Intel Says Star Hire From Tsmc Didn’t Steal Secrets

Intel has defended itself against accusations that its latest executive prosecute stole waste and acquisition secrets, arsenic TSMC sues nan exec and Taiwanese prosecutors opportunity they’ve begun a probe into nan incident.

Wei-Jen Lo, a Taiwanese engineer, joined Intel this fall, hired to thief nan institution amended its wide accumulation processes. He’d antecedently worked astatine nan American institution successful nan ‘80s, during its roar years, earlier joining TSMC successful 2004, helping to oversee that company’s astir successful play too.

This week TSMC announced that it was suing Lo, alleging that he violated his employment statement and noncompete agreement, on pinch Taiwan’s Trade Secrets Act. “There is simply a precocious probability that Lo uses, leaks, discloses aliases transfers TSMC’s waste and acquisition secrets and confidential accusation to Intel, frankincense making ineligible actions necessary,” TSMC said.

The Taiwanese authorities are now progressive too. Reuters reports that prosecutors person opened a probe into Lo, and that investigators person raided 2 of his homes, seizing computers, USB drives and different evidence. Lo’s existent property and shares whitethorn besides beryllium seized.

“Based connected everything we know, we person nary logic to judge location is immoderate merit to nan allegations involving Mr. Lo,” an anonymous Intel spokesperson told Reuters, defending its policies to prohibit nan transportation of confidential third-party information. “We return these commitments seriously,” Intel said.

Taiwan besides takes its waste and acquisition secrets earnestly though, and has already indicted 3 different people this twelvemonth successful a abstracted lawsuit involving nan alleged theft of TSMC’s chip-making exertion to thief a Japanese rival. Intel’s engagement complicates nan situation, now that nan US authorities has a 10 percent stake successful nan institution and hopes to revive its fortunes arsenic a semiconductor elephantine and capitalize connected nan AI roar that TSMC is presently profiting from.