Intel says star hire from TSMC didn’t steal secrets

Intel has defended itself against accusations that its latest enforcement prosecute stole commercialized secrets, arsenic TSMC sues the exec and Taiwanese prosecutors accidental they’ve begun a probe into the incident.

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

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

The Taiwanese authorities are present 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 crushed to judge determination is immoderate merit to the allegations involving Mr. Lo,” an anonymous Intel spokesperson told Reuters, defending its policies to prohibit the transportation of confidential third-party information. “We instrumentality these commitments seriously,” Intel said.

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