Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said that it had responded to a request for chip supply chain information from the US Department of Commerce.
TSMC said in a statement that it had submitted answers to a questionnaire issued by the department, which asked that it be completed and returned by yesterday to address a global chip supply shortage.
The chipmaker said that it did not disclose any confidential information about its customers.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
On Sept. 23, the US government held a meeting with TSMC, Samsung Electronics Co, Intel Corp and other companies on progress made by the industry to address issues in the semiconductor supply chain, and issued a request for information (RFI) on the subject on the same day.
The RFI asks companies in the semiconductor supply chain to “voluntarily share information about inventories, demand and delivery dynamics.”
Its aim is to “understand and quantify where bottlenecks may exist,” a statement on the department’s Web site reads.
Other firms, including Micron Technology Inc, Western Digital Corp and United Microelectronics Corp (聯電), also made submissions ahead of yesterday’s deadline, the department said.
The global chip supply shortage has affected the auto industry worldwide.
Last month, TSMC chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) said in an interview with Time magazine that chip hoarding was exacerbating the global supply shortage.
Local media yesterday reported that TSMC was among 23 semiconductor companies worldwide that had submitted their answers to the questionnaire, and that the data provided by the Taiwanese chipmaker included a forecast indicating that the company’s sales for this year are expected to reach US$56.6 billion, up 24.4 percent from a year earlier.
A similar forecast was disclosed at TSMC’s investor conference last month.
Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said that her ministry would not intervene in how Taiwanese semiconductor firms submit their questionnaires to the US government, adding that it was not appropriate for the ministry to know what information firms had submitted.
However, Wang said she had faith that Taiwanese semiconductor suppliers would protect sensitive customer data.
Tech companies in South Korea — home to Samsung and SK Hynix Inc — are preparing for a “voluntary submission” of relevant information, the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance said in a statement on Sunday, adding that the firms have been negotiating with the US on the extent of data to be submitted.
South Korean media reports have said the companies would only “partially comply” with the information request.
While the department’s request is voluntary, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo told industry representatives that the White House might invoke the Defense Production Act or other tools to force their hands if they do not respond.
Washington’s request sparked controversy in Taiwan and South Korea, with some fearing that the US is demanding that companies hand over trade secrets.
There have also been concerns in China that the US could use materials provided by TSMC and others to sanction Chinese firms.
INVESTIGATION: The case is the latest instance of a DPP figure being implicated in an espionage network accused of allegedly leaking information to Chinese intelligence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑) was detained and held incommunicado yesterday on suspicion of spying for China during his tenure as assistant to then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said Ho was implicated during its investigation into alleged spying activities by former Presidential Office consultant Wu Shang-yu (吳尚雨). Prosecutors said there is reason to believe Ho breached the National Security Act (國家安全法) by leaking classified Ministry of Foreign Affairs information to Chinese intelligence. Following interrogation, prosecutors petitioned the Taipei District Court to detain Ho, citing concerns over potential collusion or tampering of evidence. The
NEGOTIATIONS: Taiwan has good relations with Washington and the outlook for the negotiations looks promising, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo said Taiwan’s GDP growth this year is expected to decrease by 0.43 to 1.61 percentage points due to the effects of US tariffs, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Paul Liu (劉鏡清) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei yesterday, citing a preliminary estimate by a private research institution. Taiwan’s economy would be significantly affected by the 32 percent “reciprocal” tariffs slapped by the US, which took effect yesterday, Liu said, adding that GDP growth could fall below 3 percent and potentially even dip below 2 percent to 1.53 percent this year. The council has commissioned another institution
TRADE: The premier pledged safeguards on ‘Made in Taiwan’ labeling, anti-dumping measures and stricter export controls to strengthen its position in trade talks Products labeled “made in Taiwan” must be genuinely made in Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, vowing to enforce strict safeguards against “origin laundering” and initiate anti-dumping investigations to prevent China dumping its products in Taiwan. Cho made the remarks in a discussion session with representatives from industries in Kaohsiung. In response to the US government’s recent announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on its trading partners, President William Lai (賴清德) and Cho last week began a series of consultations with industry leaders nationwide to gather feedback and address concerns. Taiwanese and US officials held a videoconference on Friday evening to discuss the
NEGOTIATIONS: The US response to the countermeasures and plans Taiwan presented has been positive, including boosting procurement and investment, the president said Taiwan is included in the first group for trade negotiations with the US, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, as he seeks to shield Taiwanese exporters from a 32 percent tariff. In Washington, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in an interview on Fox News on Thursday that he would speak to his Taiwanese and Israeli counterparts yesterday about tariffs after holding a long discussion with the Vietnamese earlier. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday postponed punishing levies on multiple trade partners, including Taiwan, for three months after trillions of US dollars were wiped off global markets. He has maintained a 10 percent
RSS