Nexperia: “We’re an asset, not a threat”

When Chinese consumer devices and semiconductor group Wingtech acquired a majority stake in Nexperia four years ago, no one batted an eye. How the geopolitical winds have shifted. These days, the Nijmegen-headquartered manufacturer of discrete, standard logic and MOSFET devices is treated with suspicion because of its Chinese owner. The UK government, citing national security concerns, retroactively blocked the acquisition of a decades-old fab in Wales (a decision that Nexperia is appealing at the British High Court). And Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Micky Adriaansens alluded that the takeover of Delft-based startup Nowi would have to be reviewed as soon as the legislative framework is adopted by parliament (current status unclear).

More recently, a report surfaced that University of Twente’s Bram Nauta turned down a research collaboration with Nexperia, citing concerns that the results would ultimately be monetized in China instead of here. The university supports that decision, pointing to the current geopolitical situation and Europe’s ambition to become less dependent on China and, more generally, to prop up its own semiconductor industry.