TOKYO (Reuters) – Renesas Electronics, a key supplier of automotive semiconductors, said its most advanced chip plant remained closed on Monday as it checked for damage from a quake that struck northeast Japan on Saturday.
The 7.3 magnitude tremor caused a blackout at the Naka factory in Ibaraki prefecture, halting operations including on the company’s only cutting-edge 300-millimeter fabrication line.
“We are conducting safety checks on the plant’s clean room, where hazardous chemicals are used,” a spokeswoman for Renesas said.
The company is also checking for disruptions to supplies of materials it uses to manufacture semiconductors, she added.
Any prolonged disruptions could further squeeze global chip supplies amid a shortage that has already forced some carmakers to curtail production.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has warned that aftershocks could last for several days.
(Reporting by Tim Kelly. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
