Chipmaker Nexperia and Chinese owner Wingtech fight for control in Dutch court 

AMSTERDAM, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Dutch chipmaker Nexperia's European managers look the company's Chinese proprietor Wingtech successful an Amsterdam tribunal connected Wednesday successful the latest circular of a combat for power that ​has led to a shortage of chips utilized by carmakers.

The quality astatine Nexperia escalated connected ‌September 30 erstwhile the Dutch authorities seized power of the company, citing fears it was transferring operations and intelligence spot to China. ‌The authorities aboriginal revoked the determination to defuse a standoff with Beijing.

Nexperia makes silicon wafers - discs containing aggregate chips - successful Europe, which are past sent to its works successful China wherever they are chopped and packaged.

On October 7, the Amsterdam Enterprise Court ordered the suspension of Wingtech laminitis Zhang Xuezheng arsenic Nexperia's CEO and stripped Wingtech of ⁠control implicit Nexperia's shares citing "well-founded reasons to ‌doubt" the institution was being managed correctly.

At Wednesday's hearing, the archetypal successful public, judges volition perceive arguments connected whether they should present bid a afloat probe into allegations ‍of mismanagement made by elder European executives astatine Nexperia, oregon whether the earlier moves should beryllium reversed. A determination volition travel astatine a day to beryllium acceptable later.

WINGTECH TO CITE CUSTOMERS, OPPORTUNITIES IN CHINA

In siding with Nexperia's European executives previously, ​judges said that Zhang mightiness person had a struggle of involvement owed to his ownership of a ‌factory successful Shanghai that sold wafers to Nexperia, and that helium and Wingtech had not made governance changes needed to forestall Nexperia from being placed connected a U.S. blacklist.

Wingtech Chair Ruby Yang said successful a connection connected Tuesday the institution could lone beryllium saved if the measures were reversed. Wingtech is expected to reason successful tribunal that Zhang's plans for Nexperia made consciousness for a subsidiary of a Chinese institution that has important sales, ⁠customers, and maturation opportunities successful China, the world's largest car ​market.

Zhang is not expected to look successful person, but his lawyers ​will respond. The Dutch authorities is expected to enactment Nexperia.

The U.S., Dutch and Chinese governments each imposed and aboriginal retracted measures affecting Nexperia successful 2025, citing their geopolitical and ‍strategic interests.

Nexperia, which made $331 cardinal ⁠in nett connected $2.06 cardinal successful income successful 2024, is present breaking into 2 smaller companies arsenic its customers scramble for alternate spot suppliers.

The Dutch institution stopped shipping wafers to China successful October, citing ⁠nonpayment, and plans to walk $300 cardinal to summation packaging capableness successful Malaysia to proviso non-Chinese customers.