Taiwan prosecutors indict three people over theft of TSMC 2 nm trade secrets for Tokyo Electron

TSMC/N2 process

Taiwan prosecutors indicted three people, including a former TSMC employee who joined Tokyo Electron's Taiwan unit, for stealing trade secrets about TSMC's 2 nm process. The indictments were the first under Taiwan's amended national-security rules for core technologies, with defendants facing 7–14 years imprisonment.

• Three indicted: a former TSMC employee now at Tokyo Electron's Taiwan unit and two others; first prosecutions under Taiwan's 2024 National Security Act amendments for core-technology theft.
• Stolen: classified trade secrets for TSMC's 2 nm process, the cutting edge of chipmaking slated for mass production in late 2025.
• Tokyo Electron said it dismissed the staff involved; TSMC discovered the theft and reported it to authorities.