Sistema could take stake in Infineon

MOSCOW, RUSSIA: Russian services conglomerate Sistema could take an equity stake in German chipmaker Infineon as part of an alliance between the two firms, several sources told Russia's Kommersant daily on Friday.

"Discussions about a possible future partnership are taking place at a high political level," an Infineon spokesman told the newspaper, adding German economy minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has discussed the matter with Russian colleagues.

One of the sources also said German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev would discuss the issue at Friday's meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

A Kremlin source told Reuters on Thursday the two leaders were expected to discuss a range of joint investment deals, including the bid by Russia's state-owned Sberbank and Canadian automaker Magna MGz.TO for a stake in Opel.

A Kommersant source said the talks would focus on the fate of the insolvent Qimonda memory chip unit, in which Infineon holds a 77.5 percent stake.

The article did not provide any information regarding the volume of any Russian investment in Infineon.

The Infineon spokesman said there were no direct talks ongoing with Sistema, and a source at the Russian company confirmed this, the paper said. Sistema's press department declined to comment, Kommersant said.

In a June interview, Sistema President Leonid Melamed told Reuters his company's Sitronics subsidiary could be a key player in the Russian government's plan to develop its microelectronics sector through international partnerships.

Reports also appeared earlier in the German press stating Qimonda's insolvency administrator was in talks with potential investors in Taiwan and Russia in order to obtain financial support.