TSMC’s 2nm leak is considered ‘not critical’ — senior gov’t official says company secrets are compartmentalized and unusable in parts

Several current and former TSMC employees are accused of stealing the company’s 2nm trade secrets, with the group allegedly working to transmit the data to Japanese startup Rapidus. According to DigiTimes, a senior official from the Taiwanese government said that the semiconductor manufacturer keeps its key processes and trade secrets compartmentalized. So, even if one part of it is leaked or compromised, other companies won’t be able to use it.

Nevertheless, because of how sensitive and advanced the nature of the stolen technology is, Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council has become involved in the investigation. The government body has tasked experts to assess whether the involved data constitutes “serious national core critical technologies,” and Taiwan’s courts have determined that the National Security Act applies because advanced semiconductor nodes, like the 2nm process, are deemed critical towards the country’s national interests.