Dutch court hears battle for control of chipmaker Nexperia

A Dutch court is hearing a high-stakes dispute today that has cleaved a major chipmaker and threatened critical automotive supply lines. Managers of Nexperia’s European unit and its Chinese owner, Wingtech Technology Co. Ltd., are contesting control of the Nijmegen-based semiconductor group before the Amsterdam Enterprise Chamber, with the tribunal considering whether to open a formal investigation and whether interim measures should remain in place.

The case stems from measures imposed by Dutch authorities in late 2025 that removed day-to-day control from Wingtech and placed Nexperia’s European operations under court-appointed trustees. Those measures included the suspension of founder Zhang Xuezheng as chief executive and a trusteeship that has effectively split the company’s European and Chinese activities. Trustees have since run the Nijmegen business while Wingtech has appealed portions of the rulings to the Dutch Supreme Court.

At issue are allegations that Wingtech improperly transferred technology from Europe to China and diverted company resources to affiliated entities, claims set out in the court action that prompted the interim measures. Wingtech denies wrongdoing and has pushed back against the trusteeship, arguing that the interventions have damaged Nexperia. The company also accuses local managers of seeking Dutch government help "for personal gain." Legal filings indicate Wingtech has pursued counterclaims seeking as much as $8 billion in damages.

Operational frictions have been immediate and severe. Nexperia’s large Guangdong manufacturing site, which has been reported to have capacity for more than 50 billion units a year—roughly half the group’s pre-crisis production—stopped cooperating with the Netherlands-based parent after the October measures, including halting wafer shipments to Europe. That breakdown has heightened concern across automotive and electronics supply chains, because Nexperia produces legacy semiconductors widely used in cars and consumer devices.

Economists and industry executives describe the standoff as a test case for how Europe balances commercial law, national security concerns and the integrity of cross-border supply chains. The trusteeship and the broader dispute reflect growing scrutiny of foreign ownership and transfers of industrial know-how; observers say the case could set precedent for how courts weigh shareholder rights against allegations of technology transfer and governance failure.

Today’s hearing focuses on whether the Enterprise Chamber should open a full investigation into Nexperia’s management. If the court orders a probe, trustees are likely to remain in charge of the Nijmegen operations for months or longer, prolonging the operational split with the Guangdong plant. If the tribunal declines to investigate or lifts the interim measures, Wingtech could recover shareholder rights and potentially restore full cooperation across the group’s factories.

For the automotive sector, the practical risk is immediate: constrained access to mature, high-volume chips can force production slowdowns or costly redesigns. For policymakers, the case raises questions about how far courts should go in reassigning corporate control when allegations of state-linked ownership and cross-border technology flows are involved. The Enterprise Chamber heard arguments from both sides today; a ruling was not expected immediately, leaving European carmakers and their suppliers to watch closely as legal and commercial outcomes remain uncertain.