On April 3rd, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County, Taiwan, early this morning, with a depth of 12 kilometers. This earthquake not only caused strong tremors throughout the island of Taiwan but also was felt in many other parts of the country.
In response to the earthquake, TSMC swiftly took action by suspending construction work at its new Taiwan factory and urgently halting some chip production equipment to ensure the safety of employees and the integrity of production facilities. The company stated that, following internal procedures, partial plant areas have been evacuated, and the industrial safety system is currently operating normally, although detailed assessments are still required.
Upon initial inspection, TSMC found that some quartz tubes inside the factory buildings had ruptured, and there was also some damage to in-line wafers. To prevent equipment misalignment, some machines have been temporarily halted and are undergoing shutdown checks.
Based on the current situation, the impact of this earthquake on TSMC is expected to mainly affect working hours within the next 6 hours, with an estimated impact of approximately $60 million on the forecast for the second quarter financial report.
Despite the impact, TSMC has indicated that the overall effects are limited and will continue to closely monitor the situation following the earthquake and take necessary response measures.
