Taiwan: TSMC reveals signs of leaking trade secrets

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest contract semiconductor manufacturer, reported suspicious activity inside the company, which may indicate a possible leak of critical commercial information. According to the official position, the company has already initiated both disciplinary measures and legal procedures against those involved.

TSMC emphasizes that it adheres to a zero tolerance policy for actions that threaten the protection of intellectual property and strategic interests. The management stated its intention to stop such violations with maximum severity and bring the proceedings to an end within the framework of the current legislation.

The semiconductor industry, which plays a central role in shaping the digital economy, has become a key element of global competition. Chips are used in the production of electronics, artificial intelligence systems, military technologies and critical infrastructure, and technological superiority in this area is increasingly becoming a matter of national security. TSMC, which is headquartered in Taiwan, has a dominant position in the global chip manufacturing market, supplying products to tech giants such as Apple and Nvidia.

The company said that due to an effective internal monitoring system, suspicious activity was detected at an early stage. At the same time, a complex of internal investigations was launched. TSMC does not disclose details, referring to the fact that the case was transferred to the courts.

Some sources point to the possible involvement of several former employees who allegedly tried to gain access to internal information about the development and production of chips using the 2-nm process technology — one of the most advanced areas in modern microelectronics. Despite the public interest, the company has not yet commented on this information.

TSMC's internal database includes over 200 thousand registered trade secret objects and technologies. This makes the company one of the most protected intellectual innovation ecosystems in the world, but also one of the most vulnerable to targeted corporate espionage attempts.

TSMC has already encountered similar incidents. In 2018, a former employee in Taiwan was charged with attempting to pass information about a 28-nm manufacturing process to a competitor in mainland China. In 2023, a similar situation occurred with a Dutch manufacturer of lithographic equipment: then there was also an attempt to illegally access protected technological data by an employee in China.

Increased attention to data protection and strict control over compliance with competition standards are becoming for technology corporations not just a matter of internal management, but a factor of national and international importance. In the context of global digital transformation, vulnerabilities in this area are becoming a strategic challenge that requires a coordinated response at the level of companies, regulators and international organizations.