the many iterations of gold plating, and address palladium as a surface finish.
It's Show Time!
In this month’s issue of PCB007 Magazine we reimagine the possibilities featuring stories all about IPC APEX EXPO 2025—covering what to look forward to, and what you don’t want to miss.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Intel to Sell Minority Stake in IMS Nanofabrication Business to TSMC
September 13, 2023 | IntelEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

Intel Corporation announced that it has agreed to sell an approximately 10% stake in the IMS Nanofabrication business to TSMC. TSMC’s investment values IMS at approximately $4.3 billion, consistent with the valuation of the recent stake sale to Bain Capital Special Situations. Intel will retain majority ownership of IMS, which will continue to operate as a standalone subsidiary under the leadership of CEO Dr. Elmar Platzgummer. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023.
IMS is the established industry leader in multi-beam mask writing tools required to develop advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), which is broadly adopted in leading-edge technology nodes that enable the most demanding computing applications, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and mobile. Together, Bain Capital and TSMC’s investments provide IMS with increased independence and reinforce confidence in the significant opportunity ahead of IMS. This added autonomy will help IMS accelerate its growth and drive the next phase of lithography technology innovation to enable the industry’s transition into new patterning systems, such as high-numerical-aperture (high-NA) EUV.
Matt Poirier, senior vice president of Corporate Development at Intel, said, “This investment demonstrates the deep industry collaboration IMS is pioneering to advance critical lithography technology for leading-edge nodes, which will benefit the entire semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. With enhanced independence, IMS will be well positioned to address the significant growth opportunity for multi-beam mask writing tools over the next decade and beyond.”
Platzgummer said, “We are delighted to bring in new investors to help us build on IMS’ leadership in multi-beam mask writing, which is the backbone of innovation in leading-edge semiconductor technologies. This is a testament to IMS’ expertise and leadership position in this integral technology. Together with our partners, we look forward to continuing to support innovation of next-generation technologies and deliver value across the semiconductor ecosystem.”
Dr. Kevin Zhang, senior vice president of Business Development at TSMC, said, “TSMC has been working with IMS since 2012 on the development of multi-beam mask writers for advanced technology nodes. This investment continues the long-term partnership between TSMC and IMS to accelerate innovation and enable deeper cross-industry collaboration.”
IMS plays a critical role in enabling the growth and advancement of the semiconductor industry in an era of ever more demanding applications. Global semiconductor demand continues to grow fueled by five superpowers: AI, pervasive connectivity, ubiquitous computing, cloud-to-edge infrastructure and sensing. The market is expected to reach $1 trillion by 2030. A key enabler of this growth is advances in lithography technology, such as EUV, which is essential for the leading-edge nodes that enable these demanding applications. These lithographic advances rely on sophisticated mask writing tools, which make IMS’ leadership technology central to innovation across the ecosystem.
Intel initially invested in IMS in 2009 and ultimately acquired the remaining stakes in 2015. Since the acquisition, IMS has delivered a significant return on investment to Intel while growing IMS’ workforce and production capacity by four times and delivering three additional product generations. In June 2023, Intel announced an agreement to sell an approximately 20% stake in IMS to Bain Capital.
Suggested Items
NASA Aims to Fly First Quantum Sensor for Gravity Measurements
04/18/2025 | NASAA lumpy, colorful 3D model of the Earth against a black background, illustrating variations in gravity. North and South America are visible. Red areas show higher gravity, blue areas show lower gravity.
Hanon Systems Wins Third PACE Award for Visible-Light LED Photocatalyst Technology
04/18/2025 | PRNewswireHanon Systems, a leading global automotive thermal management supplier and subsidiary of Hankook & Company Group, has been named a winner of the 2025 PACE Awards. This marks the company's third win, making it the first Korean supplier to achieve this recognition.
Indium Experts to Present on Power Electronics at PCIM Europe 2025
04/17/2025 | Indium CorporationAs one of the leading materials providers to the power electronics assembly and e-Mobility industries, Indium Corporation experts will share their technical insight and knowledge on a variety of industry-related topics throughout PCIM Europe, May 6-8, in Nuremberg, Germany.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Emerging Trends in Design and Technology
04/16/2025 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOAndy Shaughnessy speaks with IPC design instructor Kris Moyer to discuss emerging design trends. They cover UHDI technology, 3D printing, and optical data transmission, emphasizing the importance of a skilled workforce. The role of AI in design is highlighted, along with the need for understanding physics and mechanics as designs become more complex. The conversation concludes with a focus on enhancing math skills for better signal integrity.
INEMI Announces Board of Directors Election Results
04/16/2025 | iNEMIThe International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (INEMI) has announced results from its recent Board of Directors election. The consortium’s members have added one new director and re-elected four incumbents.