"On October 9th, car manufacturers and suppliers received a notification from Nexperia describing a sequence of events that would make it impossible for the company to fully guarantee the supply of its microchips to the automotive supply chain any longer."

Nexperia is a major global supplier of semiconductors, which are frequently used in electronic control units of vehicle electronic systems, for example, but are also relevant to other industries.

The situation could lead to significant production restrictions, possibly even production stoppages, in the near future if the supply disruption of Nexperia microchips cannot be resolved in the short term.

Therefore, the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) is working to provide the best possible support to the sector in this situation. There is a shared interest throughout the entire supply chain to utilize existing stocks of Nexperia semiconductor products in such a way as to ensure that vehicles can be manufactured for as long as possible and production stoppages are avoided.

To avoid or mitigate possible negative consequences, the VDA intends to set up a temporary information platform through a neutral third party, via which available Nexperia microchip capacities can be offered.

Compliance with antitrust regulations is of the highest priority for the VDA and its members. In order to offer companies in the automotive industry a secure means of exchanging information about their stocks of Nexperia semiconductors, the VDA informed the Federal Cartel Office at an early stage and requested an indication in the form of a so-called chairman's letter.

According to the Federal Cartel Office, the portal would benefit not only industry but also end consumers. Due to the specific design of the project, the Cartel Office also has 'no fundamental antitrust concerns.' Offers are posted anonymously and without price information, expressions of interest are forwarded bilaterally to the provider, and negotiations between provider and interested party take place outside the information exchange.

Preparations for the information exchange are largely complete."