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>>Tokyo Electron Taiwan faces a fresh indictment over the alleged TSMC theft scandal.

Tokyo Electron Taiwan faces a fresh indictment over the alleged TSMC theft scandal.

crypthub

3 days ago

New Indictments and Charges

Taiwanese prosecutors have filed fresh indictments against Tokyo Electron Taiwan and three individuals for allegedly stealing TSMC trade secrets. The accused include two former TSMC engineers, both surnamed Chen, and a former Tokyo Electron Taiwan employee, Lu. The case expands earlier charges that linked the firm to violations of the National Security Act and the Trade Secrets Act.

Prosecutors' Penalties and Findings

Authorities are seeking prison terms of seven years for the first Chen, eight years and eight months for the second Chen, and one year for Lu, who is also accused of destroying evidence. An additional fine of T$25 million is requested for Tokyo Electron Taiwan, on top of a prior request for up to T$120 million. Investigators discovered cloud storage tied to the company still held TSMC secret data, prompting the new charges.

Company Responses

Tokyo Electron affirmed that its parent company was not indicted and that the case does not affect its financial results. TSMC issued a brief statement saying the supplementary indictment stems from continued investigation of its August 2025 trade‑secret lawsuit and offered no further details.

AI Chip Demand and Market Outlook

Nvidia has approached TSMC to boost production of H200 AI chips, citing Chinese orders exceeding two million units for 2026, far above its current inventory of 700,000. Prices for the chips to Chinese buyers are set around $27,000 each, intensifying global supply pressure. Goldman Sachs raised its TSMC price target to NT$2,330 and maintains a buy rating.