Key Facts
• August 5, 2025: Taiwan authorities detained three individuals for violating national security laws.
• The breach involved advanced semiconductor data with a circuit width of 2 nanometers.
• A former TSMC employee, now at Tokyo Electron, received the stolen information.
• Two TSMC employees accessed internal systems externally and shared data.
• The Tokyo Electron engineer photographed schematics and received printed documents.
• Tokyo Electron declined to comment on the incident.
• Reports suggest potential data leakage to Rapidus, a Japanese next-gen semiconductor firm.
• TSMC and Tokyo Electron maintain business ties, with Rapidus linked to Tokyo Electron.
• The two TSMC employees involved were dismissed from the company.
Summary
Taiwan authorities have detained three individuals, including a former TSMC employee now working at Tokyo Electron, over the illegal acquisition of TSMC’s confidential semiconductor data. The stolen information pertains to cutting-edge 2-nanometer circuit technology. Two TSMC employees accessed internal systems externally and shared the data with the Tokyo Electron engineer, who captured schematics via phone and received printed documents. Tokyo Electron has declined to comment, while reports suggest the data may have been leaked to Rapidus, a Japanese firm focused on next-generation semiconductor development. TSMC and Tokyo Electron maintain business relations, with Rapidus closely tied to Tokyo Electron. The two TSMC employees involved have been dismissed.
