【Epoch Times News, August 5, 2025】Japanese media reported that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the leading semiconductor manufacturer, faced an incident where employees were found to have illegally obtained 2-nanometer process technology. TSMC stated that severe disciplinary actions had been taken against the involved employees and legal actions had been initiated.
According to Nikkei Asia, there was a suspected leak of technology at TSMC, where several former employees were allegedly involved in obtaining the 2-nanometer process technology illegally during their tenure. These employees have been dismissed by TSMC and are being pursued legally.
TSMC disclosed that recent routine monitoring had detected irregular conduct, leading to an internal investigation that revealed a breach of trade secrets. Due to stringent monitoring mechanisms established by TSMC, the breach was identified early on.
TSMC emphasized that strict penalties had been imposed on the individuals involved, with related legal actions taken. As the case is now under judicial proceedings, detailed explanations are inconvenient at this time.
The company asserted a zero-tolerance policy towards any actions violating company trade secret protection and harming its interests, promising thorough investigation and accountability.
Dedicated to safeguarding the core competitiveness of the company and the collective interests of all employees, TSMC pledged to enhance internal management and monitoring mechanisms continually. Collaboration with relevant law enforcement agencies would be sought when necessary to ensure the company’s competitive advantage and operational stability.
Taiwan’s High Prosecutors Office, Intellectual Property Prosecutors Division, announced today (August 5) that they had handled a case involving the illegal acquisition of TSMC’s national core critical technology secrets between July 25 and 28.
The Intellectual Property Prosecutors Division stated that TSMC had proactively detected anomalies in employee file access. Subsequent internal investigations at TSMC led to the suspicion of illegal acquisition of the company’s national core critical technology secrets by former and current employees, prompting them to file a complaint. The case was then assigned to the New Taipei City Investigation Station and Information Security Workstation of the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau for further handling.
The Intellectual Property Prosecutors Division conducted interviews with relevant witnesses and gathered necessary evidence during the July 25-28 period. Several defendants, including Chen, were interrogated and had their residences searched. Chen and two others were deemed to have significant suspicion of violating the National Security Act, leading to the prosecutors’ successful application for detention and restricted visits.
The Intellectual Property Prosecutors Division assured a thorough investigation into the motives and objectives of the defendants in unlawfully obtaining TSMC’s national core critical technology secrets, with efforts to determine if any further leakage of secrets occurred. Depending on the severity of the defendants’ crimes and the damage to TSMC, rigorous prosecution would be pursued, collaborating closely with the industry to protect national core critical technology secrets and uphold Taiwan’s international industrial competitiveness.