Chairman Terry Gou of key iPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry, or Foxconn Technology Group, told the Nikkei Asian Review in an exclusive interview Sunday that his company has financial support from Apple and Amazon in its bid for the memory chip unit of embattled Japanese conglomerate Toshiba.

According to sources, Hon Hai is the highest bidder among five interested buyers, supposedly offering more than 2 trillion yen ($18.2 billion).

"Of course Apple and Amazon are offering money together, but I cannot comment on how much funds each company is putting on the table," Gou said at a hotel in Osaka.

The Taiwanese mogul, who heads the world's largest contract electronics maker, was in the western Japanese city for meetings with his staff at Sharp Corporation, which Foxconn acquired last year.

Hours earlier on Saturday night, Gou told the Nikkei Asian Review in a separate interview that he has secured support from Apple and Amazon on the Toshiba deal.

While there had been speculation that Apple and Amazon may be interested in Toshiba's semiconductor business, Gou's comments Sunday were the first official confirmation that the two companies were participating in a bid.

Apple declined to comment. Amazon did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Both U.S. tech titans are key customers of Foxconn.

By: DocMemory
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