Taiwan Semiconductor has discovered a risk of confidential leakage regarding its 2-nanometer chips and has dismissed multiple employees involved
Taiwan Semiconductor has discovered that its 2-nanometer chip-related trade secrets may have been leaked and has fired several employees involved. An internal investigation revealed that 9 people were implicated, with 3 being directly dismissed for photographing materials that were sent to Tokyo Electron (TEL), while the other 6 were reassigned for providing related materials. Taiwan Semiconductor stated that replicating its technology is difficult due to the complex technical know-how and long-term accumulated experience involved
According to the Zhitong Finance APP, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM.US) has discovered that there may be a leak of commercial secrets related to its advanced chip manufacturing technology and has taken corresponding measures against the employees deemed responsible. Taiwan Semiconductor stated in a declaration that the world's largest chip manufacturer conducted an internal investigation and "discovered" the issue "early on."
On Tuesday, Taiwan Semiconductor reportedly fired several employees suspected of attempting to obtain key proprietary information related to the development of 2-nanometer chips. This next-generation semiconductor process is set to enter mass production in the second half of this year and will ultimately power a wide range of devices, from smartphones to artificial intelligence accelerators.
The incident was uncovered by Taiwan Semiconductor's internal investigation, which found that nine individuals were involved. Among them, three were personnel from the 2-nanometer pilot production team who used their mobile phones to take a large amount of information that was passed on to employees of Tokyo Electron (TEL), resulting in immediate dismissal. The other six were personnel from the research and development center who provided information related to the 2-nanometer process and were reassigned to their original units. Tokyo Electron is a shareholder of the Japanese semiconductor manufacturer Rapidus, which has initiated pilot production of 2-nanometer process chips.
Currently, only Taiwan Semiconductor, Samsung, Intel (INTC.US), and Rapidus are actively developing cutting-edge 2-nanometer chip technology, while other chip manufacturers have gradually exited this competition.
The competition for dominance in the era of artificial intelligence has made advanced chips and memory a valuable resource. Investment in the chip manufacturing sector has reached an all-time high, with Taiwan Semiconductor and its main competitor Samsung Electronics each spending over $30 billion annually on capital expenditures, while other tech giants are also racing to develop the most advanced technologies.
Although commercial secrets may have been leaked, simply replicating them may not be easy. Previously, Taiwan Semiconductor's Chairman and CEO Wei Zhejia stated that replicating Taiwan Semiconductor's technology is very difficult because chip development involves complex technical know-how and the long-accumulated practical experience in production operations and technological research and development
