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Received yesterday — 15 December 2025

Roomba Maker iRobot Files for Bankruptcy, With Chinese Supplier Taking Control

15 December 2025 at 13:40
Founded in 1990 by three M.I.T. researchers, iRobot introduced its vacuum in 2002. Its restructuring will turn the company over to its largest creditor.

© Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Roomba vacuums on display in California last year. The chief executive of iRobot said the company’s acquisition by its Chinese supplier would secure its “long-term future.”
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Trump Eases Limits on Nvidia Exports to China at ‘Critical Moment’

9 December 2025 at 12:08
President Trump said Nvidia can export some chips. But years of U.S. restrictions have propelled China to make everything it needs for advanced A.I.

© John G Mabanglo/EPA, via Shutterstock

Nvidia has argued that blocking access to its chips has only spurred Chinese companies to improve faster.

Europe’s Chip Dreams Confront Business Realities

19 November 2025 at 11:39
European chipmakers need TSMC’s help to grow their own semiconductor supply chain, but the chip giant’s Taiwanese suppliers find Europe a tough place to do business.

© Milan Bures for The New York Times

TSMC is teaming up with European chipmakers to build a factory near Dresden, Germany, as Europe’s need to make its own chips has grown more pressing.

The Small Company in Europe Caught in the Big Trade War Between the U.S. and China

16 October 2025 at 13:57
Nexperia, a computer chip maker based in the Netherlands, was taken over by the Dutch government after pressure from officials in Washington.

© Peter Dejong/Associated Press

The Dutch government took control of the Chinese-owned chip maker Nexperia on Sept. 30.

China’s Rare Earth Restrictions Aim to Beat U.S. at Its Own Game

16 October 2025 at 08:35
Beijing’s latest effort to weaponize global supply chains is modeled on the American technology controls that it has long criticized.

© Pool photo by Ken Ishii

President Trump has threatened to cancel a meeting with China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, who spoke at the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women in Beijing on Monday.
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