<figure id="attachment_2945681" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2945681" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-2945681 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/fff4e958-9703479_1600x1000_1.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2945681" class="wp-caption-text">TSMC has been a massive beneficiary of the frenzy in artificial intelligence investment. (EPA Images pic)</figcaption></figure>
TAIPEI: Taiwanese chipmaking titan Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) said today it has filed a lawsuit against former executive Lo Wei-jen, alleging the &#8220;high probability&#8221; he has leaked trade secrets to his new employer, Intel.
Lo retired in July as senior vice-president of TSMC, the world&#8217;s biggest chipmaker, and joined rival Intel as &#8220;executive vice-president&#8221;, TSMC said in a statement.
TSMC said the case lodged in the intellectual property and commercial court was based on the terms of Lo&#8217;s employment contract, non-compete agreement and regulations such as the trade secrets act.
&#8220;There is a high probability that Lo uses, leaks, discloses, delivers, or transfers TSMC&#8217;s trade secrets and confidential information to Intel,&#8221; TSMC said.
Lo was transferred to TSMC&#8217;s corporate strategy department in March 2024 but allegedly continued to meet with staff from research and development departments &#8220;to provide information for him to understand the advanced technologies currently, and planned to be, under development by TSMC&#8221;, the company said.
Lo had signed non-disclosure and non-compete agreements with TSMC, it said, and had told TSMC&#8217;s lawyer in his exit interview that he planned to join an &#8220;academic institution&#8221;.
Intel did not respond immediately to AFP&#8217;s request for comment.
Taiwan&#8217;s economic affairs ministry said it would &#8220;closely monitor any impact on the industry&#8221; and work with prosecutors and investigators to determine if the case involves &#8220;violations of the National Security Act&#8221;.
TSMC has been a massive beneficiary of the frenzy in artificial intelligence investment.
Its clients Nvidia and Apple are among firms pouring many billions of dollars into chips, servers and data centres.
Nvidia has said it would invest US$5 billion in Intel, which has been struggling, in response to US President Donald Trump&#8217;s desire to bring more manufacturing of semiconductors back to the US.

MatchPoint Times

Taiwan’s TSMC says suing former executive over trade secrets, Intel move

TSMC has filed a lawsuit against former executive Lo Wei-jen, alleging he has leaked trade secrets to his new employer, Intel.

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