TSMC ex-executive accused of leaking trade secrets after joining Intel; Intel denies allegations

A controversy over alleged trade-secret leaks involving a former senior executive at TSMC and Intel is escalating, after TSMC filed a lawsuit accusing the executive of improperly taking confidential data before joining the US chipmaker. TSMC said on Tuesday it has sued Lo Wei-jen, its former senior vice president, alleging that he accessed sensitive information on the company’s 2-nanometre and A14 process technologies before retiring, and then violated a non-compete agreement by joining Intel as an executive vice president. TSMC said Lo’s actions may have breached confidentiality rules and Taiwan’s trade-secrets law. Intel on Wednesday denied the accusations. A company spokesperson said Intel has strict intellectual-property controls and that, based on information currently available, it has no reason to believe the allegations are true. The case has entered judicial proceedings, while TSMC has launched an internal investigation in parallel. [Jiemian, in Chinese]