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☆ Netherlands to allow takeover of chip startup Nowi by Chinese-owned Nexperia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The Dutch government on Monday said that, after an assessment, it won't block Chinese-owned Nexperia's acquisition of Delft-based start-up Nowi. "There are no legal objections to the acquisition of Nowi by Nexperia," Economic Affairs Minister Micky Adriaansens said in a letter to parliament. Nexperia, owned by China's Wingtech (600745.SS), bought Nowi, which has around 40 employees, for an undisclosed sum in 2022. But the Dutch government decided to vet the deal retroactively in May 2023 after it established a new office to review foreign takeovers of potentially sensitive technologies. Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Jan Harvey and Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Micky Adriaansens, China's Wingtech, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Jan Harvey, Mark Porter Organizations: Economic, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Delft

☆ China opposes UK's 'discriminatory actions' against China-linked deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING/LONDON, July 12 (Reuters) - China firmly opposes what it called the British government's "discriminatory actions" against Chinese firms, the country's embassy in the UK said after London intervened in Chinese-linked takeovers eight times in the last year. The British government said in a report that it had blocked or imposed conditions on eight transactions involving China-linked investment in domestic companies under its National Security and Investment Act in the last year. "We strongly urge the British side to stop its unreasonable suppression of Chinese enterprises and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for them," the Chinese embassy in London said on Wednesday. In November Britain ordered Chinese-owned technology company Nexperia to sell at least 86% of Britain's biggest microchip factory, Newport Wafer Fab, following a national security assessment under the law. Britain is attempting something of a reset of relations with China, working together on areas of agreement while balancing national security concerns.

Persons: Ella Cao, Ethan Wang, Bernard Orr, Alistair Smout, Andrew MacAskill, Kate Holton Organizations: London, National Security and Investment, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, LONDON, China, London, Britain, Newport, Beijing

☆ Wingtech-owned Nexperia denied German subsidy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, June 8 (Reuters) - Computer chip maker Nexperia, which is headquartered in the Netherlands and owned by a Chinese company, has been denied a request for a subsidy in Germany. A spokesperson for Nexperia, based in Nijmegen, Netherlands, and owned by China's Wingtech (600745.SS), said the company had not been given an explanation for the rejection. Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad initially reported the news, citing a European Commission document. Nexperia has had several plans for projects in Europe disrupted by government concerns in the past year over its Chinese ownership. Nexperia is the former Standard Products division of chipmaker NXP (NXPI.O), spun off in 2016 and acquired by Wingtech in 2018.

Persons: China's Wingtech, Nexperia, chipmaker, Toby Sterling, Leslie Adler, Mark Porter Organizations: European, British, Standard Products, Wingtech, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Germany, Nijmegen , Netherlands, Europe, Delft, Newport , Wales

☆ German firms to receive 4 bln euros through EU microelectronics push
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, June 8 (Reuters) - Over 30 microelectronics projects in Germany will receive about 4 billion euros ($4.29 billion) in funding after the European Commission approved a support scheme for such technologies, the German Economy Ministry said on Thursday. "The 31 microelectronics projects from 11 federal states strengthen Germany as a microelectronics location across the board and are an important industrial policy milestone," said Economy Minister Robert Habeck. A document provided by the German economy ministry showed Infineon (IFXGn.DE), Elmos Semiconductor (ELGG.DE) and Robert Bosch [RIC:RIC:ROBG.UL] among the companies to receive funds. The economy ministry did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on the report. ($1 = 0.9316 euros)Reporting by Miranda Murray Writing by Rachel More Editing by Madeline ChambersOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Robert Habeck, Robert Bosch, Habeck, Miranda Murray, Rachel More, Madeline Chambers Organizations: European Commission, German Economy Ministry, European, Infineon, Elmos Semiconductor, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, German, Hamburg, Netherlands

Hong Kong CNN —Europe’s biggest producer of advanced chipmaking technology has joined the United States in its escalating standoff with China. Japan has also been involved in three-way discussions with the Netherlands and the United States, a source familiar with the talks told CNN. China said Thursday it “firmly opposes” the Netherlands’ upcoming curbs, which come just months after the United States restricted sales of some semiconductor machinery to Beijing. He accused Western countries led by the United States of trying to “contain” and “suppress” China. European battlegroundThe announcement of the Netherlands’ export restrictions, the details of which are expected to be confirmed before the summer, isn’t the first time the US-China tech rivalry spilled over into Europe.

