Chipmaker TSMC says he has discovered potential trade secrets

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing CoS On Tuesday, he said he had discovered “unauthorized activities” that lead to the discovery of potential leaks of trade secret.

The largest manufacturer of semiconductors in the world told the CNBC that it has taken “strict” disciplinary action against the participating staff and that it has also launched court proceedings.

“TSMC maintains a zero tolerance policy for any actions that compromise the protection of trade secrets or harm the interests of the company,” the company said.

“Such violations are strictly considered and pursued to the largest extent of the law. We remain committed to protecting our basic competitiveness and shared interests of all our employees.”

Semiconductors have grown in strategic importance in recent years as they have become the key pillar in the boom in models and applications of artificial intelligence. The growing geopolitical tension has put the spotlight on the competitive technological advantages of large companies in the chip supply chain such as TSMC and other leaders throughout the board.

TSMC, based in Taiwan, dominates the market for the world’s most modern chips and counts large technology giants, including Apple and Nvidia as customers.

As the case is now under a court review, TSMC is unable to provide additional information, the company said.

TSMC identifies the problem early because of its “comprehensive and stable monitoring mechanisms,” the company said, adding that SWIFT internal investigations.

NicknameReferring to numerous sources familiar with the question, they said on Tuesday that several former TSMC employees are suspected of trying to obtain critical information about the development and production of chips 2 nanometer while they are still working in the company.

The production of the 2-nanometer chip is one of the leading processes of edges production in the semiconductor industry at the moment. TSMC said there was no additional information to share when requested by CNBC about the Nikkei report.

As a leading global chip manufacturer, TSMC has an intellectual property treasure. On its own account, the company had previously had said It has over 200,000 trade secrets recorded in its internal system.

It is not the first time TSMC is the goal of potential theft. In 2018, a Taiwanese court accused a former employee of copying trade secrets related to the production process of 28 nanometers, intending to transfer them to a semiconductor company in continental China.

In 2023, ASMLwho makes machines needed to produce the most modern chips said he had discovered that a former employee in China had misappropriation related to its own technology.