Taiwan Court Sentences Five in TSMC Trade Secrets Theft Case
A Taiwan court has delivered a significant ruling in a trade secret theft case involving TSMC’s advanced 2-nanometer (2nm) process.
Individuals Sentenced:
- Chen Li-ming (陳力銘): A former TSMC engineer who subsequently joined Tokyo Electron Taiwan (TEL Taiwan), received a 10-year prison sentence for violating the National Security Act. He was found guilty of soliciting confidential technical information to aid Tokyo Electron in improving its etching equipment and securing more orders
- Chen Wei-chieh (陳韋傑): Another former TSMC engineer, sentenced to 6 years in prison
- Wu Ping-chun (吳秉駿) & Ko Yi-ping (戈一平): Two then-current TSMC engineers who provided the secrets, were sentenced to 3 years and 2 years respectively
- Lu I-yin (盧怡尹): A Tokyo Electron Taiwan employee, received a 10-month sentence (suspended for three years) and a NT$1 million fine for attempting to destroy evidence
Corporate Penalties:
- Tokyo Electron Taiwan (TEL Taiwan): Fined NT4.6 million). This marks the first instance of a corporation being penalized under Taiwan’s National Security Act for failing to prevent the theft of “national core key technologies.” The court mandated a payment of NT50 million to the public treasury
Case Background:
- Theft Method: The engineers used smartphone cameras to photograph sensitive documents pertaining to TSMC’s 2nm etching process between late 2023 and early 2025
- Discovery: TSMC’s internal security systems identified irregularities in July 2025, prompting an investigation by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office
- Further Discoveries: During the investigation, additional stolen trade secrets related to TSMC’s 14nm technology were found on Tokyo Electron’s cloud storage, leading to further indictments in January 2026
This ruling is considered the most stringent to date in a Taiwanese semiconductor espionage case, underscoring Taiwan’s commitment to safeguarding its critical “silicon shield” and its advanced 2nm technology.