Blog

  • US raised concerns about Chinese boss of chipmaker before Dutch takeover | Technology sector

    US raised concerns about Chinese boss of chipmaker before Dutch takeover | Technology sector

    US authorities had raised concerns about the boss of a China-owned chipmaker before it was taken over by the Dutch government this week, according to court papers.

    The documents show US officials warned the Netherlands in June that Nexperia may not be able to export to the US if its Chinese chief executive, Zhang Xuezheng, remained in post.

    Late on Sunday the Dutch government said it had invoked a cold war-era law to effectively take control of the company, citing “major shortcomings that could jeopardise security of supply” of chips to European factories.

    By that point Zhang had been suspended from Nexperia, which is controlled by the Chinese company Wingtech.

    It has now emerged that the US had raised concerns about Nexperia’s management as far back as June.

    A preliminary court ruling released on Tuesday included minutes of a meeting from 12 June in which the US Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation told the Dutch foreign ministry: “The fact that the company’s CEO is still the same Chinese owner is problematic … It is almost certain that the CEO will have to be replaced.”

    Washington put Wingtech on its “entity list” of companies seen as a threat to national security last year, for its alleged role in “aiding China’s government’s efforts to acquire entities with sensitive semiconductor manufacturing capacity”.

    Wingtech, which is 30% owned by Chinese national and regional governments and affiliated investment funds, bought the Dutch chipmaker in 2018 from the Dutch consumer electronics company Philips.

    On 30 September, that entity list was expanded to include company subsidiaries, which meant Nexperia would be hit by its restrictions by the end of November.

    In an extraordinary move, the Dutch government revealed on Sunday that it had taken control of the Nijmegen-headquartered chipmaker, citing worries about the possible transfer of technology to Wingtech.

    That has heightened tensions with Beijing, with Nexperia saying it is now in negotiations with the US to remove barriers to exports.

    On Tuesday, China also prohibited Nexperia and its subcontractors from exporting components assembled in China as tensions with the US escalated.

    The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the central committee of the Chinese Communist party, described the takeover as “robbery in legal disguise”, warning that the west was using “national security” as an excuse for its failures to keep up with the Chinese.

    “China’s scientific and technological progress has profoundly shaken the nerves of western hegemony,” it said.

    The Dutch intervention comes 18 months after the UK government ordered Wingtech to sell its 86% stake in a silicon chip plant in Newport in Wales, the largest chip plant in the country, amid security concerns.

    Wingtech called the Dutch government’s intervention in Nexperia “excessive interference driven by geopolitical bias”.

    skip past newsletter promotion

    Wingtech also alleged that non-Chinese Nexperia executives had tried to forcibly alter the company’s equity structure through legal proceedings in a “cloaked power grab” on the company.

    The Dutch economy minister Vincent Karremans told the Dutch broadcaster NOS: “I recently received serious and urgent signals that the company has major shortcomings that could jeopardise security of supply.

    “This would have major consequences for the European and Dutch economies.”

    The Dutch invoked never-before-used powers under a Dutch law known as the “Availability of Goods Act”, which does not give it ownership but gives it the power to reverse or block management decisions it considers harmful.

    It also points out that it has several subsidiaries in Europe, including wafer production facilities in Manchester and Hamburg.

    The Amsterdam commercial court ruling in a “preliminary opinion” that there were “well-founded reasons to doubt the correct policy and correct conduct of affairs” were being pursued by the company.

    It appointed the Dutch businessman Guido Dierick to take Zhang’s position with a “deciding vote”, and transferred control of almost all of Nexperia’s shares to a Dutch lawyer for management. The Dutch state and the company’s labour council had supported the moves, the document showed.

    Continue Reading

  • Expert Council on Well-Being and AI – OpenAI

    1. Expert Council on Well-Being and AI  OpenAI
    2. OpenAI unveils “wellness” council; suicide prevention expert not included  Ars Technica
    3. ChatGPT Evolution: What’s Changing in the Coming Months?  touchreviews.net
    4. Sam Altman says OpenAI will allow erotica for adult users  Axios
    5. OpenAI forms expert council to bolster safety measures after FTC inquiry  CNBC

    Continue Reading

  • Just a moment…

    Just a moment…

    Continue Reading

  • ICU Deep Sedation Linked to Loss of Independent Living

    ICU Deep Sedation Linked to Loss of Independent Living


    • A high proportion of time spent in medication-induced…

    Continue Reading

  • How Overload Brings a Package of Competitive Fun to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Multiplayer – Xbox Wire

    1. How Overload Brings a Package of Competitive Fun to Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Multiplayer  Xbox Wire
    2. NEXT Recap: Every Major Announcement for Black Ops 7  Call of Duty
    3. Call Of Duty Black Ops 7: Release Date, Price In India, Gameplay, PC System…

    Continue Reading

  • Intel Reveals 160-GB, Energy-Efficient Inference GPU As Part Of New Yearly Cadence

    Intel Reveals 160-GB, Energy-Efficient Inference GPU As Part Of New Yearly Cadence

    Revealed this week at the 2025 OCP Global Summit, ‘Crescent Island’ marks the beginning of Intel’s annual cadence of GPU releases that follows similar pushes by Nvidia and AMD after dealing with more than 15 years of…

    Continue Reading

  • Marc Jacobs on Being ‘Addicted’ to Instagram and Collecting Labubus

    Marc Jacobs on Being ‘Addicted’ to Instagram and Collecting Labubus

    Fashion designer Marc Jacobs may have more than 2.2 million followers on his personal Instagram account, but he wasn’t always a fan of the social media app.

    “For someone who was so anti-Instagram in the very, very beginning, I really…

    Continue Reading

  • Just a moment…

    Just a moment…

    Continue Reading

  • Reducing sedentary behavior and increasing light physical activity can support metabolic health

    Reducing sedentary behavior and increasing light physical activity can support metabolic health

    New study shows that just 30 minutes of less sitting each day can improve the body’s ability to utilize fats and carbohydrates for energy production. Reducing sedentary behavior can be particularly beneficial for people who are…

    Continue Reading

  • Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on how her ‘complicated relationship’ with social media shaped her business strategy

    Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on how her ‘complicated relationship’ with social media shaped her business strategy

    Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, once taught gift wrapping at Paper Source while auditioning as an actress. The American-born former actress, who played Rachel Zane on legal drama Suits, said at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Conference in Washington,…

    Continue Reading