Chipmaker TSMC says it has discovered potential trade secret leaks

Taiwan semiconductor production Co.. On Tuesday, he said he had detected “unauthorized activities” that led to the discovery of potential trade secret leaks.

He said that the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer CNBC has received a “solid” disciplinary penalty against the relevant personnel and has initiated legal procedures.

“TSMC continues a zero tolerance policy for any action that endangers the protection of commercial secrets or damages the interests of the company.” He said.

“Such violations are strictly handled and continue until the end of the law. We are determined to protect our basic competitiveness and the common interests of all our employees.”

Since semiconductors have become the main pillar of the explosion in artificial intelligence models and applications, it has gained strategic importance in recent years. Increased geopolitical tensions, like the TSMC and other leaders on the board of directors, drew attention to the competitive technological advantages of large companies in the chip supply chain.

TSMC, headquartered in Taiwan, counts the market and large technology giants for the production of the world’s most developed chips. Apple And Nvidia As customers.

Since the situation is currently under the judicial investigation, TSMC said it cannot provide any more information.

The TSMC problem set the problem early due to “comprehensive and solid monitoring mechanisms”.

Nikkei AsiaHe referred to more than one source familiar with the issue, and that several former employees of TSMC were suspected of trying to obtain critical information about the development and production of 2-nanometer chip while working in the company.

2-The production of the nanometer chip is currently among the leading production processes in the semiconductor industry. TSMC, CNBC when asked about the Nikkei report, he said he did not have additional information to be shared.

TSMC, the world’s leading chipset manufacturer, has an intellectual property treasure. According to his own account, the company before in question There are more than 200,000 commercial secrets recorded in the internal system.

TSMC is not for the first time when there is no potential theft target. In 2018, a Taiwanese court accused a former employee to copy the secretions of the 28-nanometer manufacturing process and intends to transfer them to a semiconductor company in the Chinese mainland.

In 2023, AsmlHe said that a former employee in China, who made the machines that make the machines needed to produce the most advanced chips, abused the registered technology.