TSMC checking facilities after strong earthquake in Taiwan; production lines rumored to see damages

A major earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.4, struck Taiwan at 7:58 am on April 3 local time.

In response, Taiwan’s major tech firms in Hsinchu Science Park initiated evaluation procedures. TSMC is conducting comprehensive checks to confirm the condition of production lines and equipment across its northern, central, and southern Taiwan facilities.

Although manufacturing processes below 7nm EUV are expensive, TSMC has comprehensively strengthened earthquake protection since 1999. Analysts said the loss brought by the earthquake on April 3, after deducting the insurance compensations, is estimated at less than NT$2 billion, or around US$62 million .

A source familiar with TSMC told DIGITIMES Asia that TSMC’s N3 fab in Tainan “saw its beams and columns broken, and the production lines have been halted. EUV machines have all stopped, while its R&D lab also saw its wall cracked.” The same source also said that a TSMC fab in Hsinchu is also seeing broken pipelines. The production line has been halted due to extensive damaged wafers. The good news is, some production lines will resume operation in six hours.

TSMC spokesperson cannot be reached right now to confirm the rumors.

Previously, TSMC announced that following the 921 earthquake, they’ve implemented seismic management measures surpassing regulations. These include conducting thorough post-earthquake inspections of all facilities and structures, installing dampers or shock absorbers to lessen earthquake impacts on buildings, and actively integrating new equipment vibration reduction and isolation technologies to mitigate operational risks associated with earthquakes.