Foxconn details plan to buy Toshiba arm with Apple, SoftBank support

“The bid speaks for itself. It is deal certainty,” said Woo. “What this customer consortium means is that it will provide steady funds to Toshiba to advance their R&D. At the same time, it’s a guarantee there will be more customers lining up to buy their products when they increase their capacity or have better products.”

Toshiba declined to comment. The industrial and electronics manufacturer is still negotiating with three groups in the auction of its most valuable business, after failing to secure a final deal with the preferred bidder it selected in June. The effort has been hampered by political opposition and litigation from partner Western Digital Corp. Japanese government officials have opposed selling the chips unit to Foxconn because of its close ties to China, home to much of the Taiwanese company’s sprawling manufacturing operation.