Aug 6 - TSMC faces a significant leak: multiple employees allegedly stole trade secrets of its cutting-edge 2nm chip process. The company has fired the staff, launched legal action, and the ex-employees may face criminal charges.
TSMC's 2nm technology, its most advanced, is set for mass production in H2 2025, to power Apple's iPhone 18 series A20 chips. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts it could cover all iPhone 18 models.
Nikkei Asia reports TSMC detected unusual access via monitoring, leading to the leak probe. Internal investigation found 9 involved: 3 2nm trial production staff took photos with phones, leaking data to Tokyo Electron employees (since fired); 6 R&D center staff were transferred for providing related info. Tokyo Electron, the world's 4th-largest semiconductor equipment firm and a shareholder of Japan's Rapidus (which started 2nm trial production), is linked.
TSMC stated zero tolerance for leaks, vowing legal pursuit to protect core competitiveness. Details of stolen info are undisclosed but are surmised to relate to 2nm process, not Apple's A20 specifics.
ICgoodFind: This incident is impactful, potentially shaking semiconductor industry competition.
