Earthquake may have affected 20,000 TSMC wafers — the majority will likely have to be scrapped

TSMC.

The recent 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Taiwan did not cause significant damage to TSMC and its fabs, but it still required the company to halt production and will probably mandate that it recalibrate its tools. ComputerBase reports that up to 20,000 wafers in mid processing could be affected.

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck southern Taiwan at 12:17 AM on Tuesday, centered in Dapu Township, Chiayi, and 9.4 km deep. TSMC evacuated staff from its central and south production sites and halted production. Tremors were strongest at level 5 in the Southern Taiwan Science Park and level 4 in the Central Taiwan Science Park, while Hsinchu facilities recorded milder level 3 tremors.