Taiwan Raids Ex-TSMC Star Engineer in Intel Trade-Secret Fight

With input from Bloomberg, the Verge, Reuters.

Taiwanese prosecutors have raided the homes of a former top Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) executive, escalating a high-stakes battle over alleged leaked chip-making secrets to US rival Intel.

Investigators searched two residences belonging to Wei-Jen (Wen-jen) Lo, a former senior vice president at TSMC, on Wednesday afternoon, seizing computers, USB drives and other electronic devices, officials said. A court also approved moves to freeze his shares and real estate as part of the probe.

Lo is suspected of violating Taiwan’s National Security Act, according to the prosecutors’ intellectual property office.

TSMC — the world’s leading contract chipmaker and key supplier to giants like Nvidia — revealed this week it has sued Lo in Taiwan’s Intellectual Property and Commercial Court.

The company claims there is a “high probability” Lo used, leaked or transferred TSMC trade secrets and confidential information to Intel, where he started working again in October after retiring from TSMC earlier this year.

Lo isn’t just any engineer: he helped drive mass production of TSMC’s cutting-edge 5-nm, 3-nm and 2-nm chips, the technology at the heart of today’s AI boom. Before joining TSMC in 2004, he had already spent 18 years at Intel.

Intel is firmly denying the accusations.

“Based on everything we know, we have no reason to believe there is any merit to the allegations involving Mr. Lo,” the company said in a statement.

Intel stressed it has strict rules against using or transferring third-party confidential information or IP, and said it “takes these commitments seriously.” The chipmaker also called Lo a widely respected industry figure and noted that talent moving between companies is normal and healthy in the sector.

Lo and Intel did not respond to fresh requests for comment from local media.

TSMC is not only a $1 trillion-plus tech giant, it’s also one of Taiwan’s most strategically important companies. Its advanced chip manufacturing know-how is seen as both an economic asset and a geopolitical one.

Taiwanese authorities have been increasingly aggressive about protecting that edge. Earlier this year, prosecutors indicted three people in a separate case involving alleged theft of TSMC technology to help a Japanese competitor.

Now, with Lo under investigation and Intel in the mix — a company in which the US government holds a stake and is heavily backing to revive American chipmaking — the case sits at the intersection of corporate rivalry, national security, and the global AI arms race.

The probe is ongoing, and prosecutors say they’re still analyzing the seized devices. For now, one thing is clear: Taiwan is sending a message that walking out the door with its most valuable secrets won’t go unnoticed.