How an $8.8 billion deal transformed Resonac for the AI chip boom - CNBC

Japanese materials company Resonac is betting that increasingly powerful artificial intelligence chips will drive demand for the specialized materials needed to connect, protect and cool them. 

The company was formed after Showa Denko acquired Hitachi Chemical in 2020 in a deal valued at around $8.8 billion. CEO Hidehito Takahashi describes it as a "huge financial risk," but says demand for several of Resonac's key semiconductor materials is growing as investment in AI and data centers accelerates. 

Managing Asia visits Resonac's Packaging Solution Center in Kawasaki, Japan, where Takahashi discusses advanced chip packaging, competition, China exposure, research spending and whether the company's multibillion-dollar transformation is paying off. 

Watch the interview on "Managing Asia with Christine Tan" in the video above.