Earlier, CNBC reported that discussions were ongoing for a deal that could be valued at up to US$20 billion, citing sources close to the matter. The report, however, also said that the deal was not imminent and may not happen.
“There was a news report … concerning discussions about an acquisition, but this report was not issued by us and there is no truth to it,” Renesas said in a statement on Tuesday.
Maxim was not immediately available for comment.
Renesas has a market capitalisation of about US$20 billion, while Maxim is valued at about US$19 billion, according to Thomson Reuters data.
Shares in the San Jose, California-based company ended up 12.3% at US$66.27 on the Nasdaq on Monday after the report.
In 2016, Renesas beat rival suitor Maxim in a deal to buy US chipmaker Intersil Corp for US$3.2 billion, an all-cash deal that bolstered the Japanese group’s efforts to refocus the company around automotive chips.
Renesas, created from the semiconductor units of several Japanese companies, has amassed a significant war chest since a state fund and key clients bailed it out after the Fukushima earthquake in 2011.