Government consent for the acquisition of Newport Wafer Fab by Vishay has finally been given by Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office Oliver Dowden.

The site has now been renamed Newport Vishay.

Vishay’s $177 million offer for the fab was accepted last November but the government has been dragging its feet for four months over giving a final consent order.

The old Inmos fab, which opened in 1980, had been acquired by Nexperia, which is controlled by a China government-controlled fund called Wingtech. This was seen as a security risk.

Vishay says it will expand operations at the site, including R&D for compound semiconductor development.