Harvard China College Forum Insight | Wing Zhang, Chairman of Nexperia, Shares Global Perspectives on AI-Era Opportunities
April 11, 2025-- From April 4 to 6, the 28th Harvard China College Forum was successfully held. Wing Zhang, Chairman and CEO of Nexperia, was invited to attend and delivered insightful remarks at the sub-forum titled "Transformation and Future in the Intelligent Age." Together with other industry leaders, he elaborated on topics such as globalization, technological evolution, and social responsibility, sharing the practical experience and forward-looking vision of a century-old semiconductor company in its global development.
Nexperia: A Century of History and Global Footprint
As a global leader in power semiconductors, Nexperia traces its history back to 1920, starting with vacuum tubes and evolving through multiple industrial revolutions to build a century of technological heritage. In 2019, Wing led the acquisition of Nexperia, marking a new chapter in its development. This deal remains the largest cross-border M&A in China’s semiconductor industry and a benchmark for global collaboration.
Nexperia is not just a company with a hundred years of history—it is a truly global enterprise, Wing emphasized. Today, Nexperia serves 25,000 customers worldwide, employs 12,500 people across the globe. Its headquarters is located in the Netherlands, and its manufacturing spans Europe and Asia. Nexperia has a leading production scale globally, with an annual production volume of over 100 billion units.
Post-Acquisition Integration: Respecting Differences, Institutional First
When talking about integrating a century-old European semiconductor company, Wing shared his management philosophy. During the initial phase, amid global travel restrictions, the company ensured stability through digital collaboration. By 2022, in-person operations resumed, strengthening the coordination across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
Addressing the question of whether Eastern culture would replace European traditions, Wing stated: "Corporate governance cannot rely on a single culture. It requires scientific management models, shareholder principles, and listed-company regulations." This approach ensured seamless global operations.
Thanks to successful integration, Nexperia has continued to develop steadily despite multiple external challenges. From the start of its integration work in 2020 to the third quarter of 2024, the company has achieved a profit of 10.5 billion yuan (about US$1.5 billion) over the four years, demonstrating resilience even during semiconductor downturns.
Technological Evolution Driving Industry Transformation: Power semiconductors empower the future.
Nexperia's product portfolio cover the fields of power devices, analog devices, and protection devices. These small yet crucial components are widely used in various electronic designs around the world.
At the forum, Wing highlighted how technology spurs demand. While a traditional car uses ~10 Nexperia chips, an electric vehicle requires over 1,000 chips, and future AI-powered cars may need 10,000 chips. Each technological leap brings exponential demand growth, driving both economic value and human progress," he noted.
The rise of AI has unlocked the new opportunities for power semiconductors. Nexperia’s solutions are vital for data centers, UPS systems, and power conversion modules, enabling energy-efficient AI infrastructure
For end products, Nexperia offers high-efficiency power management ICs (PMICs). Wing showcased an energy-harvesting PMIC in a compact 4mm×4mm package, extending battery life for wearables and IoT devices while reducing costs and environmental impact.
Seizing opportunities in challenges, becoming a key force in the new phase of globalization.
Amid geopolitical complexities, Wing stressed that "The semiconductor industry is inherently global—no anti-globalization trend can change this reality. While regional differences exist, the long-term trajectory of human civilization remains rooted in collaboration and progress.
Nexperia places great emphasis on its adaptability to changes in the industrial landscape. It always participates in strategic planning in various regions with a spirit of win-win cooperation, seizes opportunities in challenges, and jointly promotes industry development with the global industrial chain.
As a responsible global enterprise, Nexperia has embedded ESG into its core strategy. Wing announced the company’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2035, contributing to climate and environmental sustainability.
Moving forward, Nexperia will adhere to its globalization strategy, continue to its global collaboration, delivering higher-performance, more efficient products to drive the industry toward a high-efficient, greener and a sustainable future.