On Monday, 6 July, the European Commission unconditionally approved the proposed acquisition of the German company OSRAM by the Austrian company AMS, as it found that the transaction would not raise competition concerns within the European Economic Area.
Both companies supply optical sensors, including light sensors and laser diodes, for the consumer electronics, automotive, industrial, medical, and other markets worldwide. The transaction would lead to the combination of the two companies’ solutions and technologies in the field of optical semiconductors.
The Commission found that the transaction, as notified, would not cause head-to-head competition between the companies in the markets for optical semiconductors to be significantly reduced for a number of reasons. In particular, the companies have low-to-moderate market shares for certain types of light sensors and laser diodes for which their offers overlap. Their respective products are also generally not close substitutes from the customer’s point of view. Moreover, several competitors offer viable alternatives to the companies’ products, and barriers to entry do not seem to prevent the emergence of new players.
The Commission also found that vertical relationships between the activities of AMS and OSRAM do not affect competition. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)