Earthquake in Hualien affects semiconductor industry
According to Nikkei Asia, the strongest earthquake since 1999 with a magnitude of 7.4 has struck the Taiwanese island of Hualien. Chip production at TSMC and UMC plants has been temporarily halted, raising concerns in the semiconductor industry. TSMC reported successful evacuation of employees with no casualties, but work at new production facilities has been put on hold. Taiwanese companies are gearing up for overtime work during the upcoming April holidays to offset the impact of the earthquake.
Internationally, Japan and the Philippines warned of a potential tsunami, but the actual wave was minimal, leading to the cancellation of the alert. Despite these challenges, TSMC’s facilities in the south of the island, which produce 3nm and 5nm products, remained largely unaffected due to their distance from the quake’s epicenter.
