According to media outlets such as China Times News and DIGITIMES, there have been rumors that Lu Wei-ren, a former senior vice president of R&D and Corporate Strategy Development at TSMC, who recently retired, has returned to his "old employer" Intel as a vice president of R&D in October. It is also reported that he took away more than 20 boxes of confidential information related to TSMC's advanced process technologies before retiring, which has attracted widespread attention.

Lu Wei-ren, now 75 years old, worked at Intel for 18 years and served as the director of Advanced Technology Development and CTM Plant Manager. He participated in the establishment of Intel's first 8-inch wafer plant that combined R&D and manufacturing and successfully launched the Intel 486 processor. In 2004, Lu joined TSMC and held various high-level positions in operations and R&D. He is considered one of the key figures in TSMC's advancement to the 2nm process.

Additionally, when TSMC was pushing forward with the 10nm process, Lu proposed the "Night Owl Project," establishing an advanced process R&D center that operated 24 hours a day. He also formed a round-the-clock response team with equipment suppliers to jointly develop new equipment, ultimately achieving mass production successfully.

Lu Wei-ren (Photo provided by local media)

It is rumored that Lu retired from TSMC in mid-July this year. However, before retiring, he used his executive authority to request technical briefings from subordinates and made copies of "more than 20 boxes" of confidential information related to the most advanced process technologies such as 2nm, A16, and A14. By the end of October, Lu joined Intel and is responsible for the development of advanced equipment and modules from R&D to mass production. Therefore, whether his joining Intel violates non-compete agreements or constitutes a breach of confidentiality has raised concerns in the industry.

In response to the reports, TSMC's public relations department stated that they were unaware of the matter and could not comment. Intel, on the other hand, said, "We will not respond to market rumors." Meanwhile, the head of Taiwan's economic affairs department, Gong Mingxin, stated that personnel had been dispatched to investigate the situation. The Taiwanese prosecution authorities also said they had intervened in the investigation. Since TSMC has not yet filed a lawsuit, it is currently unclear what specific charges may be involved.

However, many local media outlets have noticed that both the rumor itself and TSMC's response are somewhat intriguing. An informed source analyzed that the recent case of a TSMC engineer leaking secrets still lingers in memory, and TSMC must have strengthened its supervision over confidential information.

Previously, a TSMC engineer named Chen Liming was exposed for leaking core technology information about TSMC's 2nm process to his new employer, Japan's Tokyo Electron (TEL), causing a major uproar. Chen Liming and two accomplices, Wu Bingjun and Ge Yiping, were indicted in September and are recommended to receive sentences ranging from 7 to 14 years.

With this "precedent," as a key figure in managing TSMC's most advanced processes, TSMC would certainly have signed a non-compete agreement with Lu and would not allow him to move to Intel without any constraints. On the other hand, if the rumor is true, TSMC would have taken legal action immediately. However, TSMC's response to the suspected leakage has been "lukewarm," and it has not made any statements for a long time. Supply chain analysts speculated that Lu's move to Intel might have been tacitly approved by TSMC's decision-makers to assist Intel in advancing to 18A or 14A. Taiwanese semiconductor analyst Lu Xingzhi even suggested that Lu might be a "reconnaissance unit" sent by TSMC before investing in Intel.

It should be emphasized that there are currently no further confirmed details about this matter and further observation is needed.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7574444995910943266/

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