by Simon Quicke
20 October 2008
The battle to acquire SanDisk could be a two-way contest
with Toshiba’s name coming back into the frame as a possible buyer.
Samsung has already tabled an offer, which was rejected by
SanDisk, and expectations are rising that Toshiba will buyout the share of its
joint-venture partner.
But the state of its finances could continue to be a block
on Toshiba’s ambitions. Last month the vendor revealed it was heading for an
operating loss for its first half of the year.
According to reports in the Financial Times a change of
heart by Toshiba would be designed to scupper Samsung’s chances of taking
control of SanDisk to protect its own position in the market.
The SanDisk bidding war was started by Samsung after the largest Nand
flash manufacturer tabled an $5.85bn bid. At the close of last week shares in SanDisk soared amid
expectations that Samsung would follow-up its original offer with a higher price.
