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According to reports in the Daily Telegraph, Coherent's UK subsidiary, one of Britain's biggest microchip plants, nestled in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham with a sprawling 29,000-square-metre wafer fab, was a prior supplier of parts for Apple's iPhone Face ID recognition system. That business was a cash cow for the plant, causing its revenue to skyrocket from USD 17 million in 2022 to a hefty USD 134 million in the 2023 fiscal year.

Apple, however, decided to shift gears and redesign its new generation of devices, subsequently pulling the plug on the previous arrangement. Naturally, this threw a wrench in Coherent's financial planning. Present news narratives suggest that the company, in a bind, has now made hundreds of redundancies. It is reportedly conducting a comprehensive strategic review, exploring fresh technologies, and even mulling over the idea of selling the plant.

The Newton Aycliffe wafer fab was first thrown open as a silicon DRAM wafer fab back in 1991. Originally in the hands of Fujitsu, it was then scooped up by Filtronic in 1999 with the purpose of manufacturing compound semiconductor RF circuits. The wafer fab later caught the eye of II-VI, leading to its acquisition and subsequently becoming a part of Coherent Corp.

Editor：Lulu

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