Another white hope conceived to propel Europe into the forefront of the information technology revolution has bitten the dust: European Silicon Structures SA, the chip design and fabrication company put together by Robb Wilmott and colleagues and billed as the first truly European company, is to be sold to San Jose-based Atmel Corp. The application-specific integrated circuit specialist is buying a majority stake in the Luembourg-registered European Silicon Structures, and will site its first overseas wafer fabrication plant at the European company’s site in Aix-en-Provence, France where it intends to expand the existing design and manufacturing operations.
