Anshi semiconductor's new progress! power semiconductor giant stalls, global automakers caught in chip war

In late September 2025, the Dutch government implemented asset freezing and governance intervention measures against Nexperia, a semiconductor company with Chinese investment, citing national security concerns, which triggered a chain reaction. In response, the Ministry of Commerce of China introduced export control measures, prohibiting Nexperia's subsidiaries and subcontractors within China from exporting specific finished components and parts.

As a global power semiconductor giant, the shutdown of Nexperia has impacted car manufacturers that rely on its chips, causing panic in Europe, the United States, and even Chinese car companies as they scramble to secure chips.

Zhuansu Shijie has

I. Latest Developments in the Nexperia Semiconductor Incident

The Nexperia incident began on September 30, 2025, when the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy issued a "ministerial order" to freeze the assets, intellectual property, and personnel adjustment rights of Nexperia's 30 global legal entities for one year, citing national security reasons. This move is seen as an extension of the U.S.-led "technology decoupling" strategy, as the day before, the U.S. had announced the "50% affiliation rule," expanding the scope of sanctions to include subsidiaries of entities listed on the Entity List—Nexperia's parent company, Wingtech Technology, was added to the Entity List by the U.S. in December 2024.

On October 1st, three foreign executives of Anshi (Chief Legal Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operating Officer) submitted an urgent application to the Amsterdam Enterprise Court, alleging corporate governance issues. On October 7th, the court ruled to suspend the board position of Zhang Xuezheng, the founder of Wingtech Technology, appointed an independent foreign director with decisive voting rights, and entrusted Anshi's shares held by Wingtech (except for one share) to a third party. The ruling was completed within seven days, a speed rare in the European and American judicial systems, and was criticized by the Chinese side as a "malicious takeover."

On October 4th, China's Ministry of Commerce issued an export control announcement, prohibiting Nexperia's subsidiaries and subcontractors in China from exporting specific finished components and modules, as a countermeasure against Dutch intervention. On October 12th, the Dutch government escalated measures, invoking the 1952 "Goods Availability Act" for the first time to implement an operational freeze on Nexperia's global business. On October 16th, Nexperia employees in China received notifications stating that salary payments were suspended and system access was frozen; however, Nexperia's headquarters in the Netherlands denied abandoning the Chinese market, calling the related accusations "incorrect."

On October 17, Nexperia sent a notice to customers on behalf of its Chinese employees, stating that the European management "abandoned" the Chinese market. The next day, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs expressed its willingness to negotiate with the Chinese side. On October 19, Nexperia China published an open letter titled "Nexperia China to All Employees" on its WeChat public account, emphasizing that the domestic company operates independently and that employees should follow the instructions of the domestic legal representative, with salaries being paid by the domestic entity. This letter was issued in both Chinese and English, bearing the company seal, underscoring its legal position.

Source of image: Nexperia

The open letter states: "Anshi Domestic Company is a Chinese enterprise that operates rooted in China and strategically looks globally, and it must abide by Chinese laws." Meanwhile, Wingtech Technology's statement condemns the Dutch government for "groundless reasons" and certain expatriate management's "power grab" actions. As of now, the Sino-Dutch consultations have yet to resolve core disputes such as the stagnation of salary payments and the marginalization of Chinese governance rights. Anshi China is initiating independent self-rescue efforts to fully ensure the supply to domestic customers.

2. Global Automakers Rush to Secure Chips

Abroad, BMW, Volkswagen, and Tesla are all core customers of Nexperia; domestically, most OEMs are also its clients. As the storm continues to brew, the global automotive industry is paying the price for the potential chip shortage.

1 European Automotive Industry: First and Foremost, Inventory Crisis

​Europe is a traditional market for Nexperia, with BMW, Volkswagen, Tesla, and other car manufacturers being its core customers. On October 10th, Nexperia issued a supply interruption warning to European car manufacturers, stating that it could not guarantee chip deliveries. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) warned that if the issue is not resolved immediately, the European automotive industry could face severe disruptions, potentially leading to production halts.

The Secretary General of the Association, Sigrid de Vries, stated: "The inventory can only last for a few weeks, and new supplier certification takes months." Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess personally pressured in The Hague, claiming that the factory is on the brink of shutting down; BMW and Mercedes-Benz are also in urgent communication.

Anshi has a manufacturing base in Hamburg, Germany, but 70% of its packaging capacity is located in Dongguan, China. The export controls from China have exacerbated the difficulties in the European supply chain.​

2The American Automobile Industry: Chain Reaction, Production Disrupted​​

John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (representing GM, Toyota, Ford, etc.), pointed out that disruptions in chip shipments will disrupt automotive production in the United States and many other countries, with spillover effects. Some automakers expect U.S. factories to be affected as early as November. Ford even threatened to hold the Dutch government accountable for compensation.

​​3 China's Automotive Industry: Short-term Control, Long-term Transformation​​

China is the largest market for Anshi Semiconductor, accounting for 48% of its revenue, and domestic packaging capacity accounts for 80%.

Anshi China announced that production and operations are normal, and salaries for the domestic team are paid by domestic entities. Chinese car companies have initiated emergency measures, such as urgent stockpiling and seeking alternative solutions.

Local manufacturers such as Silan Microelectronics and Yangjie Electronic Technology have seen a surge in orders, but the certification process for automotive-grade chips takes a long time. A procurement manager from an automotive company stated that this crisis has a limited impact on China due to the availability of numerous alternative solutions; however, the industry needs to accelerate the reflection on achieving full-chain independence and control.

The price of Nexperia chips has been driven up to 2-3 times the usual amount globally, causing panic in the market. This incident has exposed the automotive industry's reliance on a single supplier and the strategic value of basic chips.

3. Why has Nexperia become the eye of the storm?

Nexperia becoming the core of this international storm is not by chance.

The global power semiconductor giant, originally from Philips and headquartered in the Netherlands, has become a successful model for Chinese semiconductor expansion overseas after Wingtech Technology completed its acquisition of 100% equity. However, due to its Chinese capital background and strategic significance, it has also become a focal point in geopolitical games.

Nexperia is a key player in the global power semiconductor sector. According to ICwise statistics, Nexperia ranked third among the global top 10 power discrete device companies in 2023, only behind Infineon and ON Semiconductor. In 2024, it topped the global market share in several sub-sectors such as small signal MOSFETs, diodes and transistors, and ESD protection devices. By the first half of 2025, its market share for automotive-grade power MOSFETs stabilized at 14%.

The automotive industry's reliance on Nexperia is particularly severe. According to the first half of 2025 financial report of Wingtech Technology, the revenue of Nexperia mainly comes from the automotive sector, accounting for 59.86%. "Even a single missing diode can halt the entire automotive production line" has become a common understanding within the industry.

Anshi Semiconductor has established a unique global layout of "European technology core + Chinese production base + Chinese market hinterland". The R&D centers in the Netherlands and Germany firmly control the core design technology, while the factory in Dongguan, Guangdong, is responsible for 70% of the global packaging and testing capacity, with 80% of end products flowing to the Chinese market. The company has multiple R&D centers, wafer fabs, and assembly and testing plants worldwide. In Europe, it has two core manufacturing centers: the German manufacturing center focuses on the production of small signal devices and diodes, while the UK manufacturing center is the core production base for power MOSFETs. Additionally, Anshi Semiconductor has three assembly and testing plants globally, located in China, Malaysia, and the Philippines, forming an efficient and collaborative global production network. Its factory in Dongguan, Guangdong, as the world's largest production base for small signal components, has an annual output exceeding 50 billion units, providing a solid guarantee for the stability of the global supply chain and product delivery.

This deeply integrated global collaboration model was an advantage during the golden age of globalization, but it becomes a focal point of conflict when geopolitical tensions rise. Nexperia is regarded by Europe as a critical technological asset, while China views it as a successful example of semiconductor exportation. This dual identity is bound to cause conflicts when the political environment changes.

4. Conclusion

The Nexperia incident is a typical case of the interplay between geopolitics, legal battles, and supply chains. The latest developments show that the China-Netherlands game has reached a stalemate. Nexperia China is attempting to stabilize through independent operations, but the global automotive industry has already been shaken.

In the short term, European and American car manufacturers face the risk of production halts, while Chinese car manufacturers have stronger emergency capabilities. In the long term, the event will accelerate the restructuring of supply chains and the process of technological independence. The industry needs to learn lessons from the crisis, strengthen risk resilience, and promote fair collaboration. Otherwise, similar "black swan" events like Anshi may occur frequently, tearing apart the dividends of globalization.

Edited by: Lily
Sources: Elecfans, ifeng.com, Laoyaoba, China News Finance, ICwise, BusinessCars