Dutch restrict Nexperia to keep its chip secrets outside of China (www.techzine.eu)

The Dutch government has imposed a one‑year emergency control on chipmaker Nexperia—owned by China’s Wingtech—blocking the company from relocating units, appointing executives, or making major business decisions without prior government approval. The move, executed under the Goods Availability Act, follows concerns reported by NRC that Nexperia might transfer valuable semiconductor know‑how to China. The Amsterdam Enterprise Chamber also temporarily removed CEO Zhang Xuezheng after a directors’ request; a non‑Chinese director is acting in his stead. The action arrived just before new U.S. export rules further restrict Chinese access to American semiconductor goods, and Wingtech has faced U.S. measures since December 2024. Wingtech angrily decried the intervention as discriminatory. The case is significant because it treats manufacturing process expertise—improvements in yield rates and defect reduction—as strategically sensitive, not just leading‑edge chip design. Nexperia doesn’t produce flagship GPUs or CPUs, but its operational techniques for boosting output have defensive and commercial value. The precedent lets a European government use emergency powers to control foreign‑owned firms to protect supply‑chain and national security, raising questions about cross‑border investment, governance of global fabs, and how firms will manage compliance amid overlapping Dutch and U.S. export constraints.