WD raises bid for Toshiba nand memory division to $18 billion

Western Digital has reportedly increased its bid for Toshiba’s nand memory division to $18 billion. A battle has been raging for some time around Toshibas chip division.

The offer would be a last-ditch effort by Western Digital to take over Toshiba’s branch, a source told Reuters news agency. Although the company itself has not disclosed anything, the offer should be officially presented on Thursday, Reuters said.

Last month, Western Digital went to an arbitration board to prevent Toshiba from selling its chip division. According to the company, the sale violates the terms of the joint venture between Western Digital’s subsidiary SanDisk and Toshiba. The arbitration case is set to take place in California and aims to reverse the creation of Toshiba Memory. Due to the conflict, the Japanese government responded by urging both companies to continue working together. However, Japan also said it would not intervene.

Toshiba is concerned that a takeover of the nand division by Western Digital could lead to antitrust investigations. That’s because Western Digital is already a major producer of nand memory, and could further strengthen its position with the acquisition of Toshiba’s chip division.