06.08.2025
2 min
481
In July 2025, Taiwanese authorities arrested three people — two current and one former TSMC employee — on suspicion of stealing the company’s technological secrets. The breach was discovered through internal monitoring, and it concerns a possible leak of top-secret data on the development of 2-nanometer chips.
According to an official statement from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office of Taiwan, the detainees are suspected of violating national security laws. TSMC, the world’s largest contract chip manufacturer and serving giants such as Apple, Nvidia and Qualcomm, confirmed the leak and announced the launch of legal proceedings.
The information was discovered thanks to “comprehensive and powerful monitoring mechanisms” that allowed for the prompt detection of unauthorized actions. As a result, TSMC took disciplinary measures and referred the case to court. The company has refrained from disclosing details due to the ongoing investigation.
Some media outlets, including Nikkei Asia, reported that critical information about the latest 2nm chip manufacturing technology, the most advanced in the industry in terms of energy efficiency and density, was leaked. In addition, the United Daily News mentioned that the offices of the Japanese company Tokyo Electron were searched during the investigation, but there has been no official comment on this matter yet.
TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) is a key player in the advanced chip market. Its technologies are the basis for products in the fields of artificial intelligence, mobile devices and supercomputers. The development of 2nm chips has become an important strategic step for the company against the backdrop of growing competition with the United States and China. In this context, any leak of know-how can cause not only economic damage, but also affect geopolitical stability.
The TSMC incident is not just a matter of corporate ethics, but also a signal of a growing cyber threat at the intersection of state interests and the technology industry. Given the strategic importance of 2nm technologies, further steps by Taiwan’s judicial and intelligence agencies will be closely monitored both at home and abroad. TSMC emphasizes zero tolerance for violations and readiness to act decisively.
