House searches at former TSMC manager after his move to Intel

In Taiwan, investigators searched the homes of TSMC's former Senior Vice President, Lo Wei-jen, after the Taiwanese contract manufacturer accused the manager of betraying trade secrets to Intel. Lo resigned from his position at TSMC in July and intended to join an academic institution, but took up a senior position at Intel in October. TSMC subsequently sued its former employee in Taiwan for alleged trade secret misappropriation. Intel rejects the allegations.

The world's largest semiconductor contract manufacturer refers to the employment contract signed by Lo, which includes confidentiality clauses and non-compete agreements. These are intended to prevent employees from moving to direct competitors and taking trade secrets with them. In this case, Lo could even be in violation of Taiwan's national security law. Therefore, investigators were able to obtain a search warrant and searched two of Lo's homes in the middle of this week. According to the public prosecutor's office, computers, USB drives, and other evidence were seized. Furthermore, the court granted a request to seize stocks and real estate.

Allegations of unnecessary information gathering

According to TSMC, Lo Wei-jen began his career at the contract manufacturer in 2004, after having worked at Intel for 18 years. In 2014, according to Taiwanese media like Liberty Times, he was promoted to Senior Vice President. Lo was instrumental in the development of mass production of chips using 5, 3, and 2-nanometer manufacturing technologies. In March of this year, he was tasked with corporate strategy development to advise TSMC management.

Although this position no longer had a direct connection to research and development, Lo nevertheless continued to initiate meetings with R&D teams and request information on advanced process technologies. Even though he no longer held a management position here. On July 27, 2025, he resigned from his position at TSMC. Previously, during a farewell meeting on July 22, Lo was reminded of the confidentiality and non-compete agreements, according to TSMC. Lo himself stated that he wanted to pursue academic activities. However, in October, he became "Executive Vice President," a senior executive at Intel.

Intel: Employee transfers are normal

Intel rejects TSMC's accusations. "Based on all the facts available to us, we have no reason to believe that there is any truth to the allegations against Mr. Lo," Intel stated to Reuters. The company states that it has strict policies and controls that strictly prohibit the use or disclosure of confidential information or intellectual property of third parties. "We take these commitments seriously," Intel added.

At the same time, the US company welcomes Lo's return, as he enjoys high regard in the semiconductor industry for his integrity, leadership skills, and technical expertise. "The movement of talent between companies is a common and healthy part of our industry, and this case is no exception," Intel said.

(fds)