TSMC’s 2nm Secrets Were Stolen With Just a Smartphone Camera; The Engineers Behind It Now Face Up to 14 Years in Prison

Former and current TSMC engineers allegedly photographed 2nm process documents with smartphones and passed the material to Tokyo Electron.

Taiwan authorities investigated after TSMC's security flagged illegal database access and the case reached a local court.

Prosecutors say the stolen material helped Tokyo Electron improve etching equipment to qualify for TSMC's 2nm supply and are seeking up to 14 years' prison.

The primary accused is a former TSMC employee who joined Tokyo Electron and is implicated in gathering sensitive documents.