Renesas may buy US chip maker

TOKYO, Sept 02 (Reuters): Japan's Renesas Electronics Corp is considering buying US chipmaker Integrated Device Technology Inc, a person familiar with the matter said.

The potential acquisition, first reported by the Nikkei business daily, comes as Renesas is beefing up its business in chips for self-driving cars.

The Nikkei reported that the deal would be worth as much as US $6.0 billion, becoming one of the largest acquisitions for a Japanese chipmaker.

The Japanese automotive chipmaker declined to provide immediate comment when contacted by Reuters.

Representatives for Integrated Device Technology (IDT) could not be reached outside business hours.

Renesas, which bought US chipmaker Intersil Corp for $3.2 billion last year, has been constantly reviewing its list of potential acquisition targets amid a wave of mega-mergers in the industry, its chief executive has said.

Buying IDT, which has strengths in chips for wireless network devices, could help Renesas enhance its capabilities in developing chips for data communications crucial for self-driving cars.