SEOUL/TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp favors private equity bidders in the sale of a stake in its chip business, as suitors including rivals SK Hynix Inc and Micron Technology Inc vie with financial investors like Bain Capital, sources said on Tuesday. Toshiba needs to raise funds by the end of March to offset an imminent multi-billion dollar writedown on its U.S. nuclear power business, meaning there may not be enough time to conclude a deal with another chipmaker, said one of the sources with direct knowledge of the company's strategy. Another of the sources said Toshiba could eventually seek investment from other chipmakers once its financial crisis had passed.