☆ British lawmakers say business at risk from lack of chip support
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Britain must support its semiconductor industry to win inward investment and secure supplies of the chips essential to its industrial and economic prospects, a group of lawmakers said. Spurred by a global shortage, governments in the United States and Europe have ploughed tens of billions of dollars into semiconductors, including building new manufacturing "fabs". "The government is putting UK plc at significant risk by failing to take action in support of the semiconductor industry," said Darren Jones, chair of the business, energy and industrial strategy committee. The committee said Britain should cooperate with the United States under its CHIPS act, and engage with Taiwan, which is the world's biggest manufacturer of advanced chips. The lawmakers said while Britain's semiconductor industry was relatively small, it had world-leading capabilities in fields such as design, intellectual property and compound and advanced material semiconductors.

☆ Nexperia and Elmos cases show how the US-China chip war is spilling over to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Last week, the new owner of Britain’s biggest chipmaker was ordered to unwind its takeover, just days after another chip factory sale was blocked in Germany. “These decisions mark a shift towards tougher stances regarding Chinese investment in critical industries in Europe,” said Xiaomeng Lu, director of geo‑technology at Eurasia Group. A worker in a clean room for silicon semiconductor wafer manufacturing at the Newport Wafer Fab, owned by Nexperia, in Newport, Wales on Aug. 18. A company sign of Elmos Semiconductor, seen on Nov. 9 in the German city of Dortmund. Both Britain and Germany have recently added rules that expand government oversight over such decisions, making outcomes harder to predict.

☆ U.K. Orders Chinese-Owned Company to Unwind Chip-Factory Deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Alistair Macdonald | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Newport Wafer sits in the middle of the semiconductor supply chain that transforms logs of silicon into circular wafers that eventually get cut into chips. The U.K. government said a Chinese-owned company must unwind its acquisition of a British computer-chip factory more than a year after the takeover was completed, saying the deal posed a risk to national security. In a decision published late Wednesday, the U.K. ordered Nexperia BV—a Dutch subsidiary of China’s Wingtech Technology Co.—to sell at least 86% of Newport Wafer Fab , a manufacturing facility in Wales.

☆ Nexperia-Newport Wafer: UK orders Chinese-owned company to sell Britain's biggest chipmaker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN Business —The UK government has ordered a Chinese-owned company to unwind its takeover of Britain’s biggest chipmaker, citing national security concerns. Last week, the German government blocked the sale of a semiconductor factory to a Chinese-owned tech firm, citing national security concerns. “Nexperia does not accept the potential national security concerns raised,” it said. Newport Wafer bills itself as the UK’s largest semiconductor facility, making more than 35,000 wafer starts a month. It obtained full ownership of the Newport site in July 2021, after previously working with its former owners as a customer and as its second largest shareholder.

☆ No China is no fix for Britain’s industrial woes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The British government has blocked the sale of a silicon wafer factory in Wales to a subsidiary of China’s Wingtech Technology (600745.SS). It’s a sign of the growing wariness among western governments of the risks involved in Chinese investment. The decision to force Netherlands-based Nexperia to sell most of its stake in the Newport Wafer Fab business isn’t illogical. The plant makes basic silicon wafers, used in chips for switches in domestic appliances such as vacuum cleaners. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ UK orders sale of microchip factory by China's Nexperia, citing national security
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The British government on Wednesday ordered Chinese-owned technology company Nexperia to sell at least 86% of Britain's biggest microchip factory, Newport Wafer Fab, following a national security assessment. But where we identify a risk to national security we will act decisively," Business Minister Grant Shapps said on Twitter. Nexperia, which is headquartered in the Netherlands, said it did not accept the national security concerns raised and that two previous security reviews had found no national security concerns that would give reason to block the acquisition. The government said Nexperia took its shareholding in Newport Wafer fab to 100% in July 2021 when it gained an additional 86% of the company's share capital. "The Secretary of State considers that the final order is necessary and proportionate to mitigate the risk to national security," the order said.

☆ Chinese takeover of the UK's biggest chip plant blocked on national security grounds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The global chip shortage will continue, and consumers will have to pay for it, an analyst from the International Data Corporation said. The U.K. government has blocked the takeover of the country's largest microchip factory by a Chinese-owned firm over concerns it may undermine national security. Nexperia is based in the Netherlands but owned by Wingtech , a partially Chinese state-backed company listed in Shanghai. Nexperia completed its acquisition of Newport Wafer Fab in 2021, and the firm subsequently changed its name to Nexperia Newport Limited, or NNL. Nexperia had initially owned 14% of Newport Wafer Fab, but in July 2021 it upped its stake to 100%.

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