Nexperia sues Wingtech and its founder, demanding compensation for damages

Nov 3 (Reuters) - Dutch chipmaker Nexperia has launched legal proceedings at a Dutch court against its Chinese owner Wingtech and the company's founder Zhang Xuezheng, it said on Tuesday.

"The proceedings seek to hold the defendants accountable for actions that Nexperia believes have caused significant harm to the company and its business. Nexperia is seeking compensation for the resulting damages," the company said in a statement.

Wingtech said it rejected all allegations and the joint damages of $2 billion it said Nexperia sought.

According to Wingtech, the Dutch arm of Nexperia alleges that Nexperia China and Nexperia Shanghai breached internal agreements with the Dutch company and should compensate it for related losses.

It also said the Dutch company claims the defendants built an independent China supply chain that interfered with its operations and created direct competition, constituting unfair commercial conduct under Dutch law.

Wingtech said it would hire overseas legal counsel and actively defend the case if it is formally served and accepted by the court, which it said had not happened.

Nexperia, an important maker of simple chips that are widely used in the automotive and consumer electronics industries, did not detail the amount of damages it was seeking in its statement.

Its ongoing dispute with Wingtech was triggered by a September 2025 intervention ​by the ​Dutch state, which ⁠it said was aimed at preventing the company from moving operations to China.

Beijing retaliated by ​temporarily banning exports of the company's chips, ​which were ⁠packaged in Dongguan, sparking chip shortages for carmakers.

That has eased after the governments reversed their moves, but the company remains fractured ⁠along ​national lines, and a Dutch court has ​stripped Wingtech of control.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer and Toby Sterling in Amsterdam, Shi Bu in Beijing; Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout and Jan Harvey)