There’s a nascent high-stakes legal battle in the semiconductor industry. On November 25, 2025, TSMC, the world’s leading chip foundry, filed a lawsuit in Taiwan against one of its former senior executives, Wei-Jen Lo. This competitive sector is defined by multi-billion-dollar R&D and intense technological secrecy. In this case, the core accusation of TSMC ‘s lawsuit is that Wei-Jen Lo violated his non-compete and confidentiality agreements by quickly moving to a direct competitor, Intel .
TSMC trade secrets lawsuit against ex-executive Wei-Jen Lo after joining Intel
Lo held a senior vice president title at TSMC for over a decade. He has definitely played a major role in the development of advanced process technology . Lo officially retired from the company on July 27, 2025. Just before leaving, during his exit interview, he allegedly informed TSMC he planned to pursue an academic role. However, Lo quickly resurfaced at Intel soon after his retirement, taking on an executive vice president position.
TSMC claims this quick transition suggests a serious breach of the agreements Lo signed. They assert the move poses a significant risk that Lo may be using or transferring the company’s key trade secrets to Intel.
The access allegations
Despite this change, TSMC claims Lo continued seeking access to sensitive technology information. He allegedly held meetings with R&D employees outside his reporting line. More specifically, he has supposedly requested details on technologies under development or planned for future manufacturing nodes, including the cutting-edge A16 and A14 processes. TSMC views these pre-retirement actions as indications of his intent to gather critical intellectual property.
Industry and government response
The lawsuit immediately drew attention from regulators. Taiwanese authorities, including the Ministry of Economic Affairs, confirmed that prosecutors and investigators have launched an inquiry. They aim to determine if the matter involves breaches of national core technologies or national security laws.
Meanwhile, Intel, the company that hired the executive, publicly attempted to downplay the severity of the situation. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan addressed the issue at a recent industry event, dismissing the reports as “rumor and speculation.” Tan also stated that Intel respects all intellectual property rights. He offered no specific details on the hiring process but rejected the idea that Lo had brought confidential TSMC information to the company.
Authorities are now collecting preliminary evidence, and TSMC is seeking substantial legal remedies and damages. More news about the situation is likely to emerge in the coming weeks.
