Nvidia's acquisition of Silex is a typical example of how China has sought out and acquired key technologies to become a world-class manufacturer of computer chips.
In 2015, NavTech, a private Chinese company, acquired Silex Microsystems, a Swedish company, giving it the know-how to make accelerometers, gyroscopes and other tiny sensors. It was not widely reported at the time.
Navitech specializes in developing navigation technologies for aerospace, satellite and defense applications. Shortly after acquiring Silex, nv announced it would build a $300m plant in Beijing "on the back of Silex" microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Chips are increasingly at the heart of everything from mobile phones and medical devices to self-driving cars, and MEMS is the component embedded in the chip.