Apple And Nvidia’s Chipmaker TSMC Fired Ex Staff For Leaking Next-Gen AI Chip Secrets

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s largest chipmaker with clientele such as Apple and Nvidia, recently discovered potential trade secret leaks. On Tuesday, the company stated that it has detected “unauthorized activities” during its internal investigation.

Per CNBC, the Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer took strict disciplinary actions against the perpetrators. TSMC has launched legal proceedings against the former staff.

The company in its statement remarked, “TSMC maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward any actions that compromise the protection of trade secrets or harm the company’s interests.” It further added, “Such violations are dealt with strictly and pursued to the fullest extent of the law. We remain committed to safeguarding our core competitiveness and the shared interests of all our employees.”

As cited by CNBC, quoting Nikkei Asia, the Taiwanese tech giant’s former employees allegedly attempted to obtain information on 2 nm chips that will potentially be used in the next generation of Apple products.

The matter is now being probed as a matter of national security.

Founded in 1987, TSMC’s majority shareholder is the Taiwanese government. Some of the major customers of the semiconductor foundry include Apple, AMD, Qualcomm, Nvidia, and others. Even rivals like Intel outsource some of its component manufacturing to TSMC.

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Cover: Patrick Gawande / Mashable India