Global Semiconductor Market Size And Growth Rate Data For August 2025

Leak of TSMC's Trade Secrets

Tokyo Electron of Japan Caught in a Predicament

When the Taiwan authorities launched an investigation into the TSMC technology leak case, they unexpectedly pushed Tokyo Electron (TEL), a Japanese chip equipment giant, into the spotlight. Among the six suspects arrested by the prosecutors was a former employee of Tokyo Electron, forcing this low-key yet crucial supplier into the public opinion maelstrom, a rare occurrence for the company. Tokyo Electron has dismissed the involved employee and is cooperating with the investigation, but its stock price has dropped to the lowest level since the end of April in response.

This case has raised three major questions: the motive of the Tokyo Electron employee involved, whether it is related to Japan's ambition in the chip industry, and how to maintain the trusting relationship with TSMC, its core customer-TSMC holds the ten-year chip roadmap that Tokyo Electron relies on to maintain its technological leadership. Industry experts question whether Tokyo Electron would take the risk of damaging its cooperation with TSMC, a pillar of the global chip industry. A professor from Waseda University called this an "unfortunate accident."

The incident comes at a time when Tokyo Electron is beset with troubles on all sides: it is not only bearing the impact of U.S. export restrictions on China, which affects 40% of its sales in China, but also facing the rise of local Chinese equipment manufacturers. Just last week, the company lowered its profit forecast due to shrinking orders. Senior executives of the company have rushed to Taiwan to contain the crisis, and employees have been ordered to remain silent. The shadow of the Sino-U.S. technological competition is hanging over this Japanese enterprise that is struggling to navigate through difficulties.Leak of TSMC's Trade Secrets: Tokyo Electron of Japan Caught in a Predicament
When the Taiwan authorities launched an investigation into the TSMC technology leak case, they unexpectedly pushed Tokyo Electron (TEL), a Japanese chip equipment giant, into the spotlight. Among the six suspects arrested by the prosecutors was a former employee of Tokyo Electron, forcing this low-key yet crucial supplier into the public opinion maelstrom, a rare occurrence for the company. Tokyo Electron has dismissed the involved employee and is cooperating with the investigation, but its stock price has dropped to the lowest level since the end of April in response.

This case has raised three major questions: the motive of the Tokyo Electron employee involved, whether it is related to Japan's ambition in the chip industry, and how to maintain the trusting relationship with TSMC, its core customer-TSMC holds the ten-year chip roadmap that Tokyo Electron relies on to maintain its technological leadership. Industry experts question whether Tokyo Electron would take the risk of damaging its cooperation with TSMC, a pillar of the global chip industry. A professor from Waseda University called this an "unfortunate accident."

The incident comes at a time when Tokyo Electron is beset with troubles on all sides: it is not only bearing the impact of U.S. export restrictions on China, which affects 40% of its sales in China, but also facing the rise of local Chinese equipment manufacturers. Just last week, the company lowered its profit forecast due to shrinking orders. Senior executives of the company have rushed to Taiwan to contain the crisis, and employees have been ordered to remain silent. The shadow of the Sino-U.S. technological competition is hanging over this Japanese enterprise that is struggling to navigate through difficulties.

Tesla Shuts Down Dojo Supercomputer Team, Reassigns Employees Amid AI Transition

According to Bloomberg News, which cited people familiar with the matter on Thursday, CEO Elon Musk has ordered the shutdown of the company's Dojo Supercomputer team, and Peter Bannon, the team leader, will leave his post.

The Dojo Supercomputer was designed around custom training chips to process large volumes of data and videos from Tesla's electric vehicles, thereby training the automaker's autonomous driving software. Tesla has not responded to Reuters' request for comment.

On X, CEO Elon Musk stated that it makes no sense for Tesla to split its resources and develop two different AI chips. As reported by Bloomberg, approximately 20 employees from the Dojo team have recently moved to the newly established DensityAI, while the remaining employees have been reassigned to other data center and computing projects within Tesla.