BREAKING NEWS:TSCM Plants Down After 7.4M Earthquake EV & Notebook Industry Tipped To Be Hit

A major 7.4 magnitude earthquake has struck Taiwan with concerns that notebook component supply and EV car production could be seriously interrupted.

Taiwan’s major tech firms in Hsinchu Science Park initiated evaluation procedures with questions now being raised about the production lines that are now standing idle, including those at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company a key global supplier of processors.

TSMC is currently conducting comprehensive checks to confirm the condition of production lines and equipment across its northern, central, and southern Taiwan facilities.

Sources claim that TSMC’s N3 fab in Tainan has been seriously impacted, One person claimed that they “saw its beams and columns broken, and the production lines halted”.

Damaged building after earthquake

“EUV machines have all stopped, while its R&D lab walls are cracked.”

The same source claimed that that a TSMC fab in Hsinchu is also seeing impacted with pipelines broken and main production lines halted due to extensive damaged wafers”.

Some production lines that have not been impacted will resume operation in six hours claim sources.

TSMC spokesperson cannot be reached right now to confirm the rumours.

Evacuated TSMC plant in Taiwan.

Taiwan dominates the foundry market, or the outsourcing of semiconductor manufacturing.

Its contract manufacturers together accounted for more than 60% of total global foundry revenue last year, according to data by Taipei-based research firm TrendForce.

Much of Taiwan’s dominance can be attributed to TSMC the world’s largest foundry that counts major technology firms such as Apple, Samsung Qualcomm and Nvidia its clients.

Currently TSMC accounted for 54% of total foundry revenue globally last year, TrendForce data showed.

Following previous earthquakes TSMC implemented seismic management measures that the Company claims surpassed regulations.

These include conducting thorough post-earthquake inspections of all facilities and structures, installing dampers or shock absorbers to lessen earthquake impacts on buildings, and actively integrating new equipment vibration reduction and isolation technologies to mitigate operational risks associated with earthquakes.

Several buildings in Hualien City were tilting at severe angles after the quake, one of which is a large building at the intersection of Zhongshan and Chongqing roads. Emergency responders were still working to rescue people inside.

The Central Emergency Operation Centre reported 57 injuries nationwide and 26 collapsed buildings: 15 in Hualien, one in Yilan County, two in Keelung and eight in New Taipei City.

The CWA warned of the possibility of aftershocks measuring magnitude 6.5 to 7 over the next three to four days.

There were 58 aftershocks recorded as of 12pm, nine of which measured between magnitudes 5 and 6, while two exceeded magnitude 6 at 8:11am and 10:14am CWA data showed.

About Post Author

David Richards

David Richards has been writing about technology for more than 30 years. A former Fleet Street journalist, he wrote the Award Winning Series on the Federated Ships Painters + Dockers Union for the Bulletin that led to a Royal Commission. He is also a Logie Winner for Outstanding Contribution To TV Journalism with a story called The Werribee Affair. In 1997, he built the largest Australian technology media company and prior to that the third largest PR company that became the foundation company for Ogilvy PR. Today he writes about technology and the impact on both business and consumers.