It appears that a 'crucial' former executive from TSMC's camp is on his way to joining Intel, which has raised suspicions at the Taiwan chip giant, as it investigates the prospect of sensitive data leakage.
TSMC Is Weighing To Open an Investigation Around The Push of a Former Executive to Intel
For those unaware, a former TSMC executive was rumored to be joining Intel a few weeks ago, with it being claimed that the individual would aid Team Blue with the chip R&D process. While this development was a rumor back then, it appears that this move is going to get official soon, which is why, based on a report by DigiTimes, it is revealed that TSMC is 'weighing' to open up a legal investigation to look into whether the executive Dr. Wei-Jen Lo violates Taiwan's Trade Secrets Act. Moreover, it is also claimed that the official has sensitive information regarding processes such as 2nm and 1.6nm, which makes this even a bigger deal.
Based on what several Taiwanese media outlets report, Lo was fond of taking 'handwritten notes' when attending TSMC's sensitive meetings, since he often used them to analyze information later on. Apparently, when departing the firm, he had the handwritten materials packed in several boxes. This has raised doubts about whether the executive could lead to a potential technology transfer to his next venture at Intel. Although this is still being investigated, we cannot draw conclusions for now.
Intel will secure a 'massive' win if Lo manages to join the firm, given that he has spearheaded TSMC's chip operations for almost two decades, being responsible for the introduction of EUV technology and laying the foundations for the high-end 2nm process. More importantly, the executive is said to have introduced TSMC's "Nighthawk" force, which is one of the reasons behind the massive success of the chip giant. It appears that Lo could manage to make 'fundamental' changes within how Intel Foundry operates, given that he secures a key position.
There are complications to his joining Intel, considering that it involves both geopolitical and industrial conflicts. However, based on what DigiTimes claims, a "diplomatic intervention" could be in place to ensure that Intel secures the expertise of TSMC's former executive. However, for now, we'll have to wait and see how the situation pans out, since this is a 'high-stakes' deal for both Team Blue and TSMC.
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