EU confirms raids on smart card chip makers
07 January, 2009
category: Contactless, Financial
The European Union confirmed this week that it “raided” several chip companies last October, alleging they were possibly operating an illegal cartel, according to a news report in PC World. While it didn’t name anyone, other sources have mentioned STMicroelectronics and Infineon Technologies as two targets of the raid, according to the UK’s Guardian. In addition, Dutch chip maker NXP and Japan’s Renesas Technology, confirmed they had been “visited” by the commission.
The EU, in what is still labeled a preliminary investigation, claims the firms were “colluding with each other by creating a cartel which could lead to price-fixing.