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Taiwanese prosecutors have raided the homes of former TSMC executive Lo Wei-jen, stepping up a probe into whether he took trade secrets to his new employer, US chipmaker Intel. TSMC says there is a high likelihood its former executive could use or disclose trade secrets involving its most advanced nodes, such as two-nanometer, A16 and A14. Intel says the claims are without merit and that it bans staff from bringing in confidential information.

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00:00Taiwanese prosecutors have raided the homes of former TSMC executive Lo Weiren, escalating
00:06an investigation into whether he took trade secrets to U.S. chipmaker Intel.
00:11Prosecutors confirmed Thursday they raided Lo's homes in Taipei and Xinjoo.
00:16They seized computers, USB drives and other electronic devices.
00:20A court also approved freezing Lo's financial assets in Taiwan, like stocks and real estate,
00:25assets likely worth millions of U.S. dollars.
00:28Aside from gathering evidence, the moves may be a form of leverage to compel Lo, who
00:32is a U.S. citizen and believed to be in the U.S., to return to Taiwan for the investigation.
00:38Neither Lo nor anyone else has been formally charged in the case.
00:42Taiwan's economy minister addressed the case Thursday, noting that while one person's impact
00:46might be limited, the government is watching closely.
00:48We will closely observe all the environmental issues of the environment.
00:55TSMC says there is a high likelihood that their former executive could use or disclose trade
01:22secrets on its most advanced nodes, like 2nm, A16, and A14, the crown jewels of the chip industry.
01:30Intel, meanwhile, says the claims are without merit, and that it bans staff from bringing
01:34in confidential information from past employers.
01:38All of this comes as the U.S. makes a big push to build up its own chip industry, with Intel
01:42itself now partly owned by the U.S. government.
01:46The question for Taiwan now is whether this case remains one focused on a single executive
01:50or becomes a larger test for how the country protects its most advanced technology.
01:56Scott Huang and Chris Gorin in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.
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