Netherlands May Drop Control of Nexperia If China Resumes Chip Exports

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The Dutch government is reportedly prepared to end its control over Nexperia if China resumes exports of the company’s chips, potentially easing tensions that have rattled global supply chains, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.

Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg said authorities in the Netherlands could suspend the ministerial order as soon as next week, provided shipments from China resume and are verified. The order, imposed on September 30, gave The Hague temporary veto powers over Nexperia’s corporate decisions amid concerns about Chinese influence over the semiconductor maker.

Dutch Economy Minister Vincent Karremans said on Thursday he expected Nexperia chips to reach European and global customers “in the coming days.” He added that the government would “support these developments, and take appropriate steps where necessary.”

A spokesperson for Karremans declined to clarify whether those steps could include lifting the intervention, which was initially designed to safeguard Dutch strategic interests in the semiconductor sector.

The dispute erupted after the Chinese government blocked exports of Nexperia’s products from the country in early October, following the Dutch seizure of control. The move sparked a global shortage of Nexperia chips, which are widely used in automotive, industrial, computing, and consumer electronics.

The disruption forced several European carmakers to scale back production and furlough workers. Industry analysts say restoring chip flows is critical to stabilizing supply chains and preventing further economic fallout.

Nexperia, which was acquired by China’s Wingtech Technology, has yet to comment on the Dutch government’s latest position.

Samsung Electronics Appoints New Head of Key Business Support Office

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Samsung Electronics has appointed HK Park as the new head of its Business Support Office, the company’s central decision-making body that serves as a key coordination hub for chairman Jay Y. Lee and Samsung Group’s vast network of affiliates.

The unit, recently upgraded from a task force into a full-fledged office, functions as a strategic control tower across South Korea’s largest conglomerate, whose businesses span semiconductors, smartphones, shipbuilding, and pharmaceuticals.

Park, a former chief financial officer (CFO) at Samsung Electronics, joined the Business Support Task Force a year ago before being promoted to lead it. His appointment marks the first major leadership reshuffle since the office’s formation, following Samsung’s 2017 decision to dissolve its previous corporate nerve center after it became embroiled in a high-profile graft scandal.

Park replaces Chung Hyun-ho, who will now serve as an advisor to Chairman Jay Y. Lee. According to Samsung, Vice Chairman Chung, 65, “expressed his intention to step down from management to focus on nurturing future leaders, as Samsung’s business has been back on track.”

The company also said it has no plans to expand personnel at the Business Support Office at this time.

The leadership change underscores Samsung’s efforts to streamline its internal governance while maintaining close coordination across its many divisions — from memory chips and displays to consumer electronics — at a time of intense global competition and rapid AI-driven transformation.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says No Plans to Sell Blackwell AI Chips to China

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on Friday that there are “no active discussions” about selling the company’s cutting-edge Blackwell AI chips to China, pushing back on speculation that a U.S.–China deal could soon allow limited exports.

The Blackwell processor, Nvidia’s most powerful chip for artificial intelligence applications, is currently banned from sale in China under U.S. export restrictions introduced by the Trump administration. Washington fears the hardware could accelerate Beijing’s military and AI capabilities.

“There are no plans to ship anything to China right now,” Huang told reporters during a visit to Tainan, Taiwan, where he attended a TSMC company event. “It’s up to China when they would like Nvidia products to go back to serve the Chinese market,” he added, implying that Beijing’s own policies are a barrier to reentry.

Rumors of a possible diplomatic breakthrough emerged last week when U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in South Korea, but no agreement has materialized.

Nvidia is still allowed to sell its H20 chips, a downgraded model tailored for the Chinese market, but Huang said China’s stance has left Nvidia’s market share for advanced AI chips at zero.

Asked about Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s plan to build a semiconductor fabrication plant, Huang noted that “building advanced manufacturing like TSMC does is extremely hard,” but added that demand for such technology remains enormous.

Huang also clarified remarks reported by the Financial Times, denying that he had said China would win the AI race. “What I said was that China has very good AI technology,” he explained. “They have many AI researchers. The United States just has to move very, very fast because the world is competitive.”

The comments underscore Nvidia’s delicate position between U.S. export controls and China’s growing AI ecosystem, even as global demand for its chips remains red-hot.