TSMC sues as Intel disputes serious trade-secret allegations

Intel has denied that Wei-Jen Lo, a former Senior Vice President at Taiwan-based chip manufacturer TSMC, stole and leaked trade secrets from his former employer.

Last week, Lo was sued by TSMC for leaking sensitive information to competitor Intel. The chipmaker filed a lawsuit against him at Taiwan’s Intellectual Property and Commercial Court.

In return, Taiwan prosecutors confirmed that investigators had raided some homes of the former TSMC executive and seized computers for potentially violating Taiwan’s National Security Act.

Wei-Jen Lo joined TSMC as vice president in July 2004 and was promoted to senior vice president in February 2014.

In March 2024, he was transferred to TSMC’s Corporate Strategy Development, a staff unit providing consultation to the Chairman and CEO. In this role, Lo was not responsible for supervising or managing the R&D department's affairs.

However, according to TSMC, Lo continued to convene meetings with staff members of the R&D departments to provide information that would enable him to understand the current and future advanced technologies being developed by TSMC.

During his exit interview on July 22nd, 2025, Lo was reminded that he had signed a non-disclosure and non-compete agreement. During the interview, Lo said that he would join an academic institution, but never mentioned his plan to join Intel as executive vice president after he retired from TSMC.

“There is a high probability that Lo uses, leaks, discloses, delivers, or transfers TSMC’s trade secrets and confidential information to Intel, thus making legal actions, including claiming damages for breach of contract, necessary,” TSMC said in a public statement.

Intel, which hired Lo as executive vice president earlier this year, is denying all allegations of leaking trade secrets.

“Based on everything we know, we have no reason to believe there is any merit to the allegations involving Mr Lo. We take these commitments seriously,” Intel said in an emailed statement to Reuters, adding that talent moving across companies is a “common and healthy part” of the tech industry.

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