TSMC Rocked by Trade Secrets Scandal Tied to Next-Gen AI Chips

Yahoo

a day ago

Taiwan authorities have arrested six individuals tied to a suspected theft of core chipmaking technology from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (NYSE:TSM), a company that sits at the very center of the global tech supply chain. The arrests came after TSMC flagged former and current employees who may have illegally accessed sensitive information. Prosecutors searched homes from July 25 to 28, and the investigation now centers on whether any data may have leaked externally. TSMC said it caught the issue early through an internal probe, and has already begun legal and disciplinary action against those involved.
Several reports suggest the stakes may be tied to TSMC's upcoming 2-nanometer process node, which is expected to enter mass production later this year. The Nikkei reported that multiple employees were fired for allegedly attempting to extract critical technical details. Meanwhile, Taiwan investigators also searched the local office of Tokyo Electron, a key Japanese supplier. That development adds another layer of complexity, as global players double down on chip R&D just as generative AI demand puts semiconductor capabilities under a microscope.
For investors, the timing is hard to ignore. Capital expenditures in chipmaking are pushing past $30 billion annually for giants like TSMC and Samsung (SSNLF), while rivals in ChinaHuawei and SMICare still producing at 7nm. In the U.S., Intel is progressing on more advanced nodes. With companies like Meta and DeepSeek pouring billions into AI infrastructure, TSMC's ability to safeguard its IP may become just as important as delivering next-gen performance. What happens next could ripple across the entire AI supply chain.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus.