Recently, it was revealed that there was an insider at TSMC. The 2nm chip technology was stolen through collusion between Tokyo Electron and external parties.
This kind of incident would not have happened before 2019. Before 2019, Morris Chang was still the chairman. The influence of researchers in high-tech companies on the company was very significant.
To ensure the confidentiality of technology, the research directions set for researchers were very narrow. It was necessary to combine the expertise of dozens of individuals to form a complete technology capable of producing advanced chips.
Therefore, previously, stealing a complete set of advanced chip technology was almost impossible. Even if it could be stolen, it would likely be incomplete.
As far as I know, when Liang Mengsong left, he took away 200 key technical personnel. Liang Mengsong himself is a technical expert. Coupled with the departure of 200 people, he quickly advanced the 16nm technology at Samsung in South Korea.
This time, Tokyo Electron only recruited 9 individuals. I believe that even if they are important personnel, it is unlikely that they could obtain all the technical documentation. Even if they manage to produce chips, they are likely to have defects.
This is because TSMC implemented technical safeguards in recent years. Except for the technical supervisor, the research scope of other personnel is very narrow. It would require at least dozens of people to be recruited together to possibly obtain complete technology.
This also reflects, from one aspect, that some companies in the high-tech field resort to unscrupulous means for competition.
When TSMC established a factory in Nanjing, the TSMC factory was located in the middle. Surrounding it within a few kilometers were domestic companies. However, domestic technology was still relatively backward, even a decade ago.
When TSMC built a factory in the United States, it was also strategically located in the middle. On the left was Samsung, and on the right was Intel. The proximity was intended to facilitate the recruitment of personnel from competitors.
Recently, Trump also made a request, hoping that TSMC could acquire Intel. This is indeed a strategic move on Trump’s part. If TSMC acquires Intel, it would certainly help Intel improve its technology.
Once they become part of the same organization, they would have to share their technology, allowing Intel to learn from it. If Intel gains this technology, it would mean that the United States has gained it as well.
The world has now entered an intelligent era. In the past two years, it has become evident that chips are indeed crucial. The tight control over chips by Japan, the United States, and ourselves indicates that great power competition is not simple.