Ampleon no longer has Chinese nationals on its executive board or supervisory board, het Financieele Dagblad reports (link in Dutch). The move follows governance changes introduced after concerns over potential technology transfer to China, although the Nijmegen-based RF chip specialist declined to comment on a potential connection between the department of Chinese leaders and the governance changes.
Ampleon amended its articles of association last year after discussions involving the Dutch government and a legal dispute between management and the Chinese owner about concerns that strategic semiconductor knowledge could leak to China. The new rules require a two-thirds supervisory board majority to approve moving R&D activities outside the Netherlands and stipulate that most supervisory board members must be independent of the shareholder.
The Dutch chip firm owned by China’s Wuxi Xichanweixin Semiconductor confirmed the departure of executive Jiaqi Wang, leaving CEO Dave Hartskeerl as its sole statutory director. With the nomination of Xichanweixin CEO Kim Joo Wong to join the supervisory board, however, the link with the parent company is set to be re-established.
The developments at Ampleon come amid heightened scrutiny of Chinese-owned technology companies in the Netherlands following the government’s intervention in Nexperia. In recent years, Dutch authorities have taken a more active role in assessing foreign ownership of strategically important semiconductor businesses, citing concerns over economic security, sensitive technology and supply chain resilience. That shift has increased pressure on Chinese-owned firms to demonstrate robust governance, safeguard R&D activities in the Netherlands and reassure policymakers that critical know-how won’t be transferred abroad.
In 2024, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs introduced additional conditions to a National Growth Fund (NGF) project for 6G mobile networks. That move followed the revelation that Ampleon, one of the project’s partners, has been silently acquired by Xichanweixin Semiconductor.
