The main suspect in the theft of 2‑nanometer technology from TSMC is sentenced to ten years in prison

Taiwan court sentences former TSMC employee to 10 years in prison

In late March it became known that Taiwanese judicial authorities had concluded an investigation into the unlawful transfer of confidential information about Tokyo Electron’s 2‑nm technology process. The defendant had previously faced up to 20 years in prison; today the court imposed a sentence of half that amount—ten years.

Context and motives

Bloomberg notes that such a harsh verdict demonstrates Taiwan’s determination to protect the interests of its national semiconductor industry. According to investigators, the transmitted data were intended to help Tokyo Electron become an equipment supplier for TSMC’s 2‑nm chip production.

Other defendants in the case

The same case involved four other defendants who received sentences ranging from ten months to six years.

* In one instance the court found a woman guilty and sentenced her to ten months’ imprisonment with a three‑year suspended sentence.
* Tokyo Electron is required to pay the state $4.8 million, and TSMC must compensate for damages amounting to $3.2 million.

Connection to other investigations

Such cases are not uncommon among leading contract chip manufacturers. In 2025 Taiwanese authorities began an investigation into a possible poaching of TSMC engineers by SMIC. One former TSMC executive who moved to Intel was also suspected of transferring secret data; Intel categorically denied the allegations.

Thus, the ten‑year prison sentence confirms Taiwan’s serious approach to safeguarding technological secrets and demonstrates its readiness to curb any attempts at leaking critically important information.