Additional charges related to the spin-off of its memory chip unit and bankruptcy of a large mobile phone customer have widened the fourth-quarter loss at German chip maker Infineon Technologies.Infineon lost 36 million euros (US$46 million) for the quarter that ended Sept. 30, compared with a loss of 23 million euros in the prior quarter.The fourth-quarter loss included 164 million euros in charges relating to the carve-out and IPO of Qimonda, the memory chip unit, and to impairments resulting from the bankruptcy of German handset maker BenQ Mobile.Last month, Infineon said it planned to lay off 400 workers globally and take charges in fiscal 2006 totaling 80 million euros due to losing BenQ Mobile as a communications chip customer. The BenQ Mobile bankruptcy will also impact the German market for semiconductors, with 2006 sales expected to decline 3 percent to 11.3 billion euros, the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI) announced earlier this week at the electronica trade fair in Munich.Meanwhile, German politicians, union leaders and executives from former owner Siemens are working on a plan to salvage parts of BenQ Mobile. The plan calls for narrowing the focus of the company on developing mobile phones as an original design manufacturer for customers with their own brands, including mobile operators, marketing companies and other handset manufacturers. A slimmed-down BenQ Mobile would rely on its competencies in the areas of mechanics, materials and miniaturization to develop and design new phones that meet the specific requirements of their customers.Both Siemens and Taiwan’s BenQ, which bought the money-losing mobile manufacturing business from the German electronics giant, have been under fire following the Taiwanese company announcing plans in late September to discontinue investment in its German subsidiary and seek bankruptcy protection.-John Blau, IDG News Service (Dusseldorf Bureau)Related Link: BenQ Mobile Bankruptcy Prompts Infineon Job CutsCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature 10 most popular IT certifications for 2023 Certifications are a great way to show employers you have the right IT skills and specializations for the job. These 10 certs are the ones IT pros are most likely to pursue, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White May 26, 2023 8 mins Certifications Careers interview Stepping up to the challenge of a global conglomerate CIO role Dr. Amrut Urkude became CIO of Reliance Polyester after his company was acquired by Reliance Industries. He discusses challenges IT leaders face while transitioning from a small company to a large multinational enterprise, and how to overcome them. By Yashvendra Singh May 26, 2023 7 mins Digital Transformation Careers brandpost With the new financial year looming, now is a good time to review your Microsoft 365 licenses By Veronica Lew May 25, 2023 5 mins Lenovo news Alteryx works in generative AI for speedy analytics results OpenAI integration and AI wizardry for report generation are aimed at making Alteryx’s analytics products more accessible. By Jon Gold May 25, 2023 3 mins Analytics Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe