(Yicai Global) Sept. 22 -- Shares in semiconductor equipment maker Advanced Semiconductor Material Pacific Technology jumped by as much as 14 percent today on a report that it might go private.

The firm's stock [HKG:0522] closed up 6.13 percent today at HKD84.90 (USD12.53) giving it a market capitalization of HKD34.7 billion (USD4.5 billion).

"ASM Pacific is in talks with potential investors to help take it private," Reuters reported today, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The Singapore-based firm then plans to relist on Shanghai's Nasdaq-like Star Market to take advantage of growing investor interest in new-economy companies amid escalating China-US trade tensions, the report said.

ASM Pacific has approached a number of private equity and venture capital firms as well as several banks to raise funds for the buyout, according to the report.

Parent firm ASM International, which holds a quarter of ASM Pacific's equity, is said to be supportive of a privatization deal.

Regional chipmakers are preparing for a surge in demand as the Trump administration's recent trade sanctions against Huawei Technologies restricts the Chinese telecoms giant’s access to chips containing US technology and diverts orders back home.

Editor: Kim Taylor