Qualcomm-NXP ruling may be in 2018: EU competition commissioner

A sign on the Qualcomm campus is seen, in San Diego, California, U.S. November 6, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake

BEIJING (Reuters) - A ruling on Qualcomm Inc's proposed $38 billion acquisition of NXP Semiconductors NV may come in 2018, European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager said on Wednesday.

People familiar with the matter told Reuters in October that Qualcomm has offered to buy NXP without some of its patents in a bid to win EU antitrust regulatory approval. The deal, the biggest-ever for the semiconductor industry, would make Qualcomm the leading supplier to the fast-growing automotive chips market.

A man works on a tent for NXP Semiconductors in preparation for the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. on January 4, 2015. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo

(Reporting by Sue-Lin Wong; Writing by Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)