By Wen-Yee Lee
TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan is investigating a retired TSMC executive who recently joined Intel, the island’s economy minister said on Wednesday, after local media reported that he may have taken the chipmaker’s advanced technology data to his new employer.
Taiwanese media outlets including the Liberty Times reported this week that Wei-Jen Lo, who played a key role in advancing TSMC’s cutting-edge chip manufacturing technologies from 2 nanometres to 5 nanometres, allegedly took company data before joining Intel in October.
Lo did not respond to a request for comment.
Taiwan’s High Prosecutors Office said on Tuesday it was aware of the media reports and had opened a case to look into the matter. No formal complaint or charge has been filed.
Taiwan Economy Minister Kung Ming-hsin said on Wednesday that the government was concerned about national security, which includes the protection of advanced semiconductor technologies.
“The Ministry of Economic Affairs will cooperate (with prosecutors) by explaining the current control mechanisms for Taiwan’s core technologies and by assessing whether there are any concerns related to the national security law,” he said.
He said the government would closely monitor if the situation could affect Taiwan’s semiconductor industry or its customer relationships.
TSMC did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Intel, which has not publicly unveiled Lo’s appointment, also did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
A source familiar with the matter said Lo is currently working at the U.S. chipmaker and reports directly to Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan.
Lo spent 21 years at TSMC before retiring this year as senior vice president for corporate strategy development.
He previously led TSMC’s research and advanced technology development, helping drive mass production for 5-nm, 3-nm and 2-nm manufacturing processes, and strengthened ties with suppliers, according to the company and Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute.
Before joining TSMC in 2004, Lo worked at Intel for 18 years. He served as a director of technology development and was a factory manager, running Intel’s development facility in Santa Clara, California.
(Reporting by Wen-Yee Lee; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Thomas Derpinghaus)
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