Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said that one of its employees has tested positive for COVID-19, adding that 30 others who were in close contact with the person are under 14-day home quarantine.
To prevent further spread of the virus, “the company has decided to begin operating in segregated teams,” TSMC said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
All employees in Taiwan are now required to wear masks in common areas and when participating in meetings or training, the statement said.
Photo: Bloomberg
“This event does not affect company operations,” TSMC said.
The company did not disclose a timetable for the new practice, or any additional details about the employee’s role at the company.
TSMC operates nine wafer plants in Taiwan, including four 12-inch wafer fabs.
The employee is being treated at a hospital, TSMC said.
The company’s epidemic prevention committee tracked the employee’s contact history, it said.
China’s chip industry is growing faster than anywhere else in the world, after US sanctions on local champions — from Huawei Technologies Co (華為) to Hikvision Digital Technology Co (海康威視) — spurred appetite for homegrown components. Nineteen of the world’s 20 fastest-growing chip industry firms over the past four quarters, on average, hail from the world’s No. 2 economy, data compiled by Bloomberg showed. That compared with just eight firms at the same point last year. Revenue at China-based suppliers of design software, processors and gear vital to chipmaking is increasing at several times the pace of global leaders Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co
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