Altis Semiconductor

Altis Semiconductor was a French semiconductor manufacturing company headquartered in Corbeil-Essonnes, in the southern suburbs of Paris. It operated a large semiconductor fabrication site in Essonnes that originated as an IBM facility established in 1964. The site included cleanroom manufacturing capacity and a design center, making it one of the significant industrial assets in the local economy and part of the French semiconductor manufacturing base. The Altis name emerged in 1999, when the IBM facility was transferred into a joint venture between IBM and Infineon. The venture combined the manufacturing heritage and technology infrastructure of IBM with Infineon's semiconductor operations. Altis functioned primarily as a semiconductor manufacturer and foundry rather than as a consumer-facing chip brand. Its business was therefore directed toward technology customers and equipment or systems companies requiring integrated-circuit production capacity. The company's industrial identity was closely tied to its Corbeil-Essonnes site. The facility occupied a substantial 55-hectare location and included approximately 25,000 square meters of cleanrooms, alongside a design center. This made Altis an important employer and industrial presence in the commune, whose economy had historically included flour milling, paper production, and other manufacturing activities. The semiconductor plant represented the area's later transition toward advanced technology production. Altis changed ownership in 2010, when Yazid Sabeg acquired the company for a symbolic euro. The transaction separated the operation from its earlier IBM-Infineon ownership structure and placed it under independent control. The company continued to be associated with semiconductor manufacturing in France, but it subsequently encountered financial and operational difficulties. Altis became insolvent, and in 2016 X-FAB acquired its assets. The transaction effectively ended Altis Semiconductor as an independent operating company while preserving the industrial importance of the Corbeil-Essonnes fabrication site under a new owner. Today, the former Altis facility is associated with X-FAB France SAS, which operates a semiconductor fabrication plant and design center at the site. Altis is consequently best understood as a historical French semiconductor manufacturer whose principal legacy is the development and continuity of the Corbeil-Essonnes fab. It was not a listed consumer electronics brand, and publicly available reference material does not establish a complete catalog of branded products, named executives, or detailed commercial programs. Its significance lies primarily in semiconductor fabrication, the transfer of industrial capabilities from IBM and Infineon into an independent company, and the eventual incorporation of its assets into X-FAB.

The industrial site associated with Altis Semiconductor began as an IBM semiconductor facility established in 1964 at Essonnes, now part of Corbeil-Essonnes in the Essonne department south of Paris. The site developed into a substantial manufacturing complex with cleanrooms and a design center. Its location gave it importance beyond the semiconductor industry: it became one of the principal advanced-manufacturing activities in a commune historically known for flour milling, paper production, and other industrial operations. In 1999, the IBM facility was transferred to a joint venture between IBM and Infineon. The venture operated under the name Altis Semiconductor and marked the emergence of the site as an independently identified semiconductor company. Altis inherited IBM's local manufacturing infrastructure while operating within a partnership framework involving Infineon. The company was oriented toward semiconductor production and foundry activity rather than the marketing of finished consumer products under a widely recognized retail brand. The Corbeil-Essonnes complex remained the center of Altis's identity. Reference material describes a 55-hectare site with around 25,000 square meters of cleanrooms and a design center. These facilities supported the production and development functions expected of an integrated semiconductor manufacturing operation. Publicly available sources do not provide a sufficiently detailed product-by-product chronology, but they consistently identify Altis with chip fabrication and the operation of the former IBM semiconductor plant. A major ownership transition took place in 2010, when Yazid Sabeg purchased Altis for a symbolic euro. This transaction moved the company away from its earlier IBM-Infineon joint-venture structure and placed it under independent ownership. The sale was significant because it represented an attempt to preserve semiconductor manufacturing capability at the French site under a new corporate arrangement. The independent company later experienced financial difficulties and became insolvent. In 2016, X-FAB acquired Altis's assets. The acquisition ended Altis Semiconductor's existence as an independent company, but the industrial site continued to operate in the semiconductor sector. X-FAB France SAS subsequently became associated with the Corbeil-Essonnes facility, including its fabrication plant and design center. Altis's historical importance therefore rests on continuity of manufacturing capability rather than on a long-lived consumer brand portfolio. Its story follows the transfer of an IBM semiconductor operation into an IBM-Infineon venture, the creation of an independent French company, a symbolic-euro change of ownership, insolvency, and the eventual transfer of assets to X-FAB. Because the available reference material is limited, details such as Altis's full customer list, exact process generations, product families, executive roster, and financial performance cannot be stated reliably here.

• 2016

  X-FAB acquires Altis assets

  [1]Altis Semiconductoren.wikipedia.org

  X-FAB acquired the assets of insolvent Altis Semiconductor and continued semiconductor activity at the Corbeil-Essonnes site.

• 2010

  Ownership passes to Yazid Sabeg

  [2]Corbeil-Essonnesen.wikipedia.org

  Yazid Sabeg acquired Altis Semiconductor for a symbolic one euro.

• 1999

  Altis Semiconductor is formed

  [1]Altis Semiconductoren.wikipedia.org

  The IBM facility was transferred into a joint venture between IBM and Infineon operating under the Altis Semiconductor name.

• 1964

  IBM establishes the Essonnes semiconductor facility

  [2]Corbeil-Essonnesen.wikipedia.org

  IBM founded the semiconductor fabrication site at Essonnes that later became the industrial base of Altis Semiconductor.

An industrial semiconductor manufacturer and foundry serving technology customers from a major French fabrication site.

• Semiconductors

  Semiconductor integrated circuits

  Altis was principally a semiconductor manufacturing company. Its facilities produced integrated-circuit devices for technology customers, with the Corbeil-Essonnes site providing fabrication infrastructure rather than a consumer-facing range of products sold under prominent retail names. The available references do not identify a complete list of individual device families or commercial part numbers.

• Foundry services

  CMOS semiconductor manufacturing

  The IBM-derived plant was associated with CMOS semiconductor production and design activity. Altis's role was primarily industrial fabrication and related engineering support. Specific process nodes, production volumes, and customer-design programs are not sufficiently documented in the supplied references.

• 2016

  Transfer of Altis assets to X-FABM&A

  Background

  Altis Semiconductor had become insolvent.

  Action taken

  X-FAB acquired the company's assets.

  Aftermath

  The Corbeil-Essonnes semiconductor site continued under X-FAB France, while Altis ceased to operate as an independent company.

  Source

• 2010

  Sale to Yazid SabegM&A

  Background

  Altis was separated from its prior IBM-Infineon ownership structure.

  Action taken

  Yazid Sabeg acquired the company for a symbolic one euro.

  Aftermath

  Altis continued as an independent French semiconductor company before later becoming insolvent.

  Acquisition consideration. One euro (2010)

  Source

• 1999

  Transfer of the IBM facility into an IBM-Infineon joint ventureM&A

  Background

  IBM's Essonnes semiconductor operation was reorganized through a joint venture with Infineon.

  Action taken

  The venture began operating under the Altis Semiconductor name.

  Aftermath

  The site became an independently identified semiconductor company while retaining its IBM-origin manufacturing base.

  Source

1. 1Altis Semiconductoren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Corbeil-Essonnesen.wikipedia.org