AMD and Nvidia trade secrets allegedly leaked out in the general public. Reports are saying that a former TSMC engineer stole the vital information and are said to be planning to sell that information in China. So, how does the said engineer be able to sneak out the secrets and what confidential info does he able to get?
AMD and Nvidia are two of the top semiconductor company that designs, develops and manufactures computer processors and other related equipment. For the past few years, the two companies have been battling toe to toe to produce the most powerful chipset for business and commercial markets.
However, AMD and Nvidia are now victims of another biggest theft in the semiconductor industry. The sensitive information could end the business for both companies. Good thing the culprit was arrested even before he started his new job in mainland China.
According to DigiTimes, a former TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) engineer named Hsu was indicted and now being charged with stealing trade secrets from the AMD and Nvidia company. He was accused of sneaking the confidential information and other materials connected to the 28nm process technology and planning to pass it to China-based Shanghai Huali Microelectronics (HLMC).
Hsu reportedly accepted a job offer from the Huali Microelectronics after handing them the sensitive information but was later arrested before he even had a chance to start working for the Shanghai-based company. AMD and Nvidia allegedly having the 28nm process technology it's trade secrets before the said engineer leaks it out.
PCGamesN further added that this is not the first time that the Shanghai Huali Microelectronics (HLMC) was involved in a likely crooked deal. Previous reports already linked the Chinese foundry have been recruiting a team of 50 R&D engineers from the United Microelectronics (UMC) to get their 28nm process technology speed up, the same technology that AMD and Nvidia have been developing.
Earlier reports also indicated that some Chinese memory chipset manufacturers are also aggressively headhunting talent from Taiwan-based companies to help them get their products off the ground. As of this moment, AMD and Nvidia have not released any comments or will they file charges on the former TSMC engineer.
