Former Samsung exec allegedly tried to copy an entire semiconductor plant in China after stealing blueprints and designs
Per Bloomberg
A former Samsung executive was found by Korean prosecutors to have attempted to recreate an entire semiconductor plant in China. Although the company wasn't specifically named, it was noted that the exec allegedly stole from the "world's biggest memory chipmaker."
The Suwon District Prosecutors Office in South Korea released a statement regarding the gravity of the situation. The exec allegedly stole blueprints and designs, including trade secrets, from 2018 to 2019.
“It’s so serious that it’s difficult to compare it in terms of the scale of the crime and the degree of damage with previous individual semiconductor technology leakage cases,”
The prosecutors revealed few details regarding the exec, saying he was 65 years old and that the supposed copied semiconductor plant would have been constructed in Xi'an. It was also noted that the plant would have been backed by a Taiwanese company which the prosecutors didn't specify.
The report by Bloomberg also specified how this case could cause potential tension between Korea and Taiwan, which is significant since the two were considered the most important centers regarding chipmaking. It was also noted that the two were sensitive to China's attempts to "poach chip talent and design."
In July 2022, it was reported that Congress personally invested in semiconductors after it experienced a shortage stemming from America's overreliance on China's chip manufacturing industry.
The Senate passed the Chips and Science Act (CHIPS Plus), which would provide $280 million in subsidies and funding to the semiconductor industry. This was done of incentivizing domestic manufacturing and increase innovation and R&D for it to compete with the likes of China.
In May 2022, Apple reportedly reached a deal with Broadcom that was worth multiple billions. The deal was for US-built chips as the company was trying to limit its reliance on China.
The deal with Broadcom was for the development of 5G radio frequency components.
See flow at unusualwhales.com/flow.
Other News:
- Congress personally invested in semiconductors
- Apple reached a deal with Broadcom worth multi-billions for US-built chips
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