A former TSMC executive, suspected of taking the firm's trade secrets to Intel, has had his records on Taiwan's research institute's body removed, according to reports in the local media. The executive, Wei-Jen Lo, was TSMC's senior vice president for corporate strategy and development and he played a role in helping the firm mass produce its 5-nanometer, 3-nanometer and 2-nanometer chip manufacturing process technologies. Authorities began investigating Lo last year in November after he left TSMC following allegations that the former executive took proprietary company data to Intel.
Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Removes Former TSMC Executive's Page Amidst Trade Secret Theft Investigation
Wei-Jen Lo came to the spotlight in November last year when Taiwan's Economy Minister confirmed that authorities were investigating a retired TSMC executive who had recently joined Intel. Back then, Taiwan's prosecutor's office had opened a case to investigate the allegations. Lo had joined TSMC in 2004, and prior to his joining, the executive had worked at Intel for 18 years and oversaw operations at a facility in California, among other responsibilities.
Now, reports in the Taiwanese press suggest that his page on the region's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has been removed after investigators were also looking into his personal assets in the island.
The details suggest that the Intellectual Property Branch of the Taiwan High Prosecutors' Office (THPO-IPB) had directed investigators to search Lo's residences in Taiwan's Hsinchu and Taipei regions. The goal is to recover the executive's computers, USB drives and other related items. Authorities have also requested the seizure of the executive's stock and real estate. Now, his personal page, profile and photo have been removed from the ITRI's official page.
Taiwan's current economic minister, Kung Ming-hsin, has supported TSMC's legal action against Wei-Jen Lo. The Taiwanese fab sued its former executive in November and filed a case in Taiwan's Intellectual Property and Commercial Court.
As for Intel, the US chip manufacturing giant fully supported Lo in November. In an internal statement to employees, CEO Lip-Bu Tan remarked:
Based on everything we know today, we see no merit to the allegations involving Wei-Jen, and he continues to have our full support. As part of this transformation, Intel has welcomed back Wei-Jen Lo, who previously spent 18 years at Intel working on the development of Intel’s wafer processing technology before joining TSMC, where he continued his work in their wafer processing technology development.
Intel maintains rigorous policies and controls that strictly prohibit the use or transfer of any third-party confidential information or intellectual property.
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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