Samsung's Texas chip plant to endure prolonged shutdown after blackouts

Samsung Electronics Co.'s chip plant in Austin, Texas would need a "couple of weeks" to return to normal operations following a power outage.

The power blackouts in Texas were caused by a winter storm last month.

Samsung reportedly sent engineers to the Austin facility to minimize damage and hasten the return to normal production levels.

The Austin plant has not been operating since Feb. 16. It was the first time production was halted there.

There is growing speculation that the world's largest memory chip producer is pushing to expand its semiconductor production in the region. Samsung has submitted a revised tax credit proposal to Texas authorities over its potential new chip plant.

The South Korean tech giant is still inspecting other US sites for the project, including two in Arizona and one in New York.

Last month, Samsung asked Texas authorities for tax abatement over 20 years, worth US$805.5 million, for its new chip facility in Austin